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HU0002

Society and environment

Samhälle och miljö
The course "Man, society and nature" is a part of the joint master programme "Sustainable development" between Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Uppsala University. Its main objective is to present different social science perspectives on management of sustainable development. That is, how do social science disciplines approach and conceptualise sustainable development, and which strategies for promoting sustainable development are suggested? The course covers different disciplines such as law, economics, political science, business administration, psychology, and philosophy, which are discussed and applied to a number of different environmental and sustainability issues of concern in various parts of the world.



The time frame for this course is decided in an overall programme plan, and may change from year to year. If you are not an attendee of this programme, but still want to take the course, please contact the course leader for up to date information.

Information from the course leader

AIM: This course provides MSc students, interested in sustainability and coming from different places and backgrounds, access to wider environmental thinking required to understand the complex nature of contemporary environmental problems and evaluate ways to work towards solutions. The purpose is to deepen students' understanding of society's relationship with the environment as a starting point to appraise and address so-called wicked (i.e. impossible to fully comprehend, insoluble and chaotic) environmental problems.

CONTENT: The course has four themes, three of which act as different lenses to inspect society-environment relationships from different angles and with different tools. Those three lenses are: systems thinking (3 weeks), entanglements (2 weeks) and economics (3 weeks). During each theme a mixture of learning approaches (discursive, hands-on, directed self-study) are used. The course ends with a fourth theme (1 week), consisting of the reading and discussing of an influential book to further develop and think with the course materials about the wicked nature of society-environment relationships.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The course intends to obtain tools and perspectives needed for a more holistic appraisal of the complex position of human society within the environment. After completion of the course, students are expected to be able to: i) critically analyse and discuss sustainability from different ecological, social and economic perspectives within an integrative systems framework; ii) recognise and work with different perspectives on society-environment entanglements and their relevance to sustainability transformations; iii) relate to the thinking in different branches of Economics and their influence on sustainability questions and practices; and iv) appraise and discuss authoritative work collectively.

EXPECTATIONS: The course is 10 credits, and its programme of learning is accordingly designed. THus, you should expect to work with the course foiur days a week (not on Friday, as most of you follow another course on that day) and 8 hours a week. We break up for Christmas and New Year, and thus you are not expected to work during the period 21 Dec - 5 Jan. There will be 4 assignments, and we expect full participation, to the benefit of yourself, the class and us teachers. Therefore, attendance will be registered; you are expected to attend at least 80% of all scheduled 'classes' and hope you will be able to attend all - much of the learning unfolds through learning from each other, for which we simple need to be together.

Course evaluation

The course evaluation is open

Please fill in the evaluation form

You have until 2025-02-02

Additional course evaluations for HU0002

Academic year 2023/2024

Society and environment (HU0002-20207)

2023-10-31 - 2024-01-14

Academic year 2022/2023

Society and environment (HU0002-20161)

2022-11-01 - 2023-01-15

Syllabus and other information


Syllabus

HU0002 Society and environment, 10.0 Credits

Samhälle och miljö

Subjects

Sustainable Development

Education cycle

Master’s level

Modules

Title Credits Code
Single module 10.0 0102

Advanced study in the main field

Second cycle, in-depth level of the course cannot be classified
Master’s level (AXX)

Grading scale

5:Pass with Distinction, 4:Pass with Credit, 3:Pass, U:Fail
The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.

Language

English

Prior knowledge

A Bachelor’s degree of at least 180 credits.

English language proficiency that corresponds to English studies at upper secondary (high school) level in Sweden ("English 6").

Objectives

Main Objective

The students will work in a transdisciplinary learning environment to develop theoretical and practical knowledge for analysing ecological, social and economic sustainability using the tools and frameworks of complex systems. After completing the course, students will be able to analyse the complex and dynamic interactions between society and nature, create visions of alternative futures and compare those futures in terms of their potential sustainability.

Part Objectives

After the completed course, the students are expected to be able to:

  • Critically analyse and discuss sustainability from different ecological, social and economic perspectives within an integrative systems framework.

  • Select and apply appropriate systems methods for analysing complex sustainable development issues.

  • Analyse the relationships between the practices and options for land use and long-term maintenance of ecosystem services in relation to socio-economic development, resource use conflicts and governance.

  • Create and evaluate scenarios for systemic change to enhance the potential for long-term sustainability.

