Social Justice, Technology and Development

This course addresses theories and concrete situations in which social justice issues are intertwined with technological change. Notions from political philosophy, science and technology studies, development studies, sociology and anthropology are used to analyse inequality, poverty, power in social transformations, and representations of injustice.

Introduction to Technology, Agro-ecology and Development M

This course offers an introduction to theories and methodologies that conceptualise the interaction between science, technology and society, with a focus on agricultural and ecological processes.

Communicating for Sustainability and Responsible Innovation

The course offers an introduction to theories and approaches to environmental communication, on how to embed environmental communication strategies in society, and on the practical skills required to develop, design, facilitate and test responsible communication practices.

Innovation and Transformation

Will we be able to find solutions in time? Degradation of natural resources, vulnerability of agricultural systems, fragile governments, environmental pollution, public health issues, climate change and rural poverty are but some of the interconnected global challenges or ‘wicked problems’ for which new answers must be found.

This course addresses conceptual, methodological and practical dimensions of systems and innovation thinking and their capacity to facilitate transformative change both in industrialized and developing countries. Facilitating a balance between coherent balance between novel social, technical and institutional components requires creative learning and negotiation amongst the different stakeholders, including natural and social scientists. You will learn how systemic thinking and transdisciplinary research approaches in particular can support these innovation processes, supporting broader transitions towards transformative change.

Technology, Development and Natural Resources

The central focus of this course is the interactions between society, technology and natural resources. The course focuses on the practical challenges, problems and solutions of these interactions, as well as the understanding of these interactions by a variety of concepts, theories and approaches. You write an essay on at least one of the core issues of the course.