Core modules
Teaching on this course is equally split between the GSD Department and the Sociology Department.
In the first year, you will study core GSD modules designed to provide a critical understanding of the 'three pillars of sustainable development':
- Economic Principles of Global Sustainable Development
- Environmental Principles of Global Sustainable Development
- Social Principles of Global Sustainable Development
You will also study the core Global Sustainable Development Project module, giving you the chance to see how the principles of GSD apply to a real case affecting a local community. For the Sociology half of the workload, you will take four introductory core modules:
- History of Sociological Thought
- Class and Capitalism in the Neo-Liberal World
- Introduction to Social Analytics in Social Inequalities Research
- Researching Society and Culture
In the second year, in GSD you will have the opportunity to engage with a key issue in sustainability, studying one optional core module from the following:
- Health and Sustainable Development
- Security, Sovereignty and Sustainability in the Global Food System
- Inequalities and Sustainable Development: Inclusion and Dignity for All
You will also choose optional modules with a GSD focus from within GSD or from other departments across the University. For the Sociology half of the workload, you will have one core module, Designing and Conducting Social Research, and a choice between:
- Modern Social Theory
- Practice and Interpretation of Quantitative Research
You will also choose second-year optional modules offered by the Sociology Department.
You may choose to study abroad for part of your second year at Monash University. In Term One at Warwick, you will study an optional core GSD module, an optional module with a GSD focus, a core Sociology module, and an optional module offered by the Sociology Department. The remaining study will consist of pre-approved modules at Monash University.
In the final year, you will take the core GSD Dissertation module. You will also study optional modules with a GSD focus from within or outside of the School for Cross-faculty Studies. For the Sociology half of the workload, you will choose from final-year optional modules offered by the Sociology Department.
Year One
GSD
Economic Principles of Global Sustainable Development
This module aims to introduce you to various economic concepts and perspectives related to global sustainable development. In particular, you will consider the relationship between economics and policy, and you will become familiar with the way in which economists address real-world dilemmas.
Environmental Principles of Global Sustainable Development
This module allows you to investigate a range of perspectives on Sustainable Development from the perspective of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary Environmental Studies. It aims to equip you with the capacity to engage in academically-grounded and critical discussion of the world’s most pressing environmental issues, as well as associated policy responses at a range of geographical scales. Furthermore, it aims to establish skills for the creation and the persuasive presentation of environmental policy to key decision makers specifically through the creation of a Policy Briefing paper and a Policy Pitch.
Social Principles of Global Sustainable Development
This module addresses the social and political principles of GSD. Its teaching methods range from Stimulus to Simulation in order to allow students to engage with theoretically complex concepts through practical activities. It is taught in a combination of lectures and seminars and involves group activities as well as online collaboration.
Global Sustainable Development Project
This module requires students to engage actively in understanding the real-life application of the theories they studied in their first year modules. The problem we investigate is sustainable transport: this is obviously a broad area of study, and one that has a wealth of qualitative and quantitative data to be examined / critiqued. The module aims to provide students with opportunities to examine the Economic, Environmental and Social arguments that have been advanced in relation to the case.
Sociology
History of Sociological Thought
What holds societies together? How do societies change? And how is politics in the conventional sense affected by factors such as class, status, ethnicity or religion, or the state of the economy? These are some of the questions with which you will engage with when you consider the history of sociological thought. You will gain skills of research, analysis and debate by considering the extent to which sociology may be considered a science and how the evolution of sociological thought has been shaped by events and the cultural, economic and political problems of the day.
Class and Capitalism in the Neoliberal World
Protest and anger characterise the contemporary era – young people taking part in militant politics, protest parties gaining more votes, and even NHS doctors taking to the streets.
In this module, we will explore the social consequences of the economic and political transformations associated with neoliberalism that have taken place in recent decades. We will ask why these changes might be responsible for the global rise in urban unrest and dissatisfaction.
Topics will include growing inequality and elite power, militant policing, consumerism, anxiety, debt, the destruction of industrial communities, class identity, the marketisation of education, and the diminishing spaces of public life.
Introduction to Social Analytics in Social Inequalities Research
In the age of ever-increasing data availability which is paired with a growing sophistication of statistical techniques, the opportunities for social science research are vast. This module will give you an understanding of the basic elements of core descriptive statistics which will allow you not only to critically engage with quantitative findings in existing social science research, but also conduct quantitative analysis yourself. The module covers the topics of conceptualisation, operationalisation and measurement, as well as the principles of sampling and the basics of research design. You will be introduced to the process of social science research and quantitative methods in one hour lectures, and then explore these in extended seminars (2h) both through readings, and the statistical software SPSS. We will be working on real data sets, such as the European Social Survey.
