This module starts with investigating how social science perspectives change the way we understand and respond to the major environmental challenges of our time. You'll explore how understanding the environment and society has had profound and unequal consequences for people and ecosystems across the planet in the age of the Anthropocene. You'll also explore ways of understanding environmental and societal issues entangled in cultural, economic, social, and political terms and look at how these can provide the resources required to value environments differently and build new models of responsibility required to navigate the Anthropocene.
What you will study
The module will help you understand how social science perspectives can change the way we see and intervene in the major environmental challenges of our time. It provides a ‘toolkit’ of social science themes and concepts, skills and approaches that will help you take the social aspects of environmental issues seriously in future studies and in life more generally. Your studies will explore relationships between the environment and society through the concept of entanglement, which emphasises the inherently interrelated nature of environmental and social issues. Alongside this, you'll learn about the concept of geographical imagination, enabling you to trace, map out, analyse and interpret the environment-society entanglements central to understanding contemporary environmental and social challenges.
The two main concepts of entanglement and geographical imagination are explored through the six blocks. After the introductory block, the cultural, economic, social, and political dimensions of environment-society issues are explored in turn. The module concludes by providing an opportunity to consolidate and review your learning, bringing together themes, concepts and case studies from across the module.
With each block, you'll also develop a key academic skill (description, interpretation, investigation, analysis, evaluation, and consolidation) through the central focus on engaging critically with multiple forms of evidence. A key part is the innovative use of virtual fieldwork activities in every block. Each of these activities focuses on a specific case study related to the themes of the block and the key academic skill for that block. You'll be provided with different types of evidence ranging from maps, newspaper articles and reports to video interviews with experts and people directly affected by the issues explored. This is designed to develop your skills as an independent researcher.
Your skills and knowledge will be developed through five tutor-marked assessments, a revision-oriented interactive computer-marked assessment and an end-of-module assessment. At the end of the module, you'll have a clear understanding of what social science perspectives contribute to understanding and intervening in environment-society issues, as well as a skill set of real value in both academic and vocational contexts.
Entry requirements
Academic writing, searching the internet, reading academic material, making notes, and thinking critically are all important skills developed in this module, and prior experience in these areas would be an advantage.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
marking your assignments and offering detailed feedback to help you improve
providing individual guidance, whether that’s for general study skills or specific module content
guiding you to additional learning resources
facilitating online discussions between your fellow students in the dedicated forums.
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Assessment
Course work includes:
5 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
1 Interactive computer-marked assignment (iCMA)
End-of-module assessment
What's included
This module provides a study guide and two textbooks. You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:
a week-by-week study planner
module materials
audio and video content
assessment guide
online tutorials and forums.
Computing requirements
Primary device – A desktop or laptop computer with at least 8 GB of RAM and a quad-core processor (2.4 GHz minimum speed). It’s possible to access some materials on a mobile phone, tablet or Chromebook; however, they will not be suitable as your primary device.
Peripheral device – Headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone for online tutorials.
Operating systems – Windows 11 or the latest supported macOS.
Internet access – Broadband or mobile connection.
Browser – Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are recommended; Mozilla Firefox and Safari may be suitable.
Our OU Study app operates on supported versions of Android and iOS.
Software – Any additional software will be provided or is generally available for free.
If you have a disability
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying DD213 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Future availability
Environment and society starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2027.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2029.