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Implementing an Interfaculty Elective “Sustainable Development”: An Intervention into a University's Culture Between Organized Scientific Rationality and Normative Claim

Implementing an Interfaculty Elective “Sustainable Development”: An Intervention into a University's Culture Between Organized Scientific Rationality and Normative Claim

Renate Hübner, Franz Rauch, Mira Dulle
Copyright: © 2018 |Pages: 14
ISBN13: 9781522538172|ISBN10: 1522538178|EISBN13: 9781522538189
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-3817-2.ch004
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MLA

Hübner, Renate, et al. "Implementing an Interfaculty Elective “Sustainable Development”: An Intervention into a University's Culture Between Organized Scientific Rationality and Normative Claim." Sustainable Development: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, edited by Information Resources Management Association, IGI Global, 2018, pp. 60-73. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3817-2.ch004

APA

Hübner, R., Rauch, F., & Dulle, M. (2018). Implementing an Interfaculty Elective “Sustainable Development”: An Intervention into a University's Culture Between Organized Scientific Rationality and Normative Claim. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Sustainable Development: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 60-73). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3817-2.ch004

Chicago

Hübner, Renate, Franz Rauch, and Mira Dulle. "Implementing an Interfaculty Elective “Sustainable Development”: An Intervention into a University's Culture Between Organized Scientific Rationality and Normative Claim." In Sustainable Development: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, edited by Information Resources Management Association, 60-73. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2018. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3817-2.ch004

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Abstract

A university is a place of organized scientific rationality, but as a social institution it is also committed to future generations. Therefore, it can be argued that universities should act as “models for sustainability”. It is thus not sufficient to spend public funds efficiently in achieving their educational mission. Beyond that, the social and the environmental effects of their actions also have to be considered. Having this in mind, the status quo of sustainability in research, teaching, and administration at the Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt in Austria was examined in 2010. Results showed that although important approaches and several internationally acknowledged contributions in research and teaching do exist, at the same time a concise and focused strategy for these actions is missing. However, there was some commitment that a coherent strategy would strengthen our University. The major challenge is that a system based on individual freedom in research and teaching needs to intervene in order to create, implement and live such a strategy. The conception and implementation of an interdisciplinary elective open for all Master and PhD students seemed to be a first appropriate step to implement sustainability at the University across disciplinary and structural borders. To increase general acceptance of such an intervention and to cause impacts towards sustainability at the university as a whole an interfaculty approach was chosen. The corresponding processes and challenges are described in this chapter.

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