Engaging with Sustainability
UndergraduateTAS-HUM1112025
Enrolments for this course are closed, but you may have other options to start studying now. Book a consultation to learn more.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed, No prior study
- Duration
- 14 weeks
- Start dates
- 24 Feb 2025
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Engaging with Sustainability
About this subject
On successful completion of this subject the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of a range of evidence, debate, and theoretical perspectives related to social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability.
- Critically investigate and synthesise theories, practices, arguments, and values that give meaning to sustainability.
- Reflect upon and articulate your current understanding of sustainability and constructively engage with the views of others, both as an individual and as part of a group/team.
- Initial Perspectives
- The pre-history and history of sustainability
- Sustainability as a contested concept
- Planetary boundaries, SDGs and consumption
- Systems thinking
- Life cycle analysis
- Global clothing trade
- What do we wish to sustain?
- Global food systems
- Renewable energy
- Engaging with others
- Sustainability in practice
- Participation, partnership and collaboration
- Climate change
- Engaging with climate change
Contemporary media is saturated with images of extreme weather events, hunger, poverty, conflict, pollution, austerity, and financial crisis. Mounting evidence suggests the 21st Century will be defined by unprecedented challenges related to environmental instability, economic inequality and risks to social well-being on a global scale. The idea of sustainability has become a focal point in efforts to tackle the root causes of these challenges yet often seems elusive. The meanings of sustainability and implications for action are as hotly contested as they are complex, wide-ranging and value-laden. As a result, this subject brings a wide range of perspectives to bear on questions of sustainability that integrate environmental, social and economic disciplines. The subject will develop your interdisciplinary understanding of sustainability through critical thinking, reflection and evidence-based argument focused on practical case studies drawn from around the world. Subject delivery focuses on dialogue and inquiry between teachers, yourself, and your peers that respects the importance of diverse perspectives. The subject develops skills related to understanding core concepts, synthesising knowledge, communicating with diverse audiences, engaging in constructive debate and becoming more self-aware of what sustainability means and what practices it entails—professionally and personally.
- Learning Journal (30%)
- Group Project (40%)
- Essay Preparation Task (10%)
- Essay (20%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
Wherever you are, the University of Tasmania brings its island campus to you through a growing range of online programs across art and design, business, education, health, science, sustainability, technology, and more. It’s never too late to switch things up. Kickstart that career you’ve been dreaming about, or upskill for the one you’re in. You’ll also become a part of the world's leading university on climate action.
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- QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 20
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- 19
Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Additional requirements
- Other requirements - Teaching Arrangement: Weekly pre-recorded lectures (total of 2 hours) and real time tutorial (1 hour at a set time each week).
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
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Gain Uni credit
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What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Science
UndergraduateTAS-BBS-DEG
Bachelor of Psychological Science and Bachelor of Science
UndergraduateTAS-PSC-DEG
Bachelor of Science (Geography and Environment)
UndergraduateTAS-SCG-DEG
Bachelor of Science (Sustainability)
UndergraduateTAS-SUS-DEG
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