School of Social and Political Science MA Sustainable Development Handbook 2017 - 2018

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MA (Hons) Sustainable Development

Honours Programme Handbook

Academic year 2017/18

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Welcome to Honours in the Sustainable Development MA Honours Degree!

Welcome to your Honours years in Sustainable Development. Most students find these years the most stimulating – this is the time when you bring to fruition the learning that you have gained so far, and you focus on issues of particular interest to you. Project oriented work, fieldtrips, and the chance to address a problem or question of your own choosing through your dissertation will allow you to make even more sense of your learning and experience as Edinburgh Sustainable Development students. This handbook is meant to familiarise you with this new context of your studies – read it carefully, alongside your course and dissertation handbooks. We hope you enjoy these years in the best sense of what enjoyment can be – personal, social, intellectual, and through the greater awareness and participation in your immediate and broader environment. We also hope you continue to let us know about that experience and learning, and how we can make it better in the years to come thanks to you help and support you in it. The Sustainable Development team looks forward to accompanying you during Honours, until your Graduation. With best wishes, Dr Claire Haggett, Programme Director, and Dissertation Coordinator Dr Isabelle Darmon, Director of Teaching, course organiser, and PT Dr Rachel Howell, Core course organiser, and PT Dr Sarah Parry, Exam Convener, and course organiser Dr Eugenia Rodrigues, Core course organiser Sue Renton, Subject Area Secretary and Student Support Officer And the Pathway liaisons: Professor Elizabeth Bomberg (Politics and IR), Dr Maya Mablin (Social Anthropology), Dr Anthony Newton (Geography). Claire Haggett is your Liaison for Sociology.

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Using this Handbook:

This Handbook has been prepared for students in the Honours years (3rd and 4th year) of the MA Honours programme in Sustainable Development. The following pages include information on the aims, structure and requirements of these two last years of your degree, the general rules governing assessment and examinations, useful information about the many extracurricular activities and facilities available to Sustainable Development students, and contact information for students seeking advice, support, or seeking information on postgraduate study and other careers.

Sustainable Development is an interdisciplinary degree, but is offered through the School of Social and Political Science (SSPS).

This booklet is not intended as replacements for the official publications of the University

such as the University Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study, which can be found: http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/17-18/dpt/drps_sps.htm

Comments or queries regarding this handbook should be addressed to the Programme

Director: Dr Claire Haggett (Claire.Haggett@ed.ac.uk)

If you require this document or any of the internal University of Edinburgh online resources mentioned in this document in an alternative format please contact Sue Renton, sue.renton@ed.ac.uk or telephone 650 6958 or via room 1.04 in the Chrystal MacMillan Building.

Email is the official method of communication for all students. Students must access and manage the University of Edinburgh email account regularly as it is assumed that students have opened and acted on these communications. Failure by students to do so will not be considered an acceptable excuse for student actions or inactions or as a grounds for appeal.

Students can set up an auto-forward on their University email account to ensure that all official University communications are received. Guidance on how to do this and the full policy can be viewed at http://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/contacting_students_by_email.pdf http://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/computing/comms-and-collab/email/webmail/help/imp/filters/forwarding

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Contents 1. The MA in Sustainable Development

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2. Pathways in Honours

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3. Honours in Sustainable Development

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4. Writing and Referencing

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5. Coursework, Exams and Assessment

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6. Assessment and Feedback

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7. The Learning Experience and Community- Building

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8. Advice and Support

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9. Careers

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10. Communication and Contacts

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Appendix 1 - Main Subject Pathways

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Appendix 2: Suggested Outside Options

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Appendix 3: Common Marking Scheme

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Appendix 4: Exam Boards, Degree Classification and Release of Results

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Appendix 5: Student participation

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The MA in Sustainable Development

The MA in Sustainable Development is a four-year undergraduate degree which has been running since 2011. The degree currently has + 90 students. The degree is based within Sociology, but is interdisciplinary, and draws on teaching experience from across the University. We aim to provide innovation in teaching, partnerships within and outside the University, and informed and hopefully thoughtful engagement with the world that surrounds us. Our students, i.e. you, are key in helping us achieve this. We have worked with staff across the University to improve course choices and course availability for you, to make new courses available to you (such as with colleagues in the Edinburgh College of Art), and to secure places for you in the courses that you want. We have also worked with staff across the University to try and improve course design, content, and assessment for our students (for example, with colleagues in Ecological Science, and in Informatics). We have also been supporting our students to be able to go on European and International exchange, creating and negotiating agreements with Edinburgh Global, the former International Office, and with our pathway subject areas. In short we have been looking to expand the possibilities for our students whilst keeping a strong focus on the kind of degree we want to be. Student representation has been crucial for this, and is a strong feature of the degree. We look forward to working with you.

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2. Pathways in Honours

Whilst studying this degree, you choose courses from a main subject area, or ‘pathway’ in addition to your sustainable development courses. The pathways have been chosen because they include material relevant for sustainable development, particularly in honours years, and because they allow you to have the ‘pre-requisites’ for taking your Honours courses. Your degree looks like this overall:

Year Core SD Courses Pathway Courses

(for details of courses for each pathway, see Appendices 1 and 2)

Outside Options courses Credits

total

1

Sustainable Development 1a: Introducing Sustainable Development (20 credits) (semester 1)

Science & Society 1b: Nature & Environment (20 credits) (semester 2)

Pathway course first semester (20 credits)

Pathway course second semester (20 credits)

+ Fundamentals (0 credits), except in Geography pathway

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

2

International Development, Aid and Humanitarianism (20 credits) (semester 1)

Sustainable Development 2a: Perspectives (20 credits) (semester 2)

Pathway course first semester (20 credits)

Pathway course second semester (20 credits)

+ Fundamentals (0 credits generally; 20 credits in Geography pathway)

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2), for all pathways except Geography. Geography pathway: 20 credits of such courses only

120

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Responding to sustainability challenges: critical debates (20 credits) (semester 1) Cases in Sustainable Development (20 credits) (semester 2)

40 credits of Pathway courses

40 credits from any subject area provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme. (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

4 Sustainable Development Dissertation (40 credits)

40 credits of Pathway courses

40 credits from any subject area provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme (see recommended list, Appendix 2).

120

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3. Honours in Sustainable Development

3.1 Progression

To be admitted into Honours Sustainable Development, students must successfully complete the first two years of the curriculum, which includes achieving 240 credits, and being awarded at least 50% at the first attempt in the second year courses Sustainable Development courses, and the required pathway courses.

3.2 Honours courses

Students who progress to Honours take the following courses: a. Core courses

In Year Three students will take 2 core compulsory Sustainable Development course: Responding to sustainability challenges: critical debates (20 credits) in semester 1; and Cases in Sustainable Development (20 credits) in semester 2. In Year Four the required course is a sustainable development dissertation written either in SPS or Geography (40 credits) (see below).

b. Pathway courses In third year, Sustainable Development students must normally pass 40 credits of honours courses in their pathway subject. Each pathway has specific required courses. These pathway-specific requirements are laid out in Appendix 1. In fourth year, students Sustainable Development students must normally pass 40 credits of honours courses in their pathway subject. Each pathway has specific required courses. These pathway-specific requirements are laid out in Appendix 1.

c. Outside options

In addition to their required courses Sustainable Development students can take a range of options from outside their pathway. On the basis of student feedback we have developed a small suite of sustainable development options from which you can choose if you wish. For a list of recommend outside options, see Appendix 2. Students should note that not all courses run every year and places on some courses are limited or may require specific prerequisites. Students are advised to check availability with the relevant course convenors and/or with their Personal Tutor or Subject Area liaison.

3.3 Junior Year Abroad

The University has academic links that enable students to broaden their experience by studying abroad during Junior Honours. If you have chosen this route you will have a productive and exciting year and that you will return to Edinburgh invigorated by your experiences. A few important points need to be noted: 1. In order to proceed to Senior Honours when you return, you are required to pass the courses that

you study whilst abroad.

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2. You are required to take courses whilst abroad that are broadly comparable to the compulsory courses that you would have taken in Junior Honours in Edinburgh, particularly in your pathway subject area (see Appendix 1). Sometimes, however, it is not possible to study comparable courses whilst away – our 3rd year core courses, Responding to Sustainability Challenges, and Cases in Sustainable Development, often have no equivalent abroad: in such cases you may take the courses in 4th year (this has been explicitly agreed with the course organisers). You must keep your personal tutor and exchange convenor informed about your course choices whilst abroad and report any difficulties in finding equivalent courses immediately so that you can be properly advised about the appropriate course of action. Remember that if you need to make up the compulsory courses in year 4, this reduces the number of option courses that you will be able to take in senior honours.

3. The marks that you obtain whilst abroad will NOT go towards the final degree class that you are awarded in Edinburgh. Your degree class will be awarded on the basis of the grades received for your dissertation and the other courses that you take in Senior Honours.

4. Being abroad during Junior Honours is liable to impact on your dissertation. Three sustainable development dissertation workshops are held during Junior Honours, and meetings and specific courses are also organised in your pathways. In most cases it will be possible for you to register for the LEARN pages of such courses so that you can have access to course and workshop materials. Whilst you are not formally expected to submit a research proposal while abroad, you are strongly encouraged to do so. Please read the dissertation handbook and keep in contact with the exchange coordinator (Isabelle Darmon) about your dissertation plans.

Finally, remember that you are Edinburgh’s ambassadors abroad. Please avoid behaviour that would damage the reputation of the University of Edinburgh or jeopardise the exchange programme for other students in the future.

