Our world is ridden with urgent, but daunting societal transition challenges. Just think about the transition challenges prompted by climate change, inequality, pandemics, or digitalization. In all these and similar cases, we know we must fundamentally change the way we do and think about things, and urgently so, but do not know how. Uncertainty about the direction of change, and resistance to change are ubiquitous. These are the defining features of societal transitions. How to move forward? 

In this course, we aim to provide a co-learning environment in which students and professionals are familiarized with the ‘transition cycle’ in order to cope with societal challenges. With the help of conceptual and operational tools, transdisciplinary teams consisting of students and a professional will identify a transition challenge and develop a strategy to address it. Students will prepare and execute a real-life intervention in order to see how it influences larger transition(s). In recognition of the open nature of the field, students will at the same time be prompted to critically assess the tools and propose improvements. 

In this course, students and professionals from the field work together on transition issues within major social themes such as sustainability, health (care), inclusiveness, etc., which they link to a vision of the future. An innovative part of this course is that students work with professionals as ‘co-learners’ within a learning community. A co-learner is someone whose participation is based on their own questions and interests, thus bringing and retrieving knowledge for their own working environment under the guise of lifelong learning.

The process will be articulated in four stages of the transition cycle: 

• Imagine: identifying a transition challenge, and a vision that could address it 
• Connect: developing a systemic understanding of the challenge  
• Act: conceiving and implementing a simple, real-life intervention towards realizing the vision 
• Assess: monitoring and evaluating the impact of the intervention 

Timetable

All lectures will take place on-campus and we assume you can be physically present during the scheduled hours. You can find the timetable on Datanose.

Registration

Registration is possible for first or higher year students participating in an Honours programme. The registration for the Honours courses will start on December 1, 10 am -  December 5, 11 pm, You can register through the online registration form that will appear on Honoursmodules IIS. (registration is NOT through SIS or GLASS).

Please note: There is no guarantee no guarantee for placement if you register after 5 December, so make sure you register on time. You will hear which course(s) you are registered for before 20 december. For questions about registration, please contact us at Honours-iis@uva.nl.

More information