Theories of Sustainable Transitions, CPH (2013)

Ph.D. Course Theories of Sustainable Transitions

When: May 22-24 2013

Where: Aalborg University – Copenhagen

Room C1/2.1.042

Description

This PhD course is intended for students conducting research related to analysis, design and innovation processes for the needed transformations to achieve sustainability goals. The teachers of the course will offer advanced discussion in theories of transitions and will illustrate their theoretical work through case studies conducted in various places including Holland, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Argentina. These case studies range from local community based initiatives, to city projects to country and regional programs for sustainability. International collaboration efforts will also be discussed.

Objectives

At the end of this course the students would be able to:

  1. Explain how their own project and ideas relate to state of the art discussions in transitions theories (MLP; TIS; AOD)

  2. Explain the principal issues involved in innovations for sustainable transitions.

  3. Describe the main challenges and efforts to sustainable transitions in Brazil and Argentina.

  4. Describe the main challenges and efforts to sustainable transitions in urban settings analysing examples from Europe and Latin America.

  5. Describe the main governance challenges and advancements in relation to governance theories to achieve sustainable transitions.

Lecturers

Adrian Smith, Senior Lecturer SPRU - Science and Technology Policy Research, The Sussex Energy Group, United Kingdom

Anabel Marín, Researcher, Centro de Investigaciones para la Transformación (Transformation Research Center), Argentina

Ulrik Jørgensen, Director, Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transitions DIST, Aalborg University, Copenhagen

Enza Lissandrello, Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University.

Andrés Valderrama, Jens Stissing Jensen and Erik H. Lauridsen, DIST, Aalborg University, Copenhagen.

Credits:

5 ECTS with full paper

2,5 ECTS without paper

Location: Aalborg University, Copenhagen Campus, A. C. Meyers Vænge, 2450, Copenhagen SV Room C1/2.1.042

Activity timeline:

Students should:

  1. Enroll in the course by 31 March 2013 at https://phd.moodle.aau.dk/login/

  2. Deliver a one-page description of their project by 10 of April 2013. Please be clear about what are the questions of your research project and in what ways you imagine that the transitions theories might be supportive.

  3. Deliver by the 15th of May 2013 a three-page analysis of how their project relates to the course. In what ways does the literature help the project? In what ways does the project serves as a basis to criticize the literature?

  4. Make a presentation during the course in order to get feedback from the teachers. The aim of the presentation is that students test their ideas of how the theories of transitions might be supportive of their project. (This is optional but strongly recommended)

  5. Deliver by the 15th of June 2013 a 10 page paper with the full elaboration of their ideas. Ideally this exercise should support the students’ progress in their PhD either by advancing her state of the art review, a chapter, an article or any kind of structured idea.

In short:

Deadline for enrolment: 31 March 2013

Deadline for project paper: 10 of April 2013

Preparatory reading and writing: 1 April – 15 May 2013

Deadline for preliminary analysis: 15 May 2013

Meetings: 22-24 May (3 full days)

Delivery of a 10 page paper: 15 June 2013