Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2011-2012 (archived)
Module GEOG2541: DEVELOPMENT, SOCIETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Department: Geography
GEOG2541: DEVELOPMENT, SOCIETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Type | Open | Level | 2 | Credits | 20 | Availability | Available in 2011/12 | Module Cap | None. | Location | Durham |
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Prerequisites
- None
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combination of Modules
- None
Aims
- Provides students with an insight into the ways in which development, society and the environment, and their inter-relations have been conceived
- Through an exploration of how these ideas have historically informed policy debates at a variety of scales, the module expands student learning about critical economic, cultural, and political relations in the world today
- This module also engages students in thinking about how the ideas and practices concerning development, society and the environment promoted within policy arenas have been responded to and resisted by communities and organizations in the north and south
- The module provides students with a critical understanding of:
- the spatiality of environmental and development thought and practice
- the geographical nature of development thought and practice
- the geopolitical nature of development and environmental policy
- the ways in which development and environmental goals complement or conflict with one another
- the interconnections between globalisation, societal change, environmental issues and development
- and local, national and transnational resistance to various forms of development and environmental management
Content
- Introduction: thinking about development, society and the environment
- Key concepts in development, society and environment: for example histories of development thinking; everyday geographies of development; livelihoods; sustainable development, social justice
- Contemporary issues in development, society and environment
- Media representations
- Critical perspectives on development
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- Students are expected to be able to: outline and understand the mainstream ideas (and their critiques) about development, society and the environment, the ways in which they relate to one another, and how these have evolved
- Demonstrate their understanding of both the theoretical debates and empirical issues through case studies and grounded examples
Subject-specific Skills:
- Analyse a range of contemporary environment and development debates with particular reference to these theoretical frameworks and empirical experiences
Key Skills:
- Demonstrate a capacity to improve their own learning and performance by gathering necessary information from a range of bibliographic and electronic sources with a view to the critical appraisal of a particular topic
- Demonstrate a range of communication skills including the ability to evaluate and synthesise information obtained from a variety of sources
- Demonstrate a capacity to evaluate the merits of contrasting theoretical and conceptual approaches
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Basic debates on development and environment are introduced and explained in lectures
- Concepts and approaches are introduced in lectures and discussed and developed in tutorials
- Factual understanding is tested in exams and coursework
- Critical evaluation and effective writing are tested in exams and coursework
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lectures | 20 | c. weekly | 1 hour 30 mins | 30 | |
Tutorials | 2 | termly | 1 hour | 2 | ■ |
Preparation and Reading | 168 | ||||
Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
Component: Exam | Component Weighting: 67% | ||
---|---|---|---|
Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
unseen exam | 2 hours | 100% | |
Component: Essay | Component Weighting: 33% | ||
Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
essay | 5 x sides A4 | 100% |
Formative Assessment:
In line with Board of Studies policy for all Level 2 optional modules, formative assessment is provided through formative feedback on summative coursework
■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University