Introductory description

This module focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 10 “Reduced inequalities" and aims to reflect on the UN’s decision to integrate inequalities into the sustainable development agenda and examines the relationship between inequalities and sustainability. It allows students to focus in-depth on the concept of inequalities and analyse current debates around inequality and socio-economic environmental sustainability in order to gain an understanding of the complexities of the problems and recognise the challenges faced by policy makers aiming to resolve those problems

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The module will start with a general introduction on the concept of inequality and its place within the global sustainable development framework. It will then continue with a combination of lectures and seminars to analyse different types of inequalities and their impacts within specific contexts, such as work, politics, environment, discrimination, globalisation and empowerment. Each topic is introduced by a lecture, followed by weekly case study-based seminars. The selected case studies in this outline are indicative and might be updated to reflect the current situation.

Term 1

Week 1-2: Does Inequality Matter? Justice, Happiness and Efficiency
Week 3-5: Inequalities at Work: Professional Discrimination
Examples of case studies: Malaysia: Ethnic discrimination; Jordan: Gender discrimination and the gender pay gap
Week 6-8: Does Inequality Threaten “Democracy”?
Examples of case studies: Chile: Pinochet and Neoliberalism; Cuba: Revolution and Education; France: The “yellow vests” movement
Week 9-10: Inequality and Environmental Justice
Examples of case studies: US: Flint Water Crisis; Latin America: Indigenous communities

Term 2

Week 1-3: Discrimination and Society: Age, Health and Disability
Case studies on: Mental and physical disability; The ageing population
Week 4-5: Automation, Globalisation and Inequality
Case studies on: The IT revolution and jobs; international trade agreements
Week 6-8: Inequality, Opportunities and Empowerment
Case studies on: Gender: Access to education; Gender-based violence
Week 9-10: Towards More Sustainable Societies: What Are the Solutions?

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Identify and appraise key characteristics of, and recent developments in, inequalities in modern societies, at a local/domestic level as well as in a more global context.
• Critically analyse the current debate around inequalities and socio-economic-environmental sustainability, appreciate the complexities of these problems and recognise the challenges faced by policy makers who aim to resolve them.
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of various cross-disciplinary theories and empirical evidence on the determinants of inequalities, their consequences, and people’s attitudes to them.
• Demonstrate an ability to undertake research on issues relating to inequalities.

Indicative reading list

The syllabus and reading list will be adapted to reflect the most current academic research on the topic. Various journal articles and resources will be made available on Moodle and/or Talis Aspire.

Barnes, C. and Mercer, G. 2005. The Social Model of Disability: Europe and the Majority World. Leeds: Disability Press.

Bradley, H. 2016. Fractured Identities. Changing Patterns of Inequality (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Polity Press.

Desai, Vandana, and Robert B. Potter. 2014. The Companion to Development Studies. Abingdon, Oxo: Routledge.

Donald, Kate . 2017., “Tackling Inequality: the Potential of the Sustainable Development Goals”, Open Global Rights. Available at: https://www.openglobalrights.org/tackling-inequality-potential-of-sustainable-development-goals/

European Commission. 2017. “2017 Report on Equality between women and men in the EU.” Available at: https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/2017_report_equality_women_men_in_the_eu_en.pdf

Giddens, A. and P. W. Sutton. 2013. Sociology (7th ed.), Cambridge: Polity Press.

Holton, R. 2014. Global Inequalities. London: Macmillan Education.

Platt, L. 2011. Understanding Inequalities: Stratification and Difference. Cambridge: Polity.

Sachs, J.D. 2015. The Age of Sustainable Development. New York: Columbia University Press.

Salverda, W., Nolan, B. and T.M. Smeeding. 2011. The Oxford Handbook of Economic Inequality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

UNDP. 2017. “Ageing, Older Persons and the 2039 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. Available at: https://www.un.org/development/desa/ageing/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2017/07/UNDP_AARP_HelpAge_International_AgeingOlderpersons-and-2030-Agenda-2.pdf

Warwick-Booth, L. 2013. Social Inequality. London: Sage.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Research element

Research skills are embedded into the teaching strategy of the module. Students are expected to read and critically analyse scholarly papers written from a variety of perspectives

Interdisciplinary

This is an optional module on the Global Sustainable Development course which adopts an interdisciplinary approach spanning the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences fields in order to engage with the major global challenges facing contemporary society, explore these 'big problems,' from a variety of perspectives and consider a range of possible solutions. Specifically, this module aims to equip students with advanced knowledge of various cross-disciplinary theories and empirical evidence on the determinants of inequalities, its consequences, and people’s attitudes to them.

International

This is an optional module on the Global Sustainable Development course which offers a unique trans-disciplinary and international learning experience that allows students to achieve breadth and depth of knowledge. Specifically, this module aims to enable students to identify and appraise key characteristics of, and recent developments in, inequalities in modern societies, at a local/domestic level as well as in a more global context.

Subject specific skills

Ability to:
critically assess and analyse sustainability issues that need to be addressed, including real-life examples
use and apply established frameworks and methodologies for analysing the impact(s) of a behaviour or process
generate and evaluate different models of sustainable development to assess their likely impact
actively implement or contribute to changes that promote sustainable development within the scope of own learning experience
engage with real-life problems relevant to sustainable development
use historical knowledge and an understanding of the consequences of past actions to envision how futures may be shaped
identify the importance of empowering individuals and organisations to work together to create new knowledge
employ leadership for sustainable development by challenging assumptions and negotiating alternatives to unsustainable current practices
identify the opportunities to support and develop a progressive and resilient culture that encourages citizens, professions and institutions to put learning into practice

Transferable skills

Written communication skills
Oral communication skills
Working with others
Problem solving
Information technology
Numeracy
Research across various disciplines
Peer review