BENS7010 BIO1: Introduction to Sustainability Transitions: A Social-Ecological Perspective (JSS33) (2 cr)

In a world marked by complex environmental challenges, this course equips students with a holistic social-ecological systems perspective to studying sustainability transitions. It helps students to develop systems thinking skills to grasp the interconnectedness between societal and environmental systems in sustainability transitions, while fostering critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and multidisciplinary teamwork through hands-on exercises.

The course content includes:

• The root causes to the emergence of unsustainable systems, and introduction to systems-thinking terminology
• A comprehensive exploration of the concepts sustainability transitions, social-ecological system, and social-ecological resilience
• Multidiscpilinary perspectives to sustainability transitions
• International case studies of social-ecological systems and sustainability, including an in-depth case studies on improving the sustainability of natural resource management

The course is designed for MSc students interested in sustainability, environmental science, and related ideas. It is ideal for students who aspire to better understand the complexity of human-environment interactions in sustainability questions and are interested in multidisciplinary approaches to sustainability. On completion of this course, the students can expect to have acquired knowledge that enables them to critically read research reports on sustainability transitions from social-ecological perspective, and start designing own multidisciplinary research projects. The course helps student to network with their peers interested in the same research topics.

The course consists of a remote module (see Prerequisites) and an in-person module. During the remote module, the students will self-study and complete the MOOC “Introduction to Planetary Well-being” (1 ECTS). During the in-person module of the course, the students will attend lectures to understand the fundamentals of social-ecological systems and sustainability transitions, and then work together to explore real-world challenges and opportunities to achieving sustainability transitions in social-ecological systems. During the interactive group work, students will reflect on how to apply a social-ecological systems perspective using a practical sustainability issue of their choice. On the last day, each group will present their thoughts on the chosen topic and engage in discussion with other groups and teachers.

Students will learn about global sustainability issues and apprehend complex social and ecological systems. Students will practice critical thinking and gain skills in group work and communication. Students will have the opportunity to discover various points of view with respect to their field of study and international perspective on topical sustainability issues.

The students should complete the MOOC “Introduction to Planetary Well-being” (BENY2021; 1 ECTS)