This module is a core module in the Professional Diploma in Politics and Society for Teachers (PDST). Issues of sustainability and development are key organizing features of contemporary society. They shape the fundamental institutions that govern social life and establish metrics for the evaluation of social progress.  Understanding their significance for social life is critical for understanding politics and society in the modern world.

This module introduces students to sociological approaches to recent global transformations with systemic environmental and economic effects in society. Through an applied focus on interpreting and critically analysing empirical studies in contemporary literature, students will learn how to evaluate prominent public debates on sustainable development both in Ireland and internationally. The aim is to equip students with the capacity to engage with a range of theory in sociology and apply knowledge of qualitative and quantitative data to interrogate the strength of available evidence, for example on how impactful air quality is for peoples' health and well-being, or how policy reforms affect access to energy and water in different communities. Environmental transformations covered will draw on world-systems theory and environmental sociology to examine climate change, resource scarcity, natural hazards and energy access. Economic transformations covered include Artificial Intelligence systems, machine-human evolutions, 'green' industry and dangerous work. A secondary aim is to build a practical skillset for evidence-based policy briefing. Throughout this module, peer groups will explore real-world case studies of international, national, and regional policy preparedness, particularly social policies at EU level and across North-South Ireland. Issues covered include: What does sustainable development mean: world systems and economic change; environmental disasters and the connection to social inequality; green occupations and dangerous work; policies and community access to energy/water; AI technologies and the human-machine environment; social movements, transitions and misinformation; climate change and social policy preparedness; and the future of development.

On successful completion of this module, students will be: • Familiar with social science explanations of development • Knowledgeable about aspects of integration and inequality in all aspects of society and how this both reflects and reproduces variation in development and life chances • Understanding of the interactions of social institutions and how this results in both the largescale patterning on development and personal and social well-being

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: • Understand and explain the significance of social factors that shape inequality.  • Question commonsense assumptions regarding key social institutions and their role in development and social life

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: N/A

The module is taught online via a recorded lecture that is supplemented with interactive tutorials.  The material covered in the lecture combines classic work and the most recent research on globalisation and its implications.