816.032 (17S) Governance, Innovation and Sustainability

Sommersemester 2017

Registration deadline has expired.

First course session
02.03.2017 09:00 - 13:00 V.1.07 On Campus
... no further dates known

Overview

Lecturer
Course title german Governance, Innovation and Sustainability
Type Seminar (continuous assessment course )
Hours per Week 2.0
ECTS credits 4.0
Registrations 3 (25 max.)
Organisational unit
Language of instruction English
Course begins on 02.03.2017
eLearning Go to Moodle course

Time and place

List of events is loading...

Course Information

Intended learning outcomes

This course (816.032) is integrated with course 819.020. Students are required to attend both courses. This requirement is part of the curriculum of the Master in Science, Technology & Society Studies (namely the ESST specialization or, respectively, the "gebundene Wahlfach" on Governance, Innovation & Sustainability). 

In recent decades, decision-makers and publics alike have realized that contemporary societies are confronted with a number of serious challenges such as climate change, food security, health, and social and environmental justice. While it is all but certain what the future of humanity will look like, even whether it will survive and be able to find ways of long-term sustainable development, it is quite clear that governance and innovation will be at the core of how societies deal with the challenges they are facing. This ESST specialization will thus focus on interrelationships between science, technology and innovation, governance, and sustainability. It will combine STS with other social science perspectives and explore selected case-studies in-depth.

Teaching methodology including the use of eLearning tools

The course introduces key concepts, explores exemplary case studies and covers some core literature. It is taught using a combination of lectures, student presentations (oral and written), individual empirical exercises (observation, interviewing), plenary discussions and group work. While we offer a significant range of empirical cases, we are open to taking on board topics suggested by students.

Course content

The notion of governance reflects a fundamental shift in how the power of national governments is perceived, i.e., that by and large decision-making capacities have been rearranged across levels (e.g. local, regional, national, supra- and international levels) and across domains of society (e.g., the state, industry and civil society). Rather than representing predetermined orders, governance arrangements are subject to more or less dynamic change.

As to science and technology (S&T), topics of particular interest concern the governance of new and emerging technologies (such as information and communication technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology): How are innovations generated, including the social conditions of innovativeness? How are health, environmental and other safety or security risks managed? How are intellectual property rights (in particular patents) awarded? How are ethical concerns accounted for? And how do controversies around S&T de-/legitimize particular innovations and/or institutions?

Another key topic relates to the sustainable transformation of infrastructures (such as energy production and distribution, building, urban development or transportation/mobility) which are already embedded in society and everyday life: How can infrastructures be changed effectively and efficiently, i.e., without disrupting their functions and while maintaining or improving their affordability and accessibility? How can sectoral infrastructures be transformed without negatively affecting other sectors? How can infrastructure innovations account for future social, environmental and economic needs/challenges (an issue that also applies to new and emerging fields of S&T)?

Cross-cutting topics refer to notions of anticipatory, reflexive and participatory governance, including notions of responsible research and innovation (RRI) which has gained major prominence through the European Union’s current framework programme Horizon 2020. Key elements of these approaches relate to foresight, interdisciplinary knowledge integration and transdisciplinary public engagement. Respective empirical cases can be found with regard to both emerging and infrastructure technologies.

Another cross-cutting topic concerns the science-policy nexus, i.e. the configuration of knowledge and decision-making in capitalist democracies (e.g., in risk management) and in international regimes (e.g., climate change policy). The role of emerging new technologies in dealing with climate change consequences, such as climate engineering, will also be addressed along with questions pertaining to who should decide about their potential development and use – and on what basis.

Finally, how can global challenges be taken as opportunities for new approaches to cross-sectoral innovations that are pursued together with sustainable developments goals (SDGs) (e.g., a post-fossil bioeconomy)?

Examination information

Im Fall von online durchgeführten Prüfungen sind die Standards zu beachten, die die technischen Geräte der Studierenden erfüllen müssen, um an diesen Prüfungen teilnehmen zu können.

Grading scheme

Grade / Grade grading scheme

Position in the curriculum

  • Bachelor's degree programme Applied Informatics (SKZ: 511, Version: 12W.1)
    • Subject: Human-Centred Computing (Gendr Studies) (Compulsory elective)
      • Technikfolgenabschätzung ( 2.0h VK / 3.0 ECTS)
        • 816.032 Governance, Innovation and Sustainability (2.0h SE / 4.0 ECTS)
  • Bachelorstudium Informatik (SKZ: 521, Version: 09W.3)
    • Subject: Kompetenzerweiterung (Compulsory subject)
      • Technologiefolgenabschätzung ( 2.0h VK / 2.0 ECTS)
        • 816.032 Governance, Innovation and Sustainability (2.0h SE / 4.0 ECTS)
  • Bachelor's degree programme Informatics (SKZ: 521, Version: 03W.1)
    • Subject: Kompetenzerweiterung (Compulsory subject)
      • Technologiefolgenabschätzung ( 2.0h VK / 2.0 ECTS)
        • 816.032 Governance, Innovation and Sustainability (2.0h SE / 4.0 ECTS)
  • Master's degree programme Science, Technology & Society Studies (SKZ: 906, Version: 16W.1)
    • Subject: Governance, Innovation and Sustainability (Compulsory elective)
      • Governance, Innovation and Sustainability ( 0.0h SE / 4.0 ECTS)
        • 816.032 Governance, Innovation and Sustainability (2.0h SE / 4.0 ECTS)

Equivalent courses for counting the examination attempts

This course is not assigned to a sequence of equivalent courses