Content

The course focuses on advanced knowledge on how individuals, organizations, and governing institutions and their respective underlying worldviews can change to achieve sustainability in a world of accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss and a finite supply of the resources essential for human wellbeing. This implies the identification of potentials and constraints for sustainable development in different societies from ecological, social and economic perspectives. Basic principles of governance for sustainability are discussed, such as democracy, human rights, poverty and inequality, land use, economic systems and policy for sustainable development.

Approaches to understanding and considering changes to the organization of society for achieving sustainable development will be described, and different solutions for the management of environmental resources under conditions of risk, vulnerability and uncertainty will be discussed. Perspectives from different disciplines and approaches to sustainable development at different temporal and spatial scales will be analyzed, and criteria for successful management of human and natural resources be identified.

Treated topics include:

  • The use of complex systems and holistic methods for the design of sustainable development interventions including use of tools from complex systems and social-ecological systems frameworks for analysing sustainability and future visioning and planning for transformational change.

  • Studies of sustainability issues in relation to equity, gender and indigenous people.

  • Adaptive governance, land use conflict in relation to trade-offs among ecosystem services and stakeholder’s ambitions, and the sustainability implications of exported environmental costs.

  • Sustainable development from neoclassical and ecological economics perspectives.

  • The synergies and conflicts between climate change, biodiversity loss and other Agenda 2030 goals.

  • Undertake case studies of contemporary sustainability issues as a practical exercise in transdisciplinarity.

Grading form

The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.

Formats and requirements for examination

Written home exam, presentation of project work, discussions and seminar participation/presentations (as above).

Passed home examination, approved project work and seminar presentations.

Active participation in seminars and participation in compulsory parts, which are discussions.

  • If a student has failed an examination, the examiner has the right to issue supplementary assignments. This applies if it is possible and there are grounds to do so.

  • The examiner can provide an adapted assessment to students entitled to study support for students with disabilities following a decision by the university. Examiners may also issue an adapted examination or provide an alternative way for the students to take the exam.

  • If this syllabus is withdrawn, SLU may introduce transitional provisions for examining students admitted based on this syllabus and who have not yet passed the course.

  • For the assessment of an independent project (degree project), the examiner may also allow a student to add supplemental information after the deadline for submission. Read more in the Education Planning and Administration Handbook.

Other information

  • The right to participate in teaching and/or supervision only applies for the course instance the student was admitted to and registered on.

  • If there are special reasons, students are entitled to participate in components with compulsory attendance when the course is given again. Read more in the Education Planning and Administration Handbook.

Responsible department

Department of Ecology

Cooperating departments:

Department of Urban and Rural Development

Further information

Determined by: Programnämnden för utbildning inom naturresurser och jordbruk
Replaces: MX0155

Litterature list

**Literature List HT2022 Society & Environment 2022-23 **

The literature list is divided by course theme and within each theme divided into:

  • Required reading for seminars, practicals and assignments
  • Supplementary reading for deeper knowledge and understanding

Systems Thinking for Sustainable Development – Weeks 1-2

Required reading:

  1. Meadows, D. (2008) Thinking in systems. A primer. Earthscan: Chapters 1 – 4 & 7 
  2. Walker B & Salt D (2006) Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World. Island Press. Chapter 4 

Supplementary reading:

  1. Armitage, D.R. et al. (2009) Adaptive co-management for social–ecological complexity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 7, 95–102. 
  2. Berkes F & Ross H (2016) Panarchy and community resilience: sustainability science and policy implications. Environmental Science and Policy 61: 185-193 
  3. Biggs R et al (2012) Toward Principles for Enhancing the Resilience of Ecosystem Services. Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. 37:421–48. (pdf) 
  4. Burns D & Worsley S 2015. Chapters 1 to 3 in Navigating Complexity in International Development 
  5. DeCaro et al. (2017) Legal and institutional foundations of adaptive environmental governance. Ecology and Society 22(1):32 
  6. Dennis Meadows on the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Limits to Growth. 7pp. https://www.resilience.org/stories/2022-02-22/dennis-meadows-on-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-publication-of-the-limits-to-growth/
  7. Fath B et al (2015) Navigating the adaptive cycle: an approach to managing the resilience of social systems. Ecology and Society 20(2): 24. (pdf) 
  8. Holling CS (2001) Understanding the Complexity of Economic, Ecological, and Social Systems. Ecosystems 4: 390–405 (pdf) 
  9. Levin K, Cashore B, Bernstein S, Auld G (2012) Overcoming the tragedy of super wicked problems: constraining our future selves to ameliorate global climate change. Policy Sci 45:123–152 
  10. Nemec, K. T., et al. (2013) Assessing resilience in stressed watersheds. Ecology and Society 19(1): 34. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-06156-190134
  11. Peterson H.C. 2013. Sustainability a Wicked Problem. Ch. 1 In Ermias Kebreab (ed) Sustainable Animal Agriculture. (pdf) 
  12. Sharpe, B., et al. (2016) Three horizons: a pathways practice for transformation. Ecology and Society 21(2):47. 
  13. Ticotsky A. (2012) Three Things to Remember About Behaviour-over-time Graphs. Creative Learning Exchange www.clexchange.org
  14. Walker, B.H. et al. (2009) Resilience, adaptability, and transformability in the Goulburn-Broken Catchment, Australia. Ecology and Society, 14(1). 

