General information
| Course name | Seminar: [Masterseminar Applied Topics in Environmental and Behavioral Economics] The Inner Development Goals as a novel approach for sustainability transformation |
| Subtitle | |
| Course number | 9.28007 |
| Semester | SoSe 2026 |
| Current number of participants | 0 |
| expected number of participants | 30 |
| Home institute | School of Business Administration and Economics |
| participating institutes | Courses in English, Environmental Economics, Institute of Geography |
| Courses type | Seminar in category Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen |
| Next date | Friday, 12.06.2026 14:00 - 16:00, Room: 35/E23-E24 |
| Type/Form | Practice seminar |
| Participants | This seminar is geared towards the Master programs in economics, geography, as well as system science (Umweltsysteme & Ressourcenmanagement). An interdisciplinary mix of students is a core element of this course. Students from BWL can also apply (However, please note that this is an Economics seminar, not a BWL seminar.) |
| Pre-requisites | Optimally, you have already attended the introductory course 'Environmental and Behavioural Economics' or a comparable course before attending the seminar. However, this is not a formal prerequisite. Good spoken English skills are important since the oral grade is based on in-class discussion and exchange. |
| Learning organisation |
The seminar takes place in form of two two-hour sessions within the semester (Friday 12.6. / 3.7. at 14-16 o‘clock), and four full-day sessions in the semester break (Monday 3.8./ Wednesday 5.8./ Friday 7.8 / Saturday 8.8. at 10-16 o‘clock). The room will be announced shortly. In addition, there will be homework assignments. Course format and content: Students will first be provided with a general understanding of the IDG framework, its background, motivation, scientific bases, and its links to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The case of cocoa production/chocolate consumption will be introduced as a guiding example to illustrate how many of the most severe, often perceived as far-away sustainability challenges, like extreme poverty or biodiversity loss, are in fact deeply connected to and directly impacted by our daily behavior and consumption choices. During a series of applied exercises (in-class and homework), students will then be given the chance to experience the IDG-framework from the inside, meaning working on building and strengthening selected inner skills and qualities themselves. There will be guided exercises that encourage students to dig deep, become aware of their individual strengths, and explore how they very personally could contribute towards improving their own subjective well-being and, at the same time, building a more sustainable future. In a subsequent step, attention will be moved from the self to other people and nature. Students will be invited to take contrasting perspectives and to embrace novel, at times challenging ideas and viewpoints. Visioning exercises will train long-term thinking, future orientation, and making sense of the unknown. Students can jointly experience how small seeds of hope and positive change can lever powerful transformation if combined and cultivated carefully. Self-reflection, cooperation, deep listening, and respectful communication will be key elements along the way. |
| Performance record | The grade will be composed of oral participation in the class exercises and discussions (50%), and a written documentation of key insights (following prespecified questions) (50%). Participation in all six sessions is obligatory. If you have a time conflict, please do not apply for this seminar. Please be aware that if you do not attend the first session (without a prior and formal justification for the absence), you will be excluded from the seminar. |
| SWS | 2 |
| Primary Language of Instruction | Englisch / English |
| Hinweise zur Veranstaltung | The selection of participants is done manually after the registration and based on individual applications. The application deadline is April 14. To apply, please to send your current UOS performance record (HISinOne Leistungsnachweis) to bee-teaching@uni-osnabrueck.de. If you are part of the MSc program in Economics and are planning to do the specialization in ‚Sustainability, behavior and environmental policy‘, please indicate so in your application email. Students from the specialization and those close to finishing their studies will be given priority. Moreover, an interdisciplinary mix of students is a core element of this course. |
| Literatur |
will be provided in the seminar To get an idea of the IDG concept, you can look at https://www.innerdevelopmentgoals.org/framework. |
| Miscellanea | Please be aware that this seminar is not the typical presentation-plus-essay-writing seminar and moves beyond mere content delivery to students. Please consider application for this seminar only if you are willing to actively participate in a journey of self-growth and inner development, and to engage actively in exchange with fellow students. |
| ECTS points | 5 |