Researching Society and Culture
What is society and how do you study it? Is human behaviour governed by rules similar to the natural world that you can study objectively? Or do human beings consciously act upon their environment and change the world through creativity and intelligence, driven by their own understanding and motivations? These are some of the questions that this module will explore.
You will be introduced to the core ideas behind sociological research and the practical tools to undertake research yourself. As well as looking at some of the key qualitative methods (for example, interviews, ethnography and discourse analysis), you will also examine the political, ethical and practical issues that social research inevitably entails.
Year Two
GSD
Health and Sustainable Development
Viable and equitable solutions in health and sustainable development require interdisciplinary and critical thinking. The first part of the module will introduce you to fundamental concepts of global health governance and health systems, and acquaint you with key global health priorities like drug resistance and mental health from the perspective of GSD. The second part of the module will focus on issues that relate to policies and behavioural change, and are also applicable beyond health, for example in areas like education or technology transfer. Alongside the module content, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your analytical skills to make independent, critical, and constructive contributions to Health and Sustainable Development.
or
Security, Sovereignty and Sustainability in the Global Food System
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed in 2015, commit the international community to a set of 17 goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity. Of these, Goal 2 specifically aims to end hunger, end all forms of malnutrition, and ensure sustainable food production systems by 2030.
The pressing need for such initiatives is stark: we inhabit a world where at least 800 million people are chronically undernourished. The world population is projected to increase to a staggering 10 billion people by 2050, yet who will be responsible for ensuring all these mouths are fed? And can we ever produce and consume food for so many people without causing an unsustainable impact on our environment?
Food security, sustainability and sovereignty are thus crucial issues confronting the world today, and it is these issues which this module seeks to introduce and evaluate. The module is taught in collaboration with active researchers from across various disciplines at Warwick, especially those involved in the University’s Global Research Priority on Food.
or
Inequalities and Sustainable Development: Inclusion and Dignity for All
This module focuses on how inequalities shape our societies, economies, environments and politics. Starting with the question ‘does inequality matter?’, you'll critically reflect on the UN's decision to integrate inequalities into the Sustainable Development Agenda. You’ll then explore six different dimensions of inequalities (work, politics, environmental justice, societal discrimination, automation and globalisation, opportunities and empowerment) and gain an understanding of the complexities of these problems. Finally, you’ll appreciate the challenges faced by today’s policy makers who aim to address issues of inequalities while taking into consideration all three pillars of sustainable development.
Sociology
Designing and Conducting Social Research
This module will teach you the core concepts and practical skills to undertake qualitative social research in academic and professional settings. These include research design, ethnography, in-depth interviewing, documents and discourse. As well as practical skills, you will investigate how social research has changed in recent decades, considering:
- ethical questions when researching life online
- how (and whether) you should study Twitter
- effects of social media on social interactions
- how to engage diverse audiences
You will also gain analytical skills to critically evaluate previous research and develop your ability to collect and analyse data using a range of qualitative methods.
Modern Social Theory
This module will introduce you to the main thinkers and movements in critical social theory. Topics include Marxism, post-structuralism, class and culture. The changing conceptualisation of power and class is a focus throughout the module. This helps you to see how the different theoretical approaches relate to each other, and to historical and political events.
or
Practice and Interpretation of Quantitative Research
Quantitative methods can help you answer questions such as:
- Is income inequality in the UK growing?
- Does marriage improve health?
- Does growing up in a poor neighbourhood affect your life chances?
Analysing representative, large-scale social surveys is crucial for sociologists to understand social processes. This module will introduce you to quantitative methods and how to analyse large data sets using SPSS Statistics software. It will help you engage with published quantitative sociological research and to undertake your own basic quantitative data analysis.
Final Year
GSD
GSD Dissertation/Long Project
In this final-year module you’ll bring together all of your learning and experiences on the course – the theoretical concepts and principles and your practical know-how – in order to address a specific sustainable development problem of your own choosing. This will be a problem that concerns you most and which you’d like to tackle.
You’ll be supported by an academic supervisor to devise a suitable project and to undertake research to explore the issue, taking a transdisciplinary approach to your investigation in order to produce an original research output. This may be a concept paper, a practical project, a film production, a long essay, an advocacy campaign etc. – use your creativity!
You’ll design a strategy for disseminating your findings (for example at a conference presentation, via online publication or an article in a journal or at a public meeting that you’ve arranged). This provides you with an opportunity to get your voice heard in a forum where it matters and could have lasting impact.
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules include:
GSD modules
- Managing Natural Resources
- The Energy Trilemma
- Human Rights and Social Justice in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Realising Sustainable Development
- Surviving the Apocalypse
- Challenges of Climate Change
Sociology modules
- Becoming Yourself: The Construction of the Self in Contemporary Western Societies
- Commercial Cultures in Global Capitalism
- Racism and Xenophobia
- Punishment, Justice and Control
- Sociology of End Times
