Current Courses

Current Courses

Prof. Dr. David Abson

Colloquium Social-ecological system research

Das Kolloquium wird inhaltlich verschiedene Methoden, Ansätze und Ergebnisse sozial-ökologischer Forschung behandeln und unterschiedliche Formate anbieten: Studierende präsentieren ihre Forschungsvorhaben und/ oder Ergebnisse, die dann mit den Betreuuenden und anderen Forschern diskutiert werden können

Ziel: Ziel der Veranstaltung ist ein Austausch zwischen den Forschenden und Promovierenden, aber auch eine Präsentation des Promotionsvorhabens und eine Reflexion über die Fortschritte der Promotion

Sustainability and Space

The course will explore how space shapes understandings of sustainability, with a focus on: scale and sustainability; system boundaries and sustainability and spatial relations and sustainability. The course will draw on multiple perspectives on space from the natural and social sciences, and places a particular emphasis on appropriate scales for conceptualizing and managing sustainability in relation to equitable outcomes.

In addition to general discussions on space and sustainability there will be 4 in depth case studies looking at important approaches within sustainability science (landscape sustainability science (Wu, 2013); Ecologically unequal exchange (Hornborg, 1998); Socio-technical transitions (Geels, 2011) and Social-ecological systems (Ostrom, 2009)) and how they conceptualize space in relation to sustainability.

Ziel: To provide insights on how 'space' is conceptualized (or not conceptualized) in different approaches to sustainability science. The seminar is relatively theoretical and hopefully a good complement to some of the more methodologically focused courses in the spatial science minor.

Fundamentals of Sustainability Economics

Economics plays a crucial role in how humans understand and manage their interactions with the natural world. It can be argued that our current economic system (and the values and mind-sets that shape that system) are one of the root causes of humanity’s current unsustainable development trajectory. In this seminar we will explore, the underpinning assumptions of neo-classical economic (the dominant school of economic thought) and contrast this approach with ideas drawn from resource, ecological and steady state economics. Each of these schools of thought will be related to the notion of sustainability with the emphasis on what economics can tell us about both sustainability problems and sustainability solutions.

The course will draw on topics ranging from the limits to economic growth, the ethics of placing monetary values on nature, strong versus weak sustainability, the economics of climate change, and notions of justice in relation to the allocation of economic resources.

Ziel: 1. To provide an overview of the emerging field of sustainability economics.

2. Highlight the underpinning assumptions in different strands of economic thought and how these assumptions shape understandings of, and approaches to, sustainability.

3. To identify the key characteristics of neo-classical, resource, ecological and sustainability economics.

4. To provide critical insights into how economic thought has shaped sustainability problems and may provide sustainability solutions.