January 18 at 13.15, Mandatory course introduction Technology, Power and the Future of Humanity, 7.5 credits, in Uppsala Learning Lab, Blåsenhus, von Kraemers Allé 1A, map: www.blasenhus.uu.se/om-blasenhus/besok/hittahit. At the course introduction, we will introduce the key course themes and the course process.
Welcome to the Technology, Future and the Future of Humanity – distance course. Below are the readings, videos and tasks for part 1, which runs January 18th-29th.
Video
David Nye, Technology Matters
Donna Haraway, “Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Chthulucene: Staying with the Trouble”, 5/9/14 from AURA on Vimeo.
Don Tapscott: Four principles for the open world
Doreen Stabinsky on Climate change leadership on the road to paris and beyond
Karen O’Brien on the climate change as an adaptive challenge.
Dougald Hine, “A Storm is Blowing from Paradise”
Hans Rosling, “The magic washing machine”
Tasks
- Friday Jan 22nd (or before): post brief introduction of yourself and what brought you to this course on course forum thread “Participant introductions” at www.studentportalen.uu.se
- Jan 25th–29th: make two–three posts to the course forum thread “Sustainability & technology” at www.studentportalen.uu.se, where you reflect on how technology relates to sustainability challenges. How and in which contexts can technology contribute to sustainable development, and how can it be part of the problem? Relate your reflection to videos and readings from part 1. One of your posts should be a response to another course participants reflection.
Readings
- Nye, D. (2006) Technology Matters (course book). Cambridge: The MIT Press, ch. 1: Can we define technology?, pp. 1-15; ch. 6: Sustainable Abundance, or Ecological Crisis?, pp. 86–108.
- Revkin (2015). Can Humanity’s ‘Great Acceleration’ Be Managed and, If So, How? Available here: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/can-humanitys-great-acceleration-be-managed-and-if-so-how/?_r=1
- O’Brien, K. & Sygna, L. (2014). Responding to Climate Change: The Three Spheres of Transformation. Available here: http://cchange.no/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/1-Responding-to-climate-change-Three-spheres-of-transformation_OBrien-and-Sygna_webversion_FINAL.pdf
Introductory texts to sustainability
The readings below introduce key sustainability concepts and tensions. They are not mandatory reading, but useful to get up to speed on important sustainable development themes.
- Heinberg, R. (2010). What Is Sustainability? In: Heinberg, R. & Lerch, D. (eds) The Post Carbon Reader: Managing the 21st Century’s Sustainability Crises. Healdsburg, CA: Watershed Media. http://www.postcarbon.org/publications/what-is-sustainability/
- Sustainable development goals: changing the world in 17 steps – interactive
- O’Brien, K. (2013) What’s the problem? Putting global environmental change into perspective. In World Social Science Report 2013: Changing Global Environments. (2013). Paris: UNESCO and ISSC. Available here: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/world-social-science-report-2013/what-s-the-problem-putting-global-environmental-change-into-perspective_9789264203419-8-en
- Jensen, D. (2015). Sustainable Development is a Lie. Available here: http://www.fairobserver.com/more/environment/sustainable-development-is-a-lie-90676/
- Sachs, W. (1999) Sustainable Development and the Crisis of Nature: On the Political Anatomy of an Oxymoron. In Fischer, F. & Hajer, M. A. (red.) (1999). Living with nature: environmental politics as cultural discourse. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. Available here: http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/019829509X.001.0001/acprof-9780198295099-chapter-2 (available through Uppsala University Library)
- Klare, M. (2016). There will be chaos: Big Oil’s collapse and the birth of a new world order. Available here: http://www.salon.com/2016/01/14/there_will_be_blood …
Open Lectures and Events in Uppsala
CEMUS Opening Lecture January 18: Education, Sustainable Development and the Challenges of Climate Change
With Doreen Stabinsky, Zennström Visiting Professor in Climate Change Leadership.
Monday January 18, 18.15-20.00, in Hambergssalen, Geocentrum, Villavägen 16, Uppsala.
Öppen föreläsning 20 januari: Världsekonomi och hållbar utveckling: verkliga dilemman och mentala fängelser
Onsdag 20 januari kl. 15.15-17.00 i Norrland 2, Geocentrum, föreläser Örjan Appelqvist, docent internationella relationer och ekonomisk historia.
Kl. 17.15-18.00 – Fortsatt diskussion med Örjan Appelqvist om världsekonomins dilemman.
Framtidsakademin 27 januari: Land och stad – nya relationer i en osäker tid
Föreläsning av Erik Westholm, SLU.
Onsdagar kl 18.00–19.30
STADSBIBLIOTEKET, Svartbäcksgatan 17
Kostnadsfria föreläsningar. Välkommen att diskutera framtidens frågor med dagens forskare!
January 28: CEMUS Roots Project Café
With the new year officially around the corner, it’s time to let everyone know about your projects and ideas! For that occasion CEMUS Roots is hosting the next Project Café on Thursday 28th of January at 16.15 in the CEMUS library. The project café will be followed by a spring semester start-up mingle in CEMUS Library.
As we always do, we encourage everyone to bring new ideas and projects..and please feel free to join us even if you have never been at any of our events! We love meeting new people.
Looking forward to see you all.