Beschreibung (Langtext)

Between August, 15th 2005 and August, 14th 2007, nine universities from Europe and Latin America developed the foundations for a joined Master’s Programme in Sustainable Development and Management. This joint project was led and managed by the Leuphana Universität Lüneburg. The project was supported by the European Union’s ALFA programme.

The results of this two-year work are documented in a two-volume publication. The second volume, presented here, is a general introduction to the concept of sustainable development. It is an important work foundation for students as well as teachers of the future Master’s Programme. This introductory document addresses different problems of unsustainable development, presents theoretical concepts for sustainable development, deals with particular Latin American perspectives of development and sustainability, and addresses the role of education for sustainable development. This introduction forms a part of the first and second semesters of the Master’s Programme, which aim to develop a common basis in matters of the idea of sustainability for all students and teachers participating in the Master’s Programme, upon which to build up a more in-depth engagement with various aspects of sustainable development. All project participants hope that the publication will be useful and will facilitate international cooperation in education for sustainable development. To date, there is still insufficient international cooperation between universities of different continents, especially in the context of sustainable development.