A meaningful sustainability transition starts with a change in people's mindsets

Hello fellow student, I am here to present to you my personal views about the Sustainability Transitions module. What struck me from the very first lecture was its core aim: to learn to understand people from different academic and other backgrounds, bring them together and help them by giving them direction to a sustainable world. Beyond research, I believe that is exactly what university should be about.

Furthermore, my impression was that the lecturer would not content themselves with hiding behind scientific objectivity but would express their own views. This openness, in addition to being inspiring, encouraged me to continue to develop my own academic voice and move beyond simply delivering knowledge.

Comprehensive changes support sustainability transitions

Content-wise, the module emphasizes systemic, multi-dimensional and multi-actor transitions rather than incremental improvements. In today's world, simply relying on small tweaks feels increasingly unrealistic.

Active group discussions deepened understanding and promoted learning

I very much enjoyed attending the class in person, as our lively discussions really enriched the learning. The assignments were thoughtfully structured and helped with learning – first we explored theories e.g. how to bring about sustainability transitions by using e.g. leverage points, then we wrote a paper about it, and finally deepened our understanding through group discussions about the papers. These discussions felt far more engaging than traditional seminar formats where one presents one´s work and others comment on it.

A meaningful sustainability transition needs a change in people's mindsets

Although the module is not complete yet, it has already affirmed a belief I have held: a meaningful sustainability transition requires a shift in people's mindsets. This partially led me to pause business studies and pursue psychology instead.

Read more:

WISP2201 Introduction to sustainability transitions (2 cr)

WISUSTRAN Basic multidisciplinary studies in sustainability transitions (25+ cr)

Towards a sustainable future – education across disciplinary boundaries