• Total units 24 Units
  • Areas of interest Interdisciplinary Studies - Sustainability, Resource Management and Environmental Science, Development Studies, Environmental Studies
  • Minor code SUSD-MIN
  • Academic career Undergraduate
Sustainable Development Minor

Sustainable development - development that meets human needs while conserving Earth's life support systems - has emerged as one of the grand challenges facing society in the 21st century. With global population expected to reach nine billion by 2050 our capacity to develop sustainably is even more urgent, though progress to date has been patchy. The minor in Sustainable Development is concerned with understanding what it means to develop sustainably, and what factors shape our prospects and policies for a transition towards sustainability. Students gain an appreciation for how international trends, whether they are economic, social or political, create both opportunities and limitations for sustainable development. Similarly, at the local or national level the focus is on how initiatives in the public and private sectors encourage or inhibit a shift to sustainable development.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the minor in Sustainable Development students will have the knowledge and skills to:

  1. Understand the background to sustainable development and global environmental issues, and appreciate the links and interdependencies between sustainability and human activity, poverty reduction, economics, consumption, production and governance.
  2. Evaluate alternative approaches to sustainable development, from initiatives at the international level to local, grass-roots level activities.
  3. Understand and critically assess the driving forces for sustainable development in Australia and internationally.
  4. Gather and analyse relevant information and data related to sustainable development, and, particularly, to integrate knowledge from policy-related social science disciplines with relevant natural science knowledge.
  5. Apply a range of written, oral and visual communication skills to effectively convey and discuss information about sustainable development.




Other Information

Advice to Students

What 1st year courses should you enrol in?   ENVS1008

Science students undertaking this minor in a combined degree will be restricted to courses offered or approved by Science.

Students should seek further course advice from the academic convener of this Sustainable Development minor.


Please note that students undertaking a Bachelor of Science in a Flexible Double Degree will only be able to choose courses with ENVS codes from the lists above to count towards a science degree.





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Requirements

This minor requires the completion of 24 units, which must include:

6 units from completion of the following course(s):

Code Title Units
ENVS1008 Sustainable Development 6

12 units from completion of the following course(s):

Code Title Units
ENVS2005 Island Sustainable Development: Fiji Field School 6-12
ENVS2011 Human Ecology 6
ENVS2013 Society and Environmental Change 6
ENVS2017 Vietnam Field School 6-12
MGMT2001 Corporate Sustainability 6
POLS2011 Development and Change 6

6 units from completion of the following course(s):

Code Title Units
ENVS3020 Climate Change Science & Policy 6
ENVS3028 Environmental Policy 6
ENVS3033 International Environmental Policy 6
INDG3002 Indigenous Peoples and Development 6
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