Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues

Online Course

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Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues
  1. What is the course about?
  2. Prerequisites & Facts
  3. Cost, Certificate & Degree
  4. Reviews & Experiences

What is the course about?

Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues
The course Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues is an online class provided by University of Leicester through Future Learn. It may be possible to receive a verified certification or use the course to prepare for a degree.

Explore some of the key issues in sustainability, tackling the big questions with examples from around the world.

Course description
  • Get an introduction to the key issues in sustainability
  • 6 weeks
  • In this course you will study the conceptual foundations of sustainable development, and discuss the issues around sustainability as a complex problem.
  • We’ll look at the flow of energy and materials worldwide; social and political issues; wealth inequality; the impact of geography, history and culture on sustainability today; and the problems of collective action. Finally, we’ll conduct a SWOT analysis, looking at our resilience and prospects in the face of climate change and other global issues in sustainability. We’ll ask: are we doomed?
  • Week 1: Sustainable development and complexity
  • Week 2: The economy and ecology as a metabolic system
  • Week 3: Economic growth and inequality
  • Week 4: The importance of geography, history and culture and the impact of human activity on the environment
  • Week 5: The problem of collective action
  • Week 6: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
  • Explain what is meant by a complex system and its relevance to sustainability
  • Evaluate the Brundtland definition of sustainable development
  • Explain how economy and ecology work together as one system
  • Summarise the prospects for a circular economy
  • Identify the effects of the agricultural and industrial revolutions
  • Identify and discuss the practical and moral issues around inequality
  • Evaluate the difficulty in assigning causation in complex systems
  • Discuss the implications of past actions for current generations
  • Describe what is meant by the term ‘tragedy of the commons’
  • Explain what is meant by globalisation, and its implication for sustainability
  • Discuss the major problems of sustainability and the prospects for solutions
  • Discuss the range of views on approaches to development
  • This course is open to anyone interested in exploring the general technical and social issues around the concept of sustainability and sustainable development. The course explores the theoretical basis of sustainability from the natural sciences, political and economic perspective. This course is aimed at learners who wish to engage with the challenges and potential solutions to sustainability at a conceptual level.
  • University of Leicester
  • The University of Leicester is a leading research led university with a strong tradition of excellence in teaching. It is consistently ranked amongst the top 20 universities in the United Kingdom.
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Prerequisites & Facts

Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues

Course Topic

Development, Programming Languages, SAS

University, College, Institution

University of Leicester

Course Skill Level

see course summary

Course Language

English

Place of class

Online, self-paced (see curriculum for more information)

Degree

Certificate

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Degree & Cost

Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues

To obtain a verified certificate from Future Learn / University of Leicester you have to finish this course or the latest version of it, if there is a new edition. The class may be free of charge, but there could be some cost to receive a verified certificate or to access the learning materials. The specifics of the course may have been changed, please consult the provider to get the latest quotes and news.
University of Leicester
Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues
provided by Future Learn
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Here you can find information, reviews and user experiences for the course “Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues“. The provider of the course – “University of Leicester” – will be glad to answer any questions you may have about the class, click here to use the offical support channels. It would be great if you could share your experience of participating in the course – Your honest review will surely help others to choose the right class!
School: University of Leicester
Topic: Nature & Environment, Politics & Society, Sustainability

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