System dynamics education: becoming part of anticipatory systems

Purpose – This paper aims to present an overview of deep issues flanking the ideas of system and complexity, and an overview of the mentioned course as a proposal for systems thinking. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a discursive overview of systems and philosophical concepts related to the described course. Findings – The review offers a perspective of a super-system that includes the students, the lecturers and the context of their interaction, in which one may recognize a relational framework for social learning of a systemic sustainability. Research limitations/implications – The overview concerns only the actual intervention in the University of Trento. Practical implications – The described concepts and related philosophical discussion may contribute to the integration of system thinking in the future studies. Originality/value – The described intervention is a new Italian context and the integration of systems concepts with futures studies seems not to be commonly established.