Despite reports of increasing levels of climate change related distress, there remains limited evidence regarding effective interventions for individuals and communities. The current study aims to contribute to this discussion by presenting opinions from study participants who self-identified as having a professional interest in climate anxiety.…

This study explores a "design fiction" approach in an educational context by applying it to a third-year industrial design studio class. The "Food Futures" project is conducted with thirty students in the design studio. We approached the future of food using a design fiction approach since the combination of food and design is…

We advocate for the reading of young adult literature (YAL) as a means for justice-oriented education, and we also recognize how the recent surge in challenges to youth-centered texts in the U.S. attempts to limit such work in classrooms. In response, we wondered about the ways in which YAL offers pathways for critically framing and situating…

How can we teach critical hope, amidst contemporary challenges that seem intractable, within neoliberal educational institutions that work to foreclose transformative pedagogies and through academic critique that can result in cynicism and disillusionment among students? Here, I draw on the writings of Paolo Freire, J.K. Gibson-Graham and Sarah…

Universities have always played a crucial role in shaping the future of the world. They are centers of knowledge, research, and innovation, producing graduates who go on to lead in their fields and make a positive impact on society. But today, the need for universities to "be the change" has never been more urgent. The world is facing a…

The iPhone 62 has just been released. Political gridlock and the governmentally approved process of locking immigrant children in cages continue ad infinitum. Public schools resort to primarily remote learning as pandemic viruses ebb and flow. University students study post-postmodernism on campuses that remain on stolen Indigenous land. In this…

In his book "Liberalism and Its Discontents" (2020), Fukuyama argues that classical liberalism is under severe threat today (p. vii). Although such a claim is alarming, since strongly stated cases are not unusual in academic writing (e.g., Fukuyama once argued (2012) that we had reached the end of history in the sense of arriving at the…

This essay explains that periodic examination of the goals of education is essential for educational institutions to ensure they are adequately preparing students to address the challenges of the present and build a better future. It argues that education is an ethical enterprise, and that clear and shared goals provide education institutions with…

Purpose: This study aims to describe the process leading the climate emergency declaration (CED) at the University of Salamanca. In contrast to similar initiatives, this was achieved with the participation of students on the social movement Fridays For Future Salamanca. Design/methodology/approach: The context of the CED is described. Statements…

In the light of urgent global sustainability challenges, vocational education is searching for new approaches that are more just and future proof. At least a part of the answer seems to lie in so-called collaborative learning arrangements where students together with societal actors explore sustainability-related challenges. The amount of this…

The case study profiles the Aiku Centre at Ca' Foscari University in Venice, Italy, suggesting its role as a contemporary higher education institution committed to fulfilling its 'third mission' and addressing broader societal challenges. The Aiku Centre integrates artistic interventions with academic research and organizational practices,…

In this article, we address the limitations of sustainable development as an orienting educational horizon of hope and change, given that mainstream development presumes the possibility of perpetual growth and consumption on a finite planet. Facing these limitations requires us to consider the inherently violent and unsustainable nature of our…

Human beings tend to forget, especially when they suffer; they hope to overcome the pain of trauma to live a peaceful and happy life. The futurist attitude that can be articulated as 'Move towards the future and let bygones be bygones' may be related to injustice and social crisis. The aim of this paper is to explore the ethics of memory and…

This book discusses the central role education and research play in generating both value and comparative advantages in the (imageries of) global competition, competitiveness and transnational value chains. They are seen as "assets" placed at the forefront of developments that are arguably reshaping individuals, society and economy. This…

Given that society combines a poor ability to predict future technology with a good ability to forget poor past predictions, the author decided to create a course on "the history of future technology." The initial idea was to simply showcase a litany of failed technofuturist attempts and projects, and, in so doing, teach students to be…