REGENERATING ENVIRONMENTS AND COMMUNITIES: FIELDWORK - 2024/5

Module Overview

This module explores the experience of environments and communities undergoing regeneration. It examines the evolving way land is used by a society over time.  The module includes case studies of urban and rural regeneration schemes in the UK. It reviews policies, planning mechanisms and practices which shape regeneration processes. The module includes a five day residential field trip in southern England and/or Wales.

This module is taught on an intensive basis, with classes running over a three / four week period. This intensive teaching format facilitates learning by allowing the student to focus on the module content. It also assists with cohort development as students work closely together on collaborative tasks that develop their understanding of sustainable development challenges.

Module provider

Sustainability, Civil & Env Engineering

Module Leader

SEYMOUR Valentine (Sust & CEE)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

• Land, land uses and competition for land use – natural and social science perspectives


• Unsustainable development and community decline


• Theories of regeneration


• The experience of communities engaged in regeneration


• The differences between informing, consulting and engaging


• Planning policies and regulations shaping regeneration processes


• The interaction of social, economic, environmental factors shaping regeneration processes


• The role of ethics in individual and organisational decision making


• The role of property developers


• The benefits of collaboration and cooperation when responding to sustainability challenges


• Community led regeneration


• Principles of change management


• Rewilding and ecological succession

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of regeneration processes by preparing a portfolio of case study examples of regeneration schemes. Students are given the opportunity to critically reflect on regeneration processes via an analytical essay.

 

The summative assessment for this module consists of:
- Fieldwork portfolio worth 50%

-Analytical essay worth 50%

 

Students are required to keep a fieldwork logbook. Entries in the logbook record details of each of the activities undertaken during each fieldwork activity and a reflection on how those activities inform a student’s growing understanding of regeneration processes. Some of the activities undertaken during fieldwork will build on concepts or methods covered previously in other modules, such as An unequal planet, Sustainable Development Goals and Indicators, Environmental and Ecological Economics and Understanding Sustainability: Methods, tools and skills 1.

 

In the analytical essay students explore a regeneration case study in depth, identifying why the scheme was or was not successful. Analytical discussion in the essay should be informed by the concepts, theories and examples covered in class.


Formative assessment and feedback:

Students will receive verbal feedback during the residential fieldwork trip during which they will undertake a series of practical and guided learning activities which will contribute to their fieldwork portfolio. Formative feedback will also be provided during seminar discussions as key theories, policies and themes are discussed and analysed by the seminar group. Students can prepare a draft analytical essay plan to discuss with the lecturer and receive verbal feedback on the planned structure.

Module aims

• Describe the processes which lead to rural and urban decline
• Provide an overview of theories of regeneration
• Examine the experiences of communities which are engaged in regeneration
• Provide an overview of policies and regulations shaping regeneration processes
• Examine the roles played by developers and communities in regeneration
• Explore natural environmental processes

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Introduce students to concepts and challenges to achieving rural and urban regeneration.


• Give students practical experience of doing fieldwork in a variety of contexts.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENG1096

Other information

The Centre for Environment and Sustainability is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience, in line with the Surrey Curriculum Framework. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

Employability: During this fieldwork module students will visit a variety of sites and hear from a range of industry, government and non-governmental organization speakers. This professionally focused learning via practical case studies allows students to apply their learning to real world problems. The interaction with sustainability practitioners is designed to help students to better understand the career paths open to them and how they might access these careers, and opens up professional networking opportunities.

Sustainability: Sustainable cities and communities form one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In this module students will visit a number of places trying to achieve sustainable development locally in their community or city. In the assessment for this module students reflect on the challenges communities face when trying to implement sustainable development principles in real world situations.

Resourcefulness and resilience: During some of the fieldwork activities students will be encouraged to demonstrate the ability to respond to problem-based task requirements, addressing challenges through agile thinking and decision-making processes. Fieldwork activities will be supervised by academic staff who support students working in small groups as they undertake specified tasks.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2024/5 academic year.