Organisation profile

Sustainability has many facets. Inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching characterize the School of Sustainability. Scientists in our research projects work together in the laboratory, on the heath, in the grassland, in the classroom, with the city administration, with farmers, with non-governmental organizations, with companies, with students in the lecture hall and of course at their desks.

Furthermore, we work with regional and national political actors, e.g. ministries, as well as international organizations, e.g. UNEP, UNESCO, EU. We are part of national and international bodies, e.g. sustainability advisory boards of companies, member of the German Sustainability Award, World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), in order to contribute to social change with scientific findings.

Main research areas

Vision
Sustainability science investigates on a theoretical, conceptual and empirical level how to promote sustainable development and how to find and implement effective solutions for current social and ecological challenges. The aim is to create a more sustainable future.

Sustainability researchers are called upon to take responsibility for their research, which is anchored in existing scientific knowledge and methods and serves to make the world a better place for everyone.

Mission
We promote change towards a sustainable future by developing theories, concepts and practices of inclusive education for sustainability, research, governance and management.

We acknowledge the diversity and dynamics of values, norms and behaviour and contribute with transdisciplinary methods to ensuring that tensions and differences between different disciplines, methods, topics and standards are fruitfully taken up and used with productive compromises and further developments towards sustainable development.

Principles
The School of Sustainability is guided by the normative concepts of ecological system integrity and social and economic justice.

Ecological system integrity refers to the safeguarding of life-support systems, as well as the maintenance of the well-being of life on Earth.

With social and economic justice we strive for a world in which all people can fulfil their potential without endangering system integrity and the well-being of others.

Information about the School
The School of Sustainability includes...
... ca. 25 professors
... ca. 100 research assistants
... ca. 1000 students in Bachelor and Master courses

In various inter- and transdisciplinary projects we are constantly researching and working together on changes and solutions for current challenges.

  1. Published

    Identitäten und Identifizierungen: Geschlechter- und Sexualitätenarrangements als Gegenstand der politischen Bildung

    Offen, S., 2015, Identität(en) aus Sicht der Politischen Bildung. Fischer, C., Gerhard, U., Partetzke, M. & Schmitt, S. (eds.). 1 ed. Schwalbach am Taunus: Wochenschau-Verlag, p. 67-81 15 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Inklusiver Sachunterricht intersektionell verstanden: Konzeptionelle Herausforderungen und Forschungsperspektiven

    Offen, S., 2016, Sachunterricht : zwischen Kompetenzorientierung, Persönlichkeitsentwicklung, Lebenswelt und Fachbezug. Giest, H., Goll, T. & Hartinger, A. (eds.). Bad Heilbrunn: Verlag Julius Klinkhardt, p. 192-201 10 p. (Probleme und Perspektiven des Sachunterrichts; vol. 26).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Diversität und Inklusion: Forschungsmethodische und –methodologische Perspektiven am Beispiel Bildungslandschaften

    Budde, J., Heynoldt, B. & Offen, S., 2016, Soziale Ungleichheiten als Herausforderung für inklusive Bildung. Ottersbach, M., Platte, A. & Rosen, L. (eds.). Wiesbaden: Springer VS, p. 103-130 28 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Eindeutig uneindeutig: Popkulturelle Akteur_innen und Narrationen als Anknüpfungspunkte für die politische Bildung

    Offen, S., 11.07.2017, Queertheoretische Perspektiven auf Bildung: Pädagogische Kritik der Heteronormativität. Hartmann, J., Messerschmidt, A. & Thon, C. (eds.). Opladen: Verlag Babara Budrich, p. 121-138 18 p. (Jahrbuch Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung in der Erziehungswissenschaft; vol. 13).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Biodiversity and food security: from trade-offs to synergies

    Cramer, W., Egea, E., Fischer, J., Lux, A., Salles, J. M., Settele, J. & Tichit, M., 01.06.2017, In: Regional Environmental Change. 17, 5, p. 1257-1259 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Methane yield of biomass from extensive grassland is affected by compositional changes induced by order of arrival

    Popp, D., von Gillhaussen, P., Weidlich, E. W. A., Sträuber, H., Harms, H. & Temperton, V. M., 10.2017, In: Global Change Biology : Bioenergy. 9, 10, p. 1555 - 1562 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Accuracy and bias of methods used for root length measurements in functional root research

    Delory, B., Weidlich, E. W. A., Meder, L., Lütje, A., Duijnen, R. V., Weidlich, R. & Temperton, V. M., 11.2017, In: Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 8, 11, p. 1594-1606 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Die Systematik der Umwelt: Leben, Reiz und Reaktion bei Uexküll und Plessner

    Schmieg, G., 2017, Das Leben im Menschen oder der Mensch im Leben?: Deutsch-Französische Genealogien zwischen Anthropologie und Anti-Humanismus. Ebke, T. & Zanfi, C. (eds.). Potsdam: Universitätsverlag Potsdam, p. 355-368 14 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Eine Didaktische Rekonstruktion der Energiewende: Lernhindernisse zu erneuerbaren Energien

    Hüfner, S., 2016, Implementation fachdidaktischer Innovation im Spiegel von Forschung und Praxis: Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik Jahrestagung in Zürich. Maurer, C. (ed.). Universität Regensburg, Vol. 37. p. 138-141 4 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearch

  10. Published

    Realität als Relation: Der Schematismus des Raumes und das Problem der Realität bei Plessner

    Schmieg, G., 2017, Schemata. Asmuth, C. & Gasperoni, L. (eds.). Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, p. 177-190 14 p. ( Kultur - System - Geschichte; vol. 11).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review