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AOS236 Sustainability Leadership

Credits (ECTS):10

Course responsible:Astrid Charlotta Levay

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Engelsk

Course frequency:Annually.

Nominal workload:250 hours.

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in the spring parallel. This course has teaching/evaluation in the spring parallel.

About this course

The course provides an introduction to leadership for sustainability. It recognises the formidable challenges facing anybody who attempts to question established practices, mindsets, and power structures. It explores the potential role of individual and collective leadership in promoting sustainability in organisations and business sectors. The focus is on alternative, ‘post-heroic’ approaches to leadership and management, especially shared and distributed leadership to address ‘wicked problems’ relating to sustainability challenges. Students are introduced to contrasting perspectives and train to apply them to practical contexts and situations. Students thus prepare for the complexities of leading sustainability initiatives among contemporary organisations.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

  • Demonstrate thorough knowledge and insight into the perspectives, theories, and concepts that are presented throughout the course.
  • Show awareness of the challenges involved in promoting sustainability in different organisational contexts.
  • Display a theoretically informed and nuanced understanding of the role of leadership processes in advancing sustainability goals.

Skills

  • Show ability to apply contrasting perspectives of sustainability leadership to specific issues.
  • Demonstrate ability to develop critical, reflective perspectives to sustainability leadership.
  • Show capacity to analyse and suggest solutions to practical problems using course concepts.

General competencies

  • Demonstrate ability to communicate in English on complex issues, both verbally and in writing.
  • Can work both individually and as a member of a group to analyse and resolve complex problems.
  • Can read and understand social science articles and use them to analyse multifaceted social phenomena.
  • Learning activities
    Lectures, seminars, written group assignment and group presentation.
  • Recommended prerequisites
    Students should have completed one year of university studies.
  • Assessment method
    Combined assessment. A group assignment that counts 30% and an individual written, on campus exam (3.5 hours) that counts 70%. The group assignment and the exam must be written in English.

    Group assignment Grading: Letter grades Written exam Grading: Letter grades Permitted aids: A1 No calculator, no other aids
  • Examiner scheme
    An external examiner will assess the curriculum and principles for evaluation. Grades will be set by the teacher.
  • Mandatory activity
    Attendance at the first lecture and active participation in all seminars. Students must pass the seminars before taking the exam.
  • Teaching hours
    4 hours lectures or seminars per week.
  • Admission requirements
    Minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway (generell studiekompetanse)