Inner Transformation for Individual, Collective and Planetary Sustainability and Wellbeing
Inner Transformation for Individual, Collective, and Planetary Sustainability and Wellbeing
Big Idea
WHAT: Students will be able to critically assess the potential role of inner transformation for individual, collective, and planetary sustainability and wellbeing
HOW: By engaging in different learning activities, including lectures, literature seminars, councils, and practical exercises, students will explore the role of inner dimensions (beliefs, worldviews, and associated cognitive/emotional capacities) and how they can support sustainability and wellbeing across sectors and scales.
WHY: So that they can become change agents in an uncertain world and address the root causes of today’s polycrisis
Stage 1: Big Ideas & Essential Questions
Established Goal(s)/Content Standard(s):
•What relevant goals will this design address?
This course syllabus was designed for a third-term elective (non-compulsory) course at LUMES, Lund University's Master's Programme in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science. It can, however, also be applied to other levels and disciplines as it is.
Understandings
Humanity is facing increasingly complex environmental and sustainability challenges. Current coordination mechanisms, problem-solving strategies, and modes of scientific inquiry, teaching and learning, appear insufficient to address these challenges and bring about transformative change towards more sustainable pathways. As a result, the notion of inner transformation (or inner transition) has emerged as a new area of exploration.
The course explores this new area, creating space and opportunities for learning and knowledge development on this topic. Inner transformation, as used here, describes changes in the sphere of human interiority related to people’s (expanded) consciousness, associated values, mindsets, and/or beliefs. Accordingly, it relates to all kinds of activities that can support such changes (mental, religious, and indigenous practices/knowledge). The course critically discusses related concepts and activities.
Essential Question(s):
The overall aim of the course is to critically assess the potential role of inner transformation for sustainability and wellbeing, and how this is reflected in sustainability science. This also involves a critical reflection on inner transformation as a social phenomenon. Inner transformation through expanded consciousness is an inherent capacity of the human organism, rooted in the fundamental activities of consciousness. It has increasingly been the subject of academic studies based on established concepts and theories of attention, awareness, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness disposition. Inner transformation is often viewed as a prerequisite to the development of compassion. It involves a fundamental shift in the way people think about and ultimately act on both local and global economic, social, and ecological crises.
The specific objectives of this course are threefold. Firstly, it allows students to develop a critical understanding of the potential interlinkages between inner transformation and sustainability (in theory and practice). Examples of topics where sustainability and inner transformation have been linked in literature include: subjective well-being, sustainable behavior and consumption, the human-nature connection, equity issues, and social activism. Secondly, inner transformation theories and practices are assessed in relation to a specific sustainability field, such as climate change adaptation and/or risk reduction. Potential topics and concepts include mindful climate action and organizational mindfulness for strategic adaptation and mainstreaming. Thirdly, the course enables students to engage in and critically reflect on the nature of inner transformation and its salience to sustainability science and learning.
Student objectives (learning outcomes):
Student objectives (learning outcomes):
Upon the completion of the course, the students will:
Knowledge and understanding
* Demonstrate critical knowledge and understanding of the complex interlinkages between sustainability, wellbeing, and inner transformation.
* Show a critical understanding of inner transformation as a social phenomenon.
Competence and skills
* Demonstrate the ability to critically investigate the potential role of inner transformation in societies’ transition towards sustainability.
* Discuss the concept of inner transformation within the context of sustainability and health sciences, including how it can be explored and expressed through speech and writing.
Judgement and approach
* Demonstrate the ability to critically reflect upon the notion of inner transformation in the context of a specific sustainability field (such as climate adaptation, risk reduction, or health), associated theories, concepts, and practices.
Stage 2: Learning Activities
What activities, experiences, and instruction will lead to learning?
Learning Activities:
The course comprises different learning activities, including:
* lectures
* literature seminars
* councils
* practical exercises
The course includes a series of lectures and seminars to explore the role of inner dimensions (values, beliefs, worldviews, and associated cognitive/emotional capacities) and their transformation to support sustainability (for instance, regarding environmental leadership, activism, social justice, human–nature connections, and integral urban development).
In this context, knowledge coming from sustainability science, social neuroscience, psychology, behavioural economics, contemplative studies, medical humanities, and transformation theories needs to be systematically integrated.
In addition, contemplative teaching and learning practices must be systematically integrated into mandatory course activities. This can include encouraging mindful interactions during listening (deep vs. distracted listening), debating, reflecting, and working together, as well as the integration of weekly councils.
Finally, written assignments on sustainability and inner transformation, and related peer teachin,g can be included as graded tasks.
Weekly councils: At the end of every week, the course includes weekly councils. These councils create a space for sharing theoretical and personal insights, perceptions, experiences, and feelings in a way that allows participants to be fully present and learn from each other. Based on the council methodology, sessions are conducted in a circle with a focus on deep listening and understanding.
Three guiding questions were defined to help structure the conversations:
WHY? Why is the consideration of inner dimensions and transformation relevant (or not relevant) for sustainability research, practice, and teaching? (Critical assessment of existing rationales and associated concepts/theories).
WHAT? What is the influence of inner dimensions and transformation on sustainability and vice versa? (Critical assessment of mutual influences and outcomes at different scales and their relation to the SDGs).
HOW? How can inner dimensions and transformation be considered in sustainability research, practice, and teaching? (Critical assessment of concrete measures and their potential integration at different scales to support the SDGs).
