Course syllabus

Course-PM

Welcome to the course TEK665 Innovation systems and sociotechnical transitions lp3 VT 20 (7.5 hp), which is managed by the division of Environmental Systems Analysis (ESA) at the Department of Technology Management and Economics (TME).

Read the Course PM document for more information.

Contact details

• Anna Bergek (examiner, main lecturer and seminar leader): anna.bergek@chalmers.se 
• Carolina Resende Haddad (seminar leader, tutor): resende@chalmers.se

Communication from teachers to students will be done through Canvas announcements. Communication from students to teachers should be done via email. Use the course code TEK665 in the subject line to receive priority treatment. 

Check the course room before each session for updates. You can also receive automatic updates via email or other channels (see Settings).

Course purpose

The purpose of the course is for students to develop an understanding of (1) the collective aspects of the innovation process and how they can be analysed, (2) conditions and mechanisms for sociotechnical transitions in important societal sectors, such as energy supply, transport, buildings and food, and (3) the possibility to influence innovation and transition processes at the level of technology, industry or sector through organisational strategies and public policy.

Learning objectives and syllabus

After completion of the course, students should be able to:

• account for different concepts, theories and frameworks describing innovation and transition processes at the level of technology, industry or sector;
• account for factors and mechanisms that influence the conditions and possibilities for innovation and sociotechnical transition at the level of technology, industry or sector and explain their consequences for the sustainable development of different societal sectors;
• critically discuss to what extent the factors and mechanisms can be influenced by firms and other societal actors, account for different arguments for and against political intervention in innovation and transition processes and critically discuss what strategies and policy instruments could be required to stimulate innovation or transition in an industry or sector; and
• apply selected frameworks in an analysis of an industry or sector and based on the analysis formulate recommendations for strategy and public policy.

Read the syllabus on Studieportalen

Schedule

TimeEdit

Course literature

The course literature consists of a collection of scientific journal articles. For more information, see the Course PM document.

Course contents

This course covers different perspectives on the collective aspects of innovation, focusing on frameworks to describe, analyze and explain innovation and transition processes at technology, industry or sector level. It includes literature on technological, sectoral and regional innovation systems, sociotechnical transitions, and innovation/transition policy. 

The content is divided into four modules, which all contain both lectures and student-led literature seminars:

• Technological & sectoral innovation systems – focuses on literature discussing technology- and sector-specific patterns of innovation, most notably sectoral systems of innovation and production (SSIP) and technological (innovation) systems (TS/TIS).
• Regional innovation systems & geography – focuses on literature discussing spatial and geographical patterns of innovation, e.g. regional innovation systems (RIS), triple/quadruple helix, clusters and the multi-scalarity of innovation.
• Sociotechnical transitions – focuses on literature discussing large-scale sectoral reconfigurations, most notably the multi-level perspective (MLP) and strategic niche management (SNM).
• Innovation/transition policy & strategy – explores the policy implications of different system perspectives and introduces literature on innovation policy, system building and institutional entrepreneurship.

Course design

The course is organised in the form of own literature studies, lectures, seminars (with mandatory attendance), a group assignment (written and oral presentation), individual peer review and an individual written assignment.

Literature studies. The course is rather heavy on literature, so it is important to start reading immediately. We expect you to spend at least 75 hours on literature studies.

Lectures. The lectures provide an overview of the literature and present the theoretical platform of the course. Attendance is recommended, but not mandatory. You can either read the assigned literature before the lecture or use the lecture as a structuring device for your reading.each theme and provide an overview of selected frameworks within that theme.

Thematic seminars incl. preparations. The seminars are student-led opportunities to discuss and reflect on empirical literature focusing on a particular sector (e.g. energy or transport). They include written preparations and oral presentations in pairs/trios as well as individual peer reviews of other students' work (for more information, see Course PM document). Attendance is mandatory.

Group report. In the group report, two pairs/trios will work together to combine their insights from the seminars into an analysis of the focal empirical sector and to draw out the main implications for policy and strategy (for more information, see Course PM document). Tutoring will be offered. 

Written literature-based assignment. Students will work individually or in pairs (depending on the number of course participants) to write an essay on a course-related topic of their own choice. Tutoring will be offered.

Please note that 7.5 ECTS credits correspond to a work load of about 200 hours. 

Course material 

All material and instructions will be made available here on Canvas. In the Modules section, all material and instructions are organized thematically. You can also find files via the Files section.

Changes made since the last occasion

Since this is a new course, there are no previous occasions to compare with. Feedback on course design and contents etc. is warmly welcome throughout the course! 

Examination form

The course is examined through a group assignment with written and oral presentation, an individual peer review of another group’s work and a written, literature-based assignment, which is done individual or pairs depending on the number of participants. Discussion seminar attendance is mandatory. All examination components relate to the three first learning objectives. The fourth objective is specifically covered in the group assignment.

More information about each examination component is available in the Course PM document and in the instructions for each assignment (see Modules).

All submissions should be made through the Canvas submission system. Feedback will provided here as well.

The grading is done on the scale fail, 3, 4, 5. For a pass grade, all learning objectives have to be fulfilled. In order to get a higher grade, a higher level of demonstrated learning is needed. An overview of how different components contribute to the overall course grade  is available in the Course PM document. In addition, a detailed grading scheme will be made available for the group assignment and the individual assignment.

It will be possible to revise assignments that recieve a fail grade (maximum grade: 3), but it is not possible to revise passed assignments to get a higher grade ("plussning"). Assignments that are handed in late will be treated as revisions, i.e. maximum grade: 3.