Sustainability
Overview
Our Sustainability pathway lets you look at the ways in which systems function, and prompts you to make interventions to support sustainable solutions. Warwick is at the forefront of sustainability education, and Liberal Arts works closely with our partners in Global Sustainable Development (GSD) to support students on this pathway.
Students on this pathway have taken modules that cover sustainability and sustainable development from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including ecology, biology, geography, history, politics and governance, business and management, and education.
Modules
This pathway is an ‘open pathway’ in that it is not set in stone, and you are free to select relevant modules from around the University – with guidance from your personal tutor and the Liberal Arts Director of Undergraduate Studies – to suit the aspect of Sustainability that you are exploring. The modules listed below represent an illustration of the route which you might take through the pathway, but many other variations are possible.
Learn more about modules offered by the GSD Department.
Please note:
- To pursue the Sustainability pathway, in your first year you must study Quantitative Methods for Undergraduate Research and 30 CATS of modules from the GSD Department in your first year.
- Module offerings change year to year and so individual modules may vary.
Year One
Liberal Arts core modules |
Terms |
CATS |
| 1 - 2 | 0 | |
| 1 - 3 | 30 | |
| 1 - 3 | 30 | |
| 1 | 15 |
Pathway modules(related to Specialist Interest: Sustainability) |
Term |
CATS |
| To proceed on this pathway you must study: | (45 CATS in total) |
|
| 2 | 15 | |
| AND 30 CATS of approved first-year modules from the GSD Department. Examples include: |
||
| 1 | 15 | |
| 2 | 15 | |
| 1 | 15 | |
| 1 | 15 | |
| 2 | 15 |
Extra-curricular activities |
|
Term |
Duration |
| Optional | 1, 2, or 3 | 6 weeks | |
| Optional | 1 | 10 weeks | |
| Certificate of Professional Communication with Work Placement |
Optional | 3 | 1 week plus work placement |
| Optional | 3 | 2 workshops |
Year Two
An optional intercalated year abroad is available between your second year and final year.
Liberal Arts core modules |
Terms |
CATS |
| 1 - 3 | 30 | |
| 1 - 3 | 30 |
Pathway modules(related to Specialist Interest: Sustainability) |
Terms |
CATS |
| Any approved optional modules from the Liberal Arts Department or across the University. Examples include: | (60 CATS in total) | |
| 1 - 2 | 30 | |
| Security, Sovereignty and Sustainability in the Global Food System (GSD) |
1 - 2 | 30 |
Extra-curricular activities |
Term |
Duration |
|
| Optional | 1, 2, or 3 | 6 weeks | |
| Optional | 2 | 5 weeks | |
| Certificate of Professional Communication with Work Placement |
Optional | 3 | 1 week plus work placement |
| Presentation at an undergraduate conference such as the International Conference of Undergraduate Research | Optional | 3 |
Final Year
Liberal Arts core module |
Terms |
CATS |
| 1 - 3 | 30 |
Pathway modules(related to Specialist Interest: Sustainability) |
Terms |
CATS |
| Any approved optional modules from the Liberal Arts Department or across the University. Examples include: | (90 CATS in total) | |
| Utopia: Text, Theory, Practice (Liberal Arts) | 2 | 15 |
| Challenges of Climate Change (GSD) | 1 | 15 |
Extra-curricular activity |
Term |
Duration |
|
| Optional | 1, 2, or 3 | 6 weeks |
For more information please visit:
Examples of modules taken on the Sustainability pathway
Student A
Year 2
Sustainability
Liberal Arts
Core module
30 CATS
Consumption
Liberal Arts
Core module
30 CATS
Security, Sovereignty and Sustainability in the Global Food System
Optional module (GSD)
30 CATS
Health and Sustainable Development
Optional module (GSD)
30 CATS
Student B
Year 2
Sustainability
Liberal Arts
Core module
30 CATS
Consumption
Liberal Arts
Core module
30 CATS
Security, Sovereignty and Sustainability in the Global Food System
Optional module (GSD)
30 CATS
Extinction and Survival
Optional module (GSD)
30 Cats
“I chose Liberal Arts in part because of the freedom it provided when I first came to university. I really had very little idea of what I wanted to do with my life, let alone what I wanted to study. After studying modules from the GSD Department at Warwick, I realised that sustainability was something that had always interested me, but that I had never really been able to fully explore. As a result I ended up really enjoying my sustainability-themed modules and chose the Sustainability pathway.
“In future I definitely want my work to be based around sustainability, but it’s a very broad field so this can range from working for an NGO to working in politics. I still have many avenues to explore, but I believe the combination of Liberal Arts training and the Sustainability pathway will set me up well.”
Magdalena
Liberal Arts graduate