The conversations are based on:
* weekly reading of obligatory course literature
* input from weekly course activities (lectures, seminars, and excursions)
* students’ personal insights and experiences.
Regarding the latter, students are asked to write down their reflections at home to share during class.
Most weekly councils last 30-45 minutes. In addition, three 60-minute sessions are provided to allow a space for more in-depth discussions on each of the three guiding questions. For these three sessions, student groups are asked to prepare a short teaser outlining their understandings and illustrate them in the form of a mind map, which is then used to structure the group discussion.
Practice lab: Another important aspect of the course is a voluntary practice lab. The lab is designed to be an unconventional classroom component, disrupting the traditional teaching and learning model in the hope of offering a more transformative experience for both students and teachers. Sessions build upon each other, moving from individual to social and environmental dimensions.
Related practices are based on different sources, such as:
An online tool recommended by the Lund University Student Health Centre, which provides exercises related to individual and social dimensions (for example, breathing, body scan, compassion, and loving-kindness exercises), as well as various transformational learning tools.
Examples can be accessed here: Toolbox | Sustainable Futures
The first few minutes of each session allow participants to get settled and relax.
Then, the next five minutes are allocated to introducing the session’s content/techniques, either by the session coordinator or through an introductory video.
At least ten minutes are dedicated to the actual exercise.
The last five minutes allow for silent or group reflections. Participants are then asked to perform additional exercises at home (ten to fifteen minutes per day) and record their reflections.
Overall, the Practice lab supports continuous self-enquiry, as well as more relational being, thinking, and acting. During the weekly councils and the written assignment (reflection paper), students can revisit their experiences and reflections.
Inspiration for potential literature lists:
* Publications | Sustainable Futures
* Literature MESS53 Environmental Studies and Sustainability
* Science: Sustainability and Inner Transformation
Stage 3: Performance Tasks / Evidence of Learning
How will students demonstrate what they learn?
How will you evaluate and measure student learning and growth?
Performance Tasks that demonstrate learning has happened:
General course assessments.
Additional questions can be included regarding stress levels.
Reference: Education for sustainability | International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education | Emerald Publishing
In addition to general course assessments, it is possible to collect transformative accounts/ stories.
See examples here: Revolutionizing Sustainability Education; Stories and Tools of Mindset Transformation
Other Evidence for your evaluation of student learning:
The course can be assessed through a written assignment and an oral presentation (in the form of peer teaching that is linked to the written assignment).
The written assignment can be a theoretical study of a particular topic within the field or a reflection paper.
The overarching questions for the reflection paper can be:
1. What have you learned about yourself (using yourself as the laboratory)
2. How has this changed the way you see/ understand sustainability and your role in it?
3. How do your insights relate to current discourses/ literature (theory on inner-outer change)?
Here are some more specific questions as guidance for reflection:
1. Did you gain any important insights from the course/ the practices? What insights did you have? What prompted the insights? Were they triggered by any particular input, session, activity, or exercise?
2. Have the course/ the practices changed how you relate to yourself, others, and nature? What prompted related changes/ insights? Were they triggered by any particular input, session, activity, or exercise?
3. Are there any particular (inner) capacities that the course/ the practices helped you to develop or strengthen? What kind of capacities could you strengthen? How were they strengthened? Were they triggered by any particular input, session, activity, or exercise?
4. Have the course/ the practices led to concrete changes in behaviour or actions in the context of:
* your private life,
* your social life
* your professional/work-related life?
What are concrete examples? Was there any particular moment, input, activity, or exercise that was particularly relevant for activating the change(s) or action(s)?
5. How have your insights changed the way you see sustainability and your role in it?
6. How do your insights relate to theory and discourses on sustainability and inner-outer transformation?
Peer teaching: Objective: You teach the rest of the class about the topic of your assignment, with a focus on your key reflections and insights. Peer teaching occurs when students, by design, teach other students. Peer teaching involves one or more students teaching other students in a particular subject area, building on the belief that to teach is to learn twice.
There is no single best method of teaching, but the second best is students teaching other students. During preparations, please consider the following questions:
* What were your key insights when working on your assignment?
* What do you want your peers to experience, feel, and learn during your session?
* How can you best adjust your teaching methods to this objective? How can you best engage your peers?
Remember that your task is to teach and support reflection, not just report on the task (the assignment). Hence, you do not have to cover all aspects of your written assignment.
See examples of a course plan and related assessment here: Kursguide - Course Syllabus
The criteria for evaluating the graded tasks are:
Logic and Reasoning:
* Clear logic and structure of presentation and assignment (well-organized information; use of topic and supporting sentences in the written assignment; structure as indicated above);
* Clarity and quality of argumentation and reasoning (adequate support of conclusions).
* Clear and explicit connection to learning outcomes
* Clear connection and adequate use of course literature/ references
Concepts and Theory:
* Theoretical grounding and understanding of the chosen topic
* Analytical depth
* Adequate application of theories, concepts, methods, strategies, and/or measures discussed during the course
* Effective integration of course literature and theoretical frameworks
Form and Methods:
* All statements, facts, and figures from other works are correctly referenced
* Meet paper length restrictions (2,500 to max. 3,000 words per person, incl. abstract, intro, methodology/methods, results, discussion, and conclusions; excl. the bibliography and appendices)
* Meet time restrictions for presentation/peer teaching
* Clarity in explaining the assignment method(s)
* Use of appropriate methods and activities aligned with the peer teaching topic
Self-Reflection for Educators (optional)
* Think back on the lesson you have shared or prototyped
* How does it address these concerns?