Resilience Autumn School for early-career researchers

We live in a time characterized by various, intersecting sustainability problems such as loss of biodiversity, war, an unstable global political situation, a mental health crisis among young people, and climate change. To address these challenges, we need more research that fosters collaboration across different scientific disciplines, sometimes transcending disciplinary boundaries to develop novel approaches for a more sustainable society. In this course, we focus on the concept of resilience from different social science perspectives. The course begins with a short introduction to the resilience concept from a sustainability perspective. Following this, we will have short lectures showcasing how the resilience concept has been applied in various disciplines, including psychology, education, political science/sociology, human geography, indigenous studies, and business. These lectures will highlight the relevance of resilience in addressing the environmental and sustainability crises we face today.

The Resilience Autumn School will offer a blend of lectures, seminars, and collaborative group work. We look forward to your participation and contributions to this important and timely discussion.

Dates:

September 29, 2025, at 10.15-12.00 (online intro)

October 7-10, 2025, Nordic Art Hotel Lasaretti, Oulu, Finland (in-person participation only)

Accommodation at the Nordic Art Hotel Lasaretti, including all meals, will be covered by the Resilience Academy of Oulu (RAO) and the FRONT programme for participants from outside Oulu. Please note that travel costs are not covered.

Study credits: Participants will receive a document certifying the completion of the course, worth approximately 5 ECTS.

Course literature: 10–15 scientific articles

Examination: Taking active part in a seminar (group work), writing a short individual perspective paper after the autumn school

Coordinator: Prof. Maria Ojala, FRONT, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Global Education and Gender Studies, University of Oulu

Please register at your earliest convenience to secure your spot, latest on September 8, 2025. Maximum number of participants is limited.

Registration link: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/761E0C30E7555B0F

Program highlights

Sept 29

Online intro with an overview to multi- and interdisciplinary approaches and a lecture discussing resilience from a sustainability perspective.

Oct 7-9

Short lectures by interdisciplinary researchers covering topics such as Psychology and resilience, Education and resilience, Business and resilience, Sami studies and resilience, Human geography and resilience, and Political science/sociology and resilience. These lectures are aimed at all participants at the autumn school, both junior and senior researchers. Lectures will be given by

• Associate prof. Hanna Komulainen, Oulu Business School, Marketing, Management and International Business
• Prof. Elina Lehtomäki, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Global Education and Gender Studies
• Leader of Giellagas Institute, University lecturer Sigga-Marja Magga, Faculty of Humanities, Giellagas Institute
• Associate prof. Tapio Nykänen, Faculty of Humanities, Giellagas Institute
• Prof. Maria Ojala, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Global Education and Gender Studies
• Associate prof. Aleksi Räsänen, Faculty of Science, Geography Research Unit
• Prof. Jarkko Saarinen, Faculty of Science, Geography Research Unit

Oct 10

Seminar day with the aim to tackle a real-world sustainability issue or the broader polycrisis through multidisciplinary group work. Participants will use their acquired knowledge to prepare a perspective research article, drawing on lectures, course literature, and additional articles to argue for the importance of either a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary approach in addressing the problem.