Global Transformation Project

Course goals

1. Understand and apply the interdisciplinary theories and concepts of of systems thinking, transformations/transitions theory, future pathways, and evaluation theory/theory of change.
2. Work in an interdisciplinary team to develop actionable, interdisciplinary global transformation pathways. 
3. Work with national policy makers, stakeholders and experts to develop national pathways and scenarios to guide decision making toward system transformations.
4. Recognize, explain and reflect upon the positions of different global actors, policy makers and practitioners with regard to global transformation pathways.
5. Evaluate what has been achieved in terms of global sustainability transformations thus far, and critically reflect upon the progress.

Content

Global Transformation Project is a course about envisioning systems change to respond to global sustainability challenges. It is organised as a project to bring the disciplines in the Global Sustainability Science (GSS) programme together.

In this course, we do not pretend that sustainability transformations are easy. They are technically and practically challenging and politically and socially difficult. But they are possible. The course is aimed at giving students the experience and skills to engage with this challenge head on in international contexts.

What does transformation actually look like?

The course uses three pillars of sustainability science – systems thinking, transition/transformation research, and futures thinking. These three pillars are highly connected and necessary to imagine and bring about real systems change. We use the concept of ‘seeds’ – radical initiatives and innovative projects that exist at the margins today but that could be supported to grow into new dominant systems, regimes and ways of working. For more on the idea of ‘seeds’, see: https://goodanthropocenes.net/

Another important element of the course is a strong integration with practice. Practitioners from policy, the media, business and activism will come to speak as part of the course lectures; and student teams work together with national experts and contacts on international transformation pathways.

The course consists of:

1. Three sets of academic lectures. The lectures follow this structure:
   1. Lecture 1: Introduction, systems thinking, and seeds
   2. Lecture 2: Systems transformations and transitions
   3. Lecture 3: Transformative future pathways

Along with this element of the course, there will be an individual assignment to help you reflect on the course's theoretical perspectives and how to integrate and mobilize them. This assignment can be found on Teams and Brightspace.

2. Four sets of guest lectures by practitioners from all sectors working on sustainable futures – from policy to journalism to businesses and civil society. You will submit a graded individual exercise reflecting on these guest lectures and how they relate to your group project. This assignment can be found on Teams and Brightspace.
3. The Global Transformation Project:  In this group project, which will run through the course's entirety, you will develop integrated national and global pathways toward a better future, focused on a specific human activity of your choosing. You will collaborate with students from different disciplines. In this project, you will contact a national expert from one of a set countries involved in the course to gather input for developing multiple national pathways and scenarios in a global context. This project will be evaluated through a poster at a festival (halfway) and the project report.

 
This course is the entry requirement for:

• Bachelor’s thesis GSS (GEO3-2422)