Imagining the Future for Transformation (2024/2025: Periode 1)

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Cursusdoel

All around us we hear that we desperately need to ‘transform’ current systems and imagine alternative futures. While ‘the future’ by definition does not exist yet, our expectations about what the future can or should look like profoundly shape our actions in the present. ‘Imagining the future for transformation’ provides an overview of theories and methodologies that question how diverse groups of actors imagine the future to foster, oppose, or reorient processes of societal transformation – a process we call ‘futuring’. This course aims to expand your critical capacity to question and challenge the politics and dynamics that commonly narrow our imagination of possible futures and reinforce the status quo, alongside fostering your creative capacity to enable diverse groups to reimagine and enact more just and sustainable futures.

At the end of this course, you will be able to:
  • Recognize and describe theories that explain how historical and present approaches to imagining the future may enable or constrain possible futures.
  • Apply relevant theories, concepts and frameworks to characterize and critically reflect upon existing approaches that societal groups take to engender transformation in diverse geographies around the world.
  • Compare a wide spectrum of approaches to futuring and evaluate their advantages/risks, and possible implications for societal processes of decision-making, justice and sustainability.
  • Collaboratively design and evaluate a transdisciplinary learning process aimed at influencing the trajectory of societal groups seeking to transform the future.

Vakinhoudelijk

We often move through life with our backs to the future - so preoccupied with troubles of the past or immediacy of the present, that we struggle to imagine how things could be otherwise. There is a clear need to collectively reorient towards the future. Yet, we typically lack the concepts and methodologies to convincingly challenge the status quo of the present whilst simultaneously opening up our collective imagination to radically different possible futures and pathways for action.

In our new elective ‘Imagining the future for transformation’ – offered by the Urban Futures Studio for the first time starting September 2023 – you will learn how to become both an archeologist and co-designer of the future. An archaeologist in the sense of uncovering the politics and dynamics that have narrowed what futures are seen as possible, or even plausible. A co-designer through your collaboration with diverse societal groups to generate approaches that can help expand our imagination and action towards more just and sustainable futures.

The first half of the course provides a strong theoretical and methodological grounding in ‘futuring’. You will come to see how futuring is a key part of social and political organization and outcomes everywhere. We will explore critical perspectives on why it so difficult to imagine and bring about ‘better’ futures, alongside state of the art techniques for facilitating collective imagination in ways that enable societal transformation. For example, we will examine how historical sustainability mapping and modelling practices as well as popular media and fiction have contributed to the construction of particular futures. Alongside this, we will explore a range of emergent futuring practices that employ artistic, participatory, and decolonial approaches to overcome western biases in how sustainability issues and possible futures are imagined. Through a mixture of (guest) lectures and creative interactive exercises, you will be introduced to diverse approaches to mapping, modelling, and speculative fiction.

During the second half of the course, you will put your learning to practice by working closely with one of six initiatives around the world that use futuring techniques to enable societal transformation. You will engage with researchers and societal actors such as policymakers, activists and artists involved in these initiatives to co-design an innovative approach to futuring. The collection of approaches will be shared in a virtual exhibition on how imagining the future can enable transformation around the world. This group assignment will make up 50% of your grade. Other forms of assessment include an essay on the art of futuring, where you will distill your critical and creative ideas on how engaging with futures can enable transformation (30%), and an end of the course critical reflection on your learning process (20%).

In summary, this course provides a unique mixture of critical, creative and participatory skills that will enhance the societal impact of your future work well beyond this course. This course is highly interdisciplinary and thus we welcome master’s students enrolled in a wide range of social, political, environmental, and technical oriented programmes concerned with how and why society transforms in particular directions (and not others). All master’s students across Utrecht University are eligible to join this course; however, only 55 spots in total are available.

Werkvormen

Lectures

Tutorials

Toetsing

Eindresultaat

Verplicht | Weging 1% | ECTS 7,5

Ingangseisen en voorkennis

Ingangseisen

Je moet een geldige toelatingsbeschikking hebben

Voorkennis

Students should have some affinity with issues of sustainability and transformation. We expect the basics of sustainability issues to be understood, and further wish incoming students to have a basic understanding of what the sustainability transformations may entail. That being said, there are no entry requirements for this course beyond being enrolled for a MA degree programme at Utrecht University. We welcome students who choose this course to broaden their horizons, only 55 spots available.

Voertalen

  • Engels

Cursusmomenten

Gerelateerde studies

Tentamens

Er is geen tentamenrooster beschikbaar voor deze cursus

Verplicht materiaal

Er is geen informatie over de verplichte literatuur bekend


Aanbevolen materiaal

Er is geen informatie over de aanbevolen literatuur bekend

Coördinator

dr. J.M. Chambers j.m.chambers@uu.nl

Docenten

dr. J.M. Chambers j.m.chambers@uu.nl
dr. ir. J. Colen Ladeia Torrens MSc j.colenladeiatorrens@uu.nl
prof. dr. M.A. Hajer m.a.hajer@uu.nl
dr. J.J. Oomen j.j.oomen@uu.nl
dr. Z.B. Sheik z.b.sheik@uu.nl

Inschrijving

Deze cursus is open voor bijvakkers. Controleer wel of er aanvullende ingangseisen gelden.

Inschrijving
Van maandag 3 juni 2024 tot en met vrijdag 21 juni 2024

Na-inschrijving
Van maandag 19 augustus 2024 tot en met dinsdag 20 augustus 2024

Inschrijving niet geopend
Permanente link naar de cursuspagina
Laat in de Cursus-Catalogus zien