Course content

The course's academic content is geared toward how one in research can use system approaches to address society's sustainability challenges. Students are introduced to the theory and methodology that is relevant in such research, with the UN's global sustainability goals as a starting point, and how they can be monitored using criteria and indicators for measures, improvements and performance in selected sectors and areas of applications. Emphasis is placed on how systems thinking, systems theory and systems analysis can be used to understand the cause-effect relationships in space and time, and how to manage tradeoffs across criteria. Various qualitative and quantitative methods in sustainability-related research are discussed, which support planning and decision making for improved environmental, economic and social sustainability. This includes methods in environmental management and industrial ecology based environmental systems analysis (including material flow analysis and life cycle analysis), as well as life cycle costs and cost-benefit analysis, analysis of ecosystem services and land use, multivariate decision analysis, and policy analysis. The focus is how the different methodologies can relate to system perspectives with a goal to achieve more holistic improvements across criteria and scale, in time and space. To a certain extent, the course will adapt issues and applications in relation to participants' research focus. The course is taught every second year, next in spring 2017.

Learning outcome

Knowledge: The candidate must be able to document a good understanding of important dimensions and challenges of sustainability and how the UN's global sustainability goals can be used as a basis for strategies and actions for change. The candidate should be able to explain why and how various system approaches and system theory offer opportunities to better understand cause-effect relationships and more comprehensive improvements in communities, sectors and applications, in addition to how this can be achieved using qualitative and quantitative research on sustainability related issues.

Skills: The candidate should be able to formulate research issues related to the use of system approaches to sustainability challenges and discuss how theory and methodology covered in the subject can be benefitted through the analysis of coherent strategies and solutions for increased sustainability and change processes to achieve it. The candidate must be able to demonstrate and justify how this can be used in their research work, where appropriate.

General competence: The candidate must be able to assess how it is appropriate to apply multidisciplinary research and methods from a systems approach to sustainability, and see how this can provide academic gains when used in relation to their own work.

Learning methods and activities

Lecture seminars, and guidance. The aim is half-day / full-day gatherings that cover one or more of the topics below.

Course requirements: Attendance at meetings, oral presentations.

Theme 1: UN's global sustainability goals, incl. Status and trends
Theme 2: System Theory, system methodology and system analysis
Theme 3: Multidisciplinary, qualitative and quantitative research methods
Theme 4: Environmental management in public and private life
Theme 5: Industrial ecology environmental systems analysis
Theme 6: Life Cycle Cost analysis and cost-benefit analysis
Theme 7: Analysis of ecosystem services and land use
Theme 8: Multivariate Decision Analysis
Theme 9: Policy Analysis
Theme 10: Sectoral examples - strategy, goals, indicators, performance and critical factors for change

Compulsory assignments

• Presentations
• Participation in seminars

Recommended previous knowledge

Discipline background providing theoretical, methodological and applied understanding of key aspects of research on society's sustainability challenges.

Required previous knowledge

Master degree or equivalent qualifications.

Course materials

Will be announced when course starts.

Credit reductions