Global Challenges II: Shifting

Course Director: Emma Stenström

Global risks remain severe. Climate change, international wars, declining biodiversity, deteriorating mental health, increasing political polarization, and deadly pandemics are some prominent examples. The Global Challenges Series aims to inspire and prepare SSE students to make a difference by addressing these risks as leading professionals and engaged citizens. The Global Challenges Series includes two mandatory courses, Global Challenges I: Understanding (BE0801) and Global Challenges II: Shifting (BE0802). It also has an elective course, Impactful Entrepreneurship for Global Challenges: Acting (BE0906). In harmony with SSE's overall philosophy, we believe these courses support the FREE mindset (facts- and research-based, reflective and self-aware, empathetic and culturally literate, and entrepreneurial and responsible) and that the FREE mindset will help approach these courses.

Complex challenges (for example, geopolitical conflicts, climate change, AI threats, and political polarization) demand approaches as multifaceted as the problems themselves. Global Challenges II: Shifting equips you with theories and tools to understand complex systems, collaborate across diverse perspectives, and build the self-awareness necessary to navigate an uncertain world.

In this course, we have a "triple focus". You'll explore three interconnected shifts (Goleman & Senge, 2014; Rosa, 2019): in systems; socially, between people, and within yourself. They are, of course, interconnected.

Block I: Outer - System Awareness

Global challenges rarely have simple causes or single solutions. They emerge from interconnected systems that demand new ways of seeing and acting. This means looking beyond isolated problems to the patterns, relationships, and mental models that shape outcomes. You'll learn to see the bigger picture and identify leverage points where small, well-placed actions can create meaningful shifts.

Block II: Other - Social Awareness

Addressing global challenges depends on our ability to collaborate across perspectives, conflicts, and disciplines. You’ll learn how our groups form us. You’ll explore why we can see the same problem but not feel equally obliged to act on it. And through bridging and perspective-taking, you’ll discover how you can open – or close – possibilities for collaboration.

Block III: Inner - Self-Awareness

Navigating complexity demands inner work too. Why do we do so little when we know so much? You’ll explore the line between resilience and resignation. You’ll reflect on what sympathy can, and cannot, do. And you’ll examine the pressure to never settle, and how talent can become a trap. Throughout, you’ll cultivate focus and self-awareness, helping you act with clarity and direction.

This course is based on experiential learning, built around deep reflection through learning journals, a team project, and hands-on exercises. You won't just learn concepts and theories - you'll apply them in different scenarios and through personal practice. This means that you have to prepare in advance and be ready to participate and contribute in the seminars.

A distinctive feature is the course's intentional integration of diverse perspectives - some normative, others critical or creative; some experiential, others theoretical. You'll encounter viewpoints that sometimes contradict each other, and that's by design. This approach gives you a portfolio of tools and theories and supports diverse ways of learning. It helps you meet the complexity and ambiguity of tackling global challenges.

Course administrator: Alexandra.Butanescu@hhs.se

Literature and materials will be updated during the course on Canvas. Make sure to check them before each seminar.

TEAM ASSIGNMENT: CASE + PRESENTATION (30 %)

The team assignment is to write and present a short case study of an organization aiming for impact at the final mandatory seminar. See Assignment for further instructions.

INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION ON TEAM ASSIGNMENT (20 %)

Each student will use theories and tools provided in the course to write an individual reflection on the team assignment, the teamwork, and the student's own role and contribution. See Assignment for further instructions.

INDIVIDUAL EXAM (50 %)

The exam will be written on paper with a pen. It will consist of a brief case, multiple-choice, and short questions. There will be a mock exam at the last seminar so you can get an idea of what the exam will be like.

LEARNING JOURNALS 1-3 (P/F)

After the first two blocks and at the end of the course, each student is to provide a short Learning Journal. These will receive only a Pass or Fail but are mandatory to receive a final grade. Learning Journal I (LJI) will receive collective feedback. Learning Journal II (LJII) will receive peer feedback. See Assignments for instructions.

PARTICIPATION

Seminar attendance: You must attend at least five of nine seminars (5/9). You may miss up to two seminars. If you miss three or four, you'll complete a compensatory task for each absence (see Missed Seminars). Missing five or more seminars means you'll need to retake the course the following year. Final presentations are mandatory for everyone.

Active engagement: Attendance means being fully present - mentally and physically. You're welcome to use laptops during lectures, but seminars are designed to be screen-free spaces for exercises, dialogue, and collaborative learning. Please complete all assigned readings before seminars, so you're prepared to engage deeply with the material and your peers. Please bring paper & pen.

Please note that graded assignments can only receive a Pass if submitted late.

Find the course schedule in: TimeEdit

Have you been granted educational support because of a documented disability? If so, please contact the course director as soon as possible so that adequate accommodations can be made.

Contact specialneeds@hhs.se if you have questions about being granted educational support or need a copy of your educational support certificate.

For more information, visit the Specific Educational Needs page on the Student Hub (login required).