Location:

Berlin, Germany

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Summer

Program Overview

Program Description:

The mode of instruction consists of class lectures and presentations etc. This course has been designed for students of social sciences (incl. law, business, commerce), sciences and engineering at senior undergraduate level with an interest in sustainability and sustainable development. A general background in either law or another discipline relating to the environment is desirable, but no specific expertise in environmental law or governance theory is required. This course is taught by Dr. Andrzej Ancygier from Universität Berlin / FUBiS. He specializes in the topic of European integration with the focus on the European energy and renewable energy policy. He currently works on German and Polish renewable energy policies and the impact of the European climate and energy policy on the economic development in the EU member countries.

This course is taught at Freie Universität Berlin / FUBiS (Berlin, Germany) as part of the China Europe International Summer School (CEISS). The course introduces students to the politics, ethics, and governance of sustainability. The key challenges of our time are global by nature. However, the current system of global governance based on sovereign states (often in competition with each other) is ill-equipped to meet challenges such as poverty, climate change, environmental degradation and availability of resources. As states cannot on their own provide for a sustainable future of their citizens, they are increasingly forced into a logic of sustainability for all people and responsibility for the global commons. This new logic is grounded on the scientific truth of planetary boundaries, but equally on ethical requirements (e.g. caring for the Earth). The course examines major current global challenges divided into economic, political and environmental issues with special focus on the situation in the European Union and China. In the second part of the course the main existing and potential solutions to these problems will be discussed. During the discussions in class and field trips we will try to find out why these solutions have not been implemented so far and what is needed to make our global society more sustainable, especially in economic and environmental terms. Thus, we will also analyze the current system of international treaties with their normative principles (sovereignty, equality, human rights) and institutions (governments, international organizations, civil society). Special focus will be put on the role of the United Nations as an organization whose goal has been to prevent and solve major global issues. We will try to find out to what degree the UN was effective and successful in fulfilling this mission. We will also take a look at the Earth Charter and analyze to what degree it shows the direction in which our global community should develop.

Setting Description:

Established in 1948 in the wake of the Second World War, Freie Universität Berlin ("Free University of Berlin") was founded by professors and students, in response to the persecution faced by students who tool a critical eye at developments in the Soviet sector of the then divided city. The idea of a free university found widespread support in the international community. Today, the Freie Universität Berlin is consistently ranked among Germany's top universities overall, with particularly strong showing in the arts & humanities followed by the social sciences. Research at the university is focused on the humanities and social sciences, as well as on health and natural sciences. Times Higher Education ranked FUB 86th in its 2013 international ranking, while the 2013 QS World University Rankings ranked Freie at 109th internationally. Most of the facilities of Freie Universität are located in the residential garden district of Dahlem in southwestern Berlin. With 33,000 applicants for t

Cost:

1.470 Euro (course fee + course materials + housing + insurance)