Teaching about the FutureUpplaga 2012

In 1975 the University of Houston-Clear Lake created the first degree program in Futures Studies. Now the faculty of that program share their approach to preparing foresight professionals and others doing foresight projects. This volume contains a comprehensive and integrated approach that practitioners and educators alike can use to understand the theories, methods, and applications of this new field. Based on 35 years of teaching, this volume reveals how to systematically deal with change, how to develop scenarios that describe alternative futures and how to develop visions and plans for influencing those futures. The systematic description of the past (history) was established 2,500 years ago. Unfortunately, educational systems around the world have failed to prepare their students for their changing and challenging future. It is now time to establish a systematic approach to the future. Teaching about the Future is an important step in that direction.