Global Development and Sustainability Challenges, 7.5 credits
(Global utveckling och hållbarhetsutmaningar, 7,5 högskolepoäng)
| Course code | MJ017A |
|---|---|
| Subject area | Environmental Science |
| Main field of study | Environmental Science |
| Progressive specialisation | A1N (Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirements) |
| Academic school | School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies |
| Disciplary domain |
Natural sciences 30%
Social sciences 70% |
| Grading scale | AF |
| Education cycle | Second-cycle (Master) |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Valid from | Autumn semester 2023 |
Validation
This course syllabus was validated by the Management Board of the School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies at Södertörn University on 2022-12-07 according to the stipulations in the Higher Education Ordinance.
Entry requirements
The equivalent of English 6 and a Bachelor's degree in natural sciences, social sciences or humanities including a minimum of 90 credits relevant to the environment, sustainability or global development.
Learning outcomes
On completing the course, the student can:
- Explain and problematise central concepts and theories in critical development and sustainability studies.
- Summarise, compare, and analyse historically varying developmental discourses and practices in the relationships between the Global South and North.
- Identify, explain and contrast how the values, preferences and perspectives of different actors can be related to different understandings and ambitions in the fields of development and sustainability.
- Describe and compare different global development models and their relationship to the prospects of sustainability transformation.
Course content, modules and examinations
The course introduces critical theoretical approaches to issues in global development studies and contemporary sustainability challenges, and considers the historical and philosophical foundations of how development is understood in relation to globalisation, power, justice, and inequality. There is a specific focus on Global South perspectives, but it also takes into account North‑South relations, and examines and problematises political, economic, sociocultural and environmental changes. The course deals with the consequences of different knowledge systems and worldviews within global, national, and local power relations.
1001,
Global Development and Sustainability Challenges, theory,
5 credits
(Global utveckling och hållbarhetsutmaningar, teori,
5 högskolepoäng)
Grades permitted:
AF
1002,
Global development and sustainability challenges, seminars,
2.5 credits
(Global utveckling och hållbarhetsutmaningar, seminarier,,
2,5 högskolepoäng)
Grades permitted:
Two-grade scale
Course design
The course includes lectures, seminars and group work.
Examination format
1001, Global Development and Sustainability Challenges, theory, 5 credits
- Individual written course paper
1002, Global Development and Sustainability Challenges, seminars, 2.5 credits
- Oral presentation and written hand‑in assigments (in groups and individually)
- Seminar participation
Absences from a maximum of 50% of the seminars can, upon instruction from the examining teacher, be compensated for by written hand‑in assignments. Compensatory assignments must be submitted within one year of the end of course.
The grading criteria are distributed prior to the start of a course or module.
If a student has a certificate from Södertörn University for compensatory support, the examiner has the right to decide on an adapted examination or alternative form of examination in accordance with Södertörn University's regulations.
Restrictions on accreditation
The course may not be accredited as part of a degree if the contents are partly or wholly the same as a course previously taken in Sweden or elsewhere.