Admission requirements
This course is part of the Minor Sustainable Development. To take part in the course Area Study Sustainability, students must have followed the previous courses Big Issues New Answers and Resilient Cities.
Description
In this course you will explore a real-world and current sustainability challenge in a local city. In groups you will analyse the problem, its solutions and the factors that obstruct these solutions. This course gives ownership to the students in structuring the course and stimulates creative and critical thinking and dealing with complex issues. The area study will enable you to put into practice the theories and methods you have learned in class.
In groups, you provide sustainability advise to the City Councils of Leiden or The Hague. These cities have set ambitious goals and initiatives to become a much more sustainable city. When implementing these initiatives, the councils often realise that there are additional challenges. They therefore reach out to you, future sustainability experts, to provide recommendations on how to overcome some of the barriers or how they can have a larger impact. The main component of the course is the interdisciplinary group work, which is crucial to resolving sustainability challenges. There will also be lectures to provide additional content regarding the themes under study, field trips to provide context and opportunities for discussion.
Timetable and examination dates
The course runs from 6 January – 31 January 2020. Students contribute to a blog, write a comprehensive advisory report and present their findings in a final presentation on 31 January.
Blackboard
Students are enrolled in Blackboard. All the lecture notes, announcements, the schedule, assignments, etc. can be found there.