The UN Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals – A global, transdisciplinary vision for the future is an online course offered by the Sustainability Science Centre of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Students and workers in a wide variety of fields can benefit from the course’s transdisciplinary approach. Individuals interested in sustainability and climate change and the political action required to address these issues are invited to enroll in the introductory course regardless of previous educational and work experience.

Taught over a period of three weeks, The Sustainable Development Goals – A global, transdisciplinary vision for the future is broken into three modules. Each module includes a series of videos and supplemental reading materials. At the end of the module, students are given a writing assignment to complete. The assignment is intended to assess students’ understanding of the course material and to encourage deeper thinking about the topics covered. All students who receive passing grades on the three assignments will successfully complete the course.

During the first module, Sustainable Development as a Global Goal, discusses what the Sustainable Development Goals are and what makes them unique. Students will have a chance to see how the goals can be applied to one particular aspect of society. The second module is Managing human impacts on the natural world. Through the unit, students will examine the scientific evidence that shows that human beings are having a negative impact on the earth and discuss the potential consequences of this action. In the final module, Social sustainability and the way forward, students will learn what can be done to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.