6 EC
Semester 1, period 1
5512SSPB6Y
It has been almost half a century since the Brundlandt report introduced the concept of sustainable development by defining it as “human societies must live and meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” While subsequent academic and political thinking has come a long way, the standard line of thought is still that there needs to be a balance between economy, society, and ecology with economic growth coming before the others. This course takes another approach and looks towards different perspective on what a sustainable society is or how to get there.
We will look at several theories that provide a strong analysis of the fundamental flaws of our current system and that offer a radical different approach to create more sustainable societies. This ranges from new perspectives on the economy to the position of non-human actors in politics and law. The course will follow a lecture/seminar format. As the last 50 years have not taken us closer to the ambition of the Brundlandt report, but ever deeper towards a climate crisis, it is time to rethink our approach and consider systemic changes.
Material will be provided through Canvas
This course has a four-step learning strategy. Literature is socially studied through Perusall software. Then the lectures provide further explanation and additional information. The seminar is then to go in-depth on the material and to interact in person with other group members and thus further strengthening your understanding of the literature. This is then solidified and tested through the essays.
|
Activity |
Hours |
|
|
Lecture |
14 |
|
|
Assignment |
28 |
|
|
Seminars |
14 |
|
|
Self study |
112 |
|
|
Total |
168 |
(6 EC x 28 uur) |
Additional requirements for this course:
The student may only be absent from one of the seminars. Absence must be communicated to the seminar lecturer
| Item and weight | Details |
|
Final grade | |
|
1 (100%) Tentamen |
We use Perusall as a social reading tool. The grade you receive is indicative of the effort you spent in understanding the text, formulating annotations and responding to annotations from fellow students. It is not an assessment of your understanding of the text. The essays are meant for assessing your understanding of the class materials and lectures. The Final Essay is worth 75% of the grade, the average Perusall grade is 25%. Both grades must be above a 5,5 (on a 10 point scale) to pass the course. The essay has a retake. Participation in the tutorials and the presentation needs to be considered sufficient by the tutorial lecturers. Otherwise a subtraction of 1 full point will be applied to your final grade.
The IIS uses the rule that course components that were passed with a sufficient grade and meeting the attendance requirements ánd practical exams, can be used for one year. In case students want to finish the course after two years, they need to meet the same requirements as the first year.
Feedback will be provided through Canvas through a rubric for the essay, and during the seminars. If additional information is desired, the student can contact his/her/their seminar lecturer
The Perusall assignment is weekly and is used to structure the seminar. This is also where you can ask for feedback on your understanding of the texts. The essay is also weekly. A final version including the weekly elements will be provided with feedback along with the grade. Descriptions are posted on Canvas. There is an aim to also provide feedback once in between.
This course adheres to the general rules on ‘Fraud and Plagiarism` as set by the UvA. Students are expected to have familiarized themselves with these rules.
The terms Fraud or Plagiarism are to be interpreted as the copying of the work of peer-student and/or the copying of (scientific) sources of information, without explicitly referring to its source.
Fraud/plagiarism is forbidden and actively checked by staff. When one is suspected of having committed fraud/plagiarism, the exam committee of beta-gamma and future planet studies will be informed. The highest punishment for fraud/plagiarism involves the student to be disallowed to partake of any exams or examination activities within the future planet studies programme, for the duration of a whole academic year, or may even face dismissal from the programme. More information about Fraud and Plagiarism can be found at: www.uva.nl/plagiaat
Please see Canvas
The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.
The IIS elective and honours courses are covered by the examination board and the OER of the Bachelor Beta-gamma. Teaching and Examination Regulations (OER) are published annually and lay down all the rules and guidelines regarding assessment and examination which the IIS pursues. The OER can be found via https://student.uva.nl/en/topics/teaching-and-examination-regulations-and-other-regulations. Students and contractors who follow courses at the IIS can draw appeal to the Board of Appeals Board (COBEX).
Social safety
We are committed to providing a safe learning environment. If you experiencing undesirable behaviour or unsafe situations you can contact the study advisor of your education program, one of UvA’s confidential advisors or the coordinators of the IIS elective program (via keuzeonderwijs-iis@uva.nl). More information and contact details of confidential advisors: https://student.uva.nl/en/topics/help-with-undesirable-behaviour
We have updated the course with new lecturers and a new essay structure. The course was very well evaluated by students and staff last year. We hope to have improved the course through these changes.