HEN566 Global Political Issues

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2015
Extent and Intensity
2/1. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
RNDr. Petr Daněk, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Lucie Sovová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Jan Skalík (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Bc. Petra Burišková
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 11:30–13:00 U32
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 45 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/45, only registered: 0/45, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/45
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course represents an introduction to the discussion of global political issues. Most attention is paid to global inequalities (uneven development) and their social and environmental consequences. At the end of the course students should be able to understand and explain: development as a discourse; historical regimes of development (such as colonialism, modernity, development and globalization); the relationships between countries of the North and South; impacts of colonialism; post-development and post-colonial theory.
While analysing all topics, students are guided to use mainly the political-geographical approach. Students are expected to acquainte the critical approach to all topics and to express their own personal attitudes.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction. Studying global political issues - evolution of approaches.
  • 2. Global inequalities. Development as a project. World-systems approach
  • 3. Project of colonialism.
  • 4. Enlightenment roots of development discourse. Project of modernity. Industrial colonialism.
  • 5. Decolonization. Contemporary consequences of colonialism.
  • 6. Project of development. Development as modernization.
  • 7. Development in practice: case study green revolution.
  • 8. Development in practice: case study big dams.
  • 9. Alternative approaches: dependency theories and human development.
  • 10. Project of globalization. Competing interpretations. Globalization and global inequalities.
  • 11. Debt crisis, structural adjustenment, and differentiation of the "Third World".
  • 12. Post-development. What in the place of development?
  • 13. Regional and local political conflicts.
Literature
  • POTTER, Robert B. Key concepts in development geography. 1st pub. London: SAGE, 2012, viii, 278. ISBN 9780857025852. info
  • DANĚK, Petr, Alice NAVRÁTILOVÁ, Marika HILDEBRANDOVÁ and Robert STOJANOV. Approaching the Other: The Four Projects of Western Domination. Olomouc: Palacký University, 2008, 176 pp. Monographs. ISBN 978-80-244-2046-2. info
  • The companion to development studies. Edited by Vandana Desai - Robert B. Potter. 2nd ed. London: Hodder Education, 2008, xiv, 587. ISBN 9780340889145. info
  • JOHNSTON, R.J. and Peter TAYLOR. Geographies of Global Change. Remapping the World. 2th ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2002, xviii, 518. ISBN 0-631-22285-5. info
  • JEHLIČKA, Petr, Jiří TOMEŠ and Petr DANĚK. Stát, prostor, politