Module 1: Philosophy of Science
This course addresses fundamental questions about the nature and development of scientific knowledge and understanding. The course focuses on key philosophical questions concerning science and various criticisms of it. Specifically, students will be exposed to the following questions: Is science objective? How do scientific theories get confirmed? What distinguishes science from pseudo-science? What justifies inductive reasoning as it is used in science?
Module 2: Advanced Research Methods
This is an advanced research methods courses which introduces the students with major research methods appropriate for sustainable development research, covering a wide range of topics including established methods within the social science and development studies. The course focuses on quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method approaches.
Module 3: Global Goals and Local Realities
This course will introduce students to national and international agendas related to sustainable development, including the 2030 Agenda and its 17 accompanying Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The course will provide an overview of the evolution of the sustainable development concept over the course of more than 3 decades and critically examines the contested nature of this evolving discourse.
Module 4: Policy and Governance for Sustainable Development
The course will highlight the role of public policymaking on sustainable development, with a specific focus on policy coherence for achieving sustainable development. The role of the civil service, political leaders, and civil society in shaping public policy will be highlighted. The course will focus on three general themes: public policy, governance, and sustainable development.
Module 5: Sustainable Environmental Management
This course explores the debates on natural resources use and environmental management from the perspective of sustainable development. It examines contemporary discourses on the management of the environment vis-à-vis sustainable development by particularly focusing on the tradeoffs among the social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainability.
Module 6: Human Development and Sustainability
This course introduces students to national and international policies that explain the continued existence of various types of poverty. It will thereafter introduce the concept of “human development”, which has been an influential approach in global development since the early 1990s. Specifically, the course will address particular topics such as extreme poverty and hunger, democracy and governance, environmental concerns, human rights and global morality and the measurement of progress in human development.
Module 7: Urban Sustainability
The course focuses on the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable urban development. Some of the major themes explored include indicators of sustainability, urban demographic trends, environmental justice, green building, urban sprawl, sustainable energy and transportation, and global climate change. The course also introduces students to the emerging field of urban sustainability from multiple disciplinary perspectives, primarily industrial ecology, urban political ecology, urban ecology, and planning.
Module 8: Sustainable Development Planning and Management
This course examines the effectiveness of planning and development theories from the viewpoint of practitioners while considering the sustainability principle. It focuses on three main topics—planning, leadership, monitoring, and evaluation. The course begins with a review and discussion of theories of sustainable development planning and management and then proceeds to discussion of the nature, characteristics, and principles of planning. In addition the course deals with the methods, techniques, and strategies used in sustainable development planning and implementation.
Module 9: Seminar on Food, Water and Energy Systems
Food, water and energy are resources are central elements to attain sustainable development. Particularly in light of booming population growth and urbanization, the supply of all three is strained and in peril. Securing these resources is a central global and local challenge. The course addresses the challenges regarding securing food, water and energy as vital issues in an ever evolving global circumstance, from both the local and global perspectives; with particular emphasis on developing countries.
Module 10: Scientific Writing and Communication
Effective science communication is part and parcel of being a scientist. This course will deal with the art of scientific writing and publishing including the technical aspects of manuscript preparation and meeting journal guidelines. Students will learn how to use research data to compose a manuscript in standard scientific format, and prepare and present a poster to a general audience.
PhD Dissertation
The PhD candidate proceeds to the doctoral research only after completion of all the required courses and approval of the dissertation proposal by the CGC. The dissertation should be based on original research on a topic related to sustainable development.