Sustainability science and the SDGs: Foundations, concepts, methodologies

About the course

Course period:
Spring 2021: 1 February - 31 March 2021, 

The application for Spring 2021 is now closed.

Course description

Tackling the world’s toughest sustainability challenges requires collaboration, creative methodologies, and robust knowledge creation. To frame and address these challenges, the global community since 2015 has largely has united itself around 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). This PhD course links the emerging research field of sustainability science with the SDGs with intentions to stimulate learning on the knowledge, methodologies, concepts and concepts needed to contribute to sustainable social change. More concretely, its aim is for post-graduate students develop a more comprehensive understanding of this research field, including approaches (e.g., visioning, imaginaries) and perspectives (e.g., systems, political ecology, resilience) commonly used in the field.

Furthermore, intentions are for participants to develop both more robust and nuanced understandings of the current academic debates and policy challenges of operationalizing the SDGs. Sub-themes within this realm will focus on SDG trade-offs and synergies, implementing the SDGs at the local level, and education for the SDGs. Focus on the course learning activities will consist of a mix of readings, interactive seminars & lectures and assignment/paper submissions/presentations. The course will be taught by instructors from different departments at Lund University (with possible contributions from experts from outside of University). The main assignment will be a written text and (potential) contribution to the student’s PhD thesis where participants will frame their case study work in a broader sustainability science/SDG perspective. Conversely, students can self-organize and produce a draft for an academic paper (for e.g., a journal submission).