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Module content:

This module will introduce students to the history of thinking about prosperity, wellbeing, and quality of life. This will include key intellectual debates about the relationship between humanity and the rest of nature, and how natural, economic and social approaches to prosperity can be integrated. It will introduce students to IGP’s work on natural prosperity metrics. Using a combination of economic approaches with other social science methods, data analytics, earth systems observation, and related approaches, it will investigate key ideas about the nature of ecological systems and critically examine current approaches to economics, climate, and sustainability. The module will introduce students to debates on economic pluralism, wellbeing economies, ecological economics, ecosystems theory, socio-natural systems, natural capital, ecosystem services, environmental accounting, carbon trading, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Green-, De-and A-growth, doughnut economics, and other related topics. It will bring these ideas together by arguing that there is a need to generate new models, values, and relationships to design and build a prosperous, sustainable and inclusive future for the planet. The module thus acts as a foundation for the rest of the degree programme.

Illustrative module outline:

The module is taught through ten learning topics including asynchronous material and synchronous/live classes and five seminars. Students are expected to complete the set key readings and tasks prior to the commencement of the class session and to come ready to discuss key topics and issues arising from the reading. Students may also be asked to submit basic non-assessed material for discussion in class. In addition to the standard module classes, additional departmental seminars given by leading academics and practitioners help to advance and embed students in a leading-edge academic community and culture.

Illustrative class list:
1. Prosperity, Ecological Crises and the New Public Consciousness
2. Socio-Natural Systems and Complexity
3. Economic pluralism and wellbeing economies
4. Natural Prosperity, Sustainability and Environmental Accounting
5. Planetary Boundaries and Doughnut Economics
6. De-coupling, Green Growth and De-growth
7. IPCC, IPBES and the SDGs: A critique
8. Politics, Ecology and the need for prosperity thinking
9. Re-valuing of People and Planet through IGP’s Prosperity Metrics
10. New approaches to Natural Prosperity, People and Planet