The assessment for this module is a 2500-word essay on a topic of your choice drawing upon theories and materials relevant to the module. You have the choice to adopt an empirical (focused on an example) or a conceptual approach (focusing on a theory or concept) or a combination of both.

For an empirical focus

Focus your essay on an example taken from a company or organisation, for instance: a sustainability policy (e.g. evaluating its ecological value); a product/object/innovation that has been developed to tackle an environmental concern (e.g. a recyclable phone) or known to have caused environmental problems; a management process (e.g. recycling electronic waste, saving water) a confrontation with an environmental protest (e.g. anti-fracking, south Dakota water protectors), or a specific response to an environmental issue more broadly (e.g. water pollution, climate change, water stewardship). This list is not exhaustive, you are welcome to explore other ideas and discuss them with the module leader.


For a conceptual or theoretical focus:

Choose a concept or a theory presented in the module and use the essay to expand your knowledge on it. For instance, you could explicate and analyse the concept of socio-ecological resilience, one aspect of the theory of ecological commons, or to comparatively analyse the Anthropocene versus the Capitalocene concepts. You can also choose a theory relevant to ecology and sustainability that has not been discussed in the module (but please let the module leader know if you do).