The role of sustainability in HE and the GEES disciplines; recommendations for future practice

Abstract

Sustainability is becoming a key component of many HE curricula. However, questions as to what sustainability is and how it can be embedded within subject specific curriculum are difficult to answer. Focussing on existing pedagogic scholarship in this area and by drawing on experiences from my own institution, this article discusses how the GEES subjects are addressing sustainability in the curriculum. It provides both conceptual framing on the evolution of the GEES subjects in relation to sustainability and offers some practical examples of how different approaches to sustainability might be used in teaching, including challenging disciplinary perspectives and introducing interdisciplinary working around global challenges. It concludes with recommendations for how sustainability might be embedded in the curriculum in practice.

Teaching (super) wicked problems: authentic learning about climate change

“…Our paper provides geography programme teams with insights into good practice and recommendations for enhancing their teaching around climate change and other wicked problems. In doing so, our paper also contributes to broader, ongoing debates around the nature of contemporary undergraduate geography education (e.g., Gormally, 2019;Lewin & Gregory, 2019;Sproken-Smith, 2013;Walkington et al, 2018), authentic learning (e.g., Pitchford et al, 2021) and climate change education (e.g Fahey, 2012;Haslett et al, 2011;Perkins et al, 2018;Robinson, 2009Robinson, , 2015. The following literature review addresses wicked problems, climate change and authenticity.…”

A UK perspective on tackling the geoscience racial diversity crisis in the Global North

“…Geoscience is vital in developing a more sustainable society, and a critical aspect of sustainable development is the reduction of inequalities (goal 10 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals). Sustainability in geography, Earth and environmental science in HE is considered by Gormally 25 , who advocates for interdisciplinarity, diversity of approach, and moving beyond environmental sustainability to include social, cultural and political perspectives.…”

Legal Support of Socio-Economic Development Model Genesis in Post-Industrial Society

“…An important area of studying the socio-economic development model is sustainable development, which involves the development of three components: the economy, social sphere and environmental protection at a level that does not pose a threat to future generations. An important component of such models, according to research, is the formation of public consciousness through the introduction of appropriate educational concepts (Gormally, 2019). The research is also devoted to the study of the role of environmentally healthy economic development on the socio-economic development of modern society.…”