Course syllabus for Technology for a global sustainable society

Course syllabus adopted 2021-02-17 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameTeknik för ett hållbart globalt samhälle
  • CodeTEK735
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKITE
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyEnergy and Environmental Systems and Technology
  • ThemeEnvironment 7.5 c
  • DepartmentTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 52136
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0119 Project 3 c
Grading: TH
3 c0 c0 c0 c0 c0 c
0219 Take-home examination 4.5 c
Grading: TH
4.5 c0 c0 c0 c0 c0 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

- Explain the concept of sustainable development from different dimensions and perspectives.
- Explain causes of unsustainable development and applicable examples of conditions and trends in natural and societal systems. For example: affluence, resource exploitation, consumption, economic driving forces/obstacles, lock-in effects, emissions, etc.
- Describe the relationship between IT, nature and society.
- Use methods and tools for simple analyses of environmental impacts during the lifecycle of a product. For example. overview of resource use, emissions, environmental impacts and system consequences of a particular technical system.
- Use problem solving and critical and creative thinking in groups, to bring IT development and IT use in relation to social, ecological and economic aspects of sustainable development.
- Reflect on the own professional role and professional responsibility as well as the role as citizen in relation to sustainable development.
- Reflect on the relationship of facts and value in debates about sustainability. 
- Identify ethical dilemmas within sustainable development.

Content

- Basic principles of sustainable development
- Global sustainable development goals
- Differences among perspectives and discussions of sustainable development
- The role of the IT engineer in a sustainable society
- Formulating an IT project that contributes to sustainable development. 
- Sustainability challenges of IT 
- Life Cycle Analysis
- Climate change in a sustainable development context
- Writing reports for different readers

Organisation

The teaching is carried out through lectures in parallel with a project conducted in groups and is presented in writing and orally.
A mandatory literature seminar emphasises critical thinking.
One part of the course focuses on theoretical principles in sustainable development and serves as the basis for the formulation of a vision for the project. This part is accounted for in an individual take-home exam submitted after the end of the course.
The second part of the course is a group project comprising the identification of a sustainability problem, tools for analysis of the current situation and developing an IT-based contribution to solving the sustainability problem identified by the groups. The group project is accounted for in a written report and an oral presentation. 

Literature

Course literature will be announced on the course webpage.

Examination including compulsory elements

Group project presented in writing and orally (3hp). Individual take-home exam (4,5hp).
Grades: F, 3, 4, 5. 
Both parts must have been passed to pass the course.
One mandatory literature seminar.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.