701-1571-00L Integration in Science, Policy and Practice: Inter- and Transdisciplinary Concepts, Methods, Tools
| Semester | Spring Semester 2024 |
| Lecturers | B. Vienni Baptista, S. Hoffmann |
| Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Comment | The course is especially recommended for, but not restricted to, students considering to enroll in the Transdisciplinary case study (tdCS) (701-1502-00L). |
Courses
| Number | Title | Hours | Lecturers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 701-1571-00 S | Integration in Science, Policy and Practice: Inter- and Transdisciplinary Concepts, Methods, Tools The course will only be held if at least eight students take it. | 2 hrs |
| B. Vienni Baptista, S. Hoffmann |
Catalogue data
| Abstract | Meeting environmental and societal challenges requires responses that integrate a wide range of perspectives from different disciplines (i.e., interdisciplinary integration), as well as from science, policy and practice (i.e., transdisciplinary integration). Drawing on case studies, students will explore concepts, methods and tools of integration in a hands-on experiential setting. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The course advances students subject- and method-specific competencies to analyse complex environmental and societal problems in order to design effective policy- and/or practice-oriented research projects or programs to address them. Integration, in this course, is a integral part of inter- and transdisciplinary research. It implies the co-production and synthesis of different knowledges, perspectives, insights, interests, expectations and collaborative approaches towards a problem and its potential solutions. It is a fundamental process in research when collaborating across scientific disciplines (e.g., natural and social sciences) and thematic fields (e.g., policy analysis) and working at the interface between science, policy and practice. The course offers a hands-on experiental setting together with empirical cases situated at that interface. At the end of the course students are able to: • Understand and apply concepts of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary integration, distinguish different dimensions and explain basic principles. • Apply different methods and tools of integration to complex environmental and societal problems and discuss their strengths and weaknesses, potentials and limitations. • Reflect on researchers’ diverse roles in integration processes and discuss personal competencies and expertises needed to fulfill these roles. • Assess challenges and opportunities in designing, planning and implementing an integration process and generating an integrated output. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The course focuses on: • Concepts of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary integration (i.e. process, output, one-sided, mutual) across different scientific communities (science of team science, integration and implementation science, science and technology studies, transformative research). • Dimensions (i.e. strategic, cognitive, social, emotional, spatial, temporal) and principles of integration (i.e. design integrative process, form diverse group, forge robust social bonds, create boundary objects, etc.). • Indicators (i.e. qualitative and quantitative) for assessing integration processes and integrated outputs. • Methods and tools of integration (e.g. Theory of Change, Nomadic concepts, Common conceptual framework, Joint research questions, etc.). • Researchers’ roles in integration processes at the interface between science, policy and practice. • Personal competencies (e.g. flexibility, creativity, humility, persistence, patience, etc.) and expertise in integration (i.e. contributory expertise, interactional expertise, referred expertise). To approach these topics students will work on specific tasks within a diversity of case studies to gain hands-on experience on inter- and transdisciplinary integration. Cases lie at the interface between science, policy and practice targeting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary integration (including humanities and social sciences). Experts from different research projects or programs will be invited to share insights from selected case studies, for example: innovative resource-oriented water and sanitation systems (WINGS), sustainable water management (NRP61), transformation of pesticide governance (TRAPEGO), integrated assessment models for sustainable development (DIAMOND), design and discovery of novel materials for energy harvesting (INTERSECTIONS), coordinated interactions between the Swiss society and the energy system (COSI). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Mandatory reading Concepts and theories • Pohl, C., Klein, J.T., Hoffmann, S., Mitchell, C., Fam, D. (2021) Conceptualising transdisciplinary integration as a multidimensional interactive process, Environmental Science & Policy, Volume 118, Pages 18-26, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.12.005 • Vienni-Baptista, B., Fletcher, I., Lyall, C. Pohl, C. (2022) Embracing heterogeneity: Why plural understandings strengthen interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity, Science and Public Policy, 2022;, scac034, https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scac034 Dimensions and principles • Fazey, I., Schäpke, N., Caniglia, G., Patterson, J., Hultman, J., van Mierlo, B., et al. (2018). Ten essentials for action-oriented and second order energy transitions, transformations and climate change research, Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 40, 2018, Pages 54-70, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.11.026. Methods and tools • O'Rourke M (2017) Comparing methods for cross-disciplinary research The Oxford handbook of interdisciplinarity. Oxford University Press, Oxford Researchers roles, competencies and expertise • Bulten E, Hessels LK, Hordijk M, Segrave AJ (2021) Conflicting roles of researchers in sustainability transitions: balancing action and reflection. Sustain Sci 16 (4):1269-1283. https://doi:10.1007/s11625-021-00938-7 • Hoffmann, S., Deutsch, L., Klein, J.T. et al. (2022) Integrate the integrators! A call for establishing academic careers for integration experts. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 9, 147 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01138-z Complementary readings and resources Students will be offered complementary readings and online resources to use in the group work. The list will be provided in Moodle. Some examples of those resources are: • Guides and Case studies, SHAPE-ID toolkit (https://www.shapeidtoolkit.eu/downloadable-guides/) • Methods factsheets for transdisciplinary research, td-net toolbox (https://naturalsciences.ch/co-producing-knowledge-explained/about) • Selected posts, Integration and Implementation Insights Blog (https://i2insights.org) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | Assignments The lessons offer conceptual and/or methodological inputs presented by the lecturers, case studies introduced by invited experts as well as enough time for group and individual activities carried out by students. Each lesson will be structured in a different way, allowing students to understand and apply different concepts, methods and tools, explore different dimensions and principles of inter- and transdisciplinary integration. The mandatory readings provide the basis for fulfilling the two mandatory assignments: 1. Group assignment: Analyse and compare four empirical case studies in terms of integration using a tailored rubric including core elements of the course (i.e. concepts, theories, methods, tools, roles, etc.) in groups of 3-4 students (groups will be decided by students); prepare an oral presentation including individual insights on integration, consolidated insights on group dynamics, and key findings on case studies; upload final and complete rubric and presentation on moodle. 2. Individual assignment: Write a learning journal with individual reflections on the course content, the group work and the challenges and opportunities students experienced in bringing different perspectives together when preparing assignment 1 using a guideline provided by the lecturers. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Competencies |
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Performance assessment
| Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again) | |
Performance assessment as a semester course | |
| ECTS credits | 4 credits |
| Examiners | B. Vienni Baptista, S. Hoffmann |
| Type | ungraded semester performance |
| Language of examination | English |
| Repetition | Repetition only possible after re-enrolling for the course unit. |
| Additional information on mode of examination | Ungraded semester performance based on the two assignments described above. Lecturers will provide individual feedback at the end of the semester based on the group presentation and individual performance. |
Learning materials
| No public learning materials available. | |
| Only public learning materials are listed. |
Groups
| No information on groups available. |
Restrictions
| Places | 20 at the most |
| Waiting list | until 28.02.2024 |
Offered in
| Programme | Section | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Sciences Master | Policy Engagement | W | |
| Environmental Sciences Master | Decision Making, Policy and Planning | W | |