3.4 Dissertations

The Dissertation in Sustainable Development is a required component of Year Four. Most students will be supervised in SPS; any physical geography topics will be supervised by Geography. The dissertation is an extended piece of independent, in-depth scholarship on a sustainable development topic with a clear geographical, political, international, sociological, or anthropological dimension. The topic is largely of your own choosing, but must be approved by the Dissertation convenor, Dr Claire Haggett. It should engage critically and analytically with the literature, themes and approaches in the chosen field. The dissertation has a maximum word count of 12,000 words, and will be due at the end of Semester Two of Year Four (please see the Dissertation Handbook for the exact date, which will change slightly each year). Students are required to attend a set number of compulsory non-assessed ‘Dissertation Workshops’ organised by the dissertation convenor during both semesters of third year. You also submit a compulsory research proposal in third year. Full details are given in the MA Sustainable Development Dissertation Handbook.

There is a prize awarded to the Best Overall Performance in Honours in Sustainable Development, and a prize awarded to the Best Dissertation in Sustainable Development. These prizes are decided at the Senior Honours Exam Board in June, and presented to the winners at the Graduation reception. Prizes for best performance and best dissertation will be awarded to the students who achieve the highest average mark at Honours and the highest mark for the dissertation respectively. If this should be the same student, the Board may, at its discretion, award one or other of the prizes to another student who, in their opinion, also displayed an excellent performance in the relevant category.

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There is also a University wide prize for the best dissertation (at undergraduate and MSc level) on a sustainability or social responsibility topic. The prize has been won by two Sustainable Development students in previous years. Full details of the prizes are on this link http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/sustainability/themes/research-teaching/dissertation-prizes

3.5 Engagement and Attendance Monitoring

The University expects all students to attend all their University classes, lectures and tutorials etc., whether or not these are described as “compulsory” by the School. Students are expected to participate fully in the requirements of all courses, including submitting assignments, contributing to tutorials and workshops or laboratories, attending meetings with Personal Tutors and sitting examinations.

Attendance will be monitored by the School as part of our more general monitoring of student progress. Keeping attendance helps alert staff to any additional pastoral or academic support needs students might require. Staff can then provide advice, guidance or support in a timely and useful manner.

UK legislation relating to Points-Based Immigration requires all universities to monitor the attendance and engagement of their international students.

3.6 The Student Contract

Successful study at University stems from a partnership between students and staff, and the University is committed to providing you with a learning environment and student services which enable you to fulfil your potential.

The procedures underpinning this partnership, along with the Terms and Conditions of Admissions, form the contract between you and the University in relation to your studies at the University. Details of this contract can be viewed at: http://www.ed.ac.uk/staff-students/students/academic-life/contract

4. Writing and Referencing

4.1 Format and presentation conventions

All your essays and project reports on this degree must be word-processed. There are strict word limits and you must refer to the handbook and guidance for each of your courses. However you tackle your work, you must obey certain writing conventions and you must spend time editing your work before submitting it. It is normal to rewrite in order to improve on first drafts (see example on next page), so remember to leave time for this and for shortening to keep within word limits. Nearly all pieces of writing are improved by the shortening needed to meet word limits. Most published work has gone through several drafts before reaching the printed page. When editing, pay attention to the following considerations:

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Introduction: Your work should have an Introduction outlining the topic of what follows, specifying the aims, and indicating and justifying the scope of literature to be covered.

Relevance and Ordering Material: In the main body of the work, ensure that you are addressing the topic at hand and not going off at tangents. The content should follow a logical order that is made clear to the reader.

Sections/Subsections: It is helpful to the reader to divide your work into clearly labelled sections and subsections. This is particularly true for the Dissertation, since this is a long piece of work, but is useful in long-essays too. Within the sections, remember to break your work up into paragraphs.

Conclusion: There should always be a conclusion which will normally summarise the main points without introducing new material.

Page numbers: Be sure to get your word processing package to add page numbers.

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar: Check that your spelling and punctuation are correct and consistent, that your sentences are grammatically correct, and that your meaning is unambiguous and comprehensible. If you feel your written English is letting you down, the Institute for Academic Development has a range of services, resources and support that it can offer you: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academic-development/undergraduate

Plain English: Good academic writing may need to use technical terms, but should not include long words for their own sake. Your sentences should not be long and contorted. Don't overuse the passive voice: write "reflects", not "is reflective of". Use of the first person is perfectly permissible: you can write "I conclude that…", not "It is concluded here that…". Cutting out waffle and long-windedness when you edit your draft work will also help you meet word limits.

Avoiding Sexist, Anglocentric and Racist Language

The language we use must fairly reflect what we are writing about, and it is not good practice in academic writing unreflectingly to use terms or expressions that can give offence. The point is not that we wish to enforce ‘political correctness’ but that you use language accurately and are aware of the connotations it may have. If, for example, you write “the doctor’s attitude to his patients”, readers may assume you are referring only to male doctors. We suggest that you consider the following guidelines:

Non-Sexist Language

When reference is to either or both sexes, but not specifically to the male sex, the words 'man' and 'men' should be avoided. There are plenty of alternatives, such as 'person', 'people', 'human beings', 'men and women'. It is unacceptable to use 'man' to mean humanity in general - women constitute over half the world's population. Avoiding 'he', 'his' and 'him' can be more difficult, since the repeated use of 'he and she', 'his or hers', 'him or her', can be clumsy. But in most cases the plural 'they', 'their', or 'them' can be used instead, as can the convention's/he'

Non- Anglocentric Language

Many of the academic sources available to you are culpable of assuming that the United Kingdom is homogeneous. Please note carefully whether your sources deal with the United Kingdom as a whole, or Great Britain excluding Northern Ireland, or England and Wales, or Scotland.

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N0n-Racist Language

It is possible that students may not always be aware of any racism implied in their work or their use of language, either because they are not familiar with the current debates or because the use of terms varies over time and according to context. The issues are not always clear cut. A general point is that it would be helpful would be to make explicit where possible the ethnicity of the groups to whom you are referring in your research. For more discussion and examples, please refer to the British Sociological Association’s Equality and Diversity Document, ‘Language and the BSA: Ethnicity and Race’ which can be downloaded at: https://www.britsoc.co.uk/Equality-Diversity/

4.2 Referencing

You must properly reference all your work. Proper referencing is the method of attributing the sources of the comments and ideas that you are presenting, if they are not your own. If you do not reference properly, you may be plagiarising other people’s work, and will be penalised severely: see the section below on Avoiding Plagiarism. Full references are not required in exam answers, but you should at least mention the names of the authors upon whom you are drawing. References in the Text: The preferred style entails using the author's name, date of publication and page references like this:

'.... MacDougal (1999: 106) reports the same practice in the Hebrides……..' References in the Bibliography: All sources referred to in the text must be listed ALPHABETICALLY and CONSISTENTLY in the bibliography, in a SEPARATE section at the end of your work. The following specimens indicate the mode of citation for journal articles, books and papers in edited books:

Gavin, N. T. (2010) ‘Pressure Group Direct Action on Climate Change: The Role of the Media and the Web in Britain: A Case Study’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 12, 3, 459-475

Dresner, S. (2002) The Principles of Sustainability, London: Earthscan Miller, M. M. and Riechart, B.P. (2005) ‘Interest group strategies and journalistic norms: news

media framing of environmental issues’, Chapter 2 in Allan, S., Adam, B., and Carter, C. (eds) Environmental Risks and The Media, London: Routledge, pp45-54

References from Web:

Increasingly, you may be citing material from the web for references in the text:

If the author of the piece is stated, give their name as usual e.g. (Brown, 2000).

If not, give the name of the organization e.g. (The Vegetarian Society, 2000)

• The date for the reference in the text is not the date you accessed the site but the date the piece appeared on the website. If this is not stated say “n.d.” (no date) as in (The Vegetarian Society, n.d.)

For web references in the Bibliography:

• List the author of organization first

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• Then give the year of publication (or put n.d.)

• Give the title of the piece in quotation marks

• Then say ‘Available at ‘:’ and give the website

• Finally, say ‘[Accessed]’ and give the date accessed within the square bracket, e.g. [Accessed 20 May 2011]

• Example: McCartney, P. (2008) ‘Why the Beatles were Better than the Stones’. Available at https://www.beatlesaregreat.com [Accessed 10 April 2010]

Font Size and Line Spacing:

Choose a font size and line spacing so that your work is easily legible. Size 11 or 12 font, and double or 1.5 line spacing are generally fine. Make sure there are page numbers on all your pages, except the title sheet.

4.3 Academic misconduct and plagiarism

Material you submit for assessment, such as essays, must be your own work. You can, and should, draw upon published work, ideas from lectures and class discussions, and (if appropriate) even upon discussions with other students, but you must always make clear that you are doing so. Passing off anyone else’s work (including another student’s work or material from the Web or a published author) as your own is plagiarism and will be punished severely. When you upload your work to ELMA you will be asked to check a box to confirm the work is your own. All submissions will be run through ‘Turnitin’, our plagiarism detection software. Turnitin compares every essay to a constantly-updated database which highlights all plagiarised work.

All forms of academic misconduct are regarded as an offence and are punishable under the University’s Code of Student Conduct. The University has a network of School and College Academic Misconduct Officers (SAMOS/CAMOS) who are responsible for investigating suspected cases at School or College level, and for determining appropriate penalties. Students should ensure they read and understand the academic misconduct procedures

Please see the School’s guidance on plagiarism and how to avoid it: http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/undergrad/on_course_students/on_being_a_student/what_is_plagiarism

5. Coursework, Exams and Assessment

5.1 Assessed Coursework

Courses are assessed by a variety (and often a combination) of assessment methods, including essays, policy briefs, projects, presentations and exams. Feedback (individual and generalized) is provided for each of these methods. Several courses provide opportunities for formative assessment via group presentation projects, essay plans and practice essays. The proportion of assessment based on coursework varies between courses; some courses are assessed by coursework only. The assessment of the (Year 4) Dissertations is based on the dissertation alone. See Appendix 3 for description or our Common Marking Scheme (including mark descriptors).

