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Study undergraduate online with Murdoch University through Open Universities Australia. Explore all degrees, subjects and short courses now.

This course aims to train the next generation of sustainability leaders for world-changing work in Australia and overseas. Students explore the environmental, economic, social and cultural dimensions of sustainability, and develop a wide range of much-needed green skills. Areas covered include urban and rural sustainability, sustainability ethics and economics, and sustainable lifestyles and behaviour change. The emphasis is on giving students the sustainability expertise needed to ‘make a difference’ within communities and regions and at the global level.

Assess environmental, economic and community needs by examining sustainability transition, overseas aid, resource access and climate change. Integrate theory and practice for employment with NGOs, governments and the resources sector.

Bachelor of Arts (Sustainable Development)

It’s a sad reality that millions of people around the world are living in poverty. International aid and development can come in many forms including money, medicine, food, education, disaster relief and recovery, helping communities develop a better future, and much more.In this degree, you’ll explore the challenges and the changing approaches to international aid by governments, international organisations and aid agencies, and gain an in-depth understanding of international development programs and approaches.An important part of international aid and development is helping people create change themselves. You’ll focus on how to work with people to help them develop skills for what’s known as participatory development practice. This is a process that empowers people with the skills, knowledge and access to resources they need to make a lasting difference in their own community.

Understand how community level programs from government and aid agencies can reduce poverty and increase sustainability. Compare project management approaches in cross-cultural settings.  Assess the impact our Asia-Pacific region has globally.

Bachelor of Arts (International Aid and Development)

Overseas Aid and International Development

Global and Regional  Sustainability

Resilient Regions: Sustainability in Practice

Economics of Sustainability

Introduction to Sustainable Development

Sustainability, Ecology and Communities

Sustainable Urban Communities

Society, Culture and Ecology in Asia

This unit provides students with real-world learning opportunities in which they apply their disciplinary knowledge, exercise critical thinking and analytical skills, demonstrate effective and professional communication, and work agilely to solve real-world problems. Working with an industry partner, the internship provides a practical bridge between university and the professions. Industry placements can be created and negotiated in diverse ways to suit both students and their industry partners. Students will acquire, demonstrate and reflect upon a diverse range of skills and understandings that prepare them for the future of work.Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

It’s time to put what you’ve learned into practice. You’ll be connected with an industry partner and complete real-world activities and projects. Start to think about the future of work and your place in the industry.

Internship

This subject was previously known as SUS212 Global &amp; Regional Sustainability.
This subject enables students to apply their understanding of sustainability and their knowledge of environmental systems to different scales ranging from regional to global. Students will develop competence to unpack the threats to sustainability and their underlying drivers. They will explore strategies to address them which incorporate technical, governance, economic and social approaches.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Dig deep to unearth the social and economic factors impacting the scope and scale of sustainability worldwide. Identify threats and causes. Explore strategies for global governance. Debate evidence-based sustainability choices and challenges. 

This subject was previously known as SUS214 Sustainability, Ecology and Communities.
This subject develops knowledge of the conceptual, practical and policy aspects of sustainable development. The subject focuses on the implementation of sustainability at a local and sub-national level. Systems thinking and resilience are presented as key tools to both understand sustainability problems and develop sustainability solutions within socio-ecological systems. The implementation of sustainability is then explored through governance, business and civil society approaches.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Approach sustainable development from conceptual, practical and policy perspectives. Define sustainable governing practices. Discover how to foster change in individuals, organisations and communities. See how policy can aid ecological sustainability.

NOTE: If you study this subject in Winter, the subject will be a shorter duration (5 weeks) and will require at least 20 hours of study per week.This unit is a critical introduction to sustainability that traces the concept&#39;s evolution and explores how we can establish a more sustainable society. To this end, a range of different approaches to sustainability are introduced and compared, and analysis will be made of their respective effectiveness in addressing global sustainability problems, including reducing the impact humans have on the natural environment.Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Discover how sustainability has developed as a concept over the last four decades. Dig into the political economy of sustainability. Test the effectiveness of various approaches to sustainability in battling global sustainability problems.

Note: If you study this subject in Winter, the subject will be a shorter duration (5 weeks) and will require at least 20 hours of study per week.This intensive subject explores the interplay between economics and sustainability. Students will examine the explanatory power and policy impact of the dominant neoclassical economics paradigm in order to understand its benefits and limitations in relation to sustainability. The subject provides an overview of economic tools and techniques for dealing with sustainability problems and introduces alternative economic perspectives, which challenge economic orthodoxy.Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Approach the topic of sustainability from an economic standpoint. Investigate some of the economic tools and techniques decision-makers draw on to address sustainability problems. Address where climate change fits into this discussion.

This subject was previously known as SUS220 Sustainable Urban Communities.
Over half the world’s population now live in urban areas and 75 percent could be urban by 2050. This subject examines the sustainability challenges and possibilities that lie ahead as we become an increasingly urban species. The subject explores how we can create urban communities and lifestyles that enhance human dignity and equality, while also being more environmentally sustainable. The subject takes an international perspective, exploring majory urban sustainability issues and inspirational practices from Australia, Asia and around the world.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Forecast the spread of urban communities and the sustainability of this growth. Ask how society maintains dignity and equality in the face of urbanisation. Identify challenges facing modern cities. Consider issues like public transport and water usage.

This capstone subject showcases sustainability in practice at a regional scale. The subject is immersive, interactive and practical.   For internal students the subject includes a week-long residency in Denmark WA in early December.  During the residency, field trips and case studies will cover: resilience; bioregionalism; sense of place; sustainable technologies; eco-entrepreneurism; and sustainable agriculture.  There are extra costs for this subject to cover accommodation and food.  External students will be expected to visit similar case studies in their own region.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Gain a regional perspective on how environmental sustainability works in the field. Step into the arena of eco-entrepreneurism. Line up traditional approaches to agriculture against permaculture and other organic and biodynamic alternatives.

This subject was previously known as AID204 Overseas Aid and International Development.Why are aid and development important? What are the differences between humanitarian emergency responses and long term development? How can we encourage people to take ownership for their own sustainable development? What are the barriers to this for them and us? What is is it to be the beneficiary of a development intervention? This unit aims to give a historical and theoretical grounding to respond to these questions and to give us a more detailed picture of what development entails.Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Appraise how effective Australian overseas aid and development policies are. Form a picture of key development agencies. Unpack the motivations behind international aid. Engage in historical and philosophical analyses of the ongoing debates in this field.

Asia is a region of extraordinary cultural and ecological diversity. This unit combines approaches from anthropology, sociology, and ecology to explore the &#39;traditional&#39; adaptations and &#39;modern&#39; transformation of cultures in the region. The impacts of globalisation and development policies on these societies will be considered, with special attention to indigenous minorities and rural communities. The impacts of social and environmental change as a result of the green revolution, population pressure, urbanisation, industrialisation, overfishing, deforestation and tourism will also be addressed.Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport.

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