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| Semester | spring semester 2021 |
| Course frequency | Every spring sem. |
| Lecturers | Rony Emmenegger (rony.emmenegger@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Against the backdrop of persistent problems of unsustainability, there is a lively debate both in politics and in science on how to govern societies towards more sustainable pathways. In conceptual terms this debate increasingly builds on the notion of 'governance' which highlights both theoretical limits to classical models of political steering and the empirical insight that governments are not the only relevant actors when it comes to the management of societal issues. Instead, at least within the context of modern democracies, the contested, interdependent and dynamic nature of contemporary policymaking has given rise to less hierarchical but more collaborative and polycentric forms of governance. Accordingly, for theoretical and empirical reasons, the governance of modern societies is more and more understood as a shared responsibility of the state, the market and the civil society. This 'new governance complexity' is assumed to entail potentials and threats for sustainable development and democracy throwing up some fundamental questions regarding the relationship between all three concepts: How can societies be governed towards sustainable development in a democratic way? What are the normative and functional requirements of sustainability governance in democratic societies? What are the empirical conditions as well as prospects and barriers of democratic forms of governance for sustainable development within various political contexts? And, what are the implications of environmental change for the ways governance and democracy can be organized at and across spatial and temporal scales? The seminar addresses the relationship between governance, sustainable development and democracy in theoretical and empirical respects. First, it will lay a theoretical fundament by introducing the concepts of governance, sustainable development and democracy. Second, specific approaches of governance for sustainable development will be critically discussed particularly with regard to their democratic implications. Third, a number of case studies of sustainability governance in different fields will provide an opportunity to analyze the democratic problem-solving capacity of different governance arrangements in various contexts. Finally, further theoretical and practical perspectives of democratic governance for sustainable development are sketched out. |
| Learning objectives | The participants - are familiar with the concepts 'governance', 'sustainable development' and 'democracy', they understand the interrelations and tensions between them; - have acquired basic theoretical, methodological and empirical knowledge and skills necessary to produce critically reflected scientific analyses of governance for sustainable development within various policy fields and political contexts. |
| Bibliography | Relevant literature tba during the seminar. |
| Comments | Please note entry requirements and mandatory course application procedure (additional to registration on MOnA). MSD 2017 Mandatory for students with focus area in natural sciences and in economics (unless you have passed a similar class in a former semester, then you would have to subtitute it by areement with Prof. Dr. Paul Burger and fix this in a learning agreement). For students with focus area in social sciences this seminar is optional for the "Core Competences in Social Scienes" module. They may accredit the credit points for the published module or transfer them to the "Focal Areas in Sustainability Research" module (learning agreement). The seminar is offered by MSD. Dr. Rony Emmenegger is a post doc staff member of the Sustainability Research Group at Unibas and holds a teaching assignment. |
| Admission requirements | Special course application required (for details see "course application" or "Anmeldung"). Limited number of participants: Students of the MSD with focus area in natural sciences and economics (incl. prep. semester) and those of the IJDSD have a first priority. MSD students with focus area in social sciences have a second priority, those of the listed programs (see list of modules) have a third priority. If you study something different you must do a master's degree within the 'Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences' and may attend the seminar in case of vacancies (these applications have the priority level four). Additional entry requirements for participants who do not study the MSD (incl. preparation semester) or IJDSD: They must have passed succesfully one of the following lectures (= credit points already acquired) during a former semester: - 11513: Sustainability: A new Societal Paradigm? - 41829: Perspectives of Social Sciences on Sustainability. |
| Course application | Mandatory application for ALL: Link for application open from 18.01.21/noon - 07.02.21/midnight: https://adam.unibas.ch/goto_adam_fold_744950.html (Login on top row right hand side of ADAM website. The link is open as soon as the application form is online). In case of vacancies the mandatory online application link remains open until the end of the second week of teaching. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz - |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 03.03.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 10.03.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 17.03.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 24.03.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 31.03.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 07.04.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 14.04.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 21.04.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 28.04.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 05.05.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 12.05.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 19.05.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 26.05.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Wednesday 02.06.2021 | 10.15-11.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Modules |
Modul: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Complementary Knowledge in Social Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) Module: Core Competences in Social Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) Module: Resources and Sustainability (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance, required readings, oral presentation, essay. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,1 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | University of Basel |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Nachhaltigkeitsforschung |