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In all cases, see individual course descriptions for further details and requirements. These are available from the Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study website: http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/17-18/dpt/cx_s_su809.htm The specific topic, word length, submission deadline and other requirements of coursework will be specified in the individual course guide provided at the start of each course. See individual course guides for further details and requirements.

5.2 Submission of Work

For courses in School of Social and Political Science, follow the procedures below. But note that courses taken in Geography or elsewhere outside of SPS may have different requirements. See individual course guides for further details and requirements.

Course work for courses in the School of Social and Political Science is submitted online using our electronic submission system, ELMA. You will not be required to submit a paper copy of your work. Marked coursework, grades and feedback will be returned to you via ELMA. You will not receive a paper copy of your marked course work or feedback. For information, help and advice on submitting coursework and accessing feedback, please see the ELMA wiki at https://www.wiki.ed.ac.uk/display/SPSITWiki/ELMA. The wiki is the primary source of information on how to submit your work correctly and provides advice on approved file formats, uploading cover sheets and how to name your files correctly. Further guidance on the essay deadline and a link to the wiki and submission page will be available on the ‘Learn’ page for each course. When you submit your work electronically, you will be asked to tick a box confirming that your work complies with university regulations on plagiarism. This confirms that the work you have submitted is your own. Occasionally, there can be technical problems with a submission. We request that you monitor your university student email account in the 24 hours following the deadline for submitting your work. If there are any problems with your submission the course secretary will email you at this stage. We undertake to return all coursework within 15 working days of submission (except for the dissertation). This time is needed for marking, moderation, second marking and input of results. If there are any unanticipated delays, it is the course organiser’s responsibility to inform you of the reasons. Please note that this mark is provisional, since coursework may be seen also by the External Examiners and the mark may sometimes then be amended. All our coursework is assessed anonymously to ensure fairness: to facilitate this process put your Examination number (on your student card), not your name or student number, on your coursework or cover sheet.

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5.3 Late Submission of Assessed Coursework in Honours

Managing deadlines is a basic life-skill that you are expected to have acquired by the time you reach Honours. Timely submission of all assessed items (coursework, essays, project reports, etc.) is a vitally important responsibility at this stage in your university career. Unexcused lateness can put at risk your prospects of proceeding to Senior Honours and can damage your final degree grade. If you miss the submission deadline for any piece of assessed work five marks will be deducted for each calendar day that work is late, up to a maximum of five calendar days (25 marks). Thereafter, a mark of zero will be recorded. There is no grace period for lateness and penalties begin to apply immediately following the deadline. For example, if the deadline is Tuesday at 12 noon, work submitted on Tuesday at 12.01pm will be marked as one day late, work submitted at 12.01pm on Wednesday will be marked as two days late, and so on. Failure to submit an item of assessed work will result in a mark of zero, with potentially very serious consequences for your overall degree class, or no degree at all. It is therefore always in your interest to submit work, even if very late.

Extension Policy: If you have good reason for not meeting a coursework deadline, you may request an extension. Before you request an extension, make sure you read all the guidance on our webpages and take note of the key points below. You will also be able to access the online extension request form through our webpages.

* The maximum length of any extension is 7 calendar days.

* Extension requests must be submitted no later than 24 hours before the coursework deadline.

* If you miss the deadline for requesting an extension for a valid reason, you should submit your coursework as soon as you are able, and apply for Special Circumstances to disregard penalties. You should also contact your Student Support Officer or Personal Tutor and make them aware of your situation.

* If you have a valid reason and require more than 7 days, then you should submit your coursework as soon as you are able, and apply for Special Circumstances to disregard penalties for late submission. You should also contact your Student Support Officer or Personal Tutor and make them aware of your situation.

* If you have a Learning Profile from the Disability Service allowing you potential for flexibility over deadlines, you must still make an extension request for this to be taken into account.

Word count penalties: The penalty for excessive word length in coursework is one mark deducted for each additional 20 words over the limit. If the limit is 1500 words then anything between 1501 and 1520 words will lose one point, and so on.

Students should check each individual course guide carefully for guidance on what is and what is not included in the word count.

5.4 Examinations

If a course is assessed with an examination, this will usually take place at the end of the semester in which the course was offered. Revision sessions and/or advice on the examinations for each course may sometimes be provided; check with individual course conveners or course guides. If your course features a centrally arranged exam, the exam times will be scheduled by Student

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Administration services. You can view the dates of the examination diets for 16/17 at http://www.ed.ac.uk/student-administration/exams/exam-diets

Copies of past examination papers are available through the University Library (http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/information-services/library-museum-gallery/exam-papers ). Normally, examinations are two hours long, and require two questions to be answered (but, again, check with course conveners for exact details). Examination scripts are anonymised and each candidate is identified by their examination number only (which is found on matriculation cards). Examination papers are marked anonymously and marks moderated and agreed internally. Marks and, where appropriate, scripts and coursework are then sent to the External Examiner. The External Examiner checks, approves and, sometimes, amends these marks. If you would like to see your exam script after the final marks have been published then you should contact the course secretary by email to arrange a time to do this. Please note that there will be no feedback comments written on the scripts, but you may find it useful to look at what you wrote, and see the marks achieved for each individual question. You will not be permitted to keep the exam script but you are welcome to take it away to read over or make photocopies. If you wish to do this please bring a form of ID that can be left at the office until you return the script. Please note that scripts cannot be taken away overnight.

5.5 Student Disability and Learning Adjustments

Students with a disability (including those with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia), should get in touch with the Student Disability Service as soon as possible. Details as well as information on what support the Student Disability Service can offer can be found at: http://www.ed.ac.uk/student-disability-service

An advisor will be happy to meet with you. The advisor can discuss possible learning support which may include adjustments and specific examination arrangements. The Student Disability Advisor can assist you with an application for Disabled Students' Allowance, give you information about available technology and personal assistance such as note takers, proof readers or dyslexia tutors, and prepare a Learning Profile for your School which outlines recommended adjustments.

Students will be expected to provide the Student Disability Office Service with evidence of their disability - either a letter from a GP or specialist, or evidence of specific learning difficulty. Details of what is acceptable evidence can be found on the SDS web pages: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-disability-service/new-students/evidence

For dyslexia or dyspraxia this evidence must be a recent Chartered Educational Psychologist's assessment. If you do not have this evidence, the Disability Office can put you in touch with an independent Educational Psychologist.

The School welcomes students with disabilities and is working to make all its courses as accessible as possible. If you have a disability which means that you may require adjustments to be made to ensure access to lectures, tutorials or exams, or any other aspect of your studies, you can discuss these with the Disability Service, your Student Support Officer or Personal Tutor who will advise on the appropriate procedures.

In 2013, the University implemented an Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy, which states that the adjustments in the section below will be "mainstreamed". This means that the following

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provisions should be available to ALL students, regardless of whether or not they have a schedule of adjustments/learning profile.

1. Course outlines and reading lists shall be made available at least 4 weeks before the start of the course.

2. Reading lists shall indicate priority and/or relevance.

3. Lecture outlines or PowerPoint presentation slides for lectures/seminars shall be made available to students at least 24 hours in advance of the class. (Note for many courses a brief lecture outline is already provided in the course guide.)

4. Key technical words and/or formulae shall be provided to students at least 24 hours in advance of the class.

5. Students shall be notified by email of changes to arrangements/ announcements such as changes to courses/room changes/cancellations.

6. Students shall be permitted to audio record lectures, tutorials and supervision sessions using their own equipment for their own personal learning*

7. All teaching staff shall ensure that microphones are worn and used in all lectures regardless of the perceived need to wear them.

*Teaching staff have the right to insist that recording stops if sensitive or confidential information is discussed. In these cases reasons should be made clear to students.

Full details on the Mainstreaming learning adjustments can be found at http://www.ed.ac.uk/student-disability-service/staff/mainstreaming-learning-adjustments

Each School has a Coordinator of Adjustments. In SPS the Coordinator of Adjustments is the Student Experience Officer, Sue Renton. With your agreement, your Learning Profile will be electronically circulated to the Coordinator of Adjustments, who then approves some or all of its recommendations and produces an Adjustment Schedule. This is then electronically circulated to those concerned with the administration of your courses (Course Organisers and Course Secretaries), your Personal Tutor, and yourself, and from 2017/18 will be available for PTs and Course Organisers to access through your Euclid record.

Learning adjustments referring to the need for some students to occasionally submit coursework late does not, according to the Student Disability Service’s guidelines, ‘guarantee’ an extension or waiver. Students should not assume an automatic right to extra time and should instead follow the extension or LPW procedures listed below.

If a student is allowed extra time on an exam, this adjustment is coordinated between the Student Disability Service and the University’s central Student Administration.

Further information on examination adjustments can be found at: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-administration/exams/adjustments

Any non-standard support adjustments not covered by routine procedures can be arranged through the intervention of the Coordinator of Adjustments, Sue.Renton@ed.ac.uk, with support from the Deputy Director of the Undergraduate School, Dr John Harries - sps.depdugp@ed.ac.uk

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6. Assessment and Feedback

We are very keen to deliver the highest quality feedback, assessment and learning environment to our students. One important aspiration is to ensure that all of our staff and students are fully informed of our procedures. We thus have compiled this summary (below) of measures in place in SPS. The marking procedures in Geography, where they differ from below, can be found in the Geography degree handbooks, on-line and through the Geography Liaison Dr Anthony Newton.