Transformations Weeks 3-4

Required reading:

  1. Arora-Jonsson, S. (2013) Gender, development and environmental governance: theorizing connections. Ch 1 pages 1-12 & Ch 2 pages 15-41 
  2. Damiens FLP, Porter L & Gordon A (2022) The politics of biodiversity offsetting across time and institutional scales. Nature Sustainability 170:170–179 (for session 23 Nov) 
  3. Agyeman, J., 2016. 58. Sustainability. In Keywords for Environmental Studies (pp. 186-189). New York University Press. (for session 22 Nov) 
  4. Alaimo, S., 2012. Sustainable this, sustainable that: New materialisms, posthumanism, and unknown futures. Pmla, 127(3), pp.558-564. (for session 22 Nov) 
  5. Read pages 1-3; 5-13 of: Miller, C., Sarewitz, D. and Light, A., 2008. Science, technology, and sustainability: Building a research agenda. Science, 319(5862), pp.424-434. (for session 22 Nov) 

Supplementary reading for specific sessions:

  1. Pascual U et al (2022) Summary for policymakers of the methodological assessment of the diverse values and valuation of nature of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). https://zenodo.org/record/7075892#.Yy3eZHZBybg (for 15 Nov) 
  2. Cooper CB et al (2021) Inclusion in citizen science: The conundrum of rebranding. Science 372: 1386-1388. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abi6487 (for session 15 Nov) 
  3. Oliver et al (2018) Overcoming undesirable resilience in the global food system. Global Sustainability 1, e9, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2018.9 (for 17 Nov) 
  4. Cuadra, M. and Rydberg, T. 2006. Emergy evaluation on the production, processing and export of coffee in Nicaragua. Ecological Modelling, 196 421-433 (for 17 Nov). 

Supplementary reading across sessions:

  1. Bennet et al., 2016. Bright spots: seeds of a good Anthropocene Front Ecol Environ 2016; 14(8): 441–448, doi:10.1002/fee.1309 
  2. Blythe J et al (2018) The Dark Side of Transformation: Latent Risks in Contemporary Sustainability Discourse. Antipode 50: 1206-1223 
  3. Brand U & Wissen M (2018) What kind of transformation? The Imperial Mode of Living as a Major Obstacle to Sustainability Politics. GAIA 27:287-292 (pdf) 
  4. Otto et al 2020. Social tipping dynamics for stabilizing Earth’s climate by 2050. PNAS 117(5) 2354-2365 (+ comments) 
  5. Sharpe, B., et al. (2016) Three horizons: a pathways practice for transformation. Ecology and Society 21(2):47. 
  6. Wamsler et al. 2020. Enabling new mindsets and transformative skills for negotiating and activating climate action: Lessons from UNFCCC conferences of the parties 
  7. Mistry & Berardi 2016. Bridging indigenous and scientific knowledge. Science 352:1274 - 1275 
  8. Morgan, S., & Bailey, K. (2013). Sustainable futures: Futures studies and food supply systems. In: Researching Sustainability: A Guide to Social Science Methods, Practice and Engagement, 209-224. 
  9. Brondizio & Tourneau 2016 Environmental governance for all: Involving local and indigenous populations is key to effective environmental governance (pdf) 
  10. Robbins P (2007) Lawn people - How grasses, weeds and chemical make us who we are. Temple University Press. 

