The module examines the relationship between water, energy and land (including the WEL-nexus), associated environmental management challenges and sustainable management solutions. The module will develop an understanding and critical evaluation of these challenges at a variety of scales through the systematic investigation of the component challenges (water, energy and land), the interface between the components and their relationship to sustainable development, including: resource assessment and resource use; water and energy security and environmental management decision-making; linking land-use practices to land processes (including soil) to understand the nature of contaminants, contaminated land and patterns of land degradation; natural (including climate) and socio-political drivers, mitigation and adaptive environmental management strategies. The module will be spatially nested, examining broad global challenges, regional investigations in developed and developing world contexts, and local case studies to exemplify, compare and contrast experiences. The module will be studied in multi-delivery and assessment modes, occupying multiple learning environments, blending lecture, seminars, debates and reflective sessions and practical skills acquisition. Practical skills will be developed though fieldwork and laboratory analyisis, including the analysis of soils, contaminants and water quality. Blended field-based learning will include the opportunity for regional study in the UK and overseas.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
The module will blend a series of lectures, seminars, fieldwork and practical sessions, and guided independent study. Lectures will identify and introduce key topics that will be further reinforced by seminars, debates and input from guest speakers (including experts and practitioners). Reflective sessions will evaluate individual and collective feedback on summative and formative assessments and identify feed-forward skills and their relationship to professional values and employability.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Lectures Seminars, debates and reflection sessions Practical Fieldwork (2 days) | 50 10 20 20 |
| Guided independent study | 200 | |
| Study abroad / placement | Optional | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
The module is 40% coursework assessed and 60% practical coursework exercises
Summative assessments consist of:
(A) Research essay 40% (coursework)
Students will write a 3000-word essay on a defined contemporary water-energy-land question. Students will be given a choice of questions and will choose one. Questions will be defined in the module guide, students will research in parallel with supporting sessions in their programme and will receive formative feedback on their progress through the submission of a detailed essay plan prior to final summative submission.
(B) Practical report 30% (coursework)
Students will produce a Soil and Water analysis report based on a series of laboratory analysis. The report will mimic an academic research paper in style. While laboratory data and the evaluation of these results will form the basis of this report, students will blend this knowledge with their understanding developed in lectures and from independent reading on the subject matter (typically concerning water and land quality and/or contamination).
(C) Regional investigation 30% (coursework)
Students will investigate various water-energy-land challenges in two days of staff-directed fieldwork in a specified geographic region and will investigate the nexus between water, energy and land management challenges. Students will prepare a verbal presentation that will mimic a ministerial briefing: define the regional WEL challenges; provide context; consider the sustainability implications (economic, social and environmental), and review contemporary approaches to the resolution of these challenges. Students will be expected to field questions from the floor. Students will receive formative feedback on their progress through the formative submission of a draft narrative of their presentation prior to the final summative submission.
Formative assessments include:
(D) Reflective feedback analysis sessions
(E) Chosen 'hot topic' debates
A minimum of two debates will be formatively assessed (likely one in each Teaching Block). In small groups students will be assigned a position on a given contemporary water-energy-land topic (examples may include desalination-integration, dam construction, nuclear decommissioning, etc). Students will argue their position in a courtroom type debate, bringing their research on the topic to bear. Students will receive feedback on their collective and individual performance from staff and will be encouraged to peer-assess others.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| 1. Critically evaluate systematic environmental management challenges associated with water, energy and land and propose, debate and reflect upon sustainable management solutions to tackling these challenges at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. | A, B, C, E. |
| 2. Understand connectivity between water, energy and land management decisions and practices and their application to key 21st Century environmental challenges, including: agriculture, irrigation and food production; renewable energy integration; land, groundwater and surface water contamination, and desertification. | A, B, C, E. |
| 3. Develop knowledge of environmental geo-politics and the relationship to WEL governance, legislation and regulation, and blend economic and socio-political considerations with an understanding of physical processes and environment. | A, C, E. |
| 4. Develop competence in practical methods for the collection, analysis and evaluation of land and water samples to determine the characteristics of these samples and to test for a range of contaminants and understand the significance of the findings. | B. |
| 5. Design and manage a small regionally focused research project in the UK or overseas to examine the WEL-nexus with relationship to a specific geographically | C, E. |
| 6. Develop professional skills, values and competence in the reflective discussion and communication of complex sustainability issues through multiple-format presentation and debate, self-critical analysis of assessment feedback and feed-forward consideration of employability skills. | A, B, C, D, E. |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Written Exam | ||
| Practical Exam | ||
| Coursework | 100% | |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS a requirement that the major category of assessment is passed in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
This module is research-based and as such students are not expected to own a core text book. Staff will encourage students to focus on the use of recent research articles & suitable journals.