Initial Publication Date: September 29, 2022

Instructor Module Overview

Download the module overview and instructor guide as a PDF:

This is a module designed by business and science faculty at Bentley University, Northern Illinois University, and Wittenberg University, and funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (DUE-1914906). It introduces students to the intractable nature of the wicked problems of sustainability, framed by the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (opens in a new tab). At the same time, students learn the transdisciplinary nature of wicked problems – and that perspectives from different academic and operational disciplines are required to describe the problem, much less address it.

Jump down to information about: Time | Delivery | Goals and Outcomes | Module Components | Assessment | Instructor Introduction | Additional Resources

Time

The module is designed to cover approximately 1‐2 weeks of class time, depending on how the module is implemented with respect to in‐class and outside‐of‐class work. Course‐specific activities are also available to highlight disciplinary concepts, using a lens of the wicked problem, if desired.

Delivery

While several parts were designed with face‐to‐face interactions in mind, the module can be adapted for remote learning, with various asynchronous and synchronous components.

Goals and Outcomes

Students are introduced to the multi‐faceted nature of wicked problems by exploring the impacts of a linear economy on society and the environment, as compared to a "circular economy," which attempts to "replace the 'end‐of‐life' concept with reducing, alternatively reusing, recycling, and recovering materials in production/distribution and consumption processes..." (Kirchherr et al. 2017, pp. 224–225). The student learning outcomes, however, are much broader and transferable to other sustainability challenges, with focus on how all complex problems disproportionately impact stakeholders, including underrepresented groups and the environment.

After completing the module, students will be able to:

  1. Identify ways in which currently linear aspects of our economic system shape your own behaviors and norms;
  2. Explain a sustainable "circular economy" from systems perspective;
  3. Identify how human and natural systems may affect each other in a circular economy; and
  4. Evaluate the implications on the environment and on social, health, and economic equity of a linear and a circular economy.

Module Components

The module and instructor materials center on two activities toward these outcomes: (1) individual pre-work, which includes a personal waste audit, to introduce the problem; and (2) a collaborative product lifecycle mapping exercise, culminating in a "gallery tour."

Assessment

Students are evaluated using the waste audit and reflection as a formative assessment, as well as a summative assessment following the gallery tour and discussion.

Instructor Introduction: The Wicked Problem of a Sustainable Circular Economy

The student guide provides a brief introduction to wicked problems, the distinction between linear and circular economies, and their relation to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Students have been introduced to the concepts of linear and circular economies using plastic as an example (e.g. The Story of Plastic (Animated Short) (opens in a new tab)), the national and global scale of transitioning to a circular economy in the case of The Netherlands (Watch Circular Economy video (opens in a new tab)), and essays that address the personal responsibility for sustainable living(e.g. Why Fashion Needs to Be More Sustainable and The Role of Individual Responsibility in the Transition to Environmental Sustainability (open in new tabs)).

The instructor may want to elaborate and add content on:

  • The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • Definition and examples of wicked problems
  • Definitions of linear and circular economies and sustainability

The "Overview" slide deck below provides background information that introduces the module, including an optional introductory "in-class" exercise, as well as material for each of the 3 specific exercises. The "Module Applications and Timelines" file describes how BASICS faculty have implemented the module and the time required to do so.

Review of Definitions

A linear economy traditionally follows the "take‐make‐dispose" step‐by‐step plan. This means that raw materials are collected, then transformed into products that are used until they are finally discarded as waste. Value is created in this economic system by producing and selling as many products as possible. More information can be found at this website (opens in a new tab).

The circular economy... is "an economic system that is based on business models that replace the 'end-of‐life' concept with reducing, alternatively reusing, recycling, and recovering materials in production/distribution and consumption processes, thus operating at the micro level (products, companies, consumers), meso level (eco‐industrial parks), and macro level (city, region, nation and beyond), with the aim to accomplish sustainable development . . . for future generations" (Kirchherr et
al. 2017, pp. 224–225).

Sustainability is conceived "as the balanced integration of economic performance, social inclusiveness, and environmental resilience, to the benefit of current and future generations." "The Circular Economy – a new sustainability paradigm?" (Geissdoerfer et al., 2017)

Additional Instructor Resources