6.1 Common Marking Scheme

The marking criteria for coursework, exams and dissertations have been established to guide both staff and students about what is normally expected of work receiving a particular grade. This information can be viewed at http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/undergrad/current_students/teaching_and_learning/assessment_and_regulations/marking_descriptors

6.2 Feedback

Sustainable Development has had extensive discussions within the subject group, as well as within the School of Social and Political Science (SSPS), about how we can meet our aspirations to deliver the highest quality feedback, assessment and learning environment to our students.

One important step is to ensure that all of our staff and students are fully informed of our procedures. We thus provide below a summary of measures in place.

Feedback takes many forms including:

* detailed feedback sheets for coursework

* written or verbal feedback on tutorial presentations and performance

* general and individualised feedback on exams, including opportunities to view and discuss exam performance

* ongoing opportunities for informal feedback and discussion with teaching staff during Guidance and Feedback hours

Our online information on feedback and assessment has been vastly expanded and centralized. It contains guidance on ‘writing essays’, ‘making the most of feedback’ ‘study involvement and representation’, special circumstances, etc. The same web-page provides information on the latest developments in assessment and feedback. You can view these pages at: http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/undergrad/current_students/teaching_and_learning/on_being_a_student/feedback

Students can always discuss their marks and receive extra feedback if they wish. In the first instance, you should do so with the particular marker first (i.e. the tutor or course convenor). Your Personal Tutor is also available to help provide extra feedback on your work, and can look at a range of your work. You can ask to see your exam scripts, and can ask for feedback on your exam marks.

Return of assessed coursework: Coursework feedback is marked, monitored and returned to students within 15 working days.

Assessed Coursework: Essays (or similar) will be returned electronically through ELMA within 15 working days of their deadlines with a mark and written feedback outlining the strengths and

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weaknesses of the work and also highlighting how students can improve their next piece of assessment (Note dissertations or projects, which are significantly longer and are all double-marked, will take longer than 15 days to mark, and return)

> Return of examination feedback.

General feedback on the exam (noting overall strengths and weaknesses) will be provided on LEARN for all courses with an examination. General feedback will be uploaded to the relevant course LEARN page within 24 hours of the date that marks for the course are returned to students.

Students will also receive individual feedback on their exam. The relevant Course Secretary will contact you with details of how and when you can view your individual exam feedback.

7. The Learning Experience and Community- Building

7.1 Community-Building

We are very keen to continue to build a community of active learners in sustainable development. We do this in a number of ways:

A social gathering to Sustainable Development students during Welcome (Back) Week.

By holding events throughout the year, including academic issues and social events

By distributing a weekly ‘SD Brief’ with news and events and information

We have a dedicated Personal Tutor for all Sustainable development students who will meet individually with each student (all years) in week 0 or week 1.

By having a ‘PALS’ system in place – Peer Assisted Learning – this is a scheme which is supported by EUSA (Edinburgh University Students’ Association) and is run by students, for students. It is an informal and friendly source of advice, support and friendship offered by students who are further through the degree to newer students. For more details, contact Sue Renton, Sustainable Development Student Support Officer.

Through Staff-Student Liaison Committee (more below)

By having a society set for Sustainable Development students – the Edinburgh University Sustainable Development Association (EUSDA) - http://eusda.org.uk/index.html

The Edinburgh University Sustainable Development Association (EUSDA) is run by Sustainable Development students for others on the degree course, and organises a range of events and initiatives. EUSDA offers the opportunity for undergraduates, postgraduates, staff and others to share their passion for sustainable development: EUSDA represents the aims and aspirations of the Sustainable Development degree as well as anyone with an interest in this important topic. We offer a wide range of events from academic events to our beloved socials! It is guaranteed that there will be something to keep you coming back! Being linked to the Sustainable Development staff on campus we offer networking opportunities and a chance to bring people of all levels within the University together to collaborate and learn from one another. We hope you will take an interest in this diverse association as we are always seeking new skills, ideas and faces!

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Moreover, Sustainable Development students are actively encouraged to take part in a range of related activities on-going within the University. Participation of this sort tends to enhance a students’ overall learning experience. A veritable plethora of sustainability-themed seminars take place across campus through the year. Information about seminars in SSPS and other departments in the University is posted on our noticeboards and on the SPSS websites. This is why we circulate a weekly brief to our SD students with a selection of the most relevant activities: you are most welcome to contribute to it if you want to circulate information about SD relevant activities ! Other speakers and events relevant to Sustainable Development students are offered through the following SPS institutes: The Global Development Academy: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/global-development; The Just World Institute http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/jwi; and Innogen (Innovation in Genomics) Forum: http://www.genomicsnetwork.ac.uk/innogen/ ; and the Food Researchers in Edinburgh network (http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/research/research_centres/cross_school_research_clusters/food_researchers_in_edinburgh_fried) For relevant seminars held in Human Geography, see http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/geosciences/postgraduate/masters-programme/research-masters/human-geography. Details of other seminars within the School of GeoSciences can be found at http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/geosciences/news/events Within the wider university, a particularly relevant seminar series is the Our Changing World. Offered every Autumn, the series examines the global challenges facing society, and the role of academia in meeting these challenges. It features eight public Lectures given by eminent members of staff from across the University, and a special “Enlightenment Series” lecture in Week 10 by a guest speaker. For more information, please see: http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/video/lecture-series/changing-world

7.2 Student representation

There are no tutorial groups, and therefore no tutorial reps in Honours, although there may be course reps in some pathways. However student representatives from all four years sit on and chair the Sustainable Development Staff-Student Liaison Committee (SSLC), which is dedicated to staff- student discussions across pathways. Student reps canvass views of those they represent and take those forward to student-staff meetings. They can then report back to their fellow students. In addition, a EUSA School Rep sits on the SSPS Undergraduate Teaching Committee, Board of Studies and School meetings. Schools share students’ University email addresses with their student representatives as a matter of course; any student wishing to opt out from this should tell the School’s Teaching Office. Full details as well as the guidance the school follows regarding sharing student emails can be viewed at http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/undergrad/current_students/student_support_and_community/student_involvement/student_email_data_sharing Your School Representatives (Convenors) can be found at https://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/representation/your_school/socialpoliticalsci/

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All students complete Course Evaluation Forms at the end of each course. Student comments are considered by course convenors and teaching staff in their annual course reports, which inform efforts to improve and refine each of our courses. The reports and evaluation questionnaires are passed on to the School Quality Assurance officer and feed into regular (external and internal) Teaching Quality Assessment Exercises. From 2017/18, there will be the opportunity in all courses to give feedback half-way through the course, and the course organiser will respond to these comments shortly after.

7.3 Quality Assurance

As a University requirement, all programme handbooks now include information about changes that have been implemented as a result of student views about the programme, and the annual programme review. We are continually inviting feedback from students – about their experience, their courses, their learning, and how we can develop and support all of this better. We regularly meet with students through various forums (such as careers events, information events, social events, or just seeing our students around and welcoming contact from them), which provide the opportunity to receive feedback. We also have a series of formal mechanisms through which students can give feedback. We have course reps in every year; students who act as a conduit for information and feedback between staff and students. We all meet twice in a year in Staff-Student Liaison Committee. For our Fourth Years, we have a programme review meeting. Students also complete evaluations at the end of each course. Being in touch with students gives us the opportunity to be able to take action (and quickly) on the feedback we receive; and we are absolutely focused on making sure that we do. The points raised from our last two SSLCs and fourth year programme review meetings are given in Appendix 5.

8. Advice and Support

Advice and support is available from several sources within SSPS and beyond throughout your time on the degree:

8.1 Personal Tutor (PT)

As a continuing undergraduate student, you will have an individual meeting with your Personal Tutor in week 0 (welcome week) or week 1. In preparation for this meeting, you should reflect on your main achievements and challenges in your studies thus far. The meeting will be used to discuss those reflections, discuss coursework feedback and marks, and direct you to additional support and opportunities available. As a year 3 or year 4 student, you should contact your Personal Tutor to request further meetings as required.

Your personal tutor may contact you via your university e-mail account to arrange or notify you of meetings. You are responsible for checking and responding to meeting requests, and for attending meetings. You may also request additional meetings with your personal tutor by contacting them via email or using the meeting request function in MyEd.

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You will get the most out of your support by working in partnership with your Personal Tutor. It is a two-way process. Preparing and writing notes for your meeting with your Personal Tutor will help you get the most out of your discussions. You can use the notes facility in the Personal tutor channel on MyEd which is specifically designed for this.

If you are not on campus (e.g. studying abroad for a period, or on placement, or studying an online degree) then your meetings may take place by telephone, live internet call, or a web conferencing application. Email exchanges are not considered to be meetings unless they take place within a pre-agreed timeframe to enable you to have a “conversation” (e.g. if you are overseas and emailing within a 24-36 hour period to take account of time differences).

More detail on all aspects of the personal tutoring system, including each Schools Personal Tutoring Statement from across the university, Can be found at http://www.ed.ac.uk/academic-services/personal-tutor

The Personal Tutors for Sustainable Development students in 2017-18 are:

Dr Sarah Parry, Attic Room A.2, Chisholm House, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (STIS), High School Yards; tel: 650 6395; email: sarah.parry@ed.ac.uk Guidance and feedback hours Tuesdays 10.00-12.00 during semester time.

Dr Claire Haggett, Room 5.07, CMB; tel: 650 3916; email: claire.haggett@ed.ac.uk Guidance and feedback hours Tuesdays 10.30-12.30 during semester time

Dr Isabelle Darmon, Room 6.27, CMB; tel: 651 1574; email: Isabelle.Darmon@ed.ac.uk Guidance and feedback hours Tuesdays 3-5 pm during semester time

Dr Rachel Howell, Room 6.25, CMB; tel 0131 651 1384; email: Rachel.Howell@ed.ac.uk Guidance and feedback hours Tuesdays 9.30-11.30 during semester time.

