Change Making

Elective course developed by Luca Bertolini, Debby Gerritsen and Rosanne van Wieringen
Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Amsterdam

This generation of students is concerned about the bigger issues in today’s society. Not surprising, as they have to deal with them now and in the future. Collectively, we must take collaborative action to disrupt established patterns and power structures to move towards a liveable future.

Change Making enables students from various disciplines to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to be meaningful change-makers and initiate, create and evaluate responsible, relevant and innovative societal transitions.

Using the Transition Cycle, students and societal partners collaborate intensively as co-learners on societal issues. At the end of this programme, change-makers will have carried out an intervention outside the classroom with a positive impact on personal growth and societal transitions.

The Transition Cycle

Change Making leads students through the four phases of the Transition Cycle, each centred on a generative question and specific teaching formats to work on a transition challenge:

  1. Imagine: inspired by art-based methods, students imagine and describe a world where their challenge has been overcome. 
  2. Connect: students identify key enablers and barriers towards achieving their vision by doing a system and stakeholder analysis.
  3. Act: students plan, execute and monitor an intervention in the real world to explore change towards their vision. The main goal of the intervention is to learn about the possibilities and constraints of societal change, not changing the system overnight.
  4. Assess: students assess the intervention and reflect on what they learned about change and their role in it.

Read more about the Transition Cycle in the Elsevier article “Supporting students to become agents of change” by Luca Bertolini, Debby Gerritsen & Katusha Sol (2024).

By focusing on inner development and self-reflection, students recognise what they've learned and where they can contribute to societal change, to get a better grip on the big challenges of our time.

Rosanne van Wieringen

co-developer and teacher of Change Making

Luca Bertolini

 
 

Scientific Director at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (IIS) at the University of Amsterdam

“Being able to transform the world is about being able to imagine a different future, trying to make change happen in the here and now, and continue to learn along the way. The core aim of the Transition Cycle is to connect these skills meaningfully and help students embark on this transformational process.”

Going beyond traditional education with four distinctive features:

1) Co-learning: students collaborate with professionals from various fields, gaining insights from various perspectives and areas of expertise;

2) Imagination: the change-making process uses imagination and creates a shared vision for the future through creative workshops that spark imagination and innovative thinking;

3) Real-life interventions: change-makers apply their knowledge in practical settings by executing small-scale projects outside the classroom; and

4) Reflection and personal growth: emphasis is placed on understanding one’s motivations and capabilities, promoting self-awareness and personal development.

Learning outcomes

  • The student is able to reflect on their motivations and capabilities in shaping societal transitions 
  • The student is able to appreciate and (critically) evaluate the complexity of transition issues by integrating different perspectives and areas of expertise into the various phases of the transition cycle 
  • The student is able to empathise with the knowledge and opinions of others so that diverse stakeholders and their needs are considered in shaping societal transitions
  • The student is able to engage in sincere dialogue, convey perspectives orally and in writing, and adapt communication to diverse stakeholders 
  • The student is able to engage in co-creative collaborative relationships, develop and facilitate them in inter- and transdisciplinary teams 
  • The student is able to initiate change by utilising imagination, creativity and innovative thinking to break prevailing systems 
  • The student is able to shape change and critically evaluate the realisation process  
  • The student is able to demonstrate courage, determination and compassion in shaping transitions