Course Catalogue

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In the last few years alone, society has faced unprecedented and, at times, unrelenting global challenges. Many now feel we are living through a 'permacrisis', with wars, economic crises, climate catastrophe and emerging health threats expanding existing inequalities and crafting new injustices. And yet, faced with these challenges, many work to imagine and build more hopeful futures.

This course will consider key theoretical framing through which to comprehend challenges and critical approaches for responding to challenges in ways that tackle injustice and build more hopeful futures. After setting up these foundations, we will apply theoretical frameworks and responses to key challenges. The specific nature of which will change in response to contemporary geopolitical issues. Still, challenges could include legacies of historical injustices, ongoing conflicts and postconflict resolution, the climate emergency and toxic landscapes, rising inequalities within countries and contemporary health emergencies such as the rise of antimicrobial resistance.

While this course will consider issues of inequality and injustices, at its core, it aims to create a space to collectively come together to imagine - and become equipped with the tools to build - more hopeful futures.

Lecture (2 hrs) and seminars weekly for 10 weeks

Fulfilment of entry requirements to Level 3 Geography

None

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Assessment 1: Social Research Tender Bid

The first assessment is intended to replicate the authentic skills used by those working in the advocacy and policy arena. Students will work in groups to respond to a key global challenge by tendering for a social research project. As part of the course, skills-based workshops will guide and equip students with the skills required to complete the assessment, including sessions on 'Key Stakeholder Mapping' and 'Building a Theory of Change Model'.

As part of this assessment, students will submit:

Portfolio of outputs from the Skills Based Workshops 10%

Social Research Tender Bid 30%

Individual Reflective Writing 10%

Assessment 2: Exam

The second assessment will be a more standard exam, with students writing an essay based on a choice of 4 questions.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

i) To encourage students to think critically about key global challenges

ii) To introduce students to key theoretical frameworks for understanding contemporary challenges and the consequence of adopting these framings

iii) To critically assess approaches for responding to global challenges

iv) To equip students with transferable skills to feel empowered to tackle global challenges, notably in professional graduate positions

By the end of this course students will be able to:

Course Specific Skills:

a. critically engage with and apply theoretical ideas to key contemporary issues.

b. identify and adapt the methodological and practical responses to dealing with key global challenges

c. analyse the impact of different methodological and practical approaches for various inequalities and injustices

Discipline Specific Skills:

a. synthesise information and recognise relevance and develop a sustained and reasoned argument with minimum guidance.

b. explain and discuss the contested and provisional nature of knowledge and understanding.

c. identify and evaluate approaches to problem-solving, acting autonomously with minimum supervision.

Personal and Key Skills:

a. collect and analyse information for themselves, using the full range of learning resources available.

b. focus on issues and assess priorities for themselves, undertaking research tasks with minimum guidance.

c. work in a team of mixed backgrounds and skills, interacting effectively and managing conflict where it arises.

d. assess documentation critically, and confidently applying their own judgement to a range of ethical, philosophical, methodological and theoretical issues.

e. select and manage information and evaluate and articulate weaknesses in the arguments of others.

f. communicate ideas, principles and theories effectively and fluently by written means in a manner appropriate to the intended audience.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.