Multi-level Transformations: Principles, Practices & Policies for a Sustainable Future

Overview

‘Multi-level transformations’ offers students critical insights, knowledge and skills to assess and embark upon pathways for transformation in response to entwined socio-ecological crises. For example, climate breakdown, pollution, biodiversity loss and myriad injustices affirm how the status quo is untenable, and in this module, we examine socio-ecological transformations necessary to move us towards an actually sustainable, just future.



Simultaneously global and local, the module investigates pressing socio-ecological challenges as a precursor to exploring socio-economic, environmental, political and ideological shifts that can contribute to sustainable societies. Recognising dynamic interconnections across micro, meso and macro levels of society, this module is underpinned by a multi-level analytical framework and enables students to consider principles, practices and policies that can aid positive multi-level transformations.



With a concern for going beyond theory to foster applied learning and action, the module offers students an opportunity to undertake detailed examination of cases that have contributed to change, locally and globally. For example, students may review the story of Climate Coalition Northern Ireland (CCNI) and study principles, practices, political and policy-engagement that underpinned CCNI’s successful efforts to advance NI’s first Climate Change Act; as CCNI’s first Chairperson, the Module Convenor can share her insights, along with related resources, to help students unpick CCNI’s collective journey and identify lessons that can be applied in other contexts. Additional cases studies may include community energy, just transitions, community food production, and other forms of climate action and sustainable development across local, national and international scales.



In this praxis-oriented module, through a combination of reflection and action, theory and practice, students will be encouraged to explore pathways for transformation across micro, meso and macro levels of our societies and understand how a better world can be made.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the module, students will be able to:

- Articulate and analyse pressing socio-ecological challenges across multiple levels of our shared planet;

- Understand high-level aspirations of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their application at national and local levels;

- Critique socio-economic, environmental, political and ideological barriers to transformation as a precursor to exploring alternative approaches better aligned with real sustainability;

- Identify key principles and practices aligned with genuine sustainable development;

- Examine the design, development and application of policies conducive to sustainable development, understanding associated challenges and how these might be resolved;

- ‘Make the Global-Local’ by elaborating local opportunities to contribute to global change;

- Adopt a Freirean inspired approach to praxis within their learning journey;

- Offer interdisciplinary insights into pathways for transformation, drawing on learning from critical political economy, environmental social science, political ecology, community development, transformative adult and community education;

- Design multi-level frameworks to aid socio-ecological transformations;

- Utilise reflexivity and learning technologies to deepen their learning process.

Skills

Ability to work with other people;

Ability to work across and integrate different disciplinary perspectives on the same issue;

Managing & Prioritising Knowledge: identify relevant and subject-specific knowledge, sources and data; manage such information in an independent manner

Analytical Thinking: identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; construct independent arguments

Critical & Independent Thinking: ability to think critically and in creative and innovative ways and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the fields of study

Communication Skills: ability to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing  Teamwork: ability to work with others in a team, negotiate conflicts and recognise different ways of learning 

Diversity: ability to acknowledge and be sensitive to the range of cultural differences present in the learning environment 

Self-Reflexivity: ability to reflect on one’s own progress and identify and act upon one’s own development needs with respect to life-long learning and career development

Praxis: Understand how to combine theory and practice within applied approaches to socio-ecological transformation

Time Management: ability to negotiate diverse and competing pressures; cope with stress; and achieve a work / life balance Technical and practical skills

Information Technology: demonstrate the knowledge and ability to use contemporary and relevant ICT Organisational skills

Efficient and effective work practice: demonstrate ability to work efficiently to deadlines 

Clear organisation of information: show efficiency in the organisation of large amounts of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information

Organisation and communication: demonstrate ability to use evidence to develop logical and clear arguments; show aptitude for the effective use of information in a direct and appropriate way 

Assessment