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79763-01 - Lecture: Basel Sustainability Forum (2 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Manfred Max Bergman (max.bergman@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This lecture series brings together researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of food systems, sustainability science, and societal change. Scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including agronomy, public health, economics, political science, and science and technology studies, present their work on pressing food-related challenges, from food security and access to the governance of novel food technologies and the transformation of agricultural systems. The series pays particular attention to how research can do more than describe problems and deficiencies by building more just, resilient, and sustainable food futures. Lectures address topics such as alternative proteins, urban food systems, agroecological transitions, food waste, and the politics of dietary change. The Basel Sustainability Forum is open to all students with an interest in sustainability and provides a space for engagement with cutting-edge research and the real-world challenges of feeding a growing global population. |
| Learning objectives | - Recognise the breadth of research approaches used to study food systems and sustainability transformations across disciplines - Engage with how research questions are constructed and how disciplinary background and normative commitments shape research and policy - Appreciate the diversity of food challenges across global contexts, including pressures facing food systems in the Global South - Evaluate when and how research can contribute to real-world change in food systems, from local agroecological transitions to global food governance - Identify promising research directions in food sustainability to develop original ideas for BA and MA essays or dissertations |
| Comments | Students who wish to earn one or two additional credit points may do so by submitting an essay. Further details are available on the course website and will be presented at the first session. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 12.15-14.00 | Vesalianum Seiteneingang, Grosser Hörsaal (EO.16) |
Dates
| Modules |
Modul: Politik, Entwicklung und soziale Ungleichheit (Bachelor's degree subject: Sociology (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Modul: Transfer: Europa interdisziplinär (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master's degree subject: Sociology (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Modul: Weltgesellschaft und Globalisierung (Master's Studies: Religion - Economics - Politics) Module: Economic Sociology (Bachelor's degree subject: Sociology) Module: Extension Social Sciences (Master's degree subject: Political Science – Inequality, Power, Conflict) Module: Extension Social Sciences BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Fields: Environment and Development (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Fields: Environment and Development (Bachelor's Studies - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) Module: Introduction to Social Anthropology (Bachelor's degree subject: Social Anthropology) Module: Political Sociology (Bachelor's degree subject: Sociology) 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) Specialization Module Global Europe: Environment and Sustainability (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Soziologie |