Economics Weeks 5 - 6

Required reading:

  1. Johnson, M.P. and Schaltegger, S., 2020. Entrepreneurship for sustainable development: A review and multilevel causal mechanism framework. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 44(6), pp.1141-1173 
  2. Hahn, T (2014). Green Economy, economic growth and sustainable development. pp. 338-357 in Palmer, H. (ed.), Access to Resources: an urban agenda. AADR Art Architecture Design Research. ISBN 978-3-88778-419-5. (pdf) 

Supplementary reading:

  1. Rees, W.E. (2020) Ecological economics for humanity’s plague phase. Ecological Economics 169 106519 
  2. Daly, H. (2019) Growthism its ecological economic and ethical limits (pdf) 
  3. Daly, H. Economics for a full world. https://greattransition.org/publication/economics-for-a-full-world (pdf) 
  4. Hickel & Kallis 2019. Is Green Growth Possible? New Political Economy 
  5. Hickel J (2018) The Nobel Prize for Climate Catastrophe – Foreign Policy https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/06/the-nobel-prize-for-climate-catastrophe/
  6. Norgaard, R. (2015) The Church of Economism and Its Discontents. (pdf) (also available at http://www.greattransition.org/publication/the-church-of-economism-and-its-discontents) 
  7. Oswald A & Stern N. (2019) Why are economists letting down the world on climate change? https://voxeu.org/article/why-are-economists-letting-down-world-climate-change
  8. Söderbaum, P. (2013) Ecological economics in relation to democracy, ideology and politics Ecological Economics 95: 221**–**225 
  9. Vadén et al 2020. Decoupling for ecological sustainability: A categorization and review of research literature. Environmental Science and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/
  10. Vadén, et al., 2020. Raising the bar: on the type, size and timeline of a ‘successful’ decoupling, Environmental Politics 112: 236- 244. DOI: 10.1080/09644016.2020.1783951 

For Students who prefer watching videos to reading:

Kate Raworth gives a dynamic overview of her book Doughnut Economics here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl_uDjPpRJw

*Ida Kubiszewski on what is wrong with GDP and emerging alternatives here *https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=22&v=SbkdFrKTkbk&feature=emb_logo

International Development

Required reading:

  1. Hickel, J. (2018) The Divide: Global Inequality from Conquest to Free Markets: Chapters 1 and 9 (pdf) 
  2. Burns D & Worsley S (2015) Chapter 9 in Navigating Complexity in International Development (pdf) 
  3. Hickel, J. (2019) The Scandal of British Aid. https://www.jasonhickel.org/blog/2019/1/25/the-scandal-of-british-aid

Supplementary reading:

  1. Vonk (2017) Reverse Robin Hood: The Historical Scam of Global Development - Los Angeles Review of Books (pdf) 
  2. McClosky (2016) The Formula for a Richer World: Equality, Liberty, Justice - The New York Times (pdf) 
  3. Mistry & Berardi 2016. Bridging indigenous and scientific knowledge. Science 352:1274 - 1275 

Book club Week 50-51

Either**:**

Tsing AL (2017) The mushroom at the End of the World - On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins (160 SEK)

Or**:**

O’Brien, K. (2021) You Matter More Than You Think: Quantum Social Change For a Thriving World. CCHANGE Press Oslo Norway

Scenario Planning Assignment Week 1-2 2023

Required reading:

  1. Meadows, D. (2008) Thinking in systems. A primer. Earthscan: Chapters 5 and 6 
  2. Bishop P., A. Hines & T. Collins. (2007) The current state of scenario development: an overview of techniques. Foresight 9 (1): 5-25. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/14636680710727516/full/html

Supplementary reading:

  1. Agrimonde-Terra (2016): Foresight land use and food security in 2050 
  2. Merrie et al (2018) Radical ocean futures-scenario development using science fiction prototyping. Futures 95: 22-32 
  3. Öborn et al. (2013) Scenario development as a basis for formulating a research program on future agriculture: a methodological approach Ambio 42:823-839. DOI 10.1007/s13280-013-0417-3 
  4. Röös et al 2022. Agroecological practices in combination with healthy diets can help meet EU food system policy targets 
  5. Svenfelt et al. (2019). Scenarios for sustainable futures beyond GDP growth 2050. Futures. 111, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2019.05.001
  6. Vandenbroeck, P. 2021. Exploring the future: four ways to combine furure scenarios with causal-loop diagrams. https://blog.kumu.io/exploring-the-future-four-ways-to-combine-future-scenarios-with-causal-loop-diagrams-78a6869af05f

Course facts

The course is offered as an independent course: No The course is offered as a programme course: Master's Programme in Sustainable Development Tuition fee: Tuition fee only for non-EU/EEA/Switzerland citizens: 18340 SEK Cycle: Master’s level (AXX)
Subject: Sustainable Development
Course code: HU0002 Application code: SLU-20116 Location: Uppsala Distance course: No Language: English Responsible department: Department of Ecology Pace: 80%