Sustainable Development (MSc, Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate)

Core modules

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.

Note: this module is compulsory.

 

Environmental science and management

Provides an overview of the Earth system and its main subsystems and processes. It focuses on the science underlying the most prominent global environmental issues. Major approaches to, and principles of, environmental management are also examined.

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.

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.

Ethics for environment and development

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.

Elective modules

Development management

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.

Management in rural development

Considers the management and organisation of interventions to promote rural development. The course 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.

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.

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.

Elective modules

Environmental economics

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.

Economics of environmental policy

Provides a theoretically rigorous coverage of the economic concepts and principles of environmental policy. It provides the knowledge and analytical tools needed to design and evaluate public policies towards the environment. It covers externalities such as pollution and public goods, exploitation of natural resources, trade and sustainable development.

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.

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.

Elective modules

Environmental management

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.

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.

Environmental auditing and environmental management systems

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.

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.

Elective modules

Natural resource management

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.

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.

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.

Water resources 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.

Elective modules

Rural development and change

Rural development

Introduces rural development, looking at its history, key challenges, role in poverty reduction, the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, rural services (government and market roles in provision of infrastructure, finance, agricultural research and extension, and health and education) and natural resources (notably land and water policies).

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.

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.

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.

Gender and social development or Socioeconomics of rural livelihoods

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.

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.

Research modules (MSc only)

Research methods

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.

Dissertation

The dissertation 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.