15005 - Sustainability Transformation: Systems, Actors and Pathways Modulübersicht

• Prof. Dr. rer. pol. habil. Lee, Roh Pin

After attending the module, students are able to:

• explain sustainability as a systemic socio-ecological challenge at the intersection of planetary and societal boundaries;
• apply the concepts of social metabolism and provisioning systems to analyze how societies interact with nature to satisfy human needs:
• distinguish major historical milestones, discourses, and competing paradigms in sustainability thinking; 
• critically assess the roles, responsibilities, and conflicts among states, firms, civil societies, and NGOs;  
• analyze the governance function of political regulations and institutional frameworks across global, European, and national scales;  
• understand socio-technical transition frameworks, including path dependencies, lock-ins, leverage points, and multi-level dynamics;  
• evaluate alternative transformation approaches such as degrowth, rights of nature and sufficiency;  
• assess sectoral sustainability challenges in multiple sectors ranging from food, energy, mobility, housing to care systems;
• explain how historical inequalities, colonial structures, and justice dimensions shape sustainability concepts and transformation pathways;
• reflect on the role of science, models, expertise, and transdisciplinary research in transformation processes.

By attending the module, students will gain a fundamental understanding of sustainability concepts including their developments, contexts, tools and actors as well as alternative transformation approaches. Especially:

• Introduction to sustainability as a socio-ecological crisis and problem framing
• Historical evolution of sustainability thinking, concepts, and contested discourses
• Actors, governance, legitimacy, and societal responsibility
• Political regulations and institutional sustainability frameworks
• Transformation pathways, socio-technical models, and leverage points
• Alternative approaches: Degrowth, Sufficiency, Rights of nature

Case examples:

• Food systems: provisioning, agroecology, land use, and food sovereignty
• Energy systems: historical regimes, fossil lock-ins, decentralization, and energy democracy
• Mobility systems: car-centered infrastructures and fossil vs. electric transport
• Housing systems: housing justice, secure living, renovation, and ecological building
• Care systems: social reproduction, gender justice, and sustainable care infrastructures
• Transformative science and transdisciplinary collaboration, critical reflection, and integrative assessment

This course employs an inverted classroom (flipped classroom) approach: Classroom meetings focus on deepening understanding through structured reflection, discussion, and practical group exercises. These activities provide opportunities for students to articulate and apply their knowledge, collaborate with peers, and clarify questions under the guidance of the course instructor.

Prior to each session, students are expected to engage in independent preparation by studying assigned readings and completing guiding questions which will be posed on Moodle (Note: No preparation is required before the first session).

• Lecture / 2 Hours per Week per Semester
• Seminar / 2 Hours per Week per Semester
• Self organised studies / 120 Hours

• assigned readings and guiding questions which will be posed on Moodle 

Student performance in this course will be evaluated based on a combination of continuous engagement, collaborative work, and summative assessment, as follows:

• Pre-Session Assignments, 1-2 hours each (50%) – Students are required to submit responses to 10 out of 12 sets of guided questions on Moodle prior to each session. These assignments assess preparation, comprehension of the readings, and the ability to engage with key concepts. 
• Active participation in practical group exercises during in-person sessions (30%)  - These exercises focus on collaborative knowledge application, reflection, and problem-solving 
• Final E-Assessment, 60 min  (20%) – A summative e-assessment evaluates students’ overall understanding, analytical skills, and capacity to integrate knowledge across the module.

Grades will reflect both individual preparation and contribution to group learning activities,ensuring alignment with the module’s learning outcomes.

• Master (research-oriented) / Chemistry: Materials, Engineering and Sustainability / PO 2025
• Master (research-oriented) / Environmental and Resource Management / PO 2021
• Master (research-oriented) / Transformation Studies / PO 2024

• Lectures 2 hours per week per semester
• Group Work/Seminars/Projects 2 hours per week per semester, including presentations

• 510604 Lecture Sustainability Transformation: Systems, Actors, and Pathways - 2 Hours per Week per Semester
• 510605 Seminar Sustainability Transformation: Systems, Actors, and Pathways - 2 Hours per Week per Semester