Postgraduate Module Descriptor


POLM222M: The Politics, Policy and Practice of Sustainable Development

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to provide you as professional 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. On completing this module you will have 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. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the complexities of implementing sustainable development across different policy sectors and governance scales
2. Evaluate critically current practice of sustainable development implementation
3. Identify examples of sustainable development good practice and the policy lessons that can be drawn
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Appraise and critically evaluate government reports and public policy
5. Synthesise and comment critically on a corpus of academic public policy literature
6. Systematically link public administration concepts and theories to real world examples
Personal and Key Skills7. Intensively study in an independent and directed manner over in short time scales to produce work of a consistent high-quality standard
8. Communicate complex ideas and evidence in seminar presentations and workshop activities
9. Reflect on the process of learning and evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Presentation10 minutes 1-9 Verbal feedback

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Mock evidence submission to parliamentary enquiry 353,000 words 1-7 Written feedback
Reflective learning log 201,000 words 1-7, 9 Written feedback
Coursework Essay 453,500 words 1-7 Written feedback

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Mock evidence submission to parliamentary enquiry Mock evidence submission to parliamentary enquiry(3,000 words) 1-7 Next reassessment period
Reflective learning log Reflective learning log (1,000 words) 1-7, 9 Next reassessment period
Coursework Essay Coursework Essay (3,500 words) 1-7 Next reassessment period