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DATBLYGIAD CYNALIADWY A WELSH BA/BSc SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT John Farrar

DATBLYGIAD CYNALIADWY A WELSH BA/BSc SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT John Farrar Institute of Environmental Science University of Wales, Bangor the natural environment for learning. Undergraduate degree: started Sept 2002 planning started 1999. Not just a degree

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DATBLYGIAD CYNALIADWY A WELSH BA/BSc SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT John Farrar

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  1. DATBLYGIAD CYNALIADWY A WELSH BA/BSc SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT John Farrar Institute of Environmental Science University of Wales, Bangor the natural environment for learning

  2. Undergraduate degree: started Sept 2002 planning started 1999

  3. Not just a degree - research and institutional policy Reasons - NAW policy - market niche - it matters

  4. UW Bangor’s advantages: Medium size Strengths in environmental science Economics and social science expertise History of research in sustainability Institute of Environmental Science for inter-departmental collaboration

  5. UW Bangor’s advantages: Strengths in environmental science – 4 departments, 90 staff, NERC funded research Lots of supporting degrees eg Rural Resource Management, Coastal Water Resources Environmental Science as inter-departmental degree 350environmental students per year Our local environment

  6. Problems, and UW Bangor’s disadvantages: Working across departments and faculties Department-based resource allocation model Concern that a new degree will ‘steal’ students from existing degrees

  7. What should a degree in sustainable development contain?

  8. SD is understood by individuals as - eat organic food - recycle wine bottles - feel good even if the organic food was produced with greater greenhouse gas emissions than non-organic and the wine bottle transported 650 ml of water from Australia

  9. SD is understood by politicians as • – defined by Rio and Jo’burg, LA21 • so biodiversity is more important than • ecosystem services • and population growth doesn’t exist • and if it does it’s not a problem • so hold conferences • place onus for change on others • feel good

  10. SD as understood by academics • An enormously complex set of issues • Imperfectly understood and changing • Major problems with integration • between disciplines • Thus we don’t want a university-level • education to have Rio or LA21 as its syllabus. • Need to give the grounding in each • component discipline (environment, • sociology, economics)

  11. SD training should produce… • people who can think with ease across • disciplines • who can talk economy with economists • and businesses • society with sociologists • environment with scientists • and all three with decision makers • Give students the language, • assumptions and dogma of each discipline

  12. SD training should produce… Professionals who understand that - policy should be evidence-based - it’s relatively easy to be rational about environment OR economy OR society - but very hard to integrate any two of these three - indicators - policy drivers - major intellectual difficulties Use to employer – trained broadly, able to interact with a range of other professionals

  13. The degree: subjects and structure Some bilingual courses Use of local contacts Use of local environment Use of local issues

  14. The degree: Year 1 common to BA and BSc Sustainability and world environment Global environmental issues Biodiversity and ecology Earth and atmospheric processes Understanding community Environment and community Divided Britain Environmental management Introduction to economics

  15. The degree: Year 2 BA and BSc specialisation Core: Principles of conservation Environmental economics Ecosystems and communities Rural sociology Planning Plus 4 modules of science+management (BSc) or community+management+economics (BA) plus any 2 others

  16. The degree: Year 3 BA and BSc specialisation Core: Project or dissertation Sustainable development Energy Choice and welfare Plus 4 modules of science+management (BSc) or community+management+economics (BA) plus any 2 others Tenerife field course

  17. Why should the rest of the • University take SD seriously? • serious numbers of students • research income • moral grounds [?] • pressure from NAW

  18. Sustainable Development research • long history in agriculture, forestry, • arid zones • - more recently in fisheries, land use, • remediation (£0.75M) • new: footprinting, sustainability audit • tool (TASK), climate change • impacts and indicators (>£0.5M)

  19. An institutional • Sustainability Policy • for Bangor • -approved by Council • very broad • commits us to actions PRIFYSGOL CYMRU BANGOR UNIVERSITY OF WALES, BANGOR SUSTAINABILITY POLICY 1. STATEMENT The University of Wales, Bangor acknowledges the implications of its activities for the environment and for broader issues of sustainability, at a local, national and global level.

  20. ….and next, how about an all-Wales MA/MSc in SD?

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