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ENVI-S171

System theory : from science to a sustainable society

academic year
2024-2025
2025-2026

Course teacher(s)

Bertrand COLLIGNON (Coordinator)

ECTS credits

5

Language(s) of instruction

english

Course content

The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of system theory and its relevance to creating a sustainable society, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to apply these concepts in their future careers.

The following topics will be covered during the course:
 

  1. Introduction to System Theory:

    • Understand the fundamental concepts and principles of system theory.

    • Explore the historical development and key contributors to the field.

  2. Sustainability and System Thinking:

    • Investigate the role of system thinking in promoting sustainability.

    • Examine how economic, social, and environmental systems are interconnected.

  3. Complex Systems and Dynamics:

    • Learn about complex systems, feedback loops, and dynamic behavior.

    • Use system dynamics modeling to simulate and predict outcomes.

  4. Policy and Decision-Making:

    • Understand how system theory can inform policy-making and strategic decisions.

    • Evaluate the impact of policies on different parts of a system and their long-term sustainability.

  5. Interdisciplinary Approach:

    • Encourage an interdisciplinary perspective by integrating insights from different disciplines.

Objectives (and/or specific learning outcomes)

Develop the system thinking skills of the students.
Understanding the interconnectedness of human and natural systems.
Allowing the students to integrate different perspectives when developing a solution for a particular problem.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

 

Teaching methods and learning activities

Ex cathedra course (30 hours total) and practicals (12 hours in total)

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

 

Course notes

  • Université virtuelle

Contribution to the teaching profile

This course contributes to the following programme learning outcomes for the Bachelor's degree in economics (BA-ECONE):

Goal 1 Disciplinary knowledge and its applications
LO 1.1 Apply fundamental concepts, tools and models in economics and management to formulate a well-defined problem and propose a multidisciplinary solution relevant to the economic context.
LO 1.2 Integrate sustainable development in analyses.

Goal 2 Academic mindset
LO 2.1 Adopt a scientific approach to data collection, research and analysis and communicate results with clear, structured and sophisticated arguments.
LO 2.2 Display critical thinking, logical and abstract reasoning and develop an independent approach to learning.

Goal 3 Quantitative skills
LO 3.1 Solve standard mathematical and statistical problems by analysing data with standard office and statistical software

Goal 4 Professional skills
LO 4.2 Recognize ethical dilemmas and contribute to solving them

This course contributes to the following programme learning outcomes for the Bachelor's degree in business engineering (BA-INGEE):

Goal 1 Disciplinary knowledge and its applications
LO 1.1 Apply fundamental concepts, tools and models in economics and management to formulate a well-defined problem and propose a multidisciplinary solution.
LO 1.2 Integrate sustainable development in analyses.

Goal 2 Academic mindset
LO 2.1 Adopt a scientific approach to data collection, research and analysis and communicate results with clear, structured and sophisticated arguments.
LO 2.2 Display critical thinking, logical and abstract reasoning and develop an independent approach to learning.

Goal 3 Quantitative skills
LO 3.1 Apply quantitative and qualitative techniques to support problem solving using standard office and scientific software

Goal 4 Professional skills
LO 4.2 Recognize ethical dilemmas and contribute to solving them

Other information

Additional information

 

Contacts

Bertrand Collignon (coordinator) : bertrand.collignon@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Evaluation

Method(s) of evaluation

  • written examination
  • Oral examination

written examination

  • Open question with short answer
  • Open question with developed answer
  • Closed question with Multiple Answers (MAQ)

Oral examination

  • Open question with short answer
  • Open question with long development


The written exam is mandatory. After receiving their grades for the written exam, students have the opportunity to attend an oral exam where they can score half of the points that they did not get at the written exam. The points of the oral exams are added to the results of the written exam.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

The final grade of the course is given by the results of the written exam plus the results of the oral exam for the students who decide to attend it.

Language(s) of evaluation

  • english

Programmes