Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences

Organization

TÁTK Department of Sociology

Code

ESZOCBA-SS6

Title

System thinking in social sciences

Usual semester

Both

ECTS

4

Language

Learning outcomes

Educational goals, content, working method During the semester, students will get familiar with the basics of systems thinking, including the properties and nature of systems, complexity, emergence; about how and why are these important in social sciences; and what tool we, social science people can use to understand more and even to be able to change the social settings we are dealing with.

Course content

The first part of the semester consists of lying down the theoretical groundings. In the second half of the semester, we will learn and practice certain (qualitative) methods to map and understand systems better. The class is primarily based on student activity and takes a rather flipped classroom-like approach, with readings, thinking, collaborating outside of the classroom and putting together what we have during the time spend physically together. We will use Canvas (canvas.elte.hu) as our LMS, please check the course there!

Assessment method

Assessment Students in groups of 2-3 write a case study of a chosen social issue in which they a) Identify the issue, provide background b) map the system c) analyze the system, identify possible leverage points and possible interventions. Assignements will be evaluated based on pre-defined and agreed aspects of assessment.

Bibliography

Literature Meadows, Donella (2015): Thinking in systems. Chelsea Green Publishing. Mitchell, Melanie (2011): Complexity – A guided tour. Oxford University Press. Senge, Peter M. (1990): The Fifth Discipline Tbc.

Programmes of the course