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DIE GUTEN SEITEN DER ZUKUNFToekom.de
Eine Hymne an die Wunder der
Natur
»Nest ist ein Wort der Umarmung, das Vorstellungen von
Heimat, Zuflucht und Erholung heraufbeschwört.«
Janine Burke
Janine Burke hat viele Jahre damit verbracht, Vögel und ihre Nester zu beobachten. Dies ist ihre
Geschichte: ein persönliches, breit gefächertes Buch – zum Teil Naturgeschichte und Ästhetik,
zum Teil Memoiren –, das alle begeistern wird, die Natur, Literatur und Kunst lieben.
Janine Burke
Nest
Kunstwerke der Natur
oekom verlag, München
192 Seiten, Hardcover mit Schutzumschlag, 20,– Euro
ISBN: 978-3-96006-011-6
Erscheinungstermin: 04.09.2017
Auch als E-Book erhältlich
GAIA is available online at www.ingentaconnect.com/content/oekom/gaia
www.oekom.de |B 54649 |ISSN 0940-5550 |
GAIAEA 26/4, 297– 368 (2017)
SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE
EXNOVATION OF UNSUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES
TRANSDISZIPLINÄRE FORSCHUNG REVISITED
ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
ÖKOLOGISCHE PERSPEKTIVEN FÜR WISSENSCHAFT UND GESELLSCHAFT
ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY 26/4(2017): 297– 368
SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE |EXNOVATION OF UNSUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES |TRANSDISZIPLINÄRE FORSCHUNG REVISITED
DIE GUTEN SEITEN DER ZUKUNFToekom.de
Mikroplastik, nein danke!
»Auf Plastik verzichten ist nicht nur gut für die Umwelt, es
ist vor allem auch befreiend!«
Nadine Schubert
Sie kaufen möglichst verpackungsfrei und meiden Plastiktüten? Super! Doch nicht immer ist
Plastik auf den ersten Blick sichtbar, z.B. in Form von Mikroplastik. Wo es enthalten ist und was
Sie dagegen tun können, zeigt Nadine Schubert – und präsentiert viele weitere neue Ideen für
ein plastikfreies Leben.
Nadine Schubert
Noch besser leben ohne Plastik
oekom verlag, München
112 Seiten, Broschur, 13,– Euro
ISBN: 978-3-96006-015-4
Erscheinungstermin: 04.09.2017
Auch als E-Book erhältlich
4|2017
GAIA4_2017_Umschlag_72S_4,5mm_lv 07.12.17 15:37 Seite 2
360 COMMUNICATIONS |MITTEILUNGEN
1http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-3883_en.htm
social and environmental objectives need
to be integrated in a holistic way in scientif -
ic analysis, governance, problem solving,
and human action (Sachs 2015). Sustain-
able development issues are characterized
by a high degree of complexity, resulting
from mutual interactions between social,
economic, and biophysical systems (Boots-
ma et al. 2014). Consequently, mono-dis-
ciplinary approaches quickly are stretched
to their limits, failing to offer sufficient ex -
plan atory value and feasible practical guid-
ance. Instead it is vital to integrate knowl-
edge and competencies from diverse back-
grounds, by combining various social and
natural sciences.
Therefore, study programmes on sus-
tainable development need to take into ac-
count different perspectives and systems
thinking; the traditional mono-disciplinary
approaches need to be overcome to cope
with highly complex and ill-defined prob-
lems of sustainable development (Posch
and Steiner 2006). Providers of sustainable
development education seem to be largely
aware of this requirement; a recent study
found that there is a rather high degree of
inter- and transdisciplinarity in respective
programmes (Vermeulen et al. 2014).
