Admission requirements
Intended for all Bachelor students registered for the minor Responsible Innovation.
Description
Imagine a world where innovation means regeneration, not just sustainability. What if we could design systems that actively restore our planet while creating more equitable societies? Welcome to Creative Visions for Regenerative Futures – a journey beyond the conventional thinking that has led us to our current ecological and social challenges.
In the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion, simply "doing less harm" is no longer enough. This course invites you to explore how we can shift from sustainability (reducing negative footprints) to regeneration (creating positive handprints) through seeing, analysing, and debating creative, multidisciplinary approaches.
Drawing on Elinor Ostrom's groundbreaking work on managing the Commons and James Lovelock's Novacene concept, you will investigate how self-organizing systems can restore balance while fostering innovation. Through practical examples across food systems, manufacturing, digital technologies, and biodiversity restoration, you will discover how regenerative thinking is already reshaping our world.
Each session combines theory with hands-on exploration, bringing together diverse perspectives from art, design, science and economics. You'll question our current resource flows, examine hidden dependencies, and reimagine how we might create systems that generate value rather than extract it.
This course isn't about dystopian warnings or unreachable utopias – it's about finding the creative grounds to foster responsible innovation. In this course, we will examine concrete success stories alongside speculative futures to expand what's possible when diverse minds collaborate on complex challenges. The complex challenges of our time don't fit into neat academic boxes – they require the cross-pollination of ideas, methods, and viewpoints that you'll practice throughout this course.
Join this course to explore how regenerative thinking and art-driven innovation can help us build more resilient, equitable, and life-affirming futures for all.
Course objectives
At the end of this course students should be able to
understand and apply concepts and insights from various theoretical methodologies in analysis of social and technological innovation;
identify the key principles of regenerative economy and forms of its implementation;
reflect upon the role of industry and entrepreneurship in addressing ethical issues concerning the usage of natural resources;
critically evaluate individual innovative technological solutions, activist initiatives and creative practices in the fields of sustainability and regeneration;
develop critical reading, group research, debating and presentation skills.*
The final course outline may differ.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Research
Assessment method
Assessment
Portfolio of smaller assignments
Individually written paper (1500-2000 words)
Weighing
Portfolio of smaller assignments – 50%
Individually written paper (1500-2000 words) – 50%
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
If the end grade is insufficient, it is possible to take a resit examination for the paper assignment. The faculty rules relating to participation in resit examinations can be found in article 4.1 of the faculty Course and Examination Regulations (OER).
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
Reading material is provided or indicated via Brightspace.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory (only applies for Leiden students).
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal.
Remarks
Not applicable.