Section: Prospective Students
Our accelerating consumption of natural resources is damaging the ecosystems on which all life depends, posing fundamental challenges to modern assumptions about economic progress, democracy and social relations. Sustainable Development refers to the challenges of reducing global inequity and poverty, and improving well-being, while reducing threats to the earth’s life support systems from industrial production and consumption. Effective environmental care and management in relation to climate stability, other species and natural resources requires the examination of how humans relate to each other and to their surroundings. The critical analysis from diverse perspectives that this degree provides will be essential to understand these challenges, and to evaluate the proposed responses.
The Sustainable Development degree at Edinburgh addresses the challenges mainly through social science perspectives, and focuses on the social, political and economic consequences, challenges and opportunities for change. It also gives students an understanding of the key scientific debates, and the ability to understand and evaluate the scientific knowledge and practices concerning sustainable development. Sustainable Development students will study a range of courses in their first two years, and then specialise in two from a choice of social scientific and humanities subjects.
• This new programme is part of the University’s commitment to making world-leading contributions to understanding and addressing global challenges.
• The University has an outstanding record in research and teaching in teaching a wide range of approaches to sustainability and human development, from across the social and natural sciences
• Students will be able to engage with sustainability issues from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and in the interdisciplinary manner that sustainable development demands.
Edinburgh is the only university in the UK with it's own Transition project, Transition Edinburgh University. Students will have the opportunity to get to know about and participate in the practical projects on which TEU are working. For more information about Transition Edinburgh University, please click here: http://www.transitionedinburghuni.org.uk/
There are many sustainability initiatives across the University, including the newly launched Global Development Academy, which provides a forum for integrated teaching and research across a range of issues relevant to the MA: http://www.eidc.ed.ac.uk/ The Edinburgh Centre on Climate Change brings together experts from a range of disciplines from across the University and other higher education institutions to Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 develop collaborative working between academics and policy and business practitioners to find solutions to climate change problems.
The University has a wide ranging and practical sustainability strategy, reflected in the teaching, research, knowledge exchange, and running of the University. There are regular sustainability events and schemes, and an annual awards programme: http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/sustainability/home The is a special portal for students to be able to find out about and discuss sustainability issues and events, called 'Our Ed'; this brings together students from across the University who are interested and concerned about the environment, health, development, and social justice issues: http://www.oured.ed.ac.uk/
The University offers a wide range of teaching on sustainability topics: http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/sustainability/actions/studying/undegraduate
You will study two core courses. The first will introduce the concept of sustainable development, focusing on the definitions, principles, and measurement of sustainability. It will then provide an introduction to a range of different disciplinary perspectives. The second core course will examine in more depth the relationships between society, science and environment. You will also choose courses from two relevant disciplines, from a wide range of social science and humanities subjects.
You will study two further core courses in this year, one in each semester. In the first semester, you will explore in more depth some of the key topics and issues pertaining to sustainable development; and build on these in the second semester to examine some of the challenges and opportunities that addressing sustainable development provides. For your two other subjects, you will select from a range of courses in your chosen disciplines.
You will specialise in sustainable development option courses drawn from one of the two disciplines that you studied in depth in Years 1 and 2, as well as undertaking a course on Case Studies in Sustainability and a 40-credit dissertation on a sustainable development issue.
Students will be taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials. You will also receive one-to-one supervision for your dissertation. The programme is assessed through exams, coursework and project work.
The programme is based within the School of Social & Political Science. Teaching will largely take place in the George Square campus of the University although there will be opportunities to take courses in other parts of the University, including the science site at Kings’ Buildings. There may be opportunities to study abroad through the University’s International Exchange Programme.
Graduates of this programme are likely to work in the growth areas of corporate social responsibility, environmental education, environmental management, environmental auditing, environmental politics, risk management, sustainable citizenship and sustainable development.
Acknowledgements Images by Anna Dickie, former civil servant, now poet and photographer, East Lothian, Scotland. With many thanks.
For more information about the MA, please contact Lucy Pratt, Special Projects Officer: lucy.pratt@ed.ac.uk
This page was published on 11 January 2012