The country focus in this course is Indonesia.
Innovation is essential to drive sustainability transitions, especially so in the under-considered contexts of the Global South. Sustainability transitions refer to deep systemic innovations in socio-technical and socio-economic systems for the provision of societal functions such as food, mobility, and energy(Köhler et al., 2019). The change in complex sociotechnical systems is usually confronted with conflicting economic and environmental goals, at least in certain phases of the transformation processes. By leveraging innovation, different countries in the Global South such as Indonesia can chart paths towards sustainable development that balance economic growth with environmental protection more coherently. At the same time, there has been a growing awareness in research and practice alike, that transformations to more sustainable societies can only be successful when they are inclusive. However, there are knowledge gaps in the domain of innovation for sustainability transitions (Tirado-Herreo &Fuller, 2021). Where sustainability transitions are happening, there is little data tracking progress and identifying areas/directions for accelerating sustainability transition. Addressing these knowledge gaps requires greater collaboration among different stakeholders to leverage their expertise and resources towards more effective and context-specific solutions tailored to the challenges and opportunities.
This course will allow students to focus on tackling sustainability challenges to help Southeast Asia private and public entities (the Client) to plan and strategize in pursuing sustainability transition. Through this course, participants will learn and apply problem-solving skills in tackling complex and sustainability challenges in a regional and local context.
This is a SMU-X Overseas course where SMU will collaborate with organisations and institutions in Indonesia to study projects faced by our overseas partners. Participants will be equipped with sustainability theories & practices as well as cultural context from faculty. Participants will also need to be physically present in Indonesia for meetings, discussions, briefings, and presentations during the required module phases
This course builds on SSOC 2227 and SSOC 2234, which introduce theoretical background underpinning sustainable development and science. In this course, you will learn how to apply these concepts to the real-world problem. At the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Identify relevant theories and good practices in sustainable development with a focus on addressing the interplay between economic and environmental goals.
- Understand cultural principles and processes working in a cross-border (Indonesia vis-à-vis Singapore) setting.
- Gain experience and effective skill in developing and presenting proposals, including responding to the needs of the client organisation.