Course package within GCUA 2030

Last changed: 14 February 2023

GCUA 2030 will offer four PhD-courses running from May to November 2023. The courses can be taken as a full package or as individual courses and are free of charge for students affiliated to a GCUA 2030 university.

Do you want your research to contribute to making the world a better place? Would you like to interact with doctoral students from all over the world? If yes, you should probably sign up for one or several of the GCUA 2030 PhD courses.

By the year 2050 the world´s population will exceed nine billion people. We need to solve the equation of meeting a growing demand for food while reducing its environmental impacts – and it all needs to be done under a changing climate. Research and innovation, translated into relevant action on a global scale is essential to meet these global challenges.

In these short PhD courses (1.5 or 2.0 credits each), you will learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and enhance your ability to integrate the SDGs into your research and teaching. The courses will also cover aspects on how scientific knowledge can be translated into action by using the concept of Theory of Change (ToC), and how to measure impact of your research. You will strengthen your intercultural competence and explore the meaning and impact of culture in different contexts, all while also broadening your network.

The course package will be divided into four courses:

1. Working and communicating across cultures

Working and communicating across cultures (1.5 credits) - Natalie Jellinek

May 2023

The aim of this course is to allow the students to familiarise themselves with how intercultural competence and communication might impact and contribute to the work towards the SDGs. The course will foster awareness and understanding of different perspectives and priorities regarding sustainability, especially from the social dimension – starting from the individual and considering how one’s own ways of thinking and doing might affect and be affected by culture. How does our own “individual backpack” influence the way we work across academic, professional, disciplinary and/or background cultures?

Working towards the implementation and achievement of the SDGs will require increased collaboration across borders, universities, and disciplines. This course will explore the meaning of culture in different contexts and its potential impact on international collaboration and teamwork, while also considering teaching and learning implications.

2. Agenda 2030: Synergies, conflicts, and assessment tools

Agenda 2030: Synergies, conflicts, and assessment tools (1.5 credits) - Emelie Zonabend König

June 2023

The aim of this course is to allow the students to familiarise themselves with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to get an understanding of their implications for higher education and research. The course will foster awareness and understanding of different perspectives and priorities regarding sustainability in its three dimensions – social, economic and environmental – and in doing so will also introduce students to possibilities for further in-depth study in additional GCUA2030 courses (see below). The course will provide guidance on how to constructively identify and approach goal conflicts and discuss trade-offs and synergies central to achieving the SDGs. The students will apply tools that will help them to analyse and plan research projects that have potential impact with regards to the SDGs.

3. Education for sustainable development: Teaching for sustainability

Education for sustainable development: Teaching for sustainability (1.5 credits) - Peter Aspengren

September - October 2023

The aim of this course is to allow the students to get a start to prepare for teaching in higher education in a way that strives toward the SDGs. The point of departure is the concept Education for sustainable development (ESD).

ESD is about what to teach, how to teach and how to interact with students. In this course, the student will start planning his/her teaching considering the environmental, social and economic sustainability perspectives in its research/subject area context, linking theoretical facts to real-life issue. We are going to work to try to understand how to teach in a global context where the seemingly objective world of research interacts with a world full of attitudes, values and agendas.

4. Designing research with impact using the Theory of Change approach

Designing research with impact using the Theory of Change approach (2.0 credits) - Isabel Vogel

November 2023

The aim of this course is for the students to learn how to apply the ToC approach that will allow them to plan for impact in research projects and help them analyse and describe potential impact of research.

Translating research into action is important for achieving the SDGs. This course will cover aspects on how scientific knowledge can be translated into action by using the concept of ToC, and principles for tracking research impact. PhD students will apply the ToC framework on their own research projects to learn how to design, plan, manage and revise research projects for increased impact and relevance.

Extent

The 1.5 credit courses will be given over 4 weeks in total at 25% study pace (equivalent to 5 days of full-time studies. The Theory of Change course will be given over 5 weeks (equivalent to 6 days of full-time studies).

Entry requirements

The courses is freely available to PhD students and postdocs, and in some instances teaching staff, from universities in the Global Challenges University Alliance (GCUA 2030). Students from other universities may also potentially join, subject to the course fee and availability of places.

Enrollment and more information

For enrollment and further information on all courses visit the GCUA course homepage: GCUA 2030 (canvaslms.com). GCUA participants should contact the course coordinator in advance to enroll free of charge.

Facts:

The course is organised by SLU as part of the Global Challenges University Alliance (GCUA 2030), which is a network of 15 university partners from across the globe with a common vision of contributing to sustainable, global development. The courses are funded by STINT.