©2017 T.Brudermann at al.; licensee oekom verlag. This is an
article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction
in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Contact authors: Ass.-Prof.DI Dr. Thomas
Brudermann (corresponding author)|
E-Mail: thomas.brudermann@uni-graz.at
Ao. Prof. Dr. Alfred Posch |
E-Mail: alfred.posch@uni-graz.at
both: University of Graz |Institute of Systems
Sciences, Innovation and Sustainability Research |
Graz |Austria
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Holländer |University of Leip-
zig |Chair Environmental Technology and Environ-
mental Management in SME |Leipzig |Germany |
E-Mail: hollaender@wifa.uni-leipzig.de
Assoc. Prof. Roberto Pastres, PhD |Ca’ Foscari
University di Venezia |Department of Physical
Chemistry |Venice |Italy |E-Mail: pastres@unive.it
Assoc. Prof.Dr. Paul Schot |Utrecht University |
Copernicus Institute of Sustainable
Development |Utrecht |The Netherlands |
E-Mail: p.p.schot@uu.nl
Contact Alliance of Sustainable Universities in Austria:
Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Josef Glössl |University of
Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
(BOKU)|Gregor-Mendel-Str. 33 |1180 Vienna |
Austria |Tel.: +43 14765410112 |
E-Mail: rektorat@boku.ac.at
riven by environmental pressures (e.g.,
climate change, biodiversity loss, land
use change) and global-scale social issues
(e.g., inequality, poverty, mass migration),
current and upcoming political agendas
have no choice but need to evolve around
sustainable development principles. The
formulation of the 17 Sustainable Develop-
ment Goals(SDGs)by the UnitedNations in
the framework of the 2030 Agenda forSus-
tainable Development is reflecting the in-
creasing relevance of sustainable develop-
ment in international discussions. The EU,
which issued its first sustainable develop-
ment strategy in 2001, committed itself to
the SDGs and recently set out a strategic ap -
proach for achieving sustainable develop-
ment.1
Implementing respective strategies will
require a broad coalition of policy makers,
governments,nongovernmental organiza -
tions, several industry sectors and civil so-
ciety. Universities and higher education in -
stitutions will play a crucial role; after all,
these institutions are the ones that educate
future decision makers and therefore are
responsible for disseminating the knowl-
edge and skills which are necessary to move
forward sustainable development.
Higher Education on Sustainable
Develop ment
Challenges related to sustainable develop-
ment cannot be sufficiently addressed from
a mono-disciplinary perspective: economic,
Integrating Interdisciplinarity
and Internationality in
Sustainable Development
Education
Growing awareness of environmental and social issues in economic development
contributes to move the idea of sustainable development forward. Since 2008,
the Joint International Master in Sustainable Development offers an international and
inter disciplinary approach to the hotly debated topic. It combines the strengths
of the eight partner universities in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Integrating Interdisciplinarity and Internationality in Sustainable Development Education |GAIA 26/4(2017): 360 – 362
Keywords: higher education, interdisciplinarity, Master Programme, sustainability, transdisciplinarity
D
Thomas Brudermann, Robert Holländer,
Roberto Pastres, Alfred Posch, Paul Schot
https://doi.org/10 .145 12/gaia.26.4.16
360_362_AKon 07.12.17 17:02 Seite 360
>
361COMMUNICATIONS |MITTEILUNGENAllianz Nachhaltige Universitäten in Österreich
personal experience of diversity and inter-
disciplinary, to the need for cooperation be-
tween global north and south, and to the
need for communication between distinct
scientific and professional cultures. The
pan-European perspective offered by the
European universities in the programme
is enriched by partners from India, Japan,
and South Africa.
The programme furthermore comes
with a large degree of flexibility to accom-
modate different student interests as well
as backgrounds; students can choose be-
tween specializations in natural science or
social science tracks. Therefore, the target
group for this programme involves moti-
vated students who have a basic under-
standing of either natural or social scienc -
es and recognize the relevance of sustain-
able development topics.
Structure of the Joint International Master
The Joint International Master in Sustain-
able Development is a full time master pro-
gramme (120 ECTS, four semesters).2
In the first semester, students attend a
basic module at their chosen entrance uni-
versity (Graz, Leipzig, Utrecht, or Venice).
The objective is to provide students with an
introduction to the concept of sustainable
development and its history, key sustain-
able development issues, policy analysis
and assessment as well as approaches to
environmental governance and operation -
al tools. A focus also is placed on the com-
plexity and dynamics of interactions be-
tween natural, social, and economic pro -
cess es and systems on different scales.
The second semester comprises a man -
datory mobility semester; that is, students
attend a specialization track at one of the
partner universities. The consortium offers
specialization tracks from social and nat-
However, the integration of inter- and
transdisciplinarity is only one of the nec-
essary pillars of sustainable development
education: sustainable development chal-
lenges go beyond national borders, thus
strongly requiring international coopera-
tion as well. It only is obvious to also organ -
ize respective academic education accord-
ingly, that means through cross-disciplin -
ar ity and international cooperation.
