The Social-ecological Resilience for Sustainable Development (SERSD) programme is closely aligned with on-going research at the centre, aiming to further the scientific understanding and theory of social-ecological systems and recognising that many social-ecological processes involve collaborations of diverse knowledge systems and actors, and that these systems are rooted in the role of ecosystems for human-wellbeing. The SERSD field of study has an anthropocentric focus with a vision of sustainable co-evolution of human civilisations in the biosphere. It’s a broad field of study framed by three boundary conditions, each of which is addressed in the programme’s courses:
1. society and nature represent interdependent social-ecological systems
2. social-ecological systems are complex adaptive systems
3. cross-scale and dynamic interactions represent new challenges for governance and management in relation to inter-dependent social-ecological systems and ecosystem services.
The programme uses resilience thinking as a framework to integrate the social and ecological dimensions in order to develop resilience approaches for governance and management of social-ecological systems.
The content
SERSD is a two-year Master’s programme and 15 students are admitted each year. The programme prepares its students for academic careers in research in the field of SERSD or other areas of Sustainability Science.
The first year (60hp/ ECTS) consists of courses; 52.5 hp/ECTS are compulsory courses developed specifically for the programme, and 7.5 hp/ ECTS are optional courses where students are allowed to complete their training in preparation for their Master’s thesis.
The courses provide a broad understanding of the field of study, as well as depth in certain areas. They have been developed as a progression; providing a base on which to build on and/or relate to in subsequent courses and a holistic understanding of social-ecological systems.
The programme courses:
Course 1: Social-Ecological Systems: Challenges and Approaches, 15 ECTS
Course 2: Systems Theory and Resilience Thinking, 15 ECTS
Course 3: Governance and Management of Social-Ecological Systems, 15 ECTS
Course 4: Resilience Reflections and Applications, 7.5 ECTS
The second year is dedicated to the Master’s thesis (60 hp/ECTS). In 2012, students are working in areas including the Baltic Sea, Zanzibar, India and Spain - all in close collaboration with centre researchers and the research themes at Stockholm Resilience Centre.
The application deadline for non-EU applicants is 15 January 2013 and 15 April 2013 for EU applicants.
How to apply
