BSc minor Gender and Diversity for Sustainable Worlds (WUGDS)

Sustainability has become one of the most urgent challenges of our time. The relationships between gender (socially constructed differences between men and women), diversity (people’s backgrounds and natural lifeworlds) and sustainability, while crucial, are often difficult for students to see. In the Gender and Diversity for Sustainable Worlds minor, students start from their own position to become aware of their responsibilities and, then, to acquire knowledge and skills about gender and diversity that will be useful in advancing a more equal and sustainable world.

Continue to an overview of the courses in this minor

Students explore various relationships between (in)equality and (un)sustainability through examination of real-life social and ethical concerns within Wageningen domains. This exploration takes into account diversity in terms of not only people’s backgrounds and natural lifeworlds but also epistemologies, learning activities and skills. The careful case-based explorations in this minor encourage and strengthen students’ engagement in societal and professional debates about sustainability in their study domain as responsible professionals.

The minor opens with the course 'Responsibilities for Equality and Sustainability' which offers real-life contexts where students learn about and then see the operation of their position, the value of diversity, and how these shape professional responsibilities and opportunities to contribute to a more equal and sustainable world. Then, the course 'African Philosophy' exposes students to African frameworks of thinking and reasoning which extends their often Eurocentric epistemological horizons and teaches skills useful in self-reflection and intercultural dialogues. The course 'Gender and Diversity in Transnational Worlds' broadens students’ grasp of and their ability to critically apply a gender and diversity perspective through the study of the role of everyday consumption in shaping (in)equality and (un)sustainability. The minor concludes with the course 'Gender and Natural Resources Management' in which students further build their knowledge and skills to examine relationships between gender and the (un)sustainable use of natural resources by applying gender sensitive approaches.

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this minor students are expected to be able to:

  • critically reflect on their position, practices and responsibilities;
  • acknowledge the value of and leverage diversity;
  • identify examples of relationships between people and natural lifeworlds and their roles in shaping (un)sustainability in their study domain;
  • explain the relationship between (in)equality and (un)sustainability in their study domain;
  • apply knowledge, skills and attitude sensitive to gender and diversity to the study of sustainability in their own study domain;
  • make critically informed contributions to debates on sustainability in their own study domain drawing on a gender and diversity perspective;
  • evaluate societal and professional debates on sustainability in their own study domain from a gender and diversity perspective;
  • engage in debates on sustainability in their study domain with others who have different opinions while promoting inclusivity.

Target group

Students from all programmes in WUR and external students who are interested in sustainability research can take this minor.

Assumed Knowledge

There is no additional assumed knowledge. Necessary knowledge is developed throughout the minor.

Language

English

Semester

First semester (period 1, 2 and 3)

Programme or thematic

Thematic minor