BTU overview
Faculty 5
Chair of Sociology of Technology and the Environment Prof. Dr. phil. Melanie Jaeger-Erben

BTU4Future - Participative climate protection Transdisciplinary module for climate protection and sustainable development

Since summer semester 2022, there is the transdisciplinary module "BTU4Future" - open to all students who want to deal with climate protection and sustainable development in a very practical way!

Core idea and objective

At BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, research is conducted from different disciplinary perspectives on climate protection as well as sustainable development. Whether the project of sustainable development succeeds, however, is determined not least by whether the manifold interconnections of climate change and social injustice are understood in their complexity. This requires suitable teaching formats that illuminate the problem of the climate crisis - as an interdisciplinary cross-cutting issue - and translate it into concrete knowledge for action. The teaching project "BTU Future - participatory climate action" develops an innovative didactic concept that bundles inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives and competencies and encourages, supports and actively involves the broadest possible student body as central shapers of sustainable development.

I will recommend this module to other students because of the active project work and the chance to help shape the university. It would be desirable if more projects and modules of this kind were offered at the university."(Course participant from the winter semester 2022/ 23)

In order to strengthen participation and practical relevance, the second component was set up together with the BTU's Information, Communication and Media Center (IKMZ/MMZ), as well as local practical partners (Fridays for Future Cottbus, Architects for Future Cottbus, Fablab Cottbus, Network of Open Workshops, Green University Group and the StuRa): This is a project workshop that motivates students to discover their own creative spaces and develop educational and action formats co-creatively in small groups. The aim of the project workshop is also for students to develop a critical understanding of universities as actors/locations for sustainable development and then to conceive and implement their own climate protection project ideas. Finally, the module aims to raise awareness of the complexity of the topic while providing tools to actively address climate change and sustainability challenges.

"The topics of the lecture series are very diverse and people from different courses are motivated to work together on something." (Course participant from summer semester 2022)

I met a lot of cool students with whom it was possible to implement a good idea." (Course participant from summer semester 2022)

What has happened so far?

The teaching project "BTU Future - Climate Protection Participatory" has already successfully gone through two semesters (SoSe22 + WiSe22/23). In the first run of the project, the focus was on the examination of one's own university as an actor of sustainable development and it initially remained with individual interventions by the students (including co-designing the Car-Free Campus Day). In the second run, this knowledge was followed up and concrete project ideas were developed and also implemented. These include the reopening of a student bicycle self-help workshop, the strengthening of the student university garden, a healthy snack vending machine and -in collaboration with the department- the implementation of the 2-day BTU4Future Festival in February 2023.

In March 2023 the BTU4Future module was awarded as "Best Practice Project" in the context of the 5th MintChallenge.

Media reports on the lecture series in the summer semester 2022

"The speakers and their research gave a super insight into where one's own journey could go in research - contacts were made from this and it was generally very encouraging." (Course participant from summer semester 2022)

To the festival as a conclusion of the module in the winter semester 2022/2023: