Sustainable Development and Literature BA (Hons)

What is special about this course?

The world is facing the prospect of a climate emergency, with decision-makers grappling with how to understand and respond to the pressures on our environment and society. Sustainable Development, from the local to the global, is essential if society is to tackle the challenges faced. The necessary changes will impact on every facet of society, culture and the economy; this is a critical moment to study sustainability.

On this BA (Hons) Sustainable Development and Literature, you will expand your knowledge and critical understanding of the three pillars of sustainability (social, environmental, economic), learn the facts about climate change, explore the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and consider potential and emerging solutions such as the Green New Deals, the concept of ‘degrowth’, and the transition to wellbeing economies, leaving you ideally placed to influence, or indeed become, one of the decision-makers.

You will also explore Literature in a global context, looking in depth at language and literary history within texts and on the international literary stage. Our modules cover a wide range of authors, in English and translation, from the classical to the contemporary. With a solid foundation in genres and periods in years one and two, and research-based modules in years three and four, you will become a confident and enthusiastic writer, researcher, and reader.

Delivered online by blended learning and available to study from home, you will benefit from collaborative discussions and activities with colleagues from a range of diverse backgrounds and experiences, facilitated by tutors with many years of experience in delivering online education.

Please see our FAQ sheet for further information on this course.

Special features

• You will study Sustainable Development and Literature in an international context, allowing you to combine the study of the social world, environment, and economics, with the study of literature
• This degree is delivered by tutors with years of experience of teaching at a distance, and can be studied from home, full or part-time, to suit your circumstances
• You can study individual modules for personal or professional development

Entry requirements

• 3 Highers at BBC or above OR
• 2 A levels at BC or above
• The above must include at least two from the list of required subjects
• Applicants' qualifications and experiences will be considered on an individual basis

Advanced entry:

• HNC Social Science (12 SCQF credits) with 3 additional SCQF credits at level 7 which is equivalent to 120 degree credit points, and at least grade C in the Graded Unit will be considered for direct entry to year two

Year 1 - CertHE

You will study the following modules: 

• Understanding sustainable development (S1)
• Exploring economics in a changing world (S2)
• Theories of literature: an introduction (S1)
• Travellers in the wilderness: literature and exile (S2)

You will also choose two further option modules from other humanities subjects.

Year 2 - DipHE

You will study the following sustainable development modules: 

• Approaches to economic development (S1)
• Empowering communities (S1)

You will study two literature modules, which may include:

• Medieval literature: text and contexts (S1)
• An introduction to Gaelic poetry (S1)
• Theatrical powerplay: classical and modern tragedy (S2)
• Heroic literature: epic from classical to contemporary (S2)

You will also choose two further option modules from other humanities subjects.

Year 3 - BA

You will usually study the following sustainable development modules: 

• Globalisation and sustainable development (S1)
• Sustainable tourism and the environment (S2)
• Advanced social research methods (S1) OR Climate change (S1)

You will also choose three literature modules, which may include:

• Romantic genius: Scottish and European literature 1750-1830 (S1)
• Risk anything! The modernist short story (S1)
• Literary borrowings: adaptations and appropriations (S1)
• Imagining new worlds: renaissance literature and thought (S2)
• Nature writing and ecology (S2)

Year 4 - BA (Hons)

You will complete a dissertation in either Sustainable Development or Literature.

You will also study one option module from your chosen dissertation subject plus three option modules from the other subject.

Sustainable Development modules may include:

• Geo-political development issues (S1)
• The consumerist society (S2)
• Sustainable agriculture systems (S2)
• Social enterprise and the social economy (S1)

Literature modules may include:

• Avant-garde literature (S1)
• Apocalyptic fictions (S1)
• Metafiction: self-referential texts (S2)
• Satire: the art of attack (S2)

Fees

For students normally domiciled in Scotland, with a term-time address in Scotland, the following fees apply:

This includes

• EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status in the UK,
• EEA/Swiss nationals with settled status in the UK
• EEA/Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.

Rest of the UK students

For students normally domiciled in the rest of the UK (England, Wales and N. Ireland) or assessed as rest of the UK for fee status the following fees apply:

International students

For students who do not normally reside in the UK studying online from their home country, or living in the UK but assessed as international for fee status, the following fees apply:

This includes EU/EEA and Swiss nationals without settled status in the UK and EEA and Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are not self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.

A no fee increase guarantee is available for self-funding full-time and structured part-time rest of the UK and international undergraduate students for continuous study for the same award, up to the permitted standard time limit for the relevant award.

Funding

UHI has a number of scholarships, bursaries, awards, and discretionary fund opportunities available to new and current students. Please use the A-Z of funds or use the filter to see which ones may be relevant to you. All students are welcome to apply.

Further information on funding your studies is also available, please see the attached link or contact the relevant UHI partner.

Additional costs

If you wish to attend an optional residential weekend, or to join other field trips, student contributions will be required towards the overall costs incurred. The cost will vary depending on the event, your location, and the amount of other funding available towards the event (eg HISA contributions to the Student Society Residential weekend may reduce costs for individual students). Attendance at such face to face events is optional and not essential for completion of the course.