Research Protocol and Methodology (SDEM 500)

Course Description

This unit is a compulsory and prerequisite course, mandatory for students to understand the research protocol and methodology for the Masters Programme. It does not attract any credit score but highly required for students to be able to navigate and submit assignments in line with the standardized research protocol, methodology and ethics as well as guide  against plagiarism for quality research.

It should be noted that the evaluation system for the completion of the Master’s Programme in Sustainable development and Environmental Management is assignment based – whereby students are required to submit assignments, after exploring the resource materials provided by the instructor. The essays at the end of modules, project proposals for every of the course units, as well as the terminal dissertation for the Master’s degree would require rigorous academic attention, as well as specific guidelines for avoiding plagiarisms and formatting of the work with the referencing and citation styles required.  Most specifically, the APA style, recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA) is retained for use in all the assignments and essay students would summit in the course of their programme.

This course Unit is therefore designed for students to understand the rudiments of this research protocol and methodology, to be able to apply this to their work in the course of their study. Adherence to the academic methods, protocol and guidelines will constitute the criteria for grading and passing of assignments.  You are therefore required to study the following module in this compulsory course unit.

 

Modules:

1.     An Introduction to Academic writing

2.     How to do referencing and citations for academic essays

3.     Using APA style for references and citations

4.     Avoiding Plagiarism: Writing with Integrity


 


What is Sustainable Development? (SDEM 501)

Course Description:

This course unit focuses on introduction to key concepts in sustainable development, the debates around the definition and challenges to sustainable development. As a background to deepen understanding of the Subject, the module will introduce students to the Policy Framework of Sustainable Development from 1972 to date, as a means of studying the evolution of the policy process of Sustainable Development, with emphasis on the international policy frameworks and cooperation under the auspices of the United Nations System from 1972 to date. This unit of course will dwell on the following:

·       Definitions, Concepts, Economic Development and the Limits to Growth 

Teaching on the basic definitions, history and concepts of sustainable development; the economic dimension of sustainable development and what is wrong with the narrow views on growth vis-à-vis environmental, social and human security concerns. This module buttresses on the limitations of the “economic myth” as well as the issue of globalization versus sustainable development and how this has affected global views. It will revisit scenarios, research and academic predictions that constructed the change in mindsets into the sustainable development dispensation.

·       Ending Extreme Poverty, social equity, environmental management, human rights and gender equality 

This Module examines poverty reduction/eradication at the centre of Internationally Agreed development Goals, particularly the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and SDGs while considering strategies for addressing extreme poverty and the impact on the efforts to reduce poverty and what alternative actions are available to improve results. It underscores the linkages between poverty and other sustainable development issues and challenges from the point of view of holistic actions. Some of the vital issues to consider her include, for example, the exploration of how primary health care systems are linked to poverty, and the interaction between the environment, social equity, human rights and gender equality  and human health etc.

 


Ethics: Professional, Personal, and General Ethics Towards a Sustainable World (SDEM 502)

Course Description:

This course Unit is an introduction to the concept and issues of ethics – for business, corporate, public service and personal use in environmental management and sustainable development principles.


The course is designed to open up students’ perspective on a practical tool in dealing with the key components of ethics: distinguishing between “values”, “principles”, “guidelines” and “acts”. Such areas as financial compliance, reporting and social responsibility for the environment and sustainable development will be addressed. This will help students in their personal choice of becoming actors of change and innovation – whether they will work for the private sector (corporations or Small Medium Enterprises) or the public sector (administrations and institutions), as well as within civil society (NGOs, associations). It therefore reviews the basic characteristics of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the normative actions required from individuals and institutions and how humans and institutions can take individual responsibilities to ensure compliance without necessarily being compelled by any legal framework.

 It is important to stress that ensuring a healthy environment and achieving the targets of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development requires individual corporate and personal ethics which are to be cultivated or drawn from different practices that could be found in norms and ethical principles. The course unit will address such to improve the student’s expertise in the field of sustainable development.

