From written assignments to climate challenges: Understanding transformations at different levels

Författare: Jenni Koivisto
Institution/enhet: Samhälls- och kulturvetenskap
Ämne: Risk- och miljöstudier

ABSTRACT

The ongoing climate crisis requires a number of different societal changes. The question is how to make these transformations occur at different levels?

During the bachelor’s course “Local and regional adaptation to climate change”, part of the programme in Risk and Environment at KaU, I tested setting students a climate challenge assignment instead of a long written exam. The aim was to give the students a chance to reflect upon personal level transformations and relate these changes to social and political structures. Their task was to choose a “climate challenge” they would test for about one month (for example travel by bike or bus rather than car or follow a plant-based diet). The challenge began with a joint discussion after which the students wrote weekly updates and reflections in study groups. The assignment ended with students writing a reflection text that, with a help of literature, connected their challenges to social networks, political decisions, infrastructures, etc.

The assignment allowed students to reflect upon 1) how societal norms, narratives and regulations affect the choices they as individuals make; and 2) how individual choices relate to changes at the societal and political level. This type of assignments allowed for better discussion and reflection in a more relaxed context. I believe this forms part of the conditions for making deeper understandings and transformations possible.