Courses
Here is a list of the courses offered by the Sustainability Transition Policy team. For questions about a specific course, please contact the responsible lecturer. As we are still building up the course portfolio, this page will be updated and expanded as we go.
Winter Semester 2025/2026
| Course | Bachelor/Master & Study program | Description | Course type | Time & Place |
Lecturer(s) |
| Energy Security
|
Bachelor
(IBS, Sozök, Business Studies, Industrial Engineering and Management) |
Energy is central to almost any area of human activity and necessary for economic activity. The energy crisis of 2022, triggered by the war in Ukraine, impacted the global and national economy, and especially energy-intensive businesses, with energy supply uncertainty and high prices. Without energy, the industrialised world would be dramatically altered. Moreover, energy is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in climate change. Key questions that we will address include: How can we ensure that all people and businesses have reliable and affordable access to sufficient energy for their needs? How can this be achieved on a sustainable basis? In what ways can energy be used as a tool for diplomatic coercion? And what are the geopolitical consequences of energy supply and the shift to low-carbon energy sources? The goal of this course is to enable students to discuss and critique strategies to enhance energy security, for both countries and individual companies, based on concepts and approaches in the study of energy security (incl. International Political Economy and Geopolitics studies) during lectures. These concepts from the lectures are practically applied during the exercise portion of this course, diving into the characteristics of different energy sources (e.g. oil, gas, nuclear, renewables), energy producer and consumers (who are they?), energy markets (how do they work?), energy conflicts (can energy be used as a weapon?) and trends in energy (is hydrogen the solution?). We will use case studies/scenarios to conduct analyses on energy and sustainability actions and their impact national/European energy security (e.g. in individual deals, such as the consequences for German energy security of the chemical concern BASF’s gas trade deals; or security effects of braoder trends, such as climate policy- driven electrification of heat and transport). Combined the lectures and exercises will equip students with a framework for understanding and analysing the stakes and trade-offs involved in addressing the practical energy challenge of ensuring secure, sustainable and affordable access to energy supplies needed for the oral exam, which will include a mix of concepts and practical problem solving in the energy domain. In addition, this dual approach will assist in navigating the international business environment when dealing with energy and sustainability questions.
Register here: https://www.studon.fau.de/studon/goto.php?target=lcode_WVuOjcpq |
Lecture +exercise | Thursdays from 13:15-14:45, 15:15-16:45
Starts 23.10.2025 In LG 3.155 |
|
| Energy Policy instruments | Master
(Development Economics, Informatik, IBS, Management, Sozök, WING) |
With the adoption of the Paris Agreement, almost all countries have committed themselves to achieving a carbon-neutral global economy by mid-century. Yet, emissions keep increasing, driven by economic growth and industrial development in emerging countries, causing a hunger for energy that is often satisfied with fossil fuels. In the industrialised world, however, emissions decrease. In Europe, emissions have decreased by some 30% compared to 1990, and in some countries much more than that. Evidently, it is possible to bend the emissions curve! Across Europe, emissions and energy demand are decreasing, and European (together with Chinese and US) policies have made renewables so cheap that they are starting to outcompete fossil fuels on economic grounds. Today, other than 10 years ago, full energy system decarbonisation seems realistic. In this course, we will explore the instrumentation of climate policy in the energy sector, especially on the European and national levels: what worked, and why? We explore how these policies interact with companies and citizens, and pay attention to positive and negative side effects, including effects on industry and economic prosperity. This is a very controversial field, both in Brussels (e.g. Green Deal vs. emissions trading!), and in national capitals (electric car mandates vs “technology-neutrality”, or the debacle of the German heating law!). The outcome of these debates will not only determine Europe’s climate footprint, but also its industrial future. In this course, we take a holistic view, dive deep into the biggest transformation since many decades, and develop solutions to it all.
