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 to a just and democratic transition towards sustainability. In the spirit of “sustainability” and “global governance”, the perspectives applied will derive from different disciplines and the focus will be on different levels of governance, ranging from the global to the local one.
Skills In terms of skills, the seminar aims to introduce the students to the processes and dynamics associated with communicating science. Specifically, students will practice questioning and debating scientific insights both for scientific and non-scientific audiences, orally as well as in writing.
Methods The course combines short inputs with intensive discussions in the plenary 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 the scientific publications assigned. 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, 2019. |
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