Providers

STS-Community

The School for Transdisciplinary Studies operates within a network that researches and teaches in the field of inter-/transdisciplinarity at UZH:

and many more ...

Why it's worth being part of the UZH School for Transdisciplinary Studies:

🌱 Timeliness and Relevance: By developing interdisciplinary courses on topics such as sustainability, digital transformation, ethics, social engagement, and future mobility, instructors stay up-to-date with current developments. This enables them to prepare students for the complex challenges of the present and future.

🤝 Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Instructors have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from various disciplines, expanding their own (disciplinary) horizons and fostering the exchange of ideas. Their interdisciplinary courses are attended by students from all faculties.

👩‍🏫 Visibility and Profiling as Experts: By participating in interdisciplinary teaching, instructors can position themselves as experts not only in their own field but also in other disciplines.

🎓 Innovative Teaching Methods: STS promotes new teaching methods that support interdisciplinary learning and thinking. Instructors can develop and implement innovative teaching formats to provide students with a holistic perspective on relevant topics.

👥 Professionalization and Networking: STS provides instructors with the opportunity to connect with leading experts and industry partners. This not only promotes professional exchange but also opens up opportunities for collaborations, research projects, and the application of theoretical knowledge in practice.

Credit toward assigned teaching load: Professors and PDs may have interdisciplinary teaching credited toward their assigned teaching load.

Fact Sheet on Including Cross-Faculty Teaching in UZH Professors’ Assigned Teaching Load

ULF transdisciplinary_innovation funding line

The funding line transdisciplinary_innovation supports the further strategic development of the STS course portfolio.

The funding line pursues three funding objectives:

To develop inter- and transdisciplinary minors that can be offered via the STS.
To develop inter- and transdisciplinary flagship courses for the STS’ curriculum.
To further develop successful STS courses that serve as models for UZH respectively for promoting and securing innovation and potential as an experimental space for the existing portfolio of the STS.

Find more information on the funding line here.

Voices from the community

Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze

"The shaping of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary courses requires openness to the diverse academic backgrounds of students. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity to address real-world issues in interdisciplinary teams. This facilitates the connection between different methods and ways of thinking. Such an approach promotes dialogue between disciplines and simultaneously forms the basis for effective collaboration and the development of innovative and creative solutions."

Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze, Professor for Mobility and Digital Innovation Management and module coordinator of the STS course “UZH Innovathon: The Digitalization of Mobility”

Anja Schulze More about Anja Schulze
Melanie Brand

"For participatory research and collaboration in diverse teams to succeed, a specific mindset and a set of disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills are required. These include, for example, reflecting on one's own positioning, becoming sensitive to target group–oriented and transparent (science) communication, and designing research in a way that creates value for everyone involved in the project. These are key future skills that prepare students for working with diverse stakeholders at the interface of science and society."

Melanie Brand, lecturer in the STS course "Citizens Consider(ed). KI & Nachhaltigkeit in der Bodenseeregion"

Melanie Brand More about Melanie Brand
Jeannette Behringer

"During the study week, knowledge is brought together: From students, lecturers and social actors. In this way, acute problems of sustainable development such as the circular economy or funding for sustainability are addressed in context: Knowledge-based, practical, solution-oriented and at eye level. Students become qualified to shape the future."

Dr. rer. pol. Jeannette Behringer, Responsible Sustainable Development in Research and Teaching at the Sustainability Hub (UZH) and module coordinator of the STS course "Study Week: Sustainable Development and Transformation"

Jeannette Behringer More about Jeannette Behringer