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  6. GG1512: The UN Sustainable Development Goals: Transforming Our World

GG1512: THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD (2024-2025)

Last modified: 23 Jul 2024 11:01


Course Overview

This course interrogates the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.  These encompass contemporary global challenges such as responsible consumption and production, no poverty, clean water and climate action (challenges whose emergence is introduced in GG1010 Creating the Anthropocene).  Drawing upon Human and Physical Geography perspectives, a ‘strong’ interpretation of sustainability, one where social and economic dimensions fundamentally rely on ecological foundations, underpins the course. 

 

 

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 1
Term Second Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr David Haro

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Either Programme Level 1 or Programme Level 2
  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

This course interrogates, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.  Drawing upon perspectives from Human and Physical Geography, space, place, people and the environment, contemporary global challenges that have arisen during the Anthropocene (introduced in GG1010 Creating the Anthropocene) and which have prompted the development of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are examined.  The course structure is based on the three levels of the Stockholm Resilience Centre’s ‘wedding cake’ model of Sustainable Development (biosphere, society and economy), to present a ‘strong’ interpretation of sustainability, one where social and economic dimensions fundamentally rely on ecological foundations. 

No prior knowledge is assumed.

Through a combination of lectures and small group teaching students will engage with the following thematic content:

  1. Principles of Sustainable Development.
  2. The Biosphere - managing the physical environment. Aligned in particular with Sustainable Development Goals 6, 13, 14 and 15, topics include: Life below Water - marine pollution and acidification, sustainable marine resource management, conservation of marine environments; Clean water and sanitation - managing water resources, pollution mitigation; Life on land - soil degradation, natural hazards, effects of sea level rise and Climate action - climate science, climate monitoring, mitigation and adaptation.
  3. Society - topics of concern to human societies. Aligned in particular with Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 8, 16 and 11, topics include: No poverty - international development, global perspectives on population and resources; food security; Good health and wellbeing - health inequalities; Decent work and economic growth - patterns and process of unemployment and underemployment; rural and regional development; Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – refugees, geopolitics and different scales of governance; and Sustainable cities and communities - urban (re)development, gentrification, sustainable transport, enabling community action.
  4. Economy – integrating perspectives from human and physical geography. Aligned in particular with Sustainable Development Goals 7, 9, 10 and 12, topics includes: Responsible consumption and production - natural resource distribution, extractive industries, primary industries, pro-environmental behaviour and behaviour change; Reduced inequalities - structural inequalities at the global ,regional and local scales and gender equality; Affordable and clean energy – renewable energy, energy transition; and Industry, innovation and infrastructure - digital economy and society, global transport and infrastructure.
  5. Assessment of progress towards meeting the UN’s sustainable Development Goals, aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 17.

The course will be assessed by completion of in-course assessments and a written examination.

Associated Costs

DescriptionValue
Students will be expected to meet the cost of a day ticket to allow them to travel around the city by bus to undertake their fieldwork.5.0000

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Data response exercise and report

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 33
Assessment Weeks 30 Feedback Weeks 33

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Written feedback will be provided.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualApplyUpon completion of the course, be able to articulate possible solutions to Sustainable Development challenges, drawing upon different aspects of both Human and Physical Geography.
ConceptualEvaluateUnderstand the inter-relationships that exist between the contemporary natural world & social challenges, & consider the spatial dimensions to physical, environmental & social processes and phenomena.
FactualRememberUpon completion of the course, be able to describe some of the interlinked ways in which Sustainable Development challenges manifest at a variety or spatial scales.

Exam

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 34
Assessment Weeks 40 Feedback Weeks 43

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Oral feedback available on request.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualApplyUpon completion of the course, be able to articulate possible solutions to Sustainable Development challenges, drawing upon different aspects of both Human and Physical Geography.
ConceptualApplyUnderstand the importance of geographical perspectives on Sustainable Development and equip students with the necessary intellectual and practical skills to achieve this.
ConceptualUnderstandIntroduce students to important geographical concepts and issues, covering sub-divisions within physical and human geography, and their links to principles and issues of global scale and significance.

Oral Presentation: Group

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 33
Assessment Weeks 34 Feedback Weeks 35

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Written feedback will be provided.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualApplyUpon completion of the course, be able to articulate possible solutions to Sustainable Development challenges, drawing upon different aspects of both Human and Physical Geography.
ConceptualEvaluateUnderstand the inter-relationships that exist between the contemporary natural world & social challenges, & consider the spatial dimensions to physical, environmental & social processes and phenomena.
FactualRememberUpon completion of the course, be able to describe some of the interlinked ways in which Sustainable Development challenges manifest at a variety or spatial scales.

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Exam

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 34
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Note - written exam resit will only be taken if the examination component of assessment was failed at the end of the first half session. 
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Individual Presentation

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 33
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

If the Group presentation is failed a resit individual presentation option will be available during summer resit period. Written feedback will be provided.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Data response exercise and report

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 33
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

If the data response exercise is failed, a resit data practical exercise will be available during the summer resit period. Written feedback will be provided.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualEvaluateUnderstand the inter-relationships that exist between the contemporary natural world & social challenges, & consider the spatial dimensions to physical, environmental & social processes and phenomena.
ConceptualApplyUnderstand the importance of geographical perspectives on Sustainable Development and equip students with the necessary intellectual and practical skills to achieve this.
FactualRememberUpon completion of the course, be able to describe some of the interlinked ways in which Sustainable Development challenges manifest at a variety or spatial scales.
ConceptualApplyUpon completion of the course, be able to articulate possible solutions to Sustainable Development challenges, drawing upon different aspects of both Human and Physical Geography.
ConceptualUnderstandIntroduce students to important geographical concepts and issues, covering sub-divisions within physical and human geography, and their links to principles and issues of global scale and significance.
 

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