Course Syllabus

Course Description

This is a course with a non-colonial approach to sustainability, the climate crisis and environmental degradation which explores some of the key issues and contradictions of sustainable development through climate justice perspectives and a strong focus on de-colonial theory, decentralization, eco-feminism, circularity, resilience, degrowth, post-growth, social empowerment and other approaches to sustainability in a Northern European perspective, exploring how they have been applied. One of the main objectives will be to reflect analytically through philosophy, ecology, sociology, and post-growth economics.  This is NOT a business focused course, the main focus is through a socio-ecological and political ecology lens.

We will work with futures scenarios and the use of utopian thinking (Giorgos Kallis 2015).  We will approach this with a critical lens to the Western ideas of progress, development and economic growth and will focus on how current civilization paradigms such as colonialism and capitalism led to the current environmental crisis. We will aim at understanding the root causes of environmental degradation and will explore the potential systemic solutions from a cultural, social, and historical perspective. We will also explore progressive theories, practices and movements, such as decentralization, voluntary association, self-organization, mutual aid, non-coercion, the Pluriverse, the solar-punk literary movement, etc.

Approach to Teaching

Students will develop group mind maps as graded assignments. Students will work in groups for encouraging discussions based on readings and individual research. There will be a limited amount of lectures. Discussions and mind map development will take place during the first hour, the last 20 minutes of class will be for questions. Later on in the course we will work with discourse development based on the readings. The final project will be ongoing through group work in class, linking discussions and mind mapping.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course you will:

• Comprehend the underlying concepts, debates, and issues informing various actors, agencies, and activities working to realize sustainability goals.
• Understand how implementing creative future scenarios using different environmental ideologies can give broader planning and policy alternatives.
• How a critical awareness of the diverse and contested meanings of sustainable development ideas and practices;
• How a critical awareness of the tensions between current economic growth and environmental degradation, as well as the range of discourses that address these important issues;
• Compare and contrast sustainability discourses and practices in Denmark and Europe with those in your home countries;
• Locate a broad range of sources of information on sustainability and to be able to engage in critical and reflective thinking on a number of sustainability issues;
• Learn how to connect concepts such as risk perception, development, environmental stewardship, resilience, reflexivity, etc., and have a critical awareness of their significance and applicability.
• Understand the different ideological elements contested in international agencies, businesses, civil society and various other actors, how these elements collide or converge in applicable policies and decision making processes.
• Critical analysis of the SDGs.

Grading

A mid term mind map/ essay will count for 40%, a semester long final project developed in groups will count for 20%, study tour reports and study visit reports 20% and general participation will count for 20%.

Evaluation

In-class participation will be graded according to individuals being present and on-time (excepting cases of reasonable absence such as illness, with notice). All course meetings (classes + field study trips) are included in this assessment. Final mark for in-class participation will be averaged and will consist of 20% of total final grade. A lack of notification of absence results in a half-grade deduction from your total final grade. After two 'excused' absences, academic affairs and/or a doctors must be involved.

Faculty

Cand.techn.soc. (Environmental, Technological & Socio-Economic Planning, Roskilde University, 2009). B.A. (International Relations; International Environmental Regimes and National Security, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 2004).  Worked extensively on environmental and sustainability related projects, campaigns and conferences for more than 12 years with a variety of grassroots organizations. Involved at the UN WSSD and CSD process as a civil society representative for more than 5 years. Worked during the COP15 process with Friends of the Earth Denmark as project coordinator for the Flood for Climate Justice. With DIS since 2011.

Study Tours

We will visit western Denmark and Seville, Spain.

Denmark: We will explore different sites in Denmark focusing on resilience, renewable energy and conservation.

Spain: The objective is to broaden the perspectives on sustainable solutions and not just around Nordic approach, specially after the adoption of the EU's Green Deal where the continent must work together towards a green transition. Part of the objectives is to understand the history of colonialism and how it is linked to the current ideologies of development and progress and how this links to the current discourse around Sustainable Development. It also serves as a window to a future with multiple development options interconnected through a pluriverse of ideas and broad sustainability opportunities. We will explore a wider regional approach to the applicability of renewable energy planning, climate adaptation and conservation policies. This through a regional approach with North and Southern Europe as an example. 

