Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM005M: The Politics, Policy and Practice of Sustainable Development (MPA ONLY)

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to provide policy makers and public managers with an advanced introduction to the concept of sustainable development and the policy-making challenges presented by its various features. You will develop an understanding of the trade-off between environmental protection and economic development. The module aims to widen your understanding of environmental policy challenges by analysing problems in various national contexts. Students completing this module will develop a firm grasp of the key debates in sustainable development and will be able to critically assess strategies to produce sustainable development.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Understand and apply the changing meanings of sustainable development and sustainability;
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the complexities of implementing sustainable development across different policy sectors and governance scales;
3. Evaluate critically current practice of sustainable development implementation;
4. Identify examples of sustainable development good practice and the policy lessons that can be drawn;
Discipline-Specific Skills5. Appraise and critically evaluate government reports and public policy;
6. Synthesise and comment critically on a corpus of academic literature;
7. Link public administration concepts and theories to real world examples;
Personal and Key Skills8. Intensively study in an independent and directed manner over in short time scales to produce work of a consistent high-quality standard;
9. Communicate complex ideas and evidence in seminar presentations and workshop activities;
10. Build upon team working skills through seminars and workshops;
11. Reflect on the process of learning and evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses.