SLE756 - Sustainability in the Anthropocene
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 2: Michalis Hadjikakou |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 1 hour lecture per week, 1 x 2 hour seminar per week |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | Online independent and collaborative learning including 1 x 1 hour online lecture per week, 1 x 2 hour online seminar per week |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Content
The ‘Anthropocene’ is the period marked by domination of the Earth system by humans. The prospective expansion of the human population to more than 10 billion people by the end of the 21st century along with the increasing consumption of food, energy, land, water, and materials is already exceeding multiple environmental limits. In many parts of the world, several social foundations such as education, equity, nutrition, and health remain well below the levels defined as acceptable by the United Nations (UN).
The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It is underpinned by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which specify targets for 17 broad areas of social, economic, and environmental development. In this unit we examine interactions between human societies and the environment and look at the major ways of managing this impact through policy and planning for sustainability. Weekly topics include: climate change mitigation and adaptation; food systems and sustainable production and consumption; land degradation and deforestation; population growth and urbanisation; material efficiency, recycling and circular economies; water resources management; renewable energy and energy efficiency; biodiversity conservation. We will cover the major global policy responses to these key environmental and resource issues associated with initiatives such as the SDGs and the progress towards sustainability at regional and national scales.
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Understand the range of human impacts on the environment in the Anthropocene and the major sustainability policy initiatives in place to manage them at global, national, and local scales. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO2 | Work effectively in a team to critically evaluate and quantitatively assess the progress of nations against key sustainability policy targets. | GLO7: Teamwork |
| ULO3 | Construct a critical and reasoned assessment and review of the available scientific literature of a key sustainability challenge in the Anthropocene and determine the role of humans in the cause and solution of this challenge. | GLO4: Critical thinking |
Assessment
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for SLE756 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.