Expectations of the Students

• Active and voluntary participation in class discussions
• Preparing thoroughly for every class, i.e. doing all of the required reading and research
• Being able to address the readings critically during class, thus displaying a good understanding of the subject matter
• Being analytical and concise in oral interventions, i.e. backing up arguments by facts and references
• Being able to collaborate well with your assigned group

Readings

• Parsons, Laurie. Carbon Colonialism. How Rich Countries Export Climate Breakdown. Manchester University Press, 2023.
• Buller, Adrienne. The Value of a Whale, On the illusions of Green Capitalism, Manchester University Press, 2023.
• The Carbon Almanac, Edited by Seth Godin. Penguin Random House, UK. 2022. 
• Schmelzer, Matthias. Vetter, Andrea. Vansintjan, Aaron. The Future is Degrowth, A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism. Verso, 2022.
• Soper, Kate. Post-Growth Living. For an Alternative Hedonism. Verso, 2020.
• Dryzek, John. The Politics of the Anthropocene. Oxford 2019.
• Mann. Charles. The Wizard and the Prophet- Science and the Future of Our Planet.
• Escobar, Arturo. Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World: STU - Student edition, Princeton University Press, 1995.
• Sunderlin, William D. Ideology, Social Theory, and the Environment. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003
• Jameson, Fredric. Archaeologies of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia and Other Science Fictions. New York: Verso, 2005. 
• Sheer, Hermann. The Solar Manifesto, Routledge; 2nd edition 2005.
• Tabachnick, David E. The Great Reversal,  University of Toronto Press 2013.
• Ropenus, Stephanie. A Snapshot of the Danish Energy Transition: Objectives, Markets, Grid, Support Schemes and Acceptance. Agora Energy.  2015.
  
• Hickel, Jason. Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World, Penguin books, 2021.
• Hickel, Jason. The contradiction of the sustainable development goals: Growth versus ecology on a finite planet, 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
  
• Eisenmenger, Nina. Pichler, Melanie. Krenmayr, Nora. Noll, Dominik. Plank, Barbara
  Schalmann, Ekaterina. Wandl, Marie‑Theres. Gingrich, Simone.The Sustainable Development Goals prioritize economic growth over sustainable resource use: a critical reflection on the SDGs from a socio‑ecological perspective. May 10, 2020 Springer.
  
• Lila Warszawski et al. All options, not silver bullets, needed to limit global warming to 1.5 °C: a scenario appraisal. 2021.
• Giorgos Kallis,Vasilis Kostakis, Steffen Lange. Research On Degrowth. Annual Review of Environment and Resources. May 2018.
• Nick Fitzpatrick, Timoth ́ee Parrique, Ines Cosme. Exploring degrowth policy proposals: A systematic mapping with thematic synthesis. Journal of Ecological Production. Elsevier 2022.
  
• Biermann, Frank. Hickmann, Thomas. Sénit, Carole-Anne. The Political Impact of the Sustainable Development Goals.  Cambridge University Press 2022.
• Niinimäki, K. (2018). Sustainable Fashion in a Circular Economy. In K. Niinimäki (Ed.), Sustainable Fashion in a Circular Economy (pp. 12-41). Aalto ARTS Books.
• Walker, B. and Salt, D. (2006) Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World. Island Press, Washington, D.C.

• Nathan Barlow, Livia Regen, Noémie Cadiou, Ekaterina Chertkovskaya, Max Hollweg, Christina Plank, Merle Schulken and Verena Wolf. Degrowth Strategy, How to Bring About Socio-Ecological Transformation, MayFly Vienna, 2022.

Policy on late assignments and laptops

• Late papers will be accepted, but your grade for the paper will be reduced by half a point for each day that it is late.
• Use of laptops or phones in class –use of laptops is allowed as long as you are using them for class. 

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

• Course Enrollment and Grading  
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org