Module Aims and Summary
Sustainability in the Arts and Humanities
U-Now, University of Nottingham
Module Aims and Summary
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the concept of ‘sustainability’ as perceived from within the Arts and Humanities,
in particular within the disciplines of archaeology, classics, history
(including art history and landscape history), music, philosophy and theology.
The module will review a number of topical issues – such as climate change, food
security, water and waste management, landscape, environment and biodiversity –
through the lens of the Arts and Humanities to consider how our disciplines can
contribute to current debates and offer new routes to sustainable futures.
Module Details
Module Credits |
10 |
Student Study Hours |
20 |
Availability | Online via U-Now website |
Study Method |
Self-taught from online resources |
Academic Year |
2012-2013 |
Entry Requirements
Open to all
Undergraduates at the University of Nottingham
Suitable for students within
the Faculty of Arts, particularly the School of Humanities
Intended Module Learning
Outcomes
The
intended learning outcomes are that, on completion of this module, the student
should:
• Understand
the complexity of the term ‘sustainability’ – that it means different things to
different people at different times and has the potential to be misused as a
label for political and economic gain.
•
Demonstrate
knowledge of the environmental and social issues confronting societies both today
and in the past.
•
Demonstrate
knowledge of the strategies that have been employed to address sustainability in
the past (successfully and unsuccessfully) and how understanding of past
success/failure may be used to inform future decision making.
•
Understand
there is seldom a single ‘correct’ sustainable solution to many of the issues
invoked by the term.
•
Demonstrate
knowledge of how disciplines within the arts and humanities can make a
difference and help to ensure a sustainable future.
Learning Objectives Context
•
Debates
about sustainability seldom draw upon discussion from the arts and humanities
but this module will use a variety of case-studies to demonstrate how
disciplines within these fields have considerable potential to lead change and
develop critical and informed solutions to social and environmental problems.
• The module is suitable for students of any discipline wishing to gain knowledge of sustainability in its widest theoretical and temporal context.
Module Outline
The module will be delivered as an online resource
via the University of Nottingham’s U-Now open source learning portal. Each
online chapter will consist of 2 hours digital learning content drawn from
disciplines across the arts and humanities: a mixture of text, images, video,
sound bites, charts, tables, pod casts and lists of websites.
Chapter Title |
Duration (hours) |
Content Outline |
1. Introduction | 2 |
Introduction to module content What is Sustainability? Definitions and approaches by discipline |
2. Sustainability in Context | 2 | Deep-time perspectives on present day issues |
3. What is 'Nature'? | 2 | Critiquing and comparing the rise and prominence of the Nature-Culture divide in the West. |
4. The Four Elements |
2 | Historical analysis of energy sources (fire and air), water security and soil stability – can lessons from the past help to deal with uncertain futures? |
5. Waste |
2 | Great achievements (or mistakes) in waste management. Examining the rise of ‘rubbish’ |
6. Food | 2 | Sustainable production: local, organic, intensive or GM? Sustainable harvesting – plant, animal, wild or domestic? |
7. Landscape, Environment and Biodiversity |
2 | Balancing the concerns of a changing world that is governed by static legislation. |
8. Heritage |
2 | What is ‘heritage’ and how can it be made sustainable? |
9. People and Knowledge | 2 | Arts and humanities solutions to sustainability of people and knowledge – museums, collections and digital resources. |
10. Assignment | 2 | The world in microcosm – is the University of Nottingham sustainable? |
Method of Assessment
In the final chapter students will
spend time reviewing the University of Nottingham’s policy, documentation and
statements concerning sustainability. As all institutions can be viewed as ‘the
world in microcosm’ students should set out to critique the University,
highlighting both good and bad practice, in the light of what has been learnt
in the module. If students highlight areas for improvement, they are encouraged
to develop well-researched creative solutions to the perceived problem.
The critique and proposal should take the form of a short and well-argued document of 500-1000 words. Once this has been submitted for assessment, the best proposals will be taken forward to the University’s ‘Sustainability Team’ for consideration.