On this page you can inform yourself about the goals and structure of the certificate “Action Competence for Sustainable Development”, and how you can register for it. The certificate is offered at the Faculty of Physics and Earth System Sciences, and it is funded by the projects LINE (2021–2022) and TrafoSax (since 2023).
Objectives of the Certificate
How can “we” as a society develop sustainably? This highly topical question concerns not only stakeholders in politics and business, but also students in their everyday lives. It challenges everybody individually and as a member of different communities. How do we develop and evaluate promising measures? Sustainable action inevitably requires a decision based on preliminary knowledge. Reassessments are needed so that new options and strategies can be developed based on new findings. In order to develop promising action concepts, it is necessary to revisit and negotiate viewpoints of many different disciplines.
The certificate programme is designed to enable you as a student to inspect complex social issues relating to sustainable development from varying perspectives, and to discuss them across disciplines. It is a cross-sectional programme aimed at students from all study programmes. You will learn how to evaluate models for solution approaches, how to use your assessment as a basis for developing and implementing concrete approaches to action, and how to critically evaluate their success.
The aim is to enable you as a student to
- communicate your point of view in such a way that it is also accessible to non-specialists (professional competence, social competence),
- examine and question your own views from a variety of perspectives (self-competence),
- learn and act responsibly and independently (methodological competence).
Structure of the Certificate
The certificate is divided into three sections and can be completed in three subsequent semesters.
| Certificate “Action Competence for Sustainable Development” | ||
|---|---|---|
1. Foundation Module
| 2. Advanced Elective
| 3. Practical Module
|
All participants attend and collaborate in the foundation module (12-PHY-BMWBNE1, ten CP). In this module you will work in groups made up of students from as many different disciplines as possible. In a lecture series you will interact with specialists in sustainability from different faculties of our university and federal research institutes based in Leipzig. During two weekend workshops you will substantiate your insights, and present your ideas about a self-defined project. The progress of understanding is documented in a portfolio. For some courses of study the basic module 12-PHY-BMWBNE1 is automatically accepted as an elective module. In other courses of study this will require a call to the examination board.
As an alternative variant, the foundation module can also be taken as a key qualification module (SQ module, 12-SQM-64) with five CP (lecture series without weekend seminars). In this variant, you can complete the certificate by
- either augmenting the SQ module with an advanced foundation module (five CP ), that comprises the two workshops and an essay, and then you proceed as in track 1,
- or you follow two advanced modules instead of only one.
This track is summarised in table 2.
| Certificate “Action Competence for Sustainable Development” | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Foundation
| Advanced Elective
| Practical Module
|
In the advanced elective module(s) (five CP), you deepen your knowledge in a discipline outside your area of expertise. You can find options for the advanced modules on the website of the Leipzig Initiative for Sustainable Development.
The capstone project of the certificate is a collaboration in a living lab, i.e. a project addressing an issue in a local community with relation to sustainability. You will use the skills you have acquired to actively participate in this multidisciplinary projects. Currently running and envisioned labs can be found on the website of the Leipzig Initiative for Sustainable Development.
Registration for the Certificate
You register for the certificate with the module registration for the foundation module 12-PHY-BMWBNE1 via TOOL. In addition, please also notify Professor Vollmer by email.
On successful completion of the required 20 CP (see Table 1 and Table 2) the certificate is issued by the Faculty of Physics and Earth System Sciences.