Register here: https://www.studon.fau.de/studon/goto.php?target=lcode_haOClKJK |
Seminar | Every second Tuesdays from 13-17:00
Starts 21.10.2025 In LG 3.155 |
Prof. Dr. Johan Lilliestam |
| Critical Approaches to International Economic Relations – Lessons from Sustainability | Master
(Economics, Sozök, Management, Political Science, Development Economics) |
Environmental harms including climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity and extinction threats are increasingly impacting global politics. Marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by environmental harms, and some countries and regions are impacted more than others, especially those in the so-called Global South. In addition, governments face challenges of addressing trying to achieve sustainable development goals such as reducing inequality – but progress on these issues is slow or even non-existent. The question is therefore: what is preventing global sustainable development? This class draws from critical scholars who suggest that the power structures that underpin global political and economic systems lead to an unequal distribution of benefits and harms. From this point of view, global environmental crises are therefore driven by those in power exploiting other human beings and nature. We therefore explore key challenges for sustainable development such as pollution, climate change, and inequality through a critical lens. By the end of the class, students will be able to understand and critique different explanations for the lack of global sustainable development, identify systemic challenges, and propose policy solutions.
Register here: https://www.studon.fau.de/campo/course/506270 |
Lecture | Tuesdays from 09:15-10:45
Starting 21.10.2025 In LG 5.154 |
Dr. Silvia Weko
|
| Energy Transition Analysis: Bridging techno-economic, business, and policy perspectives |
Master
(Management, Economics, Sozök, Labor market and human resources, WING, TechFak) |
As the energy transition impacts multiple domains of economic and social activities, a multifaceted analysis incorporating approaches for different scopes is essential. Through lectures and exercises, students will learn how to conduct the economic feasibility, examine business models and market dynamics, and analyze policy impacts on investment attractiveness of clean energy projects, such as (but not limited to) renewable energy, energy storage, and hydrogen. The course will also emphasize the application of analytical tools to real-world problems, enabling students to combine these tools and conduct energy transition assessments. By the end of the course, students will develop a deep understanding of the multifaceted nature of the energy transition; conduct an energy transition analysis from techno-economic, business/market, and policy perspectives; apply/combine concepts and tools to solve real-world clean energy adoption problems in different contexts; and develop policy recommendations, addressing challenges and opportunities in the energy transition.
Register here: https://www.studon.fau.de/studon/goto.php?target=lcode_sp51r9m2 |
Lecture +exercise | Wednesdays from 15-18:15
Starting 15.10.2025 In LG 3.155 |
Dr. Aksornchan Chaianong
|
| European critical Materials Supply Chains | Master
(Economics, IBS, Management, Sozök) |
Supply chains are essential to modern economies. In recent years much focus has been on competitiveness of European (high-tech) industry, which depends on the supply of critical minerals, that power everything from green energy technologies and electric vehicles (car industry) to advanced electronics and defense systems. European countries and corporations alike are grappling with the risks of supply disruptions, price volatility, and resource nationalism, while also navigating sustainability concerns and technological innovations in extraction and recycling. The global supply chains that underpin these materials are highly complex and deeply intertwined with geopolitics. This course provides an overview of the key concepts and approaches in the study of critical mineral supply chains, drawing from International Relations and International Political Economy. Students will gain tools necessary to analyses political, economic (markets), and strategic developments in material supply chains and to mitigate impacts. In addition, they will understand the importance of securing critical materials supplies in an era of global competition and energy transition. They will apply their knowledge into various (real) case studies.
Register here: https://www.studon.fau.de/studon/goto.php?target=lcode_kng90aoA |
Seminar | Wednesdays from 09:45-11:15
Starts 15.10.2025 In LG 3.155 |
|
| Thesis Seminar Sustainable Transition Policy
|
Bachelor & Master from all programs | This seminar is mandatory for anyone writing a thesis at the Sustainability Transition Policy chair (any advisor). We will deal with questions of how to write a thesis, how to do the research, how you can know when a result is good and/or the thesis is done, and many other things needed for successfully writing a thesis. We will also practice presenting and pitching our work in front of a group, both to learn how to do this well, and as a step to make sense of our work: what have we found out, and why is that interesting?
|
Colloquium | In Zoom. First meeting Friday 17.10.2025 9.00-14.00 |
Prof. Dr. Johan Lilliestam |