8.2 Student Support Officer (SSO)

Your Student Support Officer can act as a first point of contact if you wish to discuss an issue relating to your studies, and plays a major role in providing pastoral support and advice on procedures. Student Support Officers can also deal with routine issues, such as course changes in the first two weeks of a semester, and assisting with completing Special Circumstances forms, without you needing to arrange a meeting with your Personal Tutor. If there are any circumstances affecting your studies that you would like to discuss with someone other than your Personal Tutor, your Student Support Officer is there to help. It is important that you keep us informed of any issues you feel may impact your studies, so please do not hesitate to get in touch. The Sustainable Development SSO is Sue Renton, sue.renton@ed.ac.uk, tel 650 6958, CMB 1.04.

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8.3 Undergraduate Teaching Office

Some of the more routine administrative duties are carried out by the staff working in the Undergraduate Teaching Office (CMB room G.05). The staff in the Undergraduate Teaching Office will:

Deal with routine queries in the first instance, concerning, e.g., the structure of the curriculum, regulations and procedures, study abroad applications, etc.

Provide standard letters for students, e.g. references for banks or landlords

Refer you to appropriate Student Support Services where necessary

8.4 Geography Liaison

For Sustainable Development students pursuing a Geography pathway a special Geography Liaison has been provided to help with specific Geography related queries, including access to courses and academic advice specific to the Geography pathway. The Liaison in 2015-16 is Dr Anthony Newton - anthony.newton@ed.ac.uk, tel 650 2546, Room 3.15, Geography Building, Drummond Street.

8.5 Wider University Support

There is a wide range of support, help and advice available to you across the University.

The University student services A-Z: This provides a list of services on offer. You can view the list at http://www.ed.ac.uk/staff-students/students/student-services

Health and Wellbeing: These webpages provide Information that will guide you to self-help and supportive services offered by the University and our associated partners. http://www.ed.ac.uk/staff-students/students/health

The Advice Place is Edinburgh University Students’ Association drop-in advice centre, offering free, confidential and independent advice on a range of issues including money issues, accommodation problems, and academic concerns. Further details can be found here: https://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/support_and_advice/the_advice_place/

Institute for Academic Development (IAD): The Institute for Academic Development can help you to develop effective learning techniques. They provide a series of workshops on study skills, exam preparation and essay writing, and offer individual guidance on study skills: http://www.ed.ac.uk/institute-academic-development/undergraduate

The Study Development Team provides resources and workshops aimed at helping all students to enhance their learning skills and develop effective study techniques. Resources and workshops cover a range of topics, such as managing your own learning, reading, note making, essay and report writing, exam preparation and exam techniques. The study development resources are housed on 'LearnBetter' (undergraduate), part of Learn, the University's virtual learning environment. Follow the link from the IAD Study Development web page to enrol: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academic-development/undergraduate/learning-resource

You can access resources and guidance on, for example, how to study effectively, write assignments and revise for your exams.

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You can also arrange to receive one-to-one study advice by making an appointment.

You can view further details about this at http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academic-development/undergraduate/overview

The Edinburgh University Students Association (EUSA): All matriculated students automatically become members of the Students’ Association (EUSA), which is governed by the student body and run by students elected annually from the membership. EUSA is comprised of two main bodies: the Edinburgh University Union which provides an extensive range of amenities and social gathering places for members; and the Students Representative Council, which not only presents the student view on dealings with the University and other bodies but also researches and disseminates a great deal of information of relevance to student academic and welfare issues. The Student Counselling Service provides confidential short term counselling available to matriculated Edinburgh University students. The counsellors are experienced and professionally trained and the service they provide is free of charge. They can offer counselling to anyone with personal problems which affects their well-being or ability to work. Details can be found here: http://www.ed.ac.uk/student-counselling The student counselling service website also provides links to other valuable advice sources such as the Nightline (an advice phone line). The Student Disability Service, (main Library in George Square, alongside the Student Counselling and Careers Services), tel: 650 6828; email: disability.service@ed.ac.uk offers help and advice to students with mobility, visual or hearing impairments, learning disabilities (including dyslexia), chronic or mental health problems. Further details can be found: http://www.ed.ac.uk/student-disability-service Chaplaincy: The Chaplaincy ( www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy ) is for students of all faiths and none. The Chaplaincy Centre in Bristo Square provides: a social drop-in, confidential support, sanctuary, discussion groups, study area and a Fair Trade Café. Student Administration: www.ed.ac.uk/registry provides a variety of support and advice for students, including:

Student Administration Services are responsible for matriculation, graduations, examinations, the student centre (Old College), student record maintenance, transcripts and UK Border Agency requirements for international students.

Scholarships and Student Funding Services: provides a single point of contact for finding the financial help and information you need in order to pursue your education. They promote and administer bursaries, scholarships and other funding opportunities including the Discretionary and Childcare Funds. www.ed.ac.uk/student-funding

The International Office: advises and supports all students from outside the UK before and after they arrive in Edinburgh. We welcome international visitors, run events throughout the year, including Global Horizons, an international students’ festival, which includes a week of events celebrating culture and promoting a global outlook for all students. More information is available here: www.ed.ac.uk/international-office. The International Office have asked us to include the following information for students on a Tier 4 Visa:

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As a Tier 4 student, the University of Edinburgh is the sponsor of your UK visa. The University has a number of legal responsibilities, including monitoring your attendance on your programme and reporting to the Home Office when:

you suspend your studies, transfer or withdraw from a programme, or complete your studies significantly early;

you fail to register/enrol at the start of your programme or at the two additional registration sessions each year with no explanation;

You are repeatedly absent or are absent for an extended period and are excluded from the programme due to non-attendance. This includes missing Tier 4 census points without due reason. The University must maintain a record of your attendance and the Home Office can ask to see this or request information about it at any time;

As a student with a Tier 4 visa sponsored by the University of Edinburgh, the terms of your visa require you to, (amongst others):

Ensure you have a correct and valid visa for studying at the University of Edinburgh, which, if a Tier 4 visa, requires that it is a visa sponsored by the University of Edinburgh;

Attend all of your University classes, lectures, tutorials, etc where required. This includes participating in the requirements of your course including submitting assignments, attending meetings with tutors and attending examinations. If you cannot attend due to illness, for example, you must inform your School. This includes attending Tier 4 Census sessions when required throughout the academic session.

Make sure that your contact details, including your address and contact numbers are up to date in your student record.

Make satisfactory progress on your chosen programme of study

Observe the general conditions of a Tier 4 General student visa in the UK, including studying on the programme for which your visa was issued, not overstaying the validity of your visa and complying with the work restrictions of the visa.

Please note that any email relating to your Tier 4 sponsorship, including census dates and times will be sent to your University email address - you should therefore check this regularly. Further details on the terms and conditions of your Tier 4 visa can be found in the “Downloads” section at www.ed.ac.uk/immigration More information or advice about your Tier 4 immigration status can be obtained by contacting the International Student Advisory Service, located at the International Office, 33 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9JS Email: immigration@ed.ac.uk

8.6 Special Circumstances

A student experiencing serious disruption to their studies, their coursework or exams due to medical or other unforeseen circumstances may submit a Special Circumstances form with supporting medical evidence, completed in consultation with their Student Support Officer.

The full guidance on Special Circumstances can be found at http://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/special_circumstances1516_0.pdf

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9. Careers

Throughout their academic studies students will wish to give serious thought to the question of their future careers. In different courses offered within SSPS, students are encouraged to develop transferable skills of analysis, preparation of papers and presentation of material. For students who do not wish to pursue postgraduate study, the University offers advice on different career options, and members of staff may provide advice and support and often act as referees for job applications. The interdisciplinary focus of the Sustainable Development programme, and the analytical and transferable skills this programme demands, will provide a solid foundation for dealing with a changing world. That breadth, flexibility, and skill set is sought by a wide range of employers. More specifically, graduates of this programme would be particularly equipped to work in the following range of careers: Public-sector, including civil service but also national and local government agencies engaged in environmental planning/ management, regulation and social inclusion; International agencies (UN, WHO, FAO) involved in development and sustainability; Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and charities involved in sustainability, development and environmental issues at local, national and international level; Private-sector companies, primarily sustainability consultancies, but also firms in the fields of sustainable business and corporate responsibility. The University Careers Service is located on the third floor of the Main Library Building (Tel 0131 650 4670) and is there to help and advise on all matters concerning careers.

The Careers Office provides a rich variety of opportunities, guidance and advice. Maybe you are already considering moving into employment, undertaking further study, finding an internship, travelling, volunteering, starting your own business or something else entirely. You might have some firm ideas at this point or no ideas whatsoever. Making informed decisions about your future takes time and effort but your Careers Service can support you through the process. Their activities cover:

Full range of talks and workshops - look out for the range of careers fairs - from the ‘Third

Day: More than Profit’ fair to graduate recruitment fairs, virtual fairs and post graduate

fairs

Campus visits from a wide range of employers

Information on 1000+ careers online and in our centre

Daily (during semester time) standard appointments for quick queries: book through

MyCareerHub

Quick careers coaching at Chrystal Macmillan Building: book through

MyCareerHub

Individual guidance interviews - impartial, confidential discussions which focus on you

Feedback on CVs, applications and personal statements

Practice interviews - a chance to practise your skills and get feedback

MyCareerHub database of semester-time, vacation time, one-off, voluntary and graduate

vacancies in the UK and overseas

Talks on postgraduate study,

Information on the destinations of previous graduates

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For more details see: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers and MyCareerHub or visit the centre on the third floor of the Main Library Building.

