General provisions

The course is compulsory for students admitted to the Master's program in implementation, transformative learning and sustainability, but can also be given as a  freestanding course.

Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students are expected to be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• Identify health inequities and their determinants, with emphasis on sustainability aspects.

Competence and skills

• Analyse equity issues inhealth and sustainability, including identifying underlying drivers.
• Evaluate implementation dilemmas in health and sustainability transformations, with emphasis on the role of agency and power.

Judgement and approach

• Critically reflect on the design and facilitation of interventions to address health inequities and associated implementation dilemmas.

Content

This course focuses on the role of social equity and power in health and sustainability transformations. It provides actionable understanding of how actors, such as governments, private sector, and communities can contest and reconstruct visions and agendas for the implementation of sustainability actions and health for all. This involves respectful but critical engagement with diverging interests and views in transformative dialogue, drawing on science and other forms of knowledge - such as that of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and practitioners.

The course draws on a wide range of critical social theory and is inspired by participatory and action-oriented research. Through the teaching it seeks to support students to take active part in social change that aims to correct inequities. A central issue addressed during this course is how transformative dialogue and co-learning for more equitable health and sustainability outcomes can be achieved, despite disabling political structures and entrenched power imbalances.

Instruction

The course consists of lectures as well as mandatory seminars and individual and groups exercises. Sessions are aimed at activating students, encouraging them to draw on their own experiences, e.g. from personal life and employment. Language of instruction is English.

Assessment

Assessment iscomprised of a final written examination, approved participation in mandatory seminars, and completion of individual and group exercises. To pass the course, the candidate must pass the examination, seminars and exercises. If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make anexception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator. All examinations are in English.