Some new clarifications added to the instructions in August 2024 (the task doesn't change)

Aim

The aim of this task is to choose one news article (or research article) to practice reflecting on sustainability from different but intertwined angles focusing on a target country. How to foster economic development and social sustainability within environmental limits such as greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity conservation and use of natural resources is a question that no country has mastered yet. You will apply the knowledge gained from course materials and discussions by choosing a suitable news (or research) article which is also helps to limits your focus on a certain case and on certain themes within the abovementioned framework.

Source materials

1.     Course materials

2.     Choose one news article (or a research article) from the last 12 months (in English, Finnish or Swedish) which in your opinion, reflects the sustainability struggles of your target country in a way that allows you to reflect on 1) economic development / inequalities (including colonialism if relevant), 2) social sustainability and 3) keeping human activities within safe and sustainable limits (climate / biodiversity / use of natural resources etc.). The purpose of choosing an article is to focus on a limited case, and not the whole country and not all aspects of sustainability. Instead, the aim is to choose a limited case that allows you to reflect on SOME aspects of sustainability that however cover the mentioned three dimensions. Please note that the source should be reliable news outlet, such as news sites (for example like The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Africanews, BBC or YLE.)

Pay attention to the reliability of the news source. If you need help in this see  for example https://pressbooks.pub/webliteracy/ and https://pressbooks.pub/webliteracy/chapter/what-makes-a-trustworthy-news-source/ . Note that the freedom of press is not high in many countries, so it’s useful to compare your news source also to the freedom of press index: https://rsf.org/en/index .

For example this Yle article on Finland from 2024 https://yle.fi/a/74-20084026 (and other resources) could be used to reflect on how the budget cuts in 2024 will have an effect on social sustainability (for example the poor and the students) and combating climate change in Finland (for example fossil fuel taxation), as well as the development of economy

3.     At least one other reliable source

4.     Other materials

Task instructions

Write a structured 400-1000 word report (circa 1,5-2 pages) in English on your destination country that presents the country and offers reflections on sustainable economy and social and environmental sustainability based on the chose article. Format: PDF or Word. 

In all tasks, you need to document your use of AI tools , if any. It is allowed to use AI tools for example to check grammar, but it's not allowed to use it to create text, as the text should be based on your own thinking, information gathering and analysis. Please follow the HAMK guidelines: https://digipedaohjeet.hamk.fi/ohje/artificial-intelligence-user-reminder-list-for-students/?lang=en

Title: Write a title that describes the thematic(s) of your report. Write your name on the paper.

First part: (100-300 words) Give an overview of your target country - geography, economy and population. If colonial history is relevant for the country, describe briefly how. Explain why have chosen this target country.

Second part: (300-700 words) Present clearly which is the one news (or research) article) that you have chosen. Reflect based on the article: 1) economic development / inequalities (including colonialism if relevant), 2) social sustainability and 3) keeping human activities within safe and sustainable limits (climate / biodiversity / use of natural resources etc.). Use also at least one other reliable source in your reflection. Use APA7 style (HAMK instructions) references for this part!

Third part: (max 100 words) Reflect what you have learned, feedback about the course. Possible space to explain use of AI tools.

Reference list: in HAMK APA7 style(in text references not necessary, but they are appreciated). List the article that you chose (see above) and all other sources that you have used (at least one reliable source).

Questions that may help your reflection (not required to answer all!)

Economy: What is sustainable economy? How is sustainable economy present in the article? Is the economy in the target country sustainable or not - explain? Is the economy heavily dependent on other countries, such as former colonizing countries or China? How to reconcile economic growth and environmental limits such as climate crisis and biodiversity loss? What are the sources of economic inequalities (pay special attention to colonialism if relevant)? How to combat these inequalities?

Social sustainability: What are the challenges and/or good developments in social sustainability in your destination country that are present in the article? Relevant themes might be some of these: poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, civic society, democracy. How are the themes present linked to economical development and the environment? Does economic development happen on the expense of some social group(s)? Does damage to the environment or climate touch especially some social groups? You can make use of for example the resources on this MOOC course page to learn more about social sustainability.

Sustainable transition and environmental limits: How to reconcile economic growth with the need to cut fossil fuel emissions, damage to biodiversity and use of natural resources? Is economic growth essential to achieve social sustainability? Do environmental policy decisions damage especially some social groups but less others? What new sources of economic prosperity and social sustainability could be available according to the materials you have found?

Grading

1-2 The report follows instructions regarding length, chosen article, writing and contents. Reflection is shallow / structure  is messy / language is unclear. 

3-4 The report follows instructions regarding length, chosen article, writing and contents. Article has been chosen well, reflection is well made and covers relevant aspects without being too wide. 

5 The report follows instructions regarding length, chosen article, writing and contents. Article has been chosen well, reflection is analytical, critical and well written. It covers relevant aspects without being too wide. 

Viimeksi muutettu: ti 6.08.2024 klo 10.03