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79376-01 - Course: Knowing Sustainability – Mapping Actors, Institutions, and Knowledge Resources for Change Towards Sustainability (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Marc Frick (marc.frick@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This trinational course invites students to collaboratively design a digital, app-based tool – the Sustainability Knowledge and Action Map – that identifies and connects sustainability initiatives, institutions, actors, and knowledge resources in their home cities. The map supports change agents, urban planners, and urban economic development stakeholders by visualizing sites of transformation and linking them to key knowledge sources and contact networks. It provides a transparent, data-based overview of urban sustainability efforts and facilitates collaboration among diverse stakeholders. Throughout the semester, students from the three universities will jointly create local maps, then host one workshop per city to present their results to municipal and economic development stakeholders. These workshops serve as practical testing grounds for applying data-driven insights to real-world urban transformation. Theoretical Foundation: The course builds on interdisciplinary insights developed by the Heidelberg School and the MINE Project (“Mapping the Interplay between Nature and Economy,” nature-economy.com). The MINE framework introduces 15 key concepts—such as thermodynamics, stocks, evolution, and irreversibility—that reveal dynamic interconnections between natural and social systems and inform resilient decision-making. By applying these concepts to their own urban contexts, students in France, Germany, and Switzerland will identify and analyze local sustainability initiatives. They will explore how these initiatives interact with broader ecological and social systems, reflect on context-specific drivers and constraints, and discuss the transferability of successful local approaches. Working collaboratively across national and disciplinary boundaries, participants will strengthen their analytical, planning, and implementation skills while developing intercultural competence and a deeper understanding of sustainability transformations. |
| Learning objectives | Identify and systematically document sustainability initiatives, actors, institutions, and knowledge resources in an urban context using participatory and spatial research methods. Apply interdisciplinary sustainability concepts to analyze local urban transformation processes and assess the relationships between ecological, social, and economic dimensions. Compare and synthesize empirical findings from different city contexts in order to develop a shared analytical framework for sustainability-oriented action. Design and develop a digital, app-based Sustainability Knowledge and Action Map that communicates complex information in a structured, accessible, and stakeholder-oriented format. Evaluate and reflect on the transferability and context-specificity of sustainability approaches in dialogue with academic and non-academic stakeholders. Develop and demonstrate project management skills by planning, coordinating, and adapting self-directed collaborative work processes, including task allocation, timeline management, and iterative problem-solving within interdisciplinary teams. |
| Bibliography | Bazuń, D., Kwiatkowski, M. (2022): Exploratory walk and local cohesion – the concept and application, Mobilities, Volume 17, Issue 4, 2022, pages 565-584, ISSN 1745-0101, https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2021.1999775. Faber, M. et al (2025): Sustainable Action in Economy and Society. Orientation for Change. Springer. Hamann, K., et al. (2025) The Psychology of Collective Climate Action: Building Climate Courage. Taylor & Francis. O'reilly, K. (2012): Ethnographic methods. Routledge. |
| Comments | The lecture is organized by the MSD, in cooperation of the University of Basel with the University of Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU). This course is supported by the EPICUR project at the University of Basel which supports learning offers that are conducted in collaboration with one or more EPICUR partner universities and contribute to increasing internationalization at the University of Basel. This financial support is made possible by funding from Movetia, the Swiss agency for exchange and mobility. Movetia is financed by the Swiss Federal Council. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-täglich | Thursday | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 114 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 17.09.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 114 |
| Thursday 01.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 114 |
| Thursday 15.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 114 |
| Thursday 29.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 114 |
| Thursday 12.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 114 |
| Thursday 26.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 114 |
| Thursday 10.12.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 114 |
| Modules |
Modul: Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master's degree subject: Sociology (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Module: Resources and Sustainability (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Module: Societal Transformations: Ecology, Technology, Global Society (Master's degree subject: Sociology) Module: Theories for Understanding Changing Societies (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Specialization Module Global Europe: Environment and Sustainability (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | The assessment will consist of a project report to be prepared in small groups. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Soziologie |