Description
This Summer School unfolds the United Nations’ sustainable development goals through student participation in a cross-cultural and cross-educational context. The goals derive from the United Nations’ international agreements on processing towards explicit sustainability in 2030. They are unique in that they call for action from all countries; poor, rich and middle-income alike to promote prosperity, all the while protecting the planet. The course will focus on global topics related to the sustainable development goals. As an important part of the summer school, you will get real-life challenges from co-creative partners outside VIA University College. The co-creative partners can be NGOs, private companies, socio-economic companies/organisations or public authorities. Students are free to choose among several challenges all related to the UN’s 17 SDGs. You will work in close cooperation with the partners to find relevant and useful solutions to the challenges. The solutions will contribute to the partners’ daily activities. The course focuses mainly on goals related to issues such as social equality and social inclusion, nutrition, health and culture combined with environmental issues.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge • The UN’s 17 SDGs in local, national and global contexts Topics and challenges related to the UN’s 17 SDGs • How professional explorative processes can be initiated with others in relation to the global topics • How the student’s own professional practice, as well as the profession’s duties and areas of responsibility, can create added value in a cross cultural and interdisciplinary contexts Skills • Create and make use of network • Reflect and work explorative to solve challenges related to UN’s 17 SDGs • Use innovative methods and principles in problem-solving • Use fieldwork and research methods Competencies • Develop innovative ideas for small improvements and solutions for the real-life challenges • Combine theoretical and practice-based knowledge with innovative study and work forms • Facilitate and communicate a cross cultural project for internal and external partners • Provide co-creational yields through community involvement in different contexts
Assessment
A group-based written assignment followed by an oral examination in groups. During the oral examination, students will partly be examined individually, and all students will be graded individually.