WISO300556 Foresight - what future to expect?

Type
Lecture and exercise
Semester hours
2
Lecturer (assistant)
Kirchner, Mathias , Körner, Daniel , Kromp-Kolb, Helga , Spittler, Nathalie
Organisation
Sustainable Economic Development
Offered in
Wintersemester 2025/26
Languages of instruction
Englisch
Content

This course equips students with the skills to approach possible future sustainability challenges in a structured and methodical way. In an era of multiple crises and accelerating breaches of planetary boundaries, developing future literacy is essential for fostering and achieving sustainable development. Students will explore major global trends – including well-being, resource and energy use, and the climate and biodiversity crises – while learning key concepts and methods from the field of foresight, such as scenario development and systems thinking. The course combines conceptual understanding with practical tools to address these pressing challenges in depth
Previous knowledge expected

None / Interest in sustainability, global change issues, and future developments
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

Knowledge:
•Foresight and Scenarios
oStudents are familiar with current global trends
oStudents can explain the main concepts and methods and discuss their advantages as well as limits
oStudents can critically reflect on future scenarios and their underlying assumptions
•Systems Thinking
oStudents know that it is important to consider the whole picture
oStudents know that the interconnectedness of different systems can create complex dynamics and unexpected patterns

Skills:
•Scenario development
oStudents are able to develop different consistent and plausible scenarios about the future

Professional/vocational competencies:
•Working in teams

Personal competencies:
•Future literacy
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.