MSc, Postgraduate Diploma/Certificate in Sustainable Development
Structure
and Syllabus
Part
I - Compulsory Modules
Ecological
science and management [C100]
This module provides
a comprehensive understanding of temporal and spatial dynamics of
interacting components of natural and seminatural environments for
their management. It deals with the theoretical and mechanistic framework
for understanding ecology, and the study of interactions of organisms
with each other and with their environments. It introduces key concepts
in ecological theory and the functioning of natural environments,
referring to the dynamics of populations and communities and the interaction
of organisms with their environment at local, landscape and regional/global
scales. It examines ecological theory underlying models of sustainability
and conservation and explains spatial and temporal patterns observed
in natural and perturbed environments. It goes on to explore ecological
processes occurring over regional and global scales, as these are
essential to the functioning of both natural and human-dominated ecosystems,
focusing specifically on the practice of ecology in applied contexts
through issues such as biodiversity conservation, human demography,
land degradation and agriculture: four interrelated topics that are
central to human culture and welfare and are the focus of much debate
and controversy.
C201
Understanding sustainable development
Explains and critically evaluates the
concept of sustainable development, its main principles, the evolution
of ideas about sustainability, strategies for promoting sustainable
development,
resistances to the concept, and some alternative approaches. It also
examines some important current issues and areas of debate in relation
to sustainable development.
C116 Economics
and institutions for development
Examines the economic behaviour of
people and firms, and interactions between these, institutions and
national economies in development processes. It introduces development
concepts and standard economic models and their relation with each
other. The module explores the roles of institutions in economic
exchange and resource allocation, and their contribution (or
hindrance) to more efficient and equitable resource allocation and to
development.
C124 Climate
change and development
Provides a multi-disciplinary
understanding of climate change processes and of their direct and
indirect interactions with development. It describes the main climate
change processes, scenarios and vulnerabilities, and international and
national policy responses. Different sectors' contributions and
sensitivities to climate change (and to mitigation and adaptation
responses) are identified, with their implications for policies and
outcomes for different economies and for people's livelihoods within
them.
C138 Marketing
for Small Agribusinesses
Markets are a key component of
development. You will analyse the marketing challenges for micro- and
small enterprises within a broad range of natural resource product and
service sectors, focusing on how markets function, marketing
management, and policy measures to support small firms and business
services.
C167 Managing
social and environmental responsibility
Introduces concepts and theory
underlying the management of social and environmental responsibility.
It addresses ethical dilemmas for business, and discusses strategies
and responsibilities within and outside the firm. It concludes by
linking firm-level activities with
national and international performance standards and best practice
reporting to stakeholders.
C128 Rural
finance [expected 2012]
Considers the importance of savings,
insurance, credit and money transmission to poor rural households. It
examines why these services are often either unavailable or available
only on highly disadvantageous terms to such households, despite huge
advances in microfinance in recent years. It then explores options for
enhancing provision of rural financial services in poor economies.
C123 Managing
knowledge and communication for development
Proven knowledge correctly applied
can enhance poor people’s capabilities to participate in their own
development and make choices about their lives. This module equips
students to distinguish between different understandings of knowledge,
evaluate alternative technologies for communication, and consider the
implications for development policies and practice in the field of
knowledge management and development.
C129 Managing
small business organisations [expected 2011]
Micro- and small-scale business and
the promotion of collective enterprise are frequently a focus of
development and poverty reduction policies. This module explores the
basic functions of managing such small business organisations. It also
addresses the relationship between entrepreneurship and the impacts on
the poorest, and the need to analyse the policies and external support
services necessary for small business generation.
C131 Management
in rural development
You will gain an understanding of the
management and organisation of interventions to promote rural
development. The module examines the scope and demands of rural
development management, dimensions of rural development, the relevance
of management theories of organisations and management, and the
changing roles of the state, the private sector and civil society in
rural development.
C132 NGO
management
Covers NGO growth trends, strategic
planning, structures, systems, and management challenges. It explores
these in relation to accountability, transparency, performance,
monitoring and evaluation, and organisational learning.
C134 Project
planning and management
Considers the planning and management
of public and private investment in the rural sector in the context of
sectoral and national level programme support. Concepts of project
identification, preparation, appraisal, and monitoring and evaluation
are explored. Methods such as logical framework, financial and
economic cost benefit analysis, and social and environmental
assessment are presented.
C207
Environmental assessment
You will gain an understanding of the
Environmental Impact Assessment process and examine its application
through case studies. You will study the difficulty of assessing
impacts and how EIA information can be incorporated into practical
working methodologies. The strategic role of EIA is also explored, as
is its effectiveness as a tool for achieving sustainable development.
C208
Environmental auditing and environmental management system
Provides an understanding of how to
identify and evaluate the environmental impacts of an organisation or
product/service. It explains how the environmental impacts of an
organisation can be managed within the context of an environmental
management system. It also explains the practical application of
environmental auditing and environmental management systems, and it
examines the range of available environmental management tools and
techniques. It also considers ways in which corporate environmental
management may respond to the challenge of sustainable development
requirements.
C114
International environmental law
Covers the principles and rules of
international law which have as their primary objective the protection
of the environment. It addresses how the international community has
recognised and sought to deal with the interdependence of the global
environment through regional and international agreements.
C02 Economic
principles
A rigorous introduction to
microeconomic theory covering theories and applications of individual
and market demand, as well as production economics. The final part
focuses on welfare economics and its application to imperfect
competition and factor markets.
