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GCP-20021 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 13 December 2025

GCP-20021 - Climate Change and Sustainability: Driving Change
Coordinator: Zoe Robinson Room: WSF24 Tel: +44 1782 7 34303
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 734414

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

Global Challenge Pathway Global Challenge Pathway (Level 5)


Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

What is the role of activism in addressing sustainability? How can activism be used to drive positive change in society? This module integrates
theory and practice and explores the history and debates within sustainability activism, drawing on diverse disciplinary perspectives,
experiences, and global case studies. You will develop the skills to critically evaluate the role of activism in sustainability and have opportunity to
design, execute, and evaluate your own project to drive positive change.

Aims
The methods of driving change for a sustainable future is often debated in the public realm. This module aims to give you the tools to
critically evaluate the approaches to driving change for sustainability and to design, execute and evaluate your own project. The module explores
the history and debates within sustainability activism and examines different forms of activism and ways of driving change and provides you with the space to drive action for sustainability in an area of interest to you.
The module draws on different disciplinary perspectives, experiences and case studies from around the world drawing on theory and practice.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Examine the role of different forms of activism in driving sustainability transformation across different areas of the UN SDGs and in
different societal and workplace contexts: 2
Integrate learning from different disciplinary perspectives and the principles of driving change to the design, delivery and evaluation
of their own project to drive change in an area of sustainability: 1
Assess how developments in digital technologies have influenced strategies to drive change across different sustainability issues: 2
Reflect on the development of their knowledge, skills and perceptions of activism developed through the design, delivery and
evaluation of a project to drive change in an area of sustainability: 2

Study hours

32 hours in-class active learning sessions, including timetabled group work sessions in Semester 2
75 hours group work (~ 3 hrs per week) including structured group learning activities and preparation of group assessment
43 hours independent study including preparation for independent assessment

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Group Assessment weighted 60%
Group project
Students will work in small groups (3-5 students) to design and execute a sustainability action project. This will comprise two parts a) a proposal based around a template (approx.1000 words) worth 20%; b) a description of the project including evidence of the project carried out and data collected to evaluate the project.

2: Reflective Diary weighted 40%
Independent reflection
Students will submit an independent reflective exercise in two parts covering a) critical examination of a form of activism of their choice from the module content including a consideration of how digital technologies influence sustainability activism (~1000 words), and b) a reflection on their own development through the design, delivery and execution of their group's sustainability action project (~1000 words).

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 13 December 2025