Governance for Environmental Sustainability (7778.3)

Sustainability issues pose a number of challenges to conventional forms of policy making. This unit examines how political systems in Australia and internationally are confronting these challenges. It will explore how sustainability issues enter the political domain, who frames and contests them, and how governments, businesses, societal groups and individuals seek to address them. Case studies on emerging forms of participatory and networked governance will feature prominently in this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. reflected (individually and in a group) on the dynamic and global context within which environmental issues emerge and are governed;
2. developed an appreciation of contemporary sustainability issues, particularly in relation to the emergence of modern environmentalism;
3. demonstrated an understanding of the principles of sustainability and the challenges they pose to existing political institutions, particularly with respect to contested knowledge, values, risk and uncertainty;
4. developed research skills to source, discern and critically discuss information on sustainability issues;
5. engaged in the multiple dimensions of a particular sustainability issue, and reflected on its governance;
6. practised professional skills to: i) work effectively in a group; ii) present clearly and concisely; and iii) facilitate the learning of others;
7. developed knowledge of the major approaches to governing for sustainability including their particular benefits and problems; and
8. demonstrated UC graduate attributes, in particular the ability to persuasively communicate ideas in the field of environmental governance, and think independently and as agents for change.

Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development