Lund University

The main focus of this course is the structure and function of limnic ecosystems. It presents recent theories and models about physical processes and biogeochemical cycles in relation to organisms and their interactions. In this context, the course discusses the microbial loop and trophic interaction hypotheses. Moreover, human's influence on the limnic ecosystem is illustrated. The course also includes training in chemical analysis and water sampling technique as well as exercises in species knowledge of phytoplankton, zooplankton, macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fish. Teaching is performed as lectures, workshops, and group discussions. During one week, students get experience in field sampling in oligotrophic lakes at the Aneboda Field Station in Småland. In addition, a eutrophic lake in Scania is studied during a one-day excursion. Collected samples are analyzed for water chemistry and organisms, and data are interpreted in lake-systems perspective. All field work is carried out as several group projects that are planned and designed in advance by the students under teacher supervision.

The course provides understanding and knowledge about the behavior of advanced timber structures, tools for modeling and design, and the ability to weigh the pros and cons of different structural systems. The course includes the following parts: timber structures multi-story buildings and structures with a long span; instability of members (lateral torsional buckling of beams); straight and curved members; holes and notches in beams; cross-laminated timber; bracing of structures; design of details; connections for timber structures including dowel-type joints and glued joints; learning from failures; frames, arches, and cable structures; and the ability to independently approach, solve, and present one's work. 

The course is an introduction to social theories in Artificial Intelligence (AI). The course draws reflections and theoretical comparisons between how humans engage in meaningful interactions with other humans and with social robots. The course begins with an overview of the standard and contrasting accounts of social cognition and its development, spanning from the Theory of Mind, embodied and situated approaches, and neural mirroring theories. Mainstream research paradigms to investigate human-robot interactions will be also presented. Finally, the course advances some current psychological and philosophical critical issues related to ethical, relational, and functional issues of using social robots as partners in human daily interactions.

The course discusses the various expressions of popular culture within 20th-century art and media. Collaboration between different media is emphasized. The main focus is on contemporary western culture, the latter years of the 20th century, and the expressions of postmodern culture, although several episodes in the cultural history of the whole century are studied historically. Advertising, television, music videos, movies, literature, and music are analyzed. Theoretical tools are introduced from the foundations of intermedia studies, cultural sociology, hermeneutics, and semiotics. Several examples are presented for analysis and discussion. Students identify basic concepts, ideas, and terminology in intermedia studies, and describe popular cultural conditions that account for some of the processes that shaped the postmodern art of the 1900s and its relationship to popular culture. 

Understanding sustainability broadly, the course explores how social entrepreneurship and innovation are a particular form of organizing toward social transformation. The course provides knowledge of how to explore and evaluate social entrepreneurship and innovations in theory and practice. Different theories and intellectual tools from social sciences are used to both understand the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship and innovation and apply them to the design of social entrepreneurial ventures in groups. During the theoretical part of the course, an introduction to the academic field of social entrepreneurship and important key concepts in social innovations are reviewed. Students work in groups to develop their own social enterprise.