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Semester | fall semester 2019 |
Course frequency | Once only |
Lecturers | Charlotte Akers (charlotte.akers@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
Content | ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Sustainable development’ are terms increasingly used by brands, businesses, governments, and NGOs alike. While there are many arguments and debates regarding what constitutes sustainability, and indeed whether sustainable development is in fact an oxymoron, the rising focus on the UN SDGs confirms that sustainability remains the default goal when considering global problems. But whilst many of the issues that the SDGs hope to address are global, time and again we see the same outdated approaches driven by Western organisations and businesses, which often consider neither the culture nor the context of the ‘problem’ they are seeking to solve. Considering the increasing importance placed on sustainable development, this course will identify the Western approaches towards sustainable development, focussing on the UK and North America, and then consider the eurocentrism underpinning these approaches. We will predominantly focus on companies and their corporate social responsibility initiatives, and analyse the action, language, and assumptions underpinning their approaches to sustainable development. We will consider how normative values, cultural assumptions, and public perception shape the idea of sustainable development. We will then assess and argue the potential merits and problems with the continued prevalence of Western morals and ethics within such a global challenge. This course will be heavily based in case studies and empirical examples, which we will work through together. A consideration of case study research as a methodology will also be given. |
Learning objectives | • To be able to identify Western approaches to sustainable development • To understand the historical, social and cultural underpinnings and their significance • To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches • To be able to effectively analyse and evaluate case study data • To evaluate more widely the role of cultural and contextual approaches within sustainable development • To consider how to dismantle normative approaches |
Bibliography | Weekly reading will be given closer to the time. |
Language of instruction | English |
Use of digital media | No specific media used |
Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
Modules |
Modul: Politik, Entwicklung und soziale Ungleichheit (Bachelor's degree subject: Sociology) Modul: Vertiefung Landschaft und Umwelt (Bachelor's degree subject: Geography) |
Assessment format | continuous assessment |
Assessment details | Regular attendance and contribution to class discussion and debate. Presentation of one CSR or sustainable development initiative as a case study: assess how its approach or reporting perpetuates western values; discuss how their initiatives could be more culturally and contextually sensitive; and finally, assess the merits and disadvantages of the values underpinning their approach. |
Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
Scale | Pass / Fail |
Repeated registration | no repetition |
Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
Offered by | Fachbereich Soziologie |