BSc Global Development / Course details

This course brings together cutting-edge research and practitioners to explore the challenges and rewards to sustainability practice in a range of contexts. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach to questions of sustainability giving students insights into what makes sustainability happen and obstacles to change. Students will take part in weekly sessions examining research on the practice and impact of different approaches to sustainable development by organisations in different regions of the world. These sessions will include workshops where students can engage with practitioners grappling with the challenges of sustainability from a range of government, private sector and civil society institutions around the world. The course begins with framing lectures, before workshops with practitioners and researchers exploring specific case studies and a final panel reflecting on cross-cutting lessons. Topics will vary year to year, with potential fields include biodiversity conservation, energy, extractive industry, housing, supply chains, transport, water. Each workshop will pair a sustainability challenge with a specific organisation and location.

• Provide participants with a detailed working knowledge of the principles, practices and outcomes of contemporary sustainability practice and policy in a range of contexts
• Analyse the role of sustainability policy and practice in different regions of the world, and compare and contrast the outcomes and implications of different approaches to sustainable development
• Examine key challenges surrounding different actors’ role rolesustainable development, and how they might be overcome
• Apply a range of theoretical perspectives to critically interrogating issues of practicing sustainability in a range of contexts
• Apply a range of theortheoreticalpectives to critically interrogating issues of practicing sustainability in a range of contexts.

The course takes an interdisciplinary approach to questions of sustainability giving students insights into what makes sustainability happen and obstacles to change. Students will take part in weekly sessions examining research on the practice and impact of different approaches to sustainable development by organisations in different regions of the world. These sessions will include workshops where students can engage with practitioners grappling with the challenges of sustainability from a range of government, private sector and civil society institutions around the world.

Blackboard is the hub of the course, used to share course information, reading lists, resources and support communication with students. Over the semester, the teaching takes 3 main forms:

1. Framing sessions: 3 weeks of 1-hour lectures followed by 1-hour tutorials setting out key ideas and literatures which will be explored during the course. Supplemented with a range of materials on blackboard including 40-60 minutes of short lectures per week building on lecture and readings, and a range of relevant multimedia (e.g. podcasts).
2. 4 x 3-hour Workshops involving practitioners and researchers exploring changing and implementing sustainability policy and practice in specific contexts. Each workshop will pair a sustainability challenge with a specific organisation and location (e.g. Speaking to a mine employee about their work with community development around operations in Africa) and be followed by a class discussion. Workshops seek to give insights to how progress around a range of sustainability challenges does and does not happen and are followed by a class discussion so support critical reflection on emerging themes and insights, highlight connections to the literature and support the assignments.
3. 2-hour final panel discussing cross-cutting themes, encouraging critical reflection, reinforcing learning and supporting final assignment.

• Explain key debates in sustainability and their consequences for policy and practice
• Identify a range of policies used by organisations to pursue sustainability goals
• Critically assess decision-making and policies proposed to achieve sustainability in a range of contexts

• Critically evaluate a range of approaches to sustainability and change and their implications for policy and practice
• Critically reflect how different policies and actions to advance a range sustainability aims have and have not succeeded

• Develop practical analysis skills, including experience analysing and evaluating practices and policies uses to achieve sustainable development
• Develop publicly-oriented and reflective writing skills

• Demonstrate critical thinking, reflection, self-awareness and independent learning
• Undertake both team-based and independent work to deadlines
• Develop, articulate and sustain logical, structured and reasoned arguments supported by evidence in both written and oral contexts
• Engage with professionals working in sustainability sector in a range of contexts

1. Blog: 1000-word blog drawing on the literature and content of the first three framing weeks (1,000 words) (25%)
2. Portfolio : A 3000-word portfolio comprised of 4 x 500-word critical reflections on the workshops and a comparative essay discussing these in relation the literature on sustainability policy and practice.(3,000 words) (75%)

Formative written feedback on blog outline 200 words 1 week after submission, by email

Students will refine and improve their blog outline prior to submitting summative assessment

Formative written feedback on one of the workshop critical reflections 400 words 1 week after submission, by email

Students will refine and improve their critical reflections prior to submitting summative assessment

Final written feedback will be provided via Blackboard. 

Bader, C. 2014. The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist. Bibliomotion, Brookline.

Frederiksen, T. and Banks, G., 2023. Can Mining Help Deliver the SDGs: Discourses, Risks and Prospects. The Journal of Environment & Development, 32(1), pp.83-106.

Green, D. 2018. How Change Happens. OUP Henderson, R., 2021. Reimagining Capitalism in a World on fire. Penguin Business.

Hoffman, A.J., 2001. From Heresy to Dogma. Stanford University Press.

Moody-Stuart, M. 2014. Responsible Leadership. Greenleaf, Sheffield.

Robbins, P.; Hintz, J. G.; and Moore, S. A. 2022 Environment and Society (3rd ed.). Wiley Blackwell, Chichester.

Roberts, J. 2011 Environmental Policy (2nd ed.). Routledge: Abingdon

Scheyvens, R., Banks, G., McLennan, S., Bebbington, A.J., 2016. Conceptualising corporate community development. Third World Quarterly. 37, 1–19.

The course design deviates from standard timetabling. Over the semester, the teaching takes 3 main forms:

• Weeks 1-3: 3 weeks of 1-hour lectures followed by 1-hour tutorials
• Weeks 4-7: 4 x 3-hour Workshops
• Week 8: 2-hour lecture (panel format)