Course unit details:
Creating a Sustainable World: 21st Century Challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals
| Unit code | UCIL20412 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 2 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it” - Robert Swan, Author
“We have 12 years to save the planet” - United Nations
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a call from the United Nations for all countries to tackle, by 2030, the global challenges faced by humanity. The SDGs cover a wide range of challenges, with 17 goals backed up by 169 indicators. The goals include poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. The SDGs are designed for everyone to be able to play their part, including The University of Manchester and you, our students.
This online unit will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to address the SDGs. It presents the concept of sustainable development and explains the basis of partnership working that underpins the SDG approach. Each SDG is explored through its own module, drawing on cutting-edge research carried out by world-leading experts across The University of Manchester, together with input from external experts and international policy-makers and practitioners.
Aims
If we are to successfully achieve the SDGs by 2030, then we need to be able to work across traditional disciplines and in more collaborative ways. This unit offers a unique opportunity to engage with multiple real-world challenges and develop applied knowledge and skillsets that are highly prized by employers from the public, private and third sectors.
The unit is available as 10 or 20 credits.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the unit you will be able to:
- Describe the key interlinked, interdisciplinary concepts and theories that underpin sustainable development, as presented by the SDGs
- Analyse diverse ways in which sustainable development plays out across different spaces and scales, including policy spheres, everyday lives, and infrastructures
- Identify and defend your own social positioning in the world and feel empowered to make positive change
In addition, for 20 credits:
- Apply your knowledge to a specific problem, devise an action plan and communicate this in a well-argued report
Syllabus
You will take the two core modules and all of the SDG modules.
Core Module 1: Sustainability and GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goals
Core Module 2: Sustainable Development Goals
SDG Module 1: No Poverty
SDG Module 2: Zero Hunger
SDG Module 3: Good Health and Well-being
SDG Module 4: Quality Education
SDG Module 5: Gender Equality
SDG Module 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
The unit is delivered entirely online via Blackboard (with one face-to-face session). It is highly interactive and adopts a blend of approaches including video inputs, discussion space and case studies. Students will have a choice of assessment formats. All students will study 2 core modules and will then choose their learning pathway, studying either 6 modules (10 credit) or 16 modules (20 credit unit). Students will engage in weekly discussions drawing upon material they have studied that week. Each module is led by a leading researcher from across The University of Manchester and features leading contributors from around the world. 20 Credits Via BlackboardTeaching and learning methods
Assessment methods
Feedback methods
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours
eAssessment
8
Independent study hours
Independent study
192
Teaching staff
Staff member
Role
Jennifer O'Brien
Unit coordinator