Teaching room with PCs, Interactive white board, access to Learning Resource Centre.
Moodle
Additional Resources:

Staffordshire Police Authority and Force Environmental Policy and Strategy: http://www.staffordshire.police.uk/media/10810/policy_strategy/pdf/staffs_environmental_policy

Homes and Communities Agency:
http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/

Homes and Communities Agency Academy:
http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/academy

Formative assessment
A series of formative exercises throughout the module which will provide students with opportunities to develop their understanding of the concepts of sustainable communities. Students will also have the opportunity to obtain feedback on their debate planning and draft of the reflective account.

Summative Assessment
A 20 minute group debate based on key issues relating to sustainable communities and submission of an individual supporting portfolio. The portfolio of 1,000 words should:
- Demonstrate understanding of what constitutes a sustainable community
- Indicate how the strands are interconnected
- Include research and preparation materials, academically referenced
- Include a reflective account of the debate.
Attendance at the group debate is compulsory and will be graded at Pass/Fail. The portfolio will be graded (LO 1, LO2 & LO3).

The learning strategy for this module requires students to commit 150 learning hours (including assessment). This will include 24 hours of class support and 126 hours of independent and self directed study. Class support will include formal lectures, with contributions from guest lecturers, case study analysis and group discussions based on student experiences in the subject area. Students will be encouraged to integrate their work based experiences with new knowledge and skills developed in the classroom as the module progresses. Students will also engage in group and self-directed study.

Bell, S. and Morse, S. (2007) Sustainability Indicators: Measuring the Immeasurable (3rd Ed.), Earthscan: London.
Hopkins, R. (2008) The Transition Handbook, Green Books: Totnes.
HM Government, Securing the Future, The UK Government Sustainable development Strategy, March 2005
Marsden, T. (2008) Sustainable Communities: New Spaces for Planning, Participation and Engagement. Elsevier: London.

The module opens by challenging students to define what makes communities sustainable. Using real world examples, they will investigate how social, economic and environmental factors combine to support the development of sustainable communities. The module will:

- Discuss what constitutes sustainable communities
- Explore development of sustainable community policy at national, regional and local level
- Use relevant local case studies to consider how the following factors contribute to the overall shaping of a community, and the extent to which they complement each other or compete in a context of limited resources:
- Governance
- Natural and built environments
- Culture and community cohesion
- Connectivity and transport
- Services