The Role of [Chosen Profession] in Delivering Holistic Sustainability

Aim of the Assignment

Aim: of this assignment is to provide the student with an opportunity to critically assess the role that their profession has in the delivery of holistic sustainability and to investigate how this can be further enhanced. Holistic sustainability in this context includes each of the three aspects (economy, environment and society).

Recommendations

The student should reflect on the role of their chosen profession in delivering holistic sustainability at the specific scale, project stage and context. Holistic sustainability should be discussed using relevant literature and illustrated through a case study where sustainable solutions have been implemented. The student may draw down from their own personal experience to critically assess and research into how holistic sustainability is considered by their profession at present. Academic literature must be used as it provides reliable sources of knowledge to inform the student’s arguments. In addition, further research should be undertaken to gain understanding of how sustainability can be further enhanced.

It is important that the student takes the perspective of their current or prospective profession in this assignment. They should consider to what extent their chosen profession can or cannot influence the delivery of holistic sustainable solutions. Some aspects may be beyond the profession’s control, others within its sphere of influence. The barriers to delivery of holistic sustainability should be discussed and where possible, enabling factors that would enable increased delivery of sustainable solutions should be debated.

• Select one relevant case study to illustrate the professional decisions/actions that can enhance holistic sustainability

You are required to use a case study to highlight your understanding of holistic sustainability in a specific scale and project phase. Use the case study to illustrate the type of decisions that your chosen profession can make to contribute to holistic sustainability and how the chosen profession interacts with other decision makers or stakeholders. Do not limit the case study to the description of sustainability strategies implemented, the case study should be a means to illustrate specific actions and decisions that the chosen profession can influence.  In order to choose the case study, students are advised to choose a specific scale & project phase or process as a way to focus the assignment’s research and discussion. Examples of scale and project phase or process include:

• Scale: building, community or urban scale,
• Project Phase or process: during the planning, design, construction, occupation, refurbishment, or deconstruction phases.

The discussion has to be located in a specific geographical context; for example the student’s home country or the UK. The work could provide a critical comparison of professional practice in the two countries. It is important that this work considers (where appropriate) the following aspects as relevant to the case study chosen:  Personal, professional, organisational, community and collaborative responsibility Please note that it is essential that your work demonstrates critical thinking and presents your own perspective. The work should not be a mere description of facts or a summary of the literature. The essay addresses a complex topic but is not a dissertation in itself. The key is to establish and defend an argument, using literature and references to support your way of thinking. Reason, the quality of the essay structure is extremely important. You may use figures/illustrations  to support your arguments. You should present and justify your perspective regarding the role of your chosen profession in delivering holistic sustainability.  Appropriate academic peer-reviewed references are crucial for this piece of work. Unfair practice (copying of material, not referencing, etc.) will be subject to university regulations. Citations should follow Cardiff University Harvard style. The use of EndNote referencing software is encouraged. Sources of information

The main sources of information should be peer-reviewed, for example academic articles, books and academic literature. You can find academic literature in Web of Science, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Make sure that all (most of) your references are peer-reviewed.  Other printed materials as well as web-based material are likely to be of value to you during this work. However, blogs and websites are not acceptable as reliable references for academic writing, therefore they are discouraged. You should, however, be careful to critique the quality of all materials referenced. In addition, the critical evaluation of your own experience to date will also be a valuable resource. Structure .Organise the contents of your work using headings and subheadings to signpost the reader. Your work is expected to have introduction, discussion and conclusion sections. Add captions to tables and figures as relevant.