Plotting Sustainability - ENHANCE summer school on power struggles in the city (Erasmus+ BIP)

What is the Plotting Sustainability course about? - power relations - society-nature relations - Critical Theory - merging arts and science - intervention research - democratization - social-ecological transformation

The participants expand their understanding of sustainability, especially with regard to social aspects such as power relations as well as society-nature relations and political ecology. The theoretical foundation for this is Critical Theory and theories of radical democracy. The pedagogical foundation of the course lies in the realm of critical pedagogy and pedagogies of democracy. During the course, the participants work on societal challenges from different interdisciplinary and artistic perspectives, and engage in corresponding practices. They conduct an intervention research project through which they contribute to a democratization of society and its social-ecological transformation.

After two sessions of digital video conferences, the participants of the Plotting Sustainability course are prepared to take a step into the real world. This time, they will meet each other in Gdańsk.  Building up on the discussions and interventions started in the online meetings, the participants will further analyze and democratize existing power relations as well as society-nature relations. During Plotting Sustainability Week (PlotS Week) in Gdańsk, participants will explore ways in which different initiatives in the fields of science, art, politics, etc. are already contributing to a social-ecological transformation of Gdańsk. In return, the participants themselves will engage in interactive, artistic and group-dynamic formats to jointly analyze their own positions/conditions in society and to reflect on how they want to co-design our societies. This will be the basis for their contribution to a socio-ecological transformation of society through individual and collective action.

Blended Intensive Programme: Online meetings + in-person summer school in Gdańsk

The two-level mutual trust-based quality assurance scheme has been adopted:

• at the university level: Gdansk Tech has applied its internal quality assurance procedures and structures to the proposal of Plotting Sustainability it submitted to ENHANCE and to its implementation - the related learning activities,
• at the Alliance level: the body composed of Education Officers has made decisions regarding the inclusion of Plotting Sustainability proposed by Gdansk Tech to the Innovative Learning Campus part of the joint ENHANCE educational offer, based on the compliance with the formal requirements and ENHANCE goals.

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The course is credited with 6 ECTS points. The portfolio assessment totals 100 points: 40 points in total for the written activities in the meetings, written preparation and/or written follow-up activities (10 points per online meeting), 60 points for an intervention research conducted in a small group and its subsequent documentation.

The application consists of a motivational letter of 300-500 words in which you describe 1) who you are, 2) why you want to participate, 3) if you will be able to participate at all dates of the summer school that is the two online meetings as well as the five days in Berlin. Please fill in the form at the bottom of the website and answer all three points from above

Gdańsk University of Technology

In-person part: 20-24 July 2026