How to Change the World: Initiatives toward Sustainable Business, Design and Technology

Coordinator and main instructor:

Minna Halme
Liisa Välikangas
Asta Raami
Samu Mielonen
Guest speakers (see below)

Level of the course:

Master

Schedule:

Spring term 2010 (whole term)

Language of the course:

English

For how many students:

30 (10 from all Aalto schools if more than 30 applicants)

This course is restricted to 30 students. If there are more candidates, the quota of 10 students per each Aalto school will be applied. The selection is made on the basis of the stage of studies (credit units on the Academic record) and motivation letter of 100 words, which are to be sent upon registration.

Registration:

Via e-mail: change [at] hse [dot] fi one week before the course starts at the latest.

Credits and structure of studies:

12 Cr
Approximately 25% of the workload of the course are the interactive lectures and workshops with Aalto staff and the guest professors. 75% of the workload consists of the students’ projects with collaborative organizations: non-governmental organizations, social enterprises or other.

Content:

  1. Introduction – Minna Halme, Liisa Välikangas, Asta Raami & Samu Mielonen
  2. Basics of applied sustainability – Minna Halme, Liisa Välikangas, Asta Raami, Samu Mielonen & a local guest lecturer
  3. Guest lecture & workshop by Professor Prabhu Kandachar, Technical University of Delft:  Co-creation of sustainable innovations for poverty alleviation (The Delft TU method) (approximately 8 hours)
  4. Student projects on change initiatives toward sustainability. Students will work in small groups of 3-5 persons with individual tutors for each group
  5. Professor Howard Gardner, Harvard University: Good work— learning about work that is excellent in quality, socially responsible, and meaningful to its practitioners. In addition to lecturing, professor Gardner will discuss with the students about how to continue from the work that was initiated during the course.

Learning outcomes:

How to change the world –course exposes the world with challenges. Through various case studies a student gets an idea of real world societal problems: what they are, how they can be modeled systematically, and why it is important to tackle them.

During the project work phase, a student gains practical and theoretical knowledge in problem modeling, knowledge building, solution finding, and initiative making while working in teams of shared expertise. Further, the work phase gives hands-on practice of cross-disciplinary approach, e.g. appropriate tools, attitude, collaboration skills and networking needed in wicked problem solving.
The emphasis is on increasing understanding of the importance of making initiatives and focusing on impacts, as well as solving challenging real life problems collaboratively.

The course aims at developing the following meta level skills:

  • Encountering wicked problems – encouraging to face unsolved and unclear
  • Basic understanding the interconnectedness of social and ecological
  • Sharing knowledge – widening personal knowledge and expertise
  • Respecting others – appreciating different domains and point of views
  • Surpassing oneself – expanding personal capacities
  • Increasing personal activity – learning to make initiatives
  • Understanding the power of creativity – designing the future

Requirements:

  • Attendance in interactive lectures and workshops
    Field work
    Group work output: Creative report taking the form of e.g. manifesto, experiment or “gift delivery”
    Personal output: Learning diary

The course will be part of Creative Sustainability and IDBM study programmes, however, during spring 2010 there aren't any quotas for students studying in theses programmes.


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