Welcome to the international world of social and environmental change! You will start your semester by collaborating with 2nd year International Development Management and Forestry students. Together you will be working on a real-life case with various stakeholders with opposing interests in the use of natural resources affecting both the environment and social relations. You will collaboratively design a transition pathway for a just and sustainable solution. This study unit is supplemented by an International Development Management module of your choice: Just and Sustainable Value Chains or Disaster and Conflict Reduction.

In the second part of the semester you choose 2 out of 3 study units. What will you go for? Do you want to focus on Environmental Justice, Resilient Communities and Food, or Social Inclusion and diversity? By choosing 2 out of these 3 topics you can shape your study path to your wishes.

Both of these semesters are supported by a trajectory in personal leadership. You will get trained in non-violent communication and work on your personal goals.

Below you can find some more in-depth information on the different study units.

VTGO2RLVE | Regenerating Landscapes

You will learn about the interaction between ecosystems and social systems including governance, ethical challenges and trade-offs in a landscape and how to design transition pathways considering sustainability and social justice. Emphasis will be on interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange. You will work on regenerating landscapes by looking into both the ecosystem and social system. You work in interdisciplinary teams composed of students International Development Management and Bos- en Natuurbeheer. You will be working on real-life (inter)national cases where various stakeholders have differing and at times opposing interests in the use of natural resources affecting both the environment and social relations. In your team, you will exchange and use your disciplinary knowledge to analyse the issue at stake and to arrive at sustainable and just solutions by designing a transition pathway.

VID2VCVENC | Just and Sustainable Value Chains

This module focuses on complex value chains, of any kind (both food/agriculture chains as well as non-agricultural commodities). It specifically focuses on “identifying (un)just & (un)sustainable practices in specific value chains”. This module challenges students to come up with advice and defining improved practices to achieve more sustainable and just VC’s, by identifying competing claims, governance + power structures, and root causes, taking the different levels of a value chain into account, related to the specific chain.

VID2DCVENC | Disaster and Conflict Reduction

As representative of an NGO or UN organization the student will learn to design a professional action plan to address the disasters and conflicts of today and tomorrow. The study unit addresses both natural/climate induced disasters such as more intense flooding in Africa and Asia as well as other disasters such as the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The student will build expertise in the following areas:

1) humanitarian response and recovery and especially on prevention of disasters
by increasing resilience

2) Community based disaster risk management, localization and accountability

3) vulnerabilities and capacities related to disasters and conflicts

4) climate adaptation, migration/refugees

5) Conflict theories and peacebuilding

6) how to address the needs of the most vulnerable through social inclusion.

VID2EJVENC | Environmental Justice

The student gains first-hand experience of addressing environmental injustices through contributing to the development and implementation of a grassroots campaign to challenge unsustainable development and increase environmental and community health. Students will work with a commissioner to deliver (part of) an existing campaign strategy, gaining experience of community engagement and advocacy strategies related to both local and transnational efforts to achieve environmental and social justice.

VIDRCVENC | Resilient Communities and Food

'Resilient Communities and Food' focuses on food insecurity situations in the world, its causes, and potential pathways to address these causes.
During lectures various models and frameworks will be used to unpack real-life food insecurity cases. Individual students research a recent food insecurity case, using these models and frameworks, and interview a resource person/ expert familiar with the case.
Developing a podcast is the last step in the process, using the findings of desk research and interviews. To strengthen students' podcast development skills, some workshops are planned.

VID2SIVENC | Social Inclusion and Diversity

In this study unit students dive deeper into the theory around gender equality, diversity and empowerment and the understanding of the human rights approach. Further, students are equipped to recognize patterns and mechanisms of exclusion and marginalization. Students are also encouraged to explore and recognize their own values and biases. The knowledge and tools acquired are used to conduct a situation analysis and develop a proposal for a selected Commissioner.

VID2LPVENC | Personal Leadership

Through individual mentor meetings, training and using your PO credits you develop yourself further as a professional. You get immersive training in non-violent communication. You make a personal development plan and visit exhibitions, companies etc. to build your network and figure out your future pathway.

JSVC:
- You make a systematic analysis of a change process in a specific (complicated) situation and argue what change outcomes are just and unjust for particular target groups (and the environment). You apply relevant thematic knowledge and using relevant theories, frameworks and tools to understand the change.

- You follow the project cycle management steps in a specific (complicated) context for a commissioner/organization taking into account the interrelationship between social and ecological systems. You argue which actions/strategies/ToC are feasible to arrive at the desired change, develop indicators/progress markers to monitor progress, and explain why change outcomes are just and sustainable

- You dare to discuss unequal power relations in an ethical manner, you contribute to raising awareness that change is possible and identify together with the target group and appropriate strategy to challenge injustices and reduce inequality. For this purpose you analyse power dynamics among stakeholders in a complicated context applying appropriate theories, tools and frameworks and design strategies to challenge unequal power relations.

CC:
- You communicate your ideas and results by choosing appropriate media/language for the (intercultural) audience
- You collaboratively work across and within diverse group contexts and structures to achieve a common aim.
- You motivate team members by expressing confidence to accomplish the task and sharing relevant feedback.

R&I:
- You analyse the problem provided by a commissioner considering different perspectives of stakeholders involved and translate this into a research question.
- You have an inquisitive attitude and practice the code of conduct and applied ethics for research.

DPL:

- You are aware of how you deal with unexpected circumstances.
- You reflect on your own and others' experiences, norms and values, considering ethical principles, drawing lessons for future orientation.

This minor is available for 2nd or 3rd year bachelor students. 

TBA

Lectures, Coaching, Excursions, Peer to Peer, Workshops, guest lectures

VTGO2RLVE (Term 3 | 6 ECTS)
Lectures: 30 hours
Coaching 20 hours
Group work: 80 hours
Self study: 38 hours

VID2DCVENC (Term 3 | 6 ECTS – choice 1/2)
Lectures: 64 hours
Coaching: 6 hours
Excursion: 8 hours
Group work: 24 hours
Self-Study: 66 hours

VID2VCVENC (Term 3 |6 ECTS – choice 2/2)
Lectures: 36 hours
Workshops: 13 hours
Coaching: 6 hours
Excursion: 8 hours
Peer to Peer: 10 hours
Self-Study: 95 hours

VID2EJVENC (Term 4 | 6 ECTS – choice 1/3)
Lectures: 60 hours
Coaching: 20 hours
Excursion: 16 hours
Self-Study: 72 hours

VID2RCVENC (Term 4 | 6 ECTS – choice 2/3)
Lectures: 60 hours
Coaching: 20 hours
Self-Study: 88 hours

VID2SIVENC (Term 4 | 6 ECTS – choice 3/3)
Lectures: 39 hours
Coaching: 9 hours
Group work: 70 hours
Self-Study: 50 hours

Individual assignments;

written exam;

making a podcast;

oral exam.