9.1 Postgraduate Studies Students taking Honours degrees in Sustainable Development may wish to consider going on to study for a postgraduate degree, either at Edinburgh University or elsewhere. Your Personal Tutor can provide general information and advice on this. Applications usually have to be made by around March to commence studies in the following September; and applications for funding usually have earlier deadlines. SSPS offers two kinds of postgraduate degrees: taught Master’s degrees (MSc) and research-based PhD or MSc degrees. Masters programmes are completed in 12 months (full time) or 24 months (part time) and are assessed by a combination of coursework and dissertation. Further information is available at: http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/gradschool

10. Communication and Contacts

KEY CONTACTS

Position

Name

Email

tel

office

Programme Director Dr Claire Haggett

claire.haggett@ed.ac.uk

650 3916

CMB 5.07

Student Support Officer (SSO)

Sue Renton sue.renton@ed.ac.uk

650 6958 CMB 1.04

Personal Tutors (PT) Dr Claire Haggett Dr Isabelle Darmon Dr Sarah Parry Dr Rachel Howell

claire.haggett@ed.ac.uk isabelle.darmon@ed.ac.uk sarah.parry@ed.ac.uk rachel.howell@ed.ac.uk

650 3916 651 1574 650 6395 651 1384

CMB 5.07 CMB 6.27 High School Yards CMB 6.25

Erasmus and International Exchange coordinator

Dr Isabelle Darmon Isabelle.darmon@ed.ac.uk

651 1574

CMB 6.27

Geography Liaison Dr Anthony Newton anthony.newton@ed.ac.uk 650 2546 Geography Building, Drummond Street, Room 315

Core course organiser (Cases in Sustainable Development)

Dr Eugenia Rodrigues Eugenia.rodrigues@ed.ac.uk 651 4751 A3 Chisholm House, High School Yards

Core course organiser (Responding to Sustainability Challenges)

Dr Rachel Howell rachel.howell@ed.ac.uk 651 1384 CMB 6.25

Note most staff normally list ‘guidance and feed-back hours’ for student consultation on their office doors and on their staff webpages. Students should endeavour to use these posted hours whenever possible.

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10.1 Dignity and respect

As part of the University’s efforts to offer as supportive learning environment as possible, it is developing a framework on Dignity and Respect which will underline the University’s commitment to create a culture where all students and staff are treated with respect and feel safe and fulfilled within the university community. To view the full policy, go to http://www.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity/innovation-development

10.2 Email Protocol

Email is essential to our work at the University. We all rely on it – usually on a daily basis – to get the information we need, and to communicate with other members of the University community. Used properly, it makes us more efficient and better at what we do. Since email is so important, we have agreed (below) a short protocol on good practice. It applies to all of your email correspondence with us, whether with academic or administrative staff.

You can expect us to:

TRY to respond to your email within 2-3 working days during the teaching semester. All full-time academic members of staff have periods of teaching/marking when they are away from the office and unable to access email. Many of us must travel to do research and/or attend conferences. We sometimes have only sporadic access to email while away. When we are away, you can expect to receive an ‘auto-reply’ explaining how and when we can be reached on any urgent matter, and (if appropriate) who can help you in our absence.

address you by your name (where appropriate) in email.

communicate in a tone that connotes respect and professionalism.

treat your email correspondence to us as confidential (and not to be forwarded to other colleagues) if you signal that as your preference.

We expect you to:

check your University emails regularly (minimum 2-3 times per week). TRY to respond to our emails within 2-3 working days, and sooner than that if we are asking you to supply us with information.

check available documentation (such as handbooks) and our web-site (to, say, find our guidance and feed-back hours) for answers to your query BEFORE you send us an email.

address your email to the appropriate one of us (only), and to show diligence in determining who the appropriate member of staff is.

address us by our names in email. You will find that some of us prefer to be addressed using our titles, and others prefer to be addressed more informally. To be safe, start formal and see where the correspondence takes you.

communicate in email as if you were writing us a letter. Email at the University is not the same as text-messaging or blogging.

Social Media: There have been many examples recently of students and graduates using social media to network and, in some cases, find employment. Social media allows easy exchange of information and ideas and can provide a powerful platform for discussion - all of which is within the control of the account owner. Do not be afraid to engage with debate BUT do remember

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that what goes on the internet stays on the internet - you need to remember that a future employer may discover things about you that you would prefer to keep private. We expect you to be courteous in your postings and to not make personal or hurtful comments about other students or staff. You should ensure your comments are lawful, ie are consistent with legislatively protected areas of equality and diversity, and do not constitute a disciplinary offence under the University’s code, which include offensive behaviour (in writing as well as actual) and bringing the University into disrepute.

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Appendix 1 - Main Subject Pathways

Sustainable Development MA, Geography Pathway

Year Core SD Courses Main Subject Area Courses Outside Options Courses Total

Credits

1

Sustainable Development 1a: Introducing Sustainable Development (20 credits)

Science & Society 1b: Nature & Environment (20 credits)

Human Geography (20 credits)

Physical Geography (20 credits)

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

2

International Development, Aid and Humanitarianism (20 credits)

Sustainable Development 2a: Perspectives (20 credits)

Compulsory: Fundamental Methods in Geography (20 credits)*

40 credit choice from: Economic and Political Geography; (20 credits)

Environmental Sensitivity & Change; (20 credits)

Geomorphology; (20 credits)

Social and Cultural Geography (20 credits)

20 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

3

Responding to sustainability challenges: critical debates (20 credits) Cases in Sustainable Development (20 credits)

Quantitative Methods in Geography (10 credits) OR

Qualitative Methods in Geography (10 credits)

Research Design in Geography (10 credits)

Geography Honours Option (20 credits)

20 credits of courses from any subject area other than Geography provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

4

Sustainable Development Dissertation (supervised in SPS if a human geography topic; supervised in Geography if a physical geography topic) (40 credits)

40 credits from: Either Geography Research Elective (20 credits) and Geography Honours Option (20 credits) Or Two Geography Honours Courses (40 credits) – one per semester

40 credits of courses from any subject area other than Geography provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to an SD theme (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

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Sustainable Development MA, Politics Pathway

Year Core SD Courses Main Subject area courses Outside Options courses Credits

total

1

Sustainable Development 1a: Introducing Sustainable Development (20 credits)

Science & Society 1b: Nature & Environment (20 credits)

Introduction to Politics & International Relations (20 Credits)

Political Thinkers (20 credits) Fundamentals: Politics and International Relations 1 (0 credits)

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

2

International Development, Aid and Humanitarianism (20 credits)

Sustainable Development 2a: Perspectives (20 credits)

International Cooperation in Europe and Beyond (20 credits) Fundamentals 2: Politics & International Relations (0 credits) Then at least one of: Introduction to Political Data Analysis (20 credits) Comparative Politics in a Globalized World (20 credits) (you may take both of these courses if you wish)

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

3

Responding to sustainability challenges: critical debates (20 credits) Cases in Sustainable Development (20 credits)

Research Design in Politics and IR (20 credits)

Then an additional 20 credits in Honours Politics courses

NOTE: In either year 3 or 4 you must take Global Justice and Citizenship OR Approaches to Politics and International Relations (you can take both if you wish)

40 credits of courses from any subject area provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme*

120

4 Sustainable Development Dissertation in SPS (40 credits)

40 credits in Honours Politics courses

NOTE: In either year 3 or 4 you must take Global Justice and Citizenship OR Approaches to Politics and International Relations (you can take both if you wish)

40 credits of courses from any subject area provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme*

120

*Across Years 3&4 students must enrol in at least 40 credits outside Politics/IR

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Sustainable Development MA, International Relations Pathway

Year Core SD Courses Main Subject area courses Outside Options courses Credits

total

1

Sustainable Development 1a: Introducing Sustainable Development (20 credits)

Science & Society 1b: Nature & Environment (20 credits)

Introduction to Politics & International Relations (20 credits)

Political Thinkers (20 credits) Fundamentals: Politics and International Relations 1 (0 credits)

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

2

International Development, Aid and Humanitarianism (20 credits)

Sustainable Development 2a: Perspectives (20 credits)

International Cooperation in Europe and Beyond (20 credits) Fundamentals 2: Politics & International Relations (0 credits) Then at least one of: Introduction to Political Data Analysis (20 credits) Comparative Politics in a Globalized World (20 credits)

(you may take both of these courses if you wish)

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

3

Responding to sustainability challenges: critical debates (20 credits) Cases in Sustainable Development (20 credits)

Research Design in Politics and IR (20 credits)

Plus 20 credits from honours level IR courses

NOTE: Across years 3 and 4 you must take at least one of the following courses: Global Justice and Citizenship; International Political Economy; Global Security; Theories of International Relations; Approaches to Politics and International Relations

40 credits of courses from any subject area provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme.*

120

4 Sustainable Development Dissertation in SPS (40 credits)

40 credits in Honours International Relations courses

NOTE: Across years 3 and 4 you must take at least one of the following courses: Global Justice and Citizenship; International Political Economy; Global Security; Theories of International Relations; Approaches to Politics and International Relations

40 credits of courses from any subject area provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme.*

120

*Across Years 3&4 students must enrol in at least 40 credits outside Politics/IR

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Sustainable Development MA, Social Anthropology Pathway

Year Core SD Courses Main Subject area courses Outside Options courses Credits

total

1

Sustainable Development 1a: Introducing Sustainable Development (20 credits)

Science & Society 1b: Nature & Environment (20 credits)

Social Anthropology 1A: An Introduction (20 credits)

Social Anthropology 1B: The Practice of Social Anthropology (20 credits) Fundamentals: Studying Anthropology (0 credits)

Fundamentals: Reading and Writing Anthropology (0 credits)

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

2

International Development, Aid and Humanitarianism (20 credits)

Sustainable Development 2a: Perspectives (20 credits)

Social Anthropology 2: Key concepts (20 credits) Ethnography: Theory and Practice (20 credits) Fundamentals: Ethnographic Theory (0 credits) Fundamentals: Anthropological Practice (0 credits)

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

3

Responding to sustainability challenges: critical debates (20 credits) Cases in Sustainable Development (20 credits)

‘Imagining Anthropological Research’ (0 credits)

40 credits from Social Anthropology honours-level courses

40 credits from any subject area provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme.