Modules:

v  Introduction to Ethics

v  Ethics and Sustainability

v  Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

v  Environment and Social Management Systems (ESMS)

v  Sustainability Reporting

 


Environmental Management: Saving the Planet (SDEM 503)

This course focuses on the never-ending journey of environmental sustainability, environmental management and its aspects. Environmental management refers to the goal or philosophical exercise of seeking to establish new perspectives towards the environment and human societies. Managers of the environment are a diverse group of people that includes policy makers, government officials, NGOs, scholars and individuals. Though there are different goals for environmental management, it is keen on understanding the structure and function of the earth system as well as the ways humans relate to the environment. It therefore deals with the regulation processes and protection of the health of the planet. This is possible with the promotion of behaviour that positively impacts the environment.


Social Responsibility and Innovation (SDEM 504)

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) (SDEM 505)

This course unit is an introduction to a life-cycle approach to development, and the role of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in building global citizens with holistic views and transformative education to respond appropriately to ever changing global challenges. It stresses the nature of policies and practice in this regard from early to adult education as well as formal and adaptive capacity building education and formation necessary for the public, private and non-governmental leadership effectiveness. The UN approach to ESD in cooperation with other entities will be examined, with case studies of some “state of the art” concepts, particularly UNESCO's ESD initiatives, to buttress the teachings.

ESD is about building core competencies required for sustainability. It underscores the approaches to promoting transformative education for adaptive living that conforms to respecting the environment, human dignity and multidisciplinary education that respects the sources of life’s support and learning to live together and in harmony with nature.  This Module digs deeper into the components and action framework from the international to local level and equips the student with the knowledge and capacity to identify the rights courses of action and be able to evaluate the present action framework and propose future possible actions towards effective ESD in all its components: Development Education (DE); Environmental Education (EE); and the likes of civic education, which are vital to gaining efficiency.

All the modules are broken down to sub-topics and fit into lecture hours with interactive sessions and relevant case studies for maximum impact.

 


The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development as an International Policy and Results Framework for the Environment and Sustainable Development (SDEM 506)

Course Description:

This Unit is focused on the study of the results framework and universal nature of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development as an holistic development agenda that emphasizes the global drive for policy coherence and interdisciplinarity in international, national and local approach to development practice. The Modules consider the strengths and weaknesses of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with their 169 targets  and over 284 performance indicators, their interlinkage and initial impact assessments with selected case studies. Components of the SDGs, such as poverty reduction, environmental management, urban planning, climate action, land use, health, quality education, economic and industrial development, energy, industry, innovation and infrastructure, gender equality and issues as sustainable cities as an introduction to the influence of increasing urbanization and the policy responses both in terms of social, environmental, economic, health and planning approach, with cognizance to the intertwining nature and local and urban governance and leadership challenge, will be examined in their international, national and local political-economic contexts of the Five Ps (5Ps – People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership).

The intertwining of Peace, Justice, Human Rights, Gender Equality and building strong institutions, introducing the challenges around equality, equity and fairness to all as well as the peace component of the Agenda 2030, are brought into consideration with emphasis on SDGs 16 on “achieving peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development; providing access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

While re-emphasizing the results framework of the Agenda2030 for Sustainable Development, the unit also considers the linkage of the framework to development effectiveness and Results-Based Management in international development and the positive evolution useful for progressive policies for a more impactful implementation of the SDGs within the year 2030 deadlines. It stresses the universal approach as a means of closing the gap between developing and developed countries and the perceived improvements to Internationally-Agreed Development Goals (IADGs) – including the Agenda 201 and the millennium Development Goals (MDGs)- which gave the Agenda 2030 an assurance of results.

Leadership and Partnership for the Goals as contained in SDG 17, which are the aspects that deal with international to local coordination of the SDGs as well as the issue of financing and leadership challenge also form an integral part of the unit. With link to Module 9, more emphasis will be laid on building partnership and strong international, national and local Institutions.  It also stressed on the challenge of governance, democracy, political and corporate leadership in the implementation of the SDGs as well as reforms and adaptive management to meet the multisectoral requirements of the SDGs. The Module will dig deeper into the business approach to Sustainable Development and how Government cooperates with the private sector, the civil society and other stakeholders, under the SDGs dispensation.


Final Degree Research and Dissertation (SDEM 507)