C121 Economics of
environmental policy
A theoretically rigorous coverage of
the economic concepts and principles of environmental policy is
offered in this module. It provides the knowledge and analytical tools
you need to design and evaluate public policies towards the
environment. You will study externalities such as pollution and public
goods, exploitation of natural resources, trade and sustainable
development.
C122 Environmental
valuation: theory, techniques and application
Develops the theory and techniques of
the valuation of non-market goods and services. The module focuses on
the techniques and methods for putting monetary values on the
environment and shows how these can be incorporated in economic
decision making at both the macro and project level.
C105 Natural
resource economics
Examines a number of economic models
of natural resource allocation and demonstrates their application to
policy making and natural resource management to provide useful
insights to both policy makers and managers. The second part of the
module considers the economic dimensions of sustainable economic
growth and development.
C170 Introduction
to environmental economics and policy
Explains the essential economic
concepts and theory relevant to environmental issues. It reviews
economic theories of pollution and management of natural resources,
and how these can inform environmental policy. The impact of
macroeconomic policies on the environment and the role of
international environmental agreements on transboundary issues are
examined.
C207 Environmental assessment
Provides an understanding of the
processes and techniques for assessing the impacts of proposed actions
on the environment, across a range of decision levels. It demonstrates
the types of information required for assessing the impacts of a
proposal on specific environmental parameters. It provides a basis for
the practical application of environmental assessment skills; it also
gives examples and case studies illustrating key aspects of
professional practice for environmental managers.
C163
Environmental ethics
Considers environmental values in
relation to ethical principles and cultural traditions, and outlines
the development of an environmentalist movement, the interface of
science and the
environment, and the political impact of environmental concerns. It
should provide insights to practitioners and policy makers for best
practice and social and political sensitivities.
C114 International environmental law
Covers the principles and rules of
international law which have as their primary objective the protection
of the environment. It addresses how the international community has
recognised and sought to deal with the interdependence of the global
environment through regional and international agreements.
C168 Sustainable
land management
Covers the physical and biological
processes essential to understanding soil science and processes of
land degradation. It explores the causes of land degradation and
measures for mitigation and conservation in a range of agro-climatic
zones. Emphasis is placed on the interaction of physical, economic,
social, political and institutional factors in determining land
management practices.
C185 Sustainable
forest management
Forests are important sources of
products and environmental services, and yet are disappearing or
threatened in most tropical and many temperate regions. Well managed
forests with appropriate conservation measures can deliver society’s
needs in a sustainable way. Understanding how and why is central to
this module. Beginning with an introduction to key concepts, issues
and protocols and an overview of the global forest estate, the module
builds an understanding of sustainable forest management from its
foundation in ecological principles, markets for forest products and
environmental services and local to global forest and environmental
policies. A solid knowledge of the principles and practice of forest
management planning, implementation and monitoring is developed and
related to the requirements of sustainable forest management
certification.
C126 Water
resource management
Explains the key themes, concepts,
and tools associated with water management. The module covers
determinants of availability and scarcity, assessment and management
from basin to user, economics and governance, the management and
sustainability of irrigated agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture,
and environmental, social and political dimensions of water use.
C130 Rural
development
This module gives you an economics
perspective on issues and methods in rural development. These include
the role of rural development in poverty reduction, roles of
agricultural and nonagricultural sectors and of markets and
governments in development, impacts of new technology, agricultural
research and extension policy and methods, and rural financial
markets.
C110 Agricultural
trade and policy
Introduces neo-classical trade theory
and examines trade theory as it applies to a range of interventions in
trade, in particular, agricultural trade. The course also introduces
standard agricultural policy analysis tools, a review of current
issues affecting international trade in agriculture, and analysis of
the major environmental influences on trade and policy.
C125 Food
security and social protection
Considers in a unified manner two
highly topical policy areas that too often are treated in isolation:
food security and social protection. The basic conceptual approach
centres on the livelihoods of poor individuals and households and
their management of risk and shocks. Policies to help households
manage risk and accumulate assets are critically evaluated and
particular attention is paid to how greater complementarity can be
achieved across policies for agricultural development and social
protection.
C119
Understanding poverty
Introduces concepts and definitions
of poverty. It explores trends in poverty (especially rural poverty)
across and within continents, along with debates about the causes of
these trends, and introduces the national and international policy
architecture for poverty reduction.
C140 Gender and
social development
Examines gender and social
development from both an analytical and a practical perspective. It
describes tools and frameworks for analysing social and gender
relations, and the relationship between academic and policy work in
this field. Current thinking relating to the practice of social
development and to the promotion of gender equality and women’s
empowerment is explored.
C135
Socioeconomics of rural livelihoods
Analyses the decisions facing poor
rural people in managing their activities and resources. The module
examines the circumstances and objectives of peasants and
socio-economic theories that describe their livelihood strategies, and
policy implications arising from this analysis.
Part III: Research modules (MSc only)
Research
methods [R106]
Begins with a
discussion of the nature and role of research and then seeks to
provide a foundation of basic skills in research. The course covers
sampling, data collection methods, basic statistical tests, an
introduction to SPSS®, and procedures for qualitative data analysis.
Research
report [RR01]
The research report involves
desk-based and/or field-based research. The report is assessed by
submission of a research proposal (10%) and a 10,000 word written
report (90% of final module mark). Students are individually assigned
a research supervisor for support and advice. All research topics are
subject to approval by the Senior Teaching Fellow.