120

4 Sustainable Development Dissertation in SPS (40 credits)

40 credits from Social Anthropology honours-level courses

40 credits from any subject area provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme.

120

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Sustainable Development MA, Sociology pathway

Year Core SD Courses Main Subject area courses Outside Options courses Credits

total

1

Sustainable Development 1a: Introducing Sustainable Development (20 credits)

Science & Society 1b: Nature & Environment (20 credits)

Sociology 1A: The Sociological Imagination – Individuals and Society (20 credits)

Sociology 1B: The Sociological Imagination – Private Troubles, Public Problems (20 credits)

Fundamentals: Developing Sociological Imagination (0 credits)

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

2

International Development, Aid and Humanitarianism (20 credits)

Sustainable Development 2a: Perspectives (20 credits)

Sociology 2a: Thinking Sociologically (20 credits) Sociology 2b: Researching Social Life (20 credits) Fundamentals 2: Sociology (0 credits)

40 credits of courses from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, or the College of Science and Engineering (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

3

Responding to sustainability challenges: critical debates (20 credits) Cases in Sustainable Development (20 credits)

40 credits in Honours Sociology courses

NOTE: Across years 3 and 4 you must take at least two of the following courses: Social Theory (s1); Designing and Doing Social Research (s1); Doing Survey Research (s2). We recommend that you take these courses in Year 3.

40 credits from any subject area provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme. (see recommended list, Appendix 2)

120

4 Sustainable Development Dissertation in SPS (40 credits)

40 credits in Honours Sociology courses

NOTE: Across years 3 and 4 you must take at least two of the following: Social Theory (s1); Designing and Doing Social Research (s1); Doing Survey Research (s2)

40 credits from any subject area provided that a) pre-requisites for that course have been met and b) the course is linked to a sustainable development theme (see recommended list, Appendix 2).

120

Course pre-selection will open at the end of the semester 2 exam period. At this time, returning students will receive an email inviting them to pre-select their courses to allow for allocations over the summer period. The link below will take you to the pre-selection section of our website, where you will find the relevant information closer to the time. We strongly advise you submit your pre-selection choices by the deadline stated to ensure you have the best chance of receiving your preferred choice of course. http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/undergrad/current_students/returning_student_information/course_pre-selection

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Appendix 2: Suggested Outside Options

Sustainable development students take outside options along with their required courses. They may choose their outside options from: Art, Business, Divinity, Economics, Education, Geosciences, History, Classics, Archaeology, Law, Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Psychology, Social & Political Science; Astronomy, Biomedical Sciences or Physics Below we provide a list (organised by Schools) of suggested sustainability-related courses you may wish to take. You are not restricted to these but may find they fit well with the overall themes of the degree. Note not all these courses are offered every year. Note also that some of these courses may require permission of the course convenor to ensure pre-requisite courses or capacity. Check on index of courses (DRPS) http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/17-18/dpt/drpsindex.htm or directly with the convenor. Sociology honours courses are now offered every other year.

Honours courses

Sustainable Development suite of options (highly recommended): • Social Life of Food • Gender and the Environment

• Investigating Energy Consumption and Policy

• Energy Policy and Sustainability

• Knowledge, Expertise and Policy • Controversies in Medicine, Technology, and the Environment • Sociology of the Environment and Risk (not running in 2017/18)

Also recommended:

• Anthropology of Energy in the Global South • Globalization • Migration: social origins and social consequences • Anthropology and Environment • Environmental Politics in Europe • Natural Resource Management • Social Development • Economic Sociology

OTHER RECOMMENDED COURSES: SPS

• Africa in World Politics • International Indigenous Politics • Global Politics of Public Health • Southeast Asia • South Asia: Culture, Politics, and Economy • Humans and Other Species • Human Rights and International Relations • International Security • Population Health and Health Policy • Globalisation and public health • Global Politics of sex and gender • Global Justice and Citizenship • Global Security • Development and decolonization in Latin America

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Business* *requires Business Studies pre-requisites

Business Ethics Green and Sustainable Entrepreneurship (pre-requisites can be waived) Divinity* Ecology, Ethics and Religion Economics* *requires Economics pre-requisites

Development Economics Globalisation, Trade and Development Policy for Economic Development Natural Resource and Environmental Economics Geography* Some have pre-requisites recommended Catchment Water Resources Ecosystem Processes, Biodiversity and Climate Change Encountering Cities Eroding Landscapes: Mountains, Hills and Rivers Geographies of Food Political Ecology Tropical Ecosystems, Climate, and Lost Civilisations Values and the Environment Volcanoes, Environment and People Philosophy

Applied Ethics Environmental Ethics (pre-requisites can be waived)

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Appendix 3: Common Marking Scheme

The marking criteria for coursework, exams and dissertations have been established to guide both staff and students about what is normally expected of work receiving a particular grade. This information can be viewed at

http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/undergrad/current_students/teaching_and_learning/assessment_and_regulations/marking_descriptors

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Appendix 4: Exam Boards, Degree Classification and Release of Results

External Examiner

The External Examiner for the degree is Dr Kate Burningham, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and the Centre for Environmental Strategy, at the University of Surrey.

Board of Examiners and Release of Results

All marks for examinations and assessed coursework are provisional until confirmed by the Board of Examiners.

Results will be communicated to students via the EUCLID student view. An automated email will be sent to your University email account when your course result is available. Exact release dates of degree classification will be listed on the schools website closer to the time at: http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/undergrad/current_students/teaching_and_learning/assessment_and_regulations

How Degrees are Classified

Honours degrees will be classified according to the mean mark, except where the mark falls on an 8 or a 9 (e.g. 58, 59), which will be regarded as 'borderline'. In such borderline cases, if 50% or more of the marks are in the class above, the student's degree will fall into that higher class.

The mean mark will be based on final overall grades (i.e. derived from all assessed work in each course) for all University of Edinburgh courses taken across your 3rd and 4th year. Students who spend their junior year abroad have their degree calculated solely on the basis of 4th year marks. The mean takes account of different course weightings, so the grade you receive for a 40 credit course such as a dissertation or Project will be counted twice.

The overall mean of all course grades is not rounded up or down. For example, if your final mean grade is 57.9 then you will be awarded a 2:2. If however your mean grade is "borderline" before rounding (58.00%-59.99%) then the resolution described above is applied. Essentially, this means that if at least half of your final course grades fall into the category above the borderline, then you will be awarded the higher class of degree. For example, if your mean mark is 59 but you have achieved a grade 60 or above in at least six 20 credit courses, you would be awarded a 2:1. Note that if the mean does not fall into the borderline category then the overall profile of your marks is not considered.

All marks gained throughout 4th year are subject to confirmation and amendment at the final board of examiners at which your final degree will be determined. The examination board may also take into consideration any adverse personal circumstances affecting your 4th year studies when determining your final degree.

For further details please see regulation 52 of the Taught assessment Regulations. You can access the regulations at http://www.ed.ac.uk/academic-services/policies regulations/regulations/assessment

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Appeals

If you are considering lodging an appeal, it is important that you act promptly. EUSA have some helpful information on the appeals process and you can read this at http://www.EUSA.ed.ac.uk/adviceplace/academic/appeals/

Students should note that the appeal process cannot be used to challenge academic judgment i.e. a judgment made about a matter where only the opinion of an academic expert will suffice. A student cannot submit an appeal simply because they believe that they deserve a better mark or different outcome.

There are specific and fairly narrow grounds under which an appeal may be submitted. These are set out in the relevant university Student Appeal Regulations which can be viewed at http://www.ed.ac.uk/academic-services/students/undergraduate/academic-appeals

Strict timescale apply with appeals so it is important that you act promptly.

Time Scales for Appeals against Academic Decisions for Undergraduate Students

Year of Study Appeal Timescale

4th Year within 30 working days of the result being issued

3rdYear within 10 working days of the result being issued

Student complaint procedure

Students who have a complaint should view the complaint handling procedure. The complaint

procedure is designed to ensure that complaints are properly investigated and are given careful

and fair consideration.

http://www.ed.ac.uk/university-secretary-group/complaint-handling-procedure/procedure

Students can also view the University wide policies and regulations at

http://www.ed.ac.uk/academic-services/policies-regulations

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Appendix 5: Student participation

Student representation is a key part of this degree, and we welcome the opportunity to work with our students throughout. We respond to all suggestions, and try to make changes to the degree on the basis of student feedback where possible. The main channels through which discussion about the degree takes place are the Staff-Student Liaison Committees, held each semester; the fourth year programme review; and through degree reps. Students are of course welcome to discuss any aspect of the degree with any member of teaching staff or Sue, at any time. Key points from the academic year 2016/17, and responses to them: Courses

Students across all years found their courses really interesting. In pre-honours, SD1a is very well liked and tutorials are very helpful with tasks and discussions, SD2a was enjoyed, as was the format of having a perspective and a case. The assignments were very appropriate for the course, and the readings were useful. Science and Society 1b was deemed valuable to students further through the degree as a basis upon which they were building. Some students felt that the course was centred on one main point, and others said that it was challenging and a useful new way of thinking, and that it was good to learn how to be critical of science. IDAH is well received, and the tutorial setup and debates were seen as a good way to stimulate discussion. It was also said that the course supports SD students’ interests in these issues.

