Global Sustainability Governance - Single View

Substantive Goals         

Global Sustainability Governance examines foundations, prerequisites and barriers for the sustainability transformation of our societies. The seminar’s premise is that fundamental change in how we organize our economy and society is necessary for humans to be able to live a good life, now and in the future. On that basis, we will investigate causes of unsustainability in terms of the ways we think of and organize our societies at the material and ideational levels, barriers to the pursuit of necessary changes, and actors and changes in material and ideational structures that may create momentum for change after all. In the end, we hope to identify pathways for a just and democratic transition towards sustainability.

Skills                    

In terms of skills, the seminar aims to introduce the students to the processes and dynamics associated with communication, specifically writing and publishing both for scientific and non-scientific audiences. The students will gather hands on experience in two ways: a) They will accompany the editorial process of publishing a book (for an international publishing house) with contributions from internationally renowned sustainability scholars and thus be confronted with cutting edge research. b) They will compose short informative if not provocative pieces presenting relevant political and scientific insights and/or commentary to a non-scientific audience (If desired by the students, excellent pieces may be published on http://nach-haltig-gedacht.de/).

Methods            

The course combines short inputs with intensive discussion and work in small groups. Although there are no prerequisites, students are expected to be familiar with broad contemporary environmental trends. Students are expected to come to class prepared, engage in discussions, submit written contributions on time, and support classmates in an atmosphere of mutual and collaborative learning.

Requirements

1) Daily preparations – The in-class discussions of conceptual and empirical readings focus on a critical review of selected book chapters. Thorough preparation is essential for the success of these exercises.

2) Presentation – All students will give 2-3 short presentations of 5 minutes. Details on topics and style will be provided in class.

3) Papers – Students may choose to write a “large” paper or submit a portfolio in lieu of a “small” paper. Details on content and style will be provided in class. Papers will be due September 30, 2018.