EPN-V2

UTVB2500 Choices of Sustainability Transitions Course description

Course name in Norwegian
Veivalg for bærekraftig utvikling
Study programme
Bachelor's Programme in Development Studies
Weight
10.0 ECTS
Year of study
2024/2025
Curriculum
SPRING 2025
Schedule
Programme description
Course history

Introduction

Pass/Fail.

Recommended preliminary courses

The course is open to students who have completed at least a one-year introductory course in Development Studies at either OsloMet, or equivalent courses at other universities/university colleges in Norway or abroad

Learning outcomes

The midway and final assessments are carried out by the practical training supervisor and the contact lecturer. The final decision on whether to award a pass or fail grade is made by the university.

Content

This course offers basic knowledge about sustainable and unsustainable development and the range of framework for sustainability transitions. Emphasis is put on the relationship between rich and poor countries.

The course will highlight the various uses of the term sustainability, sustainable/unsustainable development, the Anthropocene and the Capitalocene. Students will learn about the problems and challenges that these concepts address, and the main historical trajectories of global development that have brought us to the present situation. A main objective of the course is to introduce the students to insights and tools to critically discuss the broad range of choices about sustainability transitions.

Teaching and learning methods

  • 10 credits overlap with ORTOPRA3 Placement in Lower Limb and Spinal Orthotic Practice.

Course requirements

Activities with compulsory attendance

It is compulsory to attend the seminars. These are considered essential for developing skills and general competence, as they give the students the opportunity to verbalize, analyze and discuss key issues of the course. The group work on which the seminars are based require that most students are present.

Students with undocumented absence from more than 25 % of these seminars cannot take the exam. Students who have attended less than 75 % of the seminars, but can document valid compelling reasons for all the absences, will have to submit a written paper on a given theme as compensation in order to be able to take the exam. The length of the paper shall be in the range of 2,000-5,000 words, depending on the number of seminars missed.

Students shall also take part in online discussions on topics from the course. Each student is required to post at least four contributions of a minimum of 50-100 words each. Taking part in an online discussion of the course contents ensures the active involvement of the students with the issues the course deals with, and thus enhances learning. Information on deadlines for posting and questions to respond to will be given at the start of the course. If a deadline is not met, the student will be given a new deadline. However, unless all four posts have been posted by the last lecture/seminar (whichever comes last), the student cannot take the exam.

Assessment

The course is assessed on the basis of an individual written home exam over 96 hours, with a scope of 2,500 words +/- 10 %.

Resit/rescheduled exam:

Resit/rescheduled exam is organised in the same way as the ordinary exam.

Permitted exam materials and equipment

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grading scale

A graded scale from A to E for passed and F for not passed will be used.

Examiners

The exam will be jointly marked by an internal and an external examiner. The external examiner will read a selection of the exam papers and collaborate with the internal examiner in a way that benefits all the students.