Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025

Module GEOL1141: Sustainability

Department: Earth Sciences

GEOL1141: Sustainability

Type	Open	Level	1	Credits	20	Availability	Available in 2024/2025	Module Cap	None.	Location	Durham

Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

None.

Aims

To acquire a fundamental understanding of sustainability.
To introduce global issues and concepts around sustainability, with an emphasis on aspects most relevant to Earth Sciences such as water, climate, energy and mineral resources, food resources, and natural hazards.
To introduce the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To focus on nine of the seventeen SDGs.
To use research-led teaching from the beginning of the first year.
To provide students with key techniques in processing, visualizing and presenting scientific data.

Content

Explanation and discussion of sustainability issues, using geoscience-facing SDGs as a framework for structuring and delivering material.
Knowledge and understanding of fundamental aspects and principles of environmental and Earth sciences relevant to sustainability.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

Overview of global natural resources and their rates of use and replenishment/recycling.
Strategies and case studies for sustainability.

Subject-specific Skills:

Familiarity with sustainability literature, data sources and their formats.
Understanding of research methodologies in Earth Sciences, and an appreciation of the specific research foci in Durham Earth Sciences.

Key Skills:

Analysis of quantitative and qualitative data sets, including time series analysis, image interpretation.
Inter-relation of different branches of science.
Writing skills.
Presentation skills (poster).
Skills to distinguish the quality of data sources.
Recognizing and avoiding plagiarism.
Processing data in Excel.
Data presentation using Inkscape.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Lectures and practical sessions. Practical classes to expand on concepts introduced in lectures. Some sessions may use intersperse short mini-lectures with staged practical activities.
Posters will be displayed at a module mini-conference at the end of Term 2. Depending on student numbers, posters might be paired or group efforts.
The lectures and practical sessions are supported by handouts, directed reading and web-based material.
The practicals provide opportunities to apply principles, concepts and theory to case studies and real-life examples.
Guidance is provided on scientific presentation and data handling techniques.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Lectures	20	Weekly	1 Hour	20	■
Practicals	20	Weekly	2 Hour	40	■
Reading and study of class hand-outs, preparation for and execution of formative and summative assessments, background reading both directed and independent, and preparation for summative poster.				140
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Component: Coursework		Component Weighting: 100%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
In class test		20%
Poster		80%

Formative Assessment:

Examples of best practise to be given throughout both terms, including solutions to specific problems and advice on scientific communication for different intended audiences.

■ 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