In the minor Change Making, students initiate, create, and evaluate innovative transitions together with other societal professionals. There are all sorts of urgent societal and ecological issues that require cross-disciplinary collaboration, such as climate change, food shortages, loss of biodiversity, armed conflicts, refugee flows, increasing inequality of opportunity, and political polarisation. Essentially, students and professionals collaborate as a 'think tank' together on a transition issue, using the transition cycle as the leading approach. 

Examples of transition issues: 

• What if we stopped using disposable plastic? 

• What if we powered a city on AI? 

• What if public education allowed students of all backgrounds to choose their path? 

• What if everyone had equal access to healthcare? 

What is Change Making? 

Change Making goes beyond traditional education and has the following unique features: 

• Co-learning: students and professionals from the field genuinely work together, doing so from various disciplinary perspectives and areas of expertise. 

• Joint vision formation: Change Makers create a shared vision for the future. They do this by employing imagination and innovative thinking and breaking through prevailing systems. 

• Interventions in the real world: Change Makers go beyond theory by jointly carrying out small-scale, real interventions.

• Emphasis on reflection and personal growth: Change Makers learn to know their own motivations and capabilities.

Themes 

The theme of the minor will differ every half-year. The coming semester (block 2&3 of the academic year 2024-2025) will focus on Sustainability. The following semesters will cover the themes of Healthy Future (block 5 & 6, 2024-2025), Fair & Resilient society (block 1 & 2, 2025-2026), and Digitalisation (block 5 & 6, 2025-2026). 

Admission Requirements 

This 18 ECTS minor is suitable for Bachelor students from the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, the Faculty of Law, and the Faculty of Economics and Business. Students need to have acquired at least 90 ECTS in their bachelor's degree before starting this minor.

Summary: 

• Theme: Sustainability 
• Credits: 18 ECTS (not a full minor) 
• Teaching period: block 2&3 or block 5&6, full-time education 
• Location: REC Impact (J/K-building) 
• Small-scale education: 25 students + 5 co-learners per theme 
• Language of instruction: English (and Dutch, if possible within your team)

Application and Admission 

A maximum of 25 students can participate in this minor. Application is possible from 10-17 June and can be done using GLASS.

The Course Catalogue information will become available starting April 18th.

More information

If you have any questions, please email keuzeonderwijs-iis@uva.nl.