Die Anmeldung beginnt erst am 02.10.2026 um 08:00 Uhr. Sie endet am 12.10.2026 um 23:59 Uhr

In its Resolution “Transforming the World: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development”, the UN General Assembly said it envisages a world of “universal respect for human rights and human dignity, the rule of law, justice, equality and non-discrimination; of respect for race, ethnicity and cultural diversity; and of equal opportunity permitting the full realization of human potential and contributing to shared prosperity. […] We pledge to foster intercultural understanding, tolerance, mutual respect and an ethic of global citizenship and shared responsibility. We acknowledge the natural and cultural diversity of the world and recognize that all cultures and civilizations can contribute to, and are crucial enablers of, sustainable development.”

Inspired by this grand vision, this course addresses the multifaceted relationships between culture and sustainability and highlights the importance of global citizenship and intercultural dialogue for building a more sustainable future for all.

Students will participate in a virtual exchange with peers from universities outside Germany. In small, intermixed groups, they will develop projects exploring the role of culture as an enabler and driver of sustainability through local case studies. During these investigations, students will be supported by activities and information to facilitate intercultural, international work. Following the investigative phase, the students will turn their findings and commentary into an e-book to increase the visibility of the topic to a wider audience. This book will be published on PubData, and each group will be the authors of their own chapter.

In the spirit of global citizenship education, the course encourages students to link the local to the global and the national to the international. In the same spirit, it also aims to promote intercultural understanding and dialogue. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their cultural identities and those of others, recognise socio-linguistic and cultural variations in communication styles, understand how cultural values might underlie different behaviours, learn to cope with ambiguity and adapt and be flexible in intercultural interactions. Here, a special emphasis will be placed on the communicative aspects of the peer feedback students will give and receive on their project work.

Due to its focus on intercultural communication, the course is relevant for students who plan to study or spend time abroad and, generally, for those who envisage working in international teams.

The primary competencies this course supports are intercultural communicative competence, collaborative competence, and competencies for sustainable development.

Knowledge areas that will be addressed: Theories of intercultural awareness and communication, metapragmatic knowledge about peer feedback, the sustainable development goals, in-depth knowledge on a sustainability topic relevant to Lüneburg and partner cities, critical media literacy.

Skills that will be addressed: English language skills, collaborative work, scientific and journalistic research, project design/management, creative content creation, digital literacy.

Personal/Self-competence: Reflection on and identification of own values and goals regarding sustainability and intercultural communication as a basis for expanded capacity for competence

Further information on teaching evaluation: https://www.leuphana.de/en/teaching/quality-management/evaluation/course-evaluation.html