Technology for Sustainable Development

Catalog description

Can technology be leveraged to address and solve critical issues related to the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development? This course explores this central question by examining whether (or to what degree) technological innovations can tackle global challenges such as health, climate change, education, refugee crises, and poverty. Students will investigate how technology can be harnessed to create impactful solutions tailored to their local communities. The course teaches students to develop and analyze high-impact, interdisciplinary projects through hands-on collaboration with experts and organizations dedicated to achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the UN SDG Lab, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), health and refugee NGOs, startups, and civil society groups. Through this course, students will acquire the tools and pedagogy needed to design and implement technology-driven projects that address specific SDG-related issues. They will work in small teams to produce local use cases that not only meet the needs of partner organizations but also inspire meaningful action and foster pathways toward sustainable technology solutions. This course will be offered in January-Term 2026.