Joint International Master in
Sustainable Development
The Joint International Master in Sustainable
Development is attending to these principles
and trains students in linking the various
knowledge domains which are relevant for
addressing sustainability issues. Five Euro -
pean and three non-European universities,
all with extensive experience in the field of
sustainability science, have joined forces in
implementing the programme: degrees are
awarded by the University of Graz (Aus-
tria), the University of Leipzig (Germany),
Utrecht University (Netherlands) and Ca’-
Foscari University of Venice (Italy). The
consortium is completed by associated mo-
bility partners, namely the University of Ba -
sel (Switzerland), Hiroshima University (Ja-
pan), Stellenbosch University (South Afri -
ca), and TERI University (India).
The programme not only addresses the
application of specialized scientific knowl-
edge, but also the integration of such knowl-
edge into different perspectives on sustain-
ability challenges and potential solutions.
It offers an interdisciplinary and interna-
tional approach to sustainable development
based on the individual strengths of the
partner universities.
As a research master the programme
prepares students for providing scientifi-
cally grounded inputs into national, sector -
al, supranational, and nongovernmental
sustainable development strategies. More-
over, it by design exposes students to the
GAIA 26/4(2017): 360– 362
Kapp-Forschungspreis
für
Ökologische Ökonomie
Ausschreibung 201
Der Kapp-Forschungspreis für Ökologische Ökono-
mieÛrichtet sich an junge WissenschaftlerinnenÛ
und Wissenschaftler im deutschsprachigen RaumÛ
und soll Studien zur Ökologischen Ökonomie
^+jdern. Für die Ausschreibung 201 lautet die
übergeordnete Themenstellung erneut:
»Wirtschaft ohne Wachstum«
Von Interesse sind wissenschaftliche Beiträge, die
sich den Wachstumsursachen und -zwängen mo-
derner Ökonomien, der (Un-)Vereinbarkeit wirt-
schaftlichen Wachstums mit nachhaltiger Ent-
wicklung sowie den Merkmalen und möglichen
Funktionsweisen einer Wirtschaft ohne Wachstum
widmen.
Berücksichtigt werden folgende Kategorien von
Arbeiten:
~ Dissertationen und Habilitationsschriften.
Diplom- und Masterarbeiten (keine Bachelor-
arbeiten).
Die Veränderungen, die für eine Wirtschaft ohneÛ
Wachstum erforderlich sind, können kaum ausÛ
einer rein wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Perspek-
tive allein begründet werden; deshalb sind inter-
und transdisziplinär angelegte Arbeiten (in deut-
scher oder englischer Sprache) bei diesem ThemaÛ
besonders naheliegend.
Das Preisgeld wird auf e]`j]j] afÛ\]jÛI]_]dÛeY¤Û
paeYdÛzwei Preisträger/-innen verteilt und beträgt
insgesamt
5.000 Euro
Interessierte erhalten die BewerbungsunterlagenÛ
über die Geschäftsstelle des Kapp¤Forschungsprei-
ses (Adresse siehe unten). Die BewerbungsfristÛ
endet mit dem
1. März 201
Die Preisträger werden von einer unabhängigen
JuryÛausgewählt. Der Rechtsweg ist ausgeschlossen.
Anforderung der Bewerbungsunterlagen
Dr. Manuel Schneider,
Projektbüro ! make sense !,
Waltherstr. 29, D-80337 München
info@make-sense.org
Der Kapp-Forschungspreis wird
gemeinsam ausgeschrieben von:
der Vereinigung für Ökologische Ökonomie
(VÖÖ) e.V., der Hatzfeldt-Stiftung, der Kapp-
Stiftung, der Selbach-Umwelt-Stiftung sowie der
anstiftung.
2 Detailed information: www.jointdegree.eu/sd.
The Joint International Master prepares students
to contribute to a transition towards
sustainable development.
360_362_AKon 07.12.17 17:02 Seite 361
GAIA 26/4(2017): 360– 362
362 Allianz Nachhaltige Universitäten in ÖsterreichCOMMUNICATIONS |MITTEILUNGEN
ural sciences; for instance, students may
study Sustainable Business Management in
Graz, Resources Management in Leipzig,
Global Environmental Change in Venice, or
Environmental Change and Ecosystems in Ut -
recht. Another option is to take a special-
ization track offered by the mobility part-
ners in Basel and Hiroshima.
