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Unit of study_
SUST1001: Introduction to Sustainability
2025 unit information
Sustainability is essential for the future of the planet. In SUST1001you will learn how to make the world more sustainable by building skills in critical thinking, enhancing self-care (building personal resilience, coping skills and a sense of community) and appreciating diversity and empowerment. In addition to acting as an introduction to the major you will work through three areas in this unit. First, you will learn how to embrace a range of perspectives and approaches to sustainability topics, including holistic Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives that connect Caring for Country and collective human wellbeing, so that you develop awareness of and can start to address the partiality of existing knowledge. Second, you will develop an understanding of the importance of a trans-disciplinary understanding in tackling barriers to change (for example, how to navigate the technological transition to a more sustainable future while also considering the social, economic and policy implications). Finally, you will explore the potential of transformation and start to examine how you can become an agent of change by developing and applying knowledge, building emotional resilience and a sense of belonging, and reflecting on your roles and contributions to this vital global issue.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Science
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Geosciences Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. You will be able to Identify interdisciplinary principles of sustainability and apply them to historical, current and emerging social-ecological-technological debates, research and practice.
- LO2. Establish a foundation for understanding sustainability from a holistic perspective integrating Indigenous understandings of values and relationships with the environment and each other.
- LO3. You will reflect on and begin to develop the skills required for becoming a sustainability change agent by practicing skills in leadership, empathy, resilience, collaboration, time management and integrity
- LO4. You will critically analyse the complexity and uncertainty of contemporary socio-technologicalecological issues and design sustainable responses that consider the environmental wellbeing of multiple stakeholders
- LO5. You will communicate accurately, persuasively and respectfully across a variety of formats including academic writing, multimedia platforms, and interpersonally within groups
- LO6. You will find, interpret, evaluate and correctly cite contemporary sustainability research from a range of academic disciplines, knowledge systems and cultural leaders; you will develop an ability to identify the merits of competing studies and ideas.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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