Global Learning Certificate: Leadership, Sustainability and Social Innovation in 21st Century

About the Program

Program Structure:

Global Learning Certificate: Leadership, Sustainability and Social Innovation in 21st century program is 6-days long online learning journey developed by the Office of International Programs with the collaboration of leading faculty members at KU and professionals in the field.

Students participating in the program will embark on a learning journey where domains of personal well-being, decision making, social innovation, sustainability, future of work and conscious leadership will intersect each other.

During this 6-days long virtual immersive and intensive learning journey students will improve 21st Century skills and learn about:

The practice of mindfulness including meditation for managing stress and enriching life through the curriculum developed by The Center for Koru Mindfulness at Duke University
Understanding the fundamental concepts of sustainable businesses and the context of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Understanding the various definitions and types of leadership, alongside the challenges leadership face in 21st Century
Understanding the necessary skills for the 4th Industrial Revolution and the risks and opportunities regarding certain occupations and tomorrow’s workforce
Understanding the main concepts of social impact measurement, management, and maximization through case studies
Learning the basics of group dynamics including tools for decision-making and ways to include minority views

Participants will receive a certificate of completion. There is no credit transfer available.

Workshop Descriptions & Instructors

Introduction to Mindfulness: How to be Mindful in Everyday Life

Instructor: Rengin Işık

This workshop is based on the curriculum developed by The Center for Koru Mindfulness at Duke University and aims to introduce you to the practice of mindfulness and get you well on your way to developing important skills, including meditation for managing stress and enriching your life. Mindfulness is about developing the ability to be fully attentive to all the moments of your life, reducing the amount of time you spend worrying about the future or fretting about the past. The more you practice this ability, the less you may start to feel less overwhelmed by changes and challenges in your life. Plus, you may begin to experience being more mindful, less judgmental, less stressed and better at managing your emotions.

Fundamentals of Sustainable Businesses

Instructor: Emine Aslı Mavi Siddiq

The COVID-19 pandemic that we are facing, a sense of urgency in climate action and the belief that social inequality is increasing has brought all our economic activities under the spotlight. This seminar aims to provide you the understanding of the fundamental concepts of sustainable businesses. As an introduction, a description of sustainability and its significance in the context of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are discussed. In particular, you will gain insights into the role of businesses and their relations with stakeholders in achieving these goals. In this context, past and current debates on the responsibility of businesses will be discussed, and you will be introduced to the “triple bottom line” concept, where we will discuss how to evaluate ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) information to help deliver value and achieve the UN SDGs.

Take the Lead in the 21st Century

Instructor: Çağdaş Kılıç

This interactive workshop aims to provide you with the basic concepts and contemporary issues of leadership. Through this workshop, you will develop an understanding of the various definitions and types of leadership, alongside the challenges leadership face in today’s world. This workshop covers the patterns of leader emergence and leader effectiveness, as well as the obstacles that disadvantageous groups encounter to reach leadership roles. In the final part of the workshop, generational differences in perceptions and expectations concerning leadership will be discussed.

Getting Ready for the Future of Work

Instructor: Didar Zeytun

This interactive workshop aims to provide you with the necessary awareness about the 4th Industrial Revolution and the future of work. Through this workshop, you will develop an understanding of the necessary skills for the 4th Industrial Revolution and related terminology. The workshop covers how automation will change the way we are working and how robots and intelligent machines will be a part of the workforce in the near future. In the last part of the workshop, topics will cover the risks and opportunities regarding certain occupations and how tomorrow’s workforce can be best prepared for it.

Impact Oriented Thinking

Instructor: Muhammed Yunus Aktaş

In our workshop, we will present the impact thinking approach. Through this approach, you will be able to understand the main concepts of social impact measurement, management, and maximization. To strengthen the logic of social impact, we will make a case study to give a realistic perspective that will be useful for your future social impact projects. The workshop will be discussion-oriented, which will provide us an efficient learning time while having a lot of fun.

Group Dynamics- an introduction to Deep Democracy

Instructor: Lara Toensmann

In this seminar you will be introduced to the basics of group dynamics. We will share a lens to understand groups better, including tools for decision-making and ways to include minority views. You will learn some basic concepts and skills which you can apply immediately to your teams, projects or social environment.The seminar will be an introduction to Lewis Method of Deep Democracy, including theoretical understanding of group dynamics, a simple tool for group discussions and a personal decision-making tool.

Opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Zeynep Aycan Next Generation Leadership and Transformation

Instructor: Zeynep Aycan

Zeynep Aycan is a lecturer at Koç University Psychology and Management Departments and works as a Professor in the field of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is the Director of the Institute of Social Sciences. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Boğaziçi University, Department of Psychology. She continued her doctorate and post-doctoral studies in Canada’s Queen’s University Psychology Department and McGill University Business School, respectively. Specialized in intercultural management, Aycan’s work focuses on the impact of culture on processes such as leadership, human resources management and work-life balance.

Zeynep Aycan has written / edited 4 books, more than 70 book chapters and research articles. Her articles have been published in prestigious academic journals such as Annual Review of Psychology, Science, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Applied Psychology, Human Relations, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, International Journal of Human Resource Management. Zeynep Aycan’s research has been deemed worthy of many national and international awards.

Program Calendar

Program Dates

July 12- July 17,2021

Application Requirements and Deadline

To apply, students are required to submit:

Online application form
English Proficiency document*
A statement content describing the student’s motivation for participation (in the last section of the online application form)

If you have any problems with creating an application, please email summer@ku.edu.tr.

Application Deadline(EXTENDED): June 13, 2021

APPLY NOW

*If your native language is English or your university’s language of instruction is English, you do not need to provide a document.

Tuition Fee & Payment

Early bird 120 USD (first 10 seats) – SOLD OUT

Non-KU international students 150 USD

KU Students and all Turkish citizens: 120 USD if paid via a bank transfer, 1000 TL if paid via a credit card.

To pay via credit card:

Please fill out one of the forms below that suits you. Once you submit the form, it will direct you to the payment page.

If your credit card is NOT from a Turkish bank, please use the form below:

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