In the third semester, students return to
their entrance university to attend an inte -
gration module which aims to integrate the
interdisciplinary sustainable development
concepts and disciplinary perspectives. In
contrast to the disciplinary specialization
in the second semester, the emphasis here
clearly is on interdisciplinary thinking and
problem solving, and therefore on the in-
tegration of diverse approaches and meth-
ods and intense discourse with other scien-
tific disciplines. Students are enabled to ap-
ply the knowledge and scientific skills on
complex issues and to strive for tangible
outcomes in inter- and transdisciplinary
teams; the module also includes the de vel -
opment and training of social skills, such
as teamwork, conflict management, and
project management. In addition to that,
students also have the opportunity to com-
plete a second mobility semester at one of
the partner universities, including TERI
University and Stellenbosch University.
The programme is completed with a
master thesis (30 ECTS) in the fourth se-
mester. The thesis is being assessed by the
respective supervisor of the student at the
entrance university as well as a second read -
er who is affiliated with one of the oth er
consortium universities and has not been
responsible for supervision. In this way,
two independent assessments of the the-
sis are established, guaranteeing a fair and
transparent grading, and simultaneous ly
ensuring a high scientific quality of the re-
search and also further integrating research
be tween the consortium universities.
Experiences and Lessons Learned
Given the interactive nature of the study
programme, only a limited number of stu-
dents is being accepted to the programme
starting each year in October (maximum
15 to 20 per university per year); in order
to be admitted, prospective students need
to apply online by end of March, and are
being informed regarding acceptance after
a careful selection process, which usually
is completed in May. In recent years, the
programme received approximately 200 to
300 applications per year, of which around
25 percent were finally admitted. The in-
ternational and interdisciplinary nature of
the programme attracts students from all
over the world – in the winter term 2017
students from 25 countries and five conti -
nents joined the programme (see figure 1).
Students definitely benefit from the in-
tegrative and multi-disciplinary approach,
which strengthens open-mindedness and
allows developing fast response skills to
complex challenges to be faced in profes-
sional careers. The international approach
of this programme enhances intercultural
understanding and brings internationally
experienced young professionals to the in-
ternational labor markets.
What’s more, also the participating uni -
versities benefit from the programme; the
diversity in the classrooms undoubtedly af-
fects teaching in a positive manner, and the
teaching staff is challenged to extend their
perspectives. Also the students in local pro-
grammes, who share several courses with
students in the Joint Master Programme,
benefit from discussions and from the dif-
ferent perspectives brought to the table by
the international students. Moreover, the
programme facilitates knowledge transfer
among the participating universities, with
positive effects not only on teaching, but al -
so on research cooperation.
The ultimate aim, however, is to enable
successful students to significantly contrib -
ute to a transition towards sustainable de-
velopment, and looking at the career paths
of alumni, the programme seems to deliv-
er on its promises: “sustainers” today hold
management positions in innovative and
green companies, they founded start-ups
and became sustainability entrepreneurs;
“sustainers” furthermore are working for
governmental and nongovernmental orga -
nizations or as policy consultants; and a sig-
nificant share of alumni also used their SD
master degree as a starting point in pursu -
ing an academic career. Spreading out to
such diverse domains definitely can be con-
sidered as one big success of the first ten
years of the programme.
References
Bootsma, M.C., W.J. V. Vermeulen, J. van Dijk, P. P.
Schot. 2014. Added value and constraints of trans -
disciplinary case studies in environmental science
curricula. Corporate Social Responsibility and
Environmental Management 21/3: 155– 166.
Posch, A., G. Steiner. 2006. Integrating research
and teaching on innovation for sustainable
development. International Journal of Sustain-
ability in Higher Education 7/3: 276– 292.
Sachs, J. 2015. The age of sustainable development.
New York: Columbia University Press.
Vermeulen, W.J. V., M.C. Bootsma, M. Tijm. 2014.
Higher education level teaching of (master’s)
programmes in sustainable development: Analysis
of views on prerequisites and practices based on
a worldwide survey. International Journal of Sustain-
able Development and World Ecology 21/5: 430– 448.
FIGURE 1: Welcome meeting for new students from seven European countries, the USA and Bangladesh
starting the Joint International Master in Sustainable Development in Graz (2017).
©Julia Wenger
360_362_AKon 07.12.17 17:02 Seite 362