Syllabus
Registration via LPIS
| Day | Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10/21/14 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
| Tuesday | 10/28/14 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
| Tuesday | 11/04/14 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
| Tuesday | 11/11/14 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
| Tuesday | 11/18/14 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
| Tuesday | 12/02/14 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
| Tuesday | 12/09/14 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
| Tuesday | 12/16/14 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
| Tuesday | 01/13/15 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
| Tuesday | 01/20/15 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
| Tuesday | 01/27/15 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | TC.4.12 |
It is clear by now that the “business as usual” path human kind is on will lead to major environmental, social and economic challenges in the future. It is less clear what practical steps need to be taken to avoid this predicament.Understanding the problems humanity faces is not enough. One needs to find solutions and the will to implement them. This study argues that sustainable work is an important lever for making sustainable economies a reality. Work defines modern societies. This report reviews the relationships of economic growth with employment and with the environment as well as different avenues towards sustainable work, notably green jobs, green skills, new work,‘prosperity without growth’ and ‘plentitude’.
This course offers a socio-ecological-economic perspective on sustainable development in general and workin particular. Competing conceptions of work will be introduced, you will have the opportunity to develop a ‘carbon instinct’,learn about the challenges and developments in the labour market and its interactions with environmental policies.
The course will provide you with factual knowledge, an understanding of different framings of sustainability, as well as analytical and social skills. At the end of the course the students should be able to:
- Describeand comparatively analyse competing conceptions of employment and work
- Understand some of the interactions between environment, economyand governance systems as they relate to sustainability
- Recognise the positive and negative roles of science and technology in delivering sustainability
- Identify key questions that policy processes seeking to deliver sustainability must address
- Be able to critically analyse sustainable development from a number of perspectives
- To participate in informed discussion of the above topics.
The course will consist of lectures, exercises and discussions. The purpose of the lectures will be to provide an overview of the topics and the literature, and clarification concerning the issues and debates. The purpose of the discussions and exercises will be to provide students with opportunities to critically analyse and discuss evidence and questions from the perspective of different stakeholder groups. The exercises will be conducted as individuals and small groups during classes as well as in the form of tasks between classes. Students are expected to provide brief individual written submissions – to be posted at Learn@WU every week.
To satisfy the course requirements, students will be expected to attend all lectures, to participate in seminar discussions, and to hand in written reports addressing tasks that are set bi-weekly.
Assessment for this course will consist of the following elements:
- 40% taskreports (choose 4 out of 5 tasks; due: Tue 8am before class; online submissionat Learn@WU)
- 60% takehome exam, which will be handed out at the end of the last class (Tue 27 Jan 2015,12:00) and is due 24 hours later as upload to Learn@WU. Rules for take homeexam – see below.
Teaching and learning materials:
Listed in the schedule below. Apart from books, the class will be provided with electronic versions of all texts on the Learn@WU platform. As far as access to supplementary readings,and all other supporting texts are concerned, you should use the resources of the main WU Library and qualified electronic sources.
| Unit | Date | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21.10.2014 | Introduction Work goes beyond the specific workplace and even beyond livelihoods. It is also acentral question for democracy. What is the value that employment is given compared to volunteer or subsistence work? How much time and space do workers have to participate in democratic decision processes? Do workers have possibilities to voice concerns over production techniques or workplace safety? And of course work is shaped by the international relations that it is embedded in. |
| 2 | 28.10.2014 | Can we afford economic growth? Task 1 (due 28 Oct 2014 at 8am) – Read the materials listed below actively and answer the following questions: What is the environmental impact of the Internet? Are ebooks greener than paper books? What are biophysical boundaries? Which questions do you have? Reading: Rockström, J., W. Steffen, et al. (2009). "A safe operating space for humanity." Nature 461(24 September 2009): 472-475. Berners-Lee, Mike 2010. How bad are bananas, Profile Books OR: The Guardian: The carbon footprint of everything http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/series/the-carbon-footprint-of-everything |
| 3 | 04.11.2014 | Can we afford economic growth? Reading: Rockström, J., W. Steffen, et al. (2009). "A safe operating space for humanity." Nature 461(24 September 2009): 472-475. Berners-Lee, Mike 2010. How bad are bananas, Profile Books OR: The Guardian: The carbon footprint of everything http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/series/the-carbon-footprint-of-everything |
