Welcome to 2050. We live in a healthy, sustainable and equitable world – how did we get here? The focus of this course is on understanding how to save people and the planet by moving beyond the consumptagenic system. Consumptagenic systems are the webs of multisectoral public policies; commercial practices, modes of understanding, and social norms, which incentivize and reward unhealthy, unequal and environmentally destructive production and consumption. These are major regulatory, governance and policy challenges. This interdisciplinary course draws from systems science, public health, climate science, sociology, psychology, political science and international relations. It provides students with the methodological skills to ask questions of how to encourage, steer and evaluate transitions within public policy, business, and civil society so as to achieve positive environmental, social, health and economic outcomes. Case studies in energy, food and urbanisation provides students with the opportunity to study highly relevant and topical policy issues.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Understand concepts related to consumptagenic systems, with the ability to critically analyse them in a climate change, inequality and health context
- Critically analyse contemporary governance and regulatory responses (local-global) to consumptagenic systems
- Conduct independent analysis that demonstrates scholarly engagement with the subject matter, developing ideas and analysis in a specific policy domain
Indicative Assessment
- Active participation in class (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- Group Work (debate different regulatory and governance responses to identified consumptagenic problems of climate change, inequality and/or health)(recoded) (15) [LO 1,2]
- Research essay synthesising and analysing source material from multiple disciplines (max 3000 words) (75) [LO 1,2,3]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Approximately 60 hours comprising seminars as well as associated preparation, independent study, and assessment time.
Actual time required may vary with individual students.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable.
Prescribed Texts
n/a
Preliminary Reading
Ison R and Straw E. The Hidden Power of Systems Thinking: Governance in a Climate Emergency. 2020. Routledge
Friel S. Climate Change and the People’s Health. Oxford University Press, 2019
Downie, C. (2015) 'Global energy governance: do the BRICs have the energy to drive reform?', International Affairs, 91(4), pp. 799-812
Polanyi, K. and MacIver, R. M. (1944) The great transformation. Beacon Press Boston.
Steffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockstrom, J., Cornell, S. E., Fetzer, I., Bennett, E. M., Biggs, R., Carpenter, S. R., de Vries, W., de Wit, C. A., Folke, C., Gerten, D., Heinke, J., Mace, G. M., Persson, L. M., Ramanathan, V., Reyers, B. and Sorlin, S. (2015) 'Sustainability. Planetary boundaries: guiding human development on a changing planet', Science, 347(6223), pp. 1259855
Swinburn BA, Kraak VI, Allender S, Atkins VJ, Baker PI, Bogard JR, Brinsden H, Calvillo A, De Schutter O, Devarajan R, Ezzati M. Friel S, etal. The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition, and Climate Change: The Lancet Commission report. The Lancet. 2019, 393(10173):791-846
Wiedmann T, Lenzen M, Keyßer LT and Steinberger JK. Scientists’ warning on af?uence Nature Communications 2020 11:3107
Raworth K. Doughnut Economics : Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist Cornerstone, 2018
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 3 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 3.00 | 0.06250 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $1980 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $2910 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
