After completing this course, students have developed themselves to:
- (Un)consciously Apply Systems Thinking
- Identify and visualize the system(s) behind modern day societal problems
- Formulate different systemic viewpoints of a problem, reframe problems and adopt a boundaries perspective
- Explicitly define and quantify the behaviour of systems in various scenarios
- Identify leverage points to change or influence systems while keeping in mind the law of unintended consequences
- Define adaptations to or new elements in systems to address societal problems and is able to outline pathways towards these future systems
- Co-develop system views and solutions for societal problems with a variety of stakeholders in the public, political, social and engineering domain
|
|
The Systems Thinking module is part of the Transdisciplinary Master-Insert Programme on Shaping Responsible Futures and aims to teach students how to apply Systems Thinking. It aims to teach students about Systems Thinking and its principles but also allows students to develop themselves into Systems Thinkers.
The course addresses several topics. It starts with a concise theoretical foundation of Systems Thinking and it principles. Afterwards, these principles will be applied in a project with a case study.
Systems Thinking focuses on fully considering a problem at hand in its context – the system. It is about actively thinking which parts of the system are either influenced by or influencing the problem. It is about uncovering (sometimes hidden) relations between elements in a system.
In this course, students will gain experience with Systems Thinking by applying a number of tools and techniques. These focus on both visualization and exploration of the selected case problems. Visualization tools are for example Causal Loop Diagrams and Gigamaps. Exploration is done through Backcasting, Budget Impact Analysis, identifying Leverage Points and using executable modelling techniques like System Dynamics. Central in the course are the application of the Habits of a System Thinker, supported by the System Thinking Tracks.
All of this is being executed in a multi-stakeholder context where System Viewpoints, Participatory Modelling, Visual Storytelling and Model Validation are concept that are part of the course curriculum.
Additionally, the module Systems Thinking will be in close collaboration with module Change Making
Additional Information:
This course is part of the Transdisciplinary Master-Insert ‘Shaping Responsible Futures’. The course can only be followed in combination with Change Making (201900230), as these courses work on the same societal challenge.
|
 |
|