| 4 | 11.11.2014 | Green growth leading to green jobs? Task 2 (due 18 Nov 2014 at 8am) – Read the materials listed below actively and answer the following questions: What are green jobs? What is the relationship between growth and green jobs? Which questions do you have? Reading: Renner, M., et al. (2008). Green jobs: towards decent work in a sustainable, low-carbon world, UNEP. http://www.unep.org/PDF/UNEPGreenJobs_report08.pdf Leitner, A., et al. (2012). "Green Jobs." Standpunkte. https://www.ihs.ac.at/fileadmin/public/user_upload/Standpunkt_4_GreenJobs.pdf |
| 5 | 18.11.2014 | Green growth leading to green jobs? Reading: Renner, M., et al. (2008). Green jobs: towards decent work in a sustainable, low-carbon world, UNEP. http://www.unep.org/PDF/UNEPGreenJobs_report08.pdf Leitner, A., et al. (2012). "Green Jobs." Standpunkte. https://www.ihs.ac.at/fileadmin/public/user_upload/Standpunkt_4_GreenJobs.pdf |
| 6 | 02.12.2014 | Green skills and green skilling Task 3 (due 2 December 2014 at 8am) – Read the materials listed below actively (choose two out of the following four) and answer the following questions: What are green skills? How are green skills developed? Which questions do you have? Reading: Friedl-Schafferhans, M. and T. Hausegger (2010). Qualifikation - Green Jobs: Aussagen und Befunde zur quantitativen Bedeutung von Green Jobs und deren Qualifikationsanforderungen. Vienna, Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. ILO, O. Strietska-Ilina, C. Hofmann, M. D. Haro, et al. (2011). Skills for green jobs: a global view: synthesis report based on 21 country studies. Geneva, International Labour Office, Skills and Employability Department, Job Creation and Enterprise Development Department: 472. Full Report: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/publication/wcms_159585.pdf Synthesis: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---ifp_skills/documents/publication/wcms_156220.pdf Lutz, W. and K. C. Samir (2011). "Global Human Capital: Integrating Education and Population." Science 333(29 July 2011): 587-592. Martinez-Fernandez, C., C. Hinojosa and G. Miranda (2010). Green jobs and skills: the local labour market implications of addressing climate change. Paris, OECD. http://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/44683169.pdf |
| 7 | 09.12.2014 | Green skills and green skilling Reading: Friedl-Schafferhans, M. and T. Hausegger (2010). Qualifikation - Green Jobs: Aussagen und Befunde zur quantitativen Bedeutung von Green Jobs und deren Qualifikationsanforderungen. Vienna, Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. ILO, O. Strietska-Ilina, C. Hofmann, M. D. Haro, et al. (2011). Skills for green jobs: a global view: synthesis report based on 21 country studies. Geneva, International Labour Office, Skills and Employability Department, Job Creation and Enterprise Development Department: 472. Full Report: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/publication/wcms_159585.pdf Synthesis: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---ifp_skills/documents/publication/wcms_156220.pdf Lutz, W. and K. C. Samir (2011). "Global Human Capital: Integrating Education and Population." Science 333(29 July 2011): 587-592. Martinez-Fernandez, C., C. Hinojosa and G. Miranda (2010). Green jobs and skills: the local labour market implications of addressing climate change. Paris, OECD. http://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/44683169.pdf |
| 8 | 16.12.2014 | Sustainable work Task 4 (due 16 Dec 2014 at 8am) - Read the materials listed below actively and answer the following questions: What is sustainable work? What are the key dimensions in which sustainable work differs from current work? Which questions do you have? Reading: Coote, A., et al. (2010). 21 hours - Why a shorter working week can help us all to flourish in the 21st century. London, New Economics Foundations (NEF): 40. http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/entry/21-hours Parrish, B. D. (2010). "Sustainability-driven entrepreneurship: Principles of organization design." Journal of Business Venturing 25(5): 510-523. Van Parijs, P. (2013). "The Universal Basic Income: Why Utopian Thinking Matters, and How Sociologists Can Contribute to It." Politics & Society 41(2): 171-182. |
| 9 | 13.01.2015 | Sustainable work Reading: Coote, A., et al. (2010). 21 hours - Why a shorter working week can help us all to flourish in the 21st century. London, New Economics Foundations (NEF): 40. http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/entry/21-hours Parrish, B. D. (2010). "Sustainability-driven entrepreneurship: Principles of organization design." Journal of Business Venturing 25(5): 510-523. Van Parijs, P. (2013). "The Universal Basic Income: Why Utopian Thinking Matters, and How Sociologists Can Contribute to It." Politics & Society 41(2): 171-182. |
| 10 | 20.01.2015 | Pathways to sustainable work Task 5 (due 20 January 2015 at 8am) - Read the materials listed below actively (choose one out of the following four) and answer the following questions: How do we get to sustainable work? What are the pathways to sustainable work? Reading: Bergmann, F. (2004). Neue Arbeit, Neue Kultur, Arbor-Verlag. Jackson, T. (2009). Prosperity without growth - economics for a finite planet. London, Earthscan. Or Jackson, T. (2011). Wohlstand ohne Wachstum - Leben und Wirtschaften in einer endlichen Welt. München, ökom Verlag. Leach, M., et al. (2007). Pathways to Sustainability:an overview of the STEPS Centre approach. Brighton, STEPS Centre: 28. http://steps-centre.org/methods/pathways-approach/ Schor, J. B. (2010). In Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth, Penguin Press HC. |
| 11 | 27.01.2015 | Pathways to sustainable work Reading: Bergmann, F. (2004). Neue Arbeit, Neue Kultur, Arbor-Verlag. Jackson, T. (2009). Prosperity without growth - economics for a finite planet. London, Earthscan. Or Jackson, T. (2011). Wohlstand ohne Wachstum - Leben und Wirtschaften in einer endlichen Welt. München, ökom Verlag. Leach, M., et al. (2007). Pathways to Sustainability:an overview of the STEPS Centre approach. Brighton, STEPS Centre: 28. http://steps-centre.org/methods/pathways-approach/ Schor, J. B. (2010). In Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth, Penguin Press HC. !!At the end of this class, the take home exam will be distributed!! |
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