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2025/2026  KAN-CSOAV2503U  Re-Imagining Capitalism. Towards Just and Sustainable Futures

English Title
Re-Imagining Capitalism. Towards Just and Sustainable Futures

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Max. participants 100
Study board
Study Board for Organisation, Strategy, Leadership and People
Programme MSc in Economics and Business Administration - Strategy, Organization and Leadership (SOL)
Course coordinator
  • Liv Egholm - Department of Business Humanities and Law (BHL)
Main academic disciplines
  • CSR and sustainability
  • International political economy
  • Sociology
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 27-02-2025

Relevant links
Learning objectives
The course is aligned with and responds to CBS strategy around the "Nordic Nine", to build capabilities for a positive and sustainable future. In this sense, the course "Reimagining Capitalism" aims at analysing today's societal challenges and helping the students to build a set of analytical and critical tools to solve them. Moreover, the course focuses on the ethical dilemmas that the students will most likely encounter in their professional life and aims at helping them to identify sustainable and responsible ways to overcome them. Furthermore, the way the course is designed – with some key texts and ideas presented and discussed in class and the final exam being a critical essay on a topic of the student choosing – is in line with the idea that students must be critical when thinking and constructive when collaborating. Finally, the central idea of the course – that we must reimagine the ways in which our societies and economies work, if we are to tackle today's challenges – implies a sense of responsibility for the future generations and the idea that local communities, when interconnected in global networks, can become catalysers of positive change
  • Define capitalism and learn about its evolution over the course of modern history;
  • Describe different critiques posed to capitalism and relate them to pressing contemporary societal issues (e.g., ecological crisis, rising inequalities, gender rights);
  • Explore various strategies for reimagining capitalism;
  • Evaluate the potentials and shortcomings of various efforts to reimagine capitalism
Examination
Re-Imagining Capitalism. Towards Just and Sustainable Futures:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 10 pages
Assignment type Essay
Release of assignment Subject chosen by students themselves, see guidelines if any
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
See regulations for exam 1
Description of the exam procedure

In the written individual essay-exam (10-pages long), students will be asked to discuss a case or a theoretical debate of their choosing that contributes to explore how we can re-imagine contemporary capitalism to make it a more just and sustainable system that can sustain the flourishing of human and non-human life throughout the 21st century. The essay needs to critically engage with the theoretical concepts and literature discussed in class. Students must combine insights from several of the course sessions and explicitly refer to the readings from the essential reading list. Students are welcome to refer to texts from the optional readings as well or, where applicable and to a limited extent, other relevant literature.

 

Students are expected to formulate a clear research question and engage criticially with the course readings. Students are expected to apply concepts to an empirical case study and/or engage in a theoretical discussion by bringing together concepts (and potentially empirical material) in their own original way. It is important that students do justice to the readings, i.e., that they clearly put forward what the original idea by the author is before applying it or combining it with other theories.

 

More details regarding the exam content, layout and format will be provided through Canvas during the course.

Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

This course explores the question as to how, if at all, we canre-imagine contemporary capitalism to make it a more just and sustainable system that can sustain the flourishing of human and non-human life throughout the 21st century. To answer this question, the course first turns to critical social theory to define capitalism and understand its relation to ongoing economic, social and environmental crises. We read and discuss fundamental critical texts to define capitalism theoretically and look at its historical evolution. We will look at capitalism’s relation with growth, ecology, gender and racism and discuss contemporary cases to understand the systemic mechanisms in practice.

In the second part, we explore how, if at all, the system can be reimagined. After looking at different strategies for reimagining capitalism, we explore different avenues for reimagining capitalism. With the help of academic texts, guest lectures and cases, we explore the role of consumers, business, urban communities and politics in reimagining and transforming the current system.

 

 
Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Classic and basic theory
  • New theory
  • Teacher’s own research
Research-like activities
  • Development of research questions
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
Description of the teaching methods
The course will combine a variety of methods, ranging from traditional lectures, online collaborative tools, discussions, in-class exercises, student presentations, case studies and reading groups.

Students must read the essential reading material (listed in the course syllabus) before every class and are expected to actively participate during each session.
Feedback during the teaching period
In each class session, students will be engaged in active group exercises and discussions. There will also be time for plenary feedback whenever needed as well as personalised feedback during the breaks. Office hours that students can attend individually or in a group will provide an opportunity for further personalised feedback.
Student workload
Course activities (including preparation) 156 hours
Exam (including exam preparation) 50 hours
Further Information

Course Faculty: Liv Egholm (course coordinator

 

The course is part of the minor 'Building Organizations for Sustainable Futures: Business and Economics in Transformation', but can also be selected individually.
Expected literature

Expected literature:

  • Boehnnert, Johanna (2018). “Anthropocene Economics and Design: Heterodox Economics for Design Transitions”, She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation 4(4): 355-374.
  • Fraser, Nancy (2022). Excerpts from Cannibal Capitalism.
  • Purcell, Mark (2014). “Possible Worlds: Henri Lefebvre and the Right to the City”, Journal of Urban Affairs 36(1), 141–154.
  • Marx (1867/2013). Excerpts from Capital Volume I.
  • Polanyi, Karl (1957/2001). Excerpts from The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time.
  • Robinson, Cedric (1983). Excerpts from Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition.
  • Seyfang, Gill. (2007). “Growing sustainable consumption communities: the case of local organic food networks”, International Journal of Sociology and social policy 27(3/4): 120-134.

Solnit, Rebecca (2016). Excerpts from Hope in the dark.

 

 

 

 
Last updated on 27-02-2025