In Honours, students reported really enjoying third year courses, building on previous knowledge, and having different ways of learning. Responding to Sustainability Challenges has received very positive feedback; and was runner-up for ‘Best Course’ at the 2017 EUSA Teaching Awards. Cases in Sustainable Development was also praised. Some of resources provided were very helpful, particularly in light of dissertations. Students were enjoying the fact that SD core classes are small, and it was really nice to be with their SD peers, who all have the same grounding in the issues. Fourth years had really appreciated the chance to study abroad, the core courses, and the freedom of choice between courses.

Feedback received Action taken

Additional SD courses would be useful, particularly in fourth year.

The new core SD course in third year was set up and designed on the basis of student feedback.

There are three new honours courses which have been designed

for SD students; they have not been made compulsory in

recognition of the range of different interests that SD students

have, but will be very relevant for SD students. These courses are

Gender and the Environment; Investigating Energy Consumption

and Policy; and Knowledge, Expertise and Policy.

In additi0n, a small suite of SD relevant honours options have been

collated and disseminated to students (via the UTO course

selection form, handbooks, email, and transition meetings). This

allows students to study relevant courses, with other SD students.

A smaller number of SD honours options would be

As above; the Handbook and transition talks make clear the suite of SD options, as well as other recommended courses. Student

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useful feedback is invaluable in informing these lists of options.

Student feedback about pre-honours courses is also used to recommend courses in the Handbook and transition talks, and is extremely valuable.

Students would prefer to have SD Fundamentals

The Fundamentals courses had been developed across the School because of student demand. Fundamentals help to develop key skills that aren’t taught in other courses.

Staff on the degree are keen to pursue SD Fundamentals but would need more teaching support to be able to do so at present. The suggestion of a fundamentals course in collaboration with PALS is useful, and will be pursued if more teaching support is provided. Discussions about this are ongoing.

Issues raised about the required courses for the Geography

Honours students on the Geography pathway now need to take fewer credits of geography courses; there is a choice between Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, and students no longer take the field trip (which is only open to single honours Geography students). This has been set out in the course selection information and the Handbooks.

Courses that covered business aspects of SD would be useful, and even a business pathway.

Claire has met with the Business School to try and pursue a closer collaboration; business issues are included in SD1a now, and in the third year course Responding to Sustainability Challenges.

Suggestion to have more economics-based courses, or courses that cover economics, or an economics pathway.

Discussions are currently ongoing with Economics; students on the MA in Economics and Environmental Studies will now have the option of taking an SD pathway for the ‘Environmental Studies’ part of their degree. This is part of ongoing discussions about greater collaboration with Economics.

In addition, there are new members of staff teaching economic sociology, who will be asked to teach on SD1a and SD2a.

Further, the honours course ‘Economic Sociology’ was very popular with SD students when it ran for the first time last year, and it is now recommended for SD students.

The course ‘Global Citizenship’ should not be a required politics course.

The pathway requirements were changed immediately, and communicated to all students, so that PIR students do not have to take Global Citizenship, and have a choice of courses.

Sociology of the Environment and Risk should be a core course.

Because of teaching capacity, and based on the model used in Sociology, the course runs every other year; it is however available for all SD students to take if they wish, in either their third or fourth year.

Pathways

Feedback received Response

Some students felt more associated with the

The SD degree is different to a joint honours degree; instead of being halfway between two subject areas, students have full

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pathway than SD; however, fourth year students said that the pathway was of great benefit, as it allowed them to take courses to which they would not otherwise have been entitled, and they could explore a much wider range of interests.

access to resources and are completely supported by just one subject area. There is much more that is done to try and integrate SD and the pathway than on a joint degree, where students just take courses from two separate departments, and there is a much greater sense of community on SD. It was noted by the honours students that the pathways become more relevant in honours, when the courses available become more relevant. Pre-hons pathway courses provide the building blocks, the content of which won’t all be totally relevant to SD, but this helps to hone students’ interests, and they build on this material in honours.

CVs and job references can place more or less emphasis on your pathway, depending on how you want to present your degree.

In addition, a paper was written for and accepted by the Board of Studies, making it easier for students to change pathways. Students changing into Sociology or Social Anthropology pathways are able to take fewer pre-hons courses if they do change (three, not four, pre-hons courses as previously).

Students asked about the balance between the number of SD and pathway courses.

Changes have been made to the number of credits from SD and pathways that are required. The requirements have been changed so that in each year there are 40 credits of SD courses; and 40 credits of pathway courses. In honours, the remaining 40 credits in each year comes from the suite of SD options (or other courses in which students are interested); in pre-honours, students are guided to take outside courses of interest and relevance to them.

It was suggested that it would be helpful to have more information at the start of the degree about the pathways and what to expect.

A series of changes are being made this year on the basis of this. The pre-hons Handbook has been amended. There will be greater emphasis in Welcome Week on pathways in welcome talks, and current students will speak to new students at the welcome talk and SD party. PALS leaders will also speak to the new first years about pathways, and meetings can be arranged on request to put first years in touch with fourth years to discuss pathways.

Some geography pathway students were unhappy with some course choices, and felt that Geography staff were not as engaged with SD students. It was said that Anthony Newton gave excellent support to the SD degree.

Discussions have taken place with Geography staff about this. Geography pathway students will now take 40 credits instead of 60 credits in year 3, with courses being more streamlined. Students doing a human geography dissertation will be supervised by SPS staff involved with the SD degree with the intention of improving the student experience.

Students spend time on their pathways, not in SD

Students are reminded that Pod 5 is booked all year for students to come together and discuss their dissertations. Students are also reminded PALS which are a good way of meeting honours students and learning more about pathways and courses.

Requests for additional pathways – in business, economics, environmental science, and arts – are all of interest, and will be explored further if greater teaching capacity becomes available.

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Interest in additional pathways serves to demonstrate the interest in and value of the pathway structure, which was universally and very strongly supported at the fourth year programme review.

Dissertation

It was reported that dissertation discussions and workshops were very helpful, and start at a good time for students to prepare. They will be continued again this year.

Feedback received Action taken

PIR pathway fourth years last year reported confusion about whether to follow advice from PIR or SD for their dissertation.

On the basis of this feedback, PIR pathway students will this year be included with PIR students for their dissertations; following the deadline, word count, and content and style guidance from PIR. These students will be supervised and marked from within PIR, to ensure consistency of expectations, information, and guidance (for both students and staff).

Geography pathway fourth years reported less support from Geography than SD.

Geography pathway students researching a human geography topic will be supervised by one of the SD teaching team; Geography pathway students researching a physical geography topic will be supervised by a member of Geography staff.

It was said that more information on how to form a research question would also be useful.

This is already covered extensively in the MA Sustainable Development Dissertation Handbook; and will be further emphasised in the dissertation workshops this year.

It was noted that the proposal submission was close to the hand-ins for other courses in s2.

Students are made aware of the deadline at the start of semester 1, so have a semester and a half to plan for this deadline. Any student needing an extension can contact Claire.

Student experience

Students across the four years reported feeling very supported indeed on the degree. Students were very appreciative of being part of SD and the support and community on the degree. Communication, support and admin on the degree were very good and appreciated. The sessions organised (such as on CVs and careers sessions) were very useful. Students reported that they received terrific support and were very happy about this. Student reps said that no one has any big issues with the degree, and people are mostly very happy. Other aspects of student experience:

Feedback received Action taken

Tutorial Allocator: Students are very indeed unhappy about the system. No one was in support of this new system. Not being able to choose tutorials with students on the same degree limits the sense of community. Students said that even what the system was supposed to do wasn’t working. Students said that

Staff fully recognise the concerns of students, and understand that it is the students who should be supported most who are being disadvantaged by this new system (eg students who work, have caring responsibilities, have mental or physical health issues, who run PALS or societies). We have taken our concerns to every forum possible, and encouraged students to report their experience through the

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the allocator did not help them organise their lives well, and for some of them had made things much more difficult – some were having to leave classes early to get to the next tutorial to which they had been assigned.

School Council, and to EUSA. We continue to campaign for our students to be treated as fairly as possible.

Welcome Week: Some students feel overwhelmed at the amount of information received in Welcome Week. It was suggested that it would be more beneficial for Library and IT sessions to be provided nearer to the time assignments are due to be submitted to ELMA.

A review of welcome week events has taken place, and changes have been made for this year. This includes providing more informal opportunities for students to meet each other, and provide help and information in and supportive settings. There will be an additional meeting for first years in week 3 to cover additional information and avoid overload in Welcome Week.

Essay skills: some students reported some concerns about essay writing, and that everyone came with different levels of writing ability, and that they weren’t sure where to get help.

Students are reminded that this is one of the reasons for Fundamentals, to give students support with essays. If any student would like more feedback on essays and any help, the tutor who marked the essay is the first point of contact; then the course organiser, then their PT. The Institute for Academic Development runs sessions for students, which have been advertised widely.

Social aspects: some students said they wanted more social aspects on the degree in semester 1. This was particularly at the start of the degree.

Staff already organise a series of events for students, some purely social (such as the SD party, and SD lunch), others are an opportunity for students to get together (such as the Careers workshop) – these are all well advertised, but sometimes not well attended, which is a shame.

EUSDA is a fantastic way for students to get to know each other. EUSDA is not just a society but a hub for all students on the degree, and if more students from all years of study are involved then this creates a better social bonding. EUSDA did organise a lot of events early in s1 but attendance was very low and so they subsequently organised fewer events.

This year PALS will be made ‘opt-out’ for new first years to encourage attendance; and there will be SD Families – devised and run by SD students to help and support each other.