Achieving sustainability requires system change. But what even is a system? And how does a system change? Answering these two seemingly simple questions is at the core of this seminar. In the first part of this course, students learn basic concepts and tools of systems thinking and develop an in-depth understanding of system dynamics. In the second part, this new-found knowledge is applied to the governance of sustainability transformations.
This
course covers a broad range of topics related to climate change and is designed
as an introductory course for social science students. The aim is to equip
students with the necessary knowledge to understand climatic and environmental
change, interpret the models developed by the IPCC and evaluate political
implications and policy responses within the context of sustainable
development. More specifically, this course discusses concepts such as the
earth’s climate system, planetary boundaries, various IPCC scenarios,
mitigation and adaption efforts, climate justice, the Paris Agreement, the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and socio-ecological transformation.
The course will provide an introduction to the most important institutions of the global political economy, foremost the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. It will discuss the international division of labour and global values chains, the Bretton Woods system and its failure, the attempts to establish a New International Economic Order and the debt crisis and the subsequent Structural Adjustment Programs and their effects. The gender dimension of the global political economy and the role of multinational companies will also be discussed.