701-1502-00L Transdisciplinary Case Study
| Semester | Spring Semester 2024 |
| Lecturers | M. Stauffacher, F. Knaus, B. Vienni Baptista |
| Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Comment | Number of participants limited to 25. Students have to apply for this course by sending a two page motivation letter (why are you interested? what do you want to learn? what can you contribute?) before the end of January 2024 to michael.stauffacher@usys.ethz.ch and bianca.vienni@usys.ethz.ch Important: for students in Agricultural Sciences, the case study is the alternative to the compulsory course "751-1000-00L Praxisprojekte Agro-Food" |
Courses
| Number | Title | Hours | Lecturers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 701-1502-00 P | Transdisciplinary Case Study
 In addition to the compulsory weekly Wednesday slots (14h15-18h00, plus approx. 2 hrs. homework per week), the course is organised as block course with the following compulsory elements: - Two block days: Thursday-Friday, 8-9 March (tbc) - Three block weeks (after the semester end) from Monday 17 June until Wednesday 3 July (tbc) Note that there will be an information event on the tdCS24: Tuesday 12 December 17h15, room CHN K77 (TdLab) Please note that German language skills are an advantage but not a prerequisite for participation. Nevertheless, you should be aware that many documents and interactions with the actors will be mainly in (Swiss) German. | 210s hrs |
| M. Stauffacher, F. Knaus, B. Vienni Baptista |
Catalogue data
| Abstract | This course is a research-based teaching activity that takes place in a real-world setting. Students work independently in groups and learn to formulate research questions, to apply methods of data collection and analysis and to work in an interdisciplinary team and in close dialogue with society. In 2024, the case is the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch, a region in the Swiss Canton of Lucerne. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Students learn how to plan and implement their research work in interdisciplinary, intercultural teams of students and in close exchange with a local advisory group. This includes: structuring wicked real-world problems; deriving relevant research gaps and corresponding research questions; designing research plans; developing ethics proposal; applying qualitative and quantitative data collection and data analysis methods; working in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams; organising transdisciplinary collaboration between science and society. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The case study in the spring semester 2024 will be carried out together with the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch. The general topic is developed together with a local advisory group before the start of semester and serves as the starting point for the students' work. To this end, the general topic will be analysed, structured and translated into concrete research questions, which are then to be answered. The following people coach and support the students in the 2024 case study: • Prof. Dr. Michael Stauffacher (responsible lecturer, co-director TdLab, ETH Zürich) • Florian Knaus, MSc ETH (scientific coordinator, UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch) • Dr. Bianca Vienni Baptista (Senior Researcher/Lecturer, TdLab, ETH Zürich) • Sandro Bösch (administrative, organisational support, TdLab, ETH Zürich) During the case study, we are closely collaborating with students and lecturers from the • Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), Master in Transdisciplinarity, Prof. Irene Vögeli and Prof. Patrick Müller Advisory group: We will be supported on site by a local advisory group that will meet at least once before (January 2024), once during (March 2024) and once after the semester (fall 2024). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | First information event: Tuesday, 12th December 2023 (17h15–18h00) in CHN K77 (TdLab). If you have questions, please send an Email to michael.stauffacher@usys.ethz.ch. Students have to apply for this course by sending a two page motivation letter (why are you interested? what do you want to learn? what can you contribute?) before the end of January 2024 to michael.stauffacher@usys.ethz.ch and bianca.vienni@usys.ethz.ch Important: for students in Agricultural Sciences, the case study is the alternative to the compulsory course "751-1000-00L Praxisprojekte Agro-Food" The following parallel course is the perfect complement to the tdCS: 701-1571-00L "Integration in Science, Policy and Practice: Inter- and Transdisciplinary Concepts, Methods, Tools" Concepts, methods and tools of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary integration are being explored here. Some of these could be applied in the real-world setting of the tdCS. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | 7 credits |
| Examiners | M. Stauffacher, F. Knaus, B. Vienni Baptista |
| Type | ungraded semester performance |
| Language of examination | English |
| Repetition | Repetition only possible after re-enrolling for the course unit. |
Learning materials
| Main link | Webpage of the transdisciplinary case study |
| Only public learning materials are listed. | |
Groups
| No information on groups available. |
Restrictions
| General |  : Special students and auditors need a special permission from the lecturers |
| Places | Limited number of places. Special selection procedure. |
| Waiting list | until 20.02.2024 |
| End of registration period | Registration only possible until 18.02.2024 |