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Semester | fall semester 2020 |
Course frequency | Irregular |
Lecturers | Manfred Max Bergman (max.bergman@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
Content | We are living in challenging and interesting times, and the social sciences ought to exert greater efforts to understand, even deal with contemporary and future challenges and opportunities. However, most social scientists are uncomfortable dealing with the future. We are most at ease when we are called upon to explain the past, somewhat at ease with explaining current trends (mostly by referring to the past), but we are highly reluctant to deal with the future. If we do, we tend to extrapolate past trends into the future, which has often led to embarrassing failures. Speculating about future trends is left to others, mainly politicians, religious leaders, business leaders, and technology developers. Interestingly, these actors not only have to deal with, but they also participate in shaping the future. Considering the arsenal of theories and methods at our disposal, it is surprising that we are not part of this conversation. It is time to explore the future from a social science perspective, especially considering that we find ourselves in the middle of large-scale geopolitical power shifts that are affecting all individuals, relationships, and institutions in ways that parallel the industrial and digital revolutions. In this seminar, we will explore a selection of themes that are at the forefront of important studies on future trends, such as migration, robotization, fiscalization/monetization, climate change, or population growth and dynamics. Of course, considering the future from this perspective cannot be made without considering the consequences of our current health crisis. The focus and themes of the seminar will be negotiated with the participants at the first meeting. |
Learning objectives | The participant - will be exposed to future trends, - will explore how future trends may effect individuals, groups, regions, and societies differently, and - will explore how a social science perspective can contribute to recognizing challenges, solutions, and even opportunities. |
Bibliography | National Intelligence Council (2017). Global Trends: Paradox of Progress. Washington DC: Office of the Director of National Intelligence. (www.dni.gov/nic/globaltrands) Schwab, K. (2016). The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Geneva: World Economic Forum. (https://luminariaz.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-2016-21.pdf) |
Comments | The seminar will be held in English. |
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: Fachkompetenz Globaler Wandel (Master's degree subject: Geography) Modul: Politik, Entwicklung und soziale Ungleichheit (Bachelor's degree subject: Sociology) Modul: Wirtschaft, Wissen und Kultur (Bachelor's degree subject: Sociology) Module: Projects and Processes of Urbanization (Master's degree program: Critical Urbanisms (Start of studies before 01.08.2020)) |
Assessment format | continuous assessment |
Assessment details | Presentation or short essay (pass/fail). |
Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
Scale | Pass / Fail |
Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
Offered by | Fachbereich Soziologie |