GEOG204 - Environmental Sustainability: the Global Challenge

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Unit rationale, description and aim

What is sustainability? How can we manage the rapid environmental changes taking place in our world? This unit aims to introduce students to the principles, theory and actions of sustainability, and also introduces the role of environmental processes in shaping the environment with a focus on interaction of humans with their environment and the causes of environmental crises. Using an interdisciplinary approach, students will become equipped with a comprehensive understanding of sustainability and the global challenges of population growth, urbanisation, climate change, energy supply, agriculture, development and environmental pollution and degradation. The connections between our environment, poverty and social justice issues will be explored, with domestic and international initiatives to promote environmental sustainability evaluated. This unit highlights indigenous sustainability practises and processes, and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and world First Peoples knowledges can advance sustainable environmental management. By using these ideas to explore the most pressing issues of the 21st century, this unit will prepare students to apply the principles of sustainability and environmental management to their future careers and wherever sustainability ideas and actions are needed.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Discuss local and international sustainability and environmental issues in terms of their economic, political, social and ethical dimensions (GA1, GA2, GA3, GA9) 

LO2 - Conduct literature and/or field-based research on sustainability and environmental issues and report your findings in written or oral forms (GA6, GA8, GA9, GA10)  

LO3 - Develop and apply skills in using geographical and other forms of information and scholarship (GA3, GA8, GA10) 

LO4 - Summarise the need for sustainable living and environments, and assess the challenges posed by environmental sustainability (GA2, GA4, GA8) 

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity 

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics will include: 

• What is sustainability? 
• Environmental and sustainable development approaches and objectives 
• Population growth, urban sustainability and over-development 
• Smart Cities, green infrastructure, low-carbon urbanisation and water-sensitive urban design 
• Soil, water and air pollution 
• Natural resources and mining 
• Renewable and fossil-fuel energy and sustainable energy solutions 
• Local and Global industry, community and government responses to climate change 
• Food security, diets and agricultural production 
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and World Indigenous environmental knowledge and sustainability 
• Environmental sustainability and developing nations, including environmental displacement and migration, the green revolution, and international sustainability goals and frameworks 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit may use both face-to-face and multi-media forms of instruction during class. The in-class lecture component is used to convey new material and offer students the chance to engage and ask questions in person. Tutorials are designed to provide students with a peer-to-peer learning environment where they can discuss and debate issues and problems raised in lectures, in set readings, and gain knowledge that can be applied in their unit assessments. Students consolidate their understanding, knowledge, analytical and communication skills through negotiation and interaction with both other students and staff. Students will have opportunities for field work or site visits in this unit, providing immersive learning experiences and hands-on research opportunities. This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. The learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support your learning such as reading, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts, video etc. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. The assessment tasks and their weighting for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass the unit, students are required to submit and participate in all assessment tasks. Students must obtain a pass mark or better overall from the combination of marks from the three assessment tasks in order to pass the unit. The tasks are linked in a developmentally progressive sequence with the final assessment tasks given more weighting than the first since students’ knowledge and understanding of the unit should increase over time and, therefore, their ability to perform better at the later tasks. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Charlesworth, S.M. and Booth, C.A. 2018. Urban Pollution: Science and Management. Wiley. 

Dastbaz, M. et al. (Eds.) 2018. Smart Futures, Challenges of Urbanisation, and Social Sustainability. Springer. 

Goldie, J. and Betts. K. 2014. Sustainable Futures: Linking Population, Resources and the Environment. CSIRO Publishing, Canberra. 

Graumlich, L., Costanza, R. and Steffen, W. 2011. Sustainability or Collapse: An Integrated History and Future of People on Earth. MIT Press, Boston. 

Hendry, J. 2014. Science and Sustainability: Learning from Indigenous Wisdom. Palgrave Macmillan, London. 

McLeman, R. and Gemenne, F. 2018. Routledge Handbook of Environmental Displacement and Migration. Routledge.  

Nagothu, U.S. (Ed.) 2018. Agricultural Development and Sustainable Intensification: Technology and Policy Challenges in the Face of Climate Change. Routledge. 

Robertson, M. 2014. Sustainability: Principles and Practice. Routledge, New York.  

Peris-Ortiz, M., Bennett, D.R., and Yabar, D.P.B. (Eds.) 2017. Sustainable Smart Cities Creating Spaces for Technological, Social and Business Development. Springer 

Pope Francis. 2015. Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home [Encyclical]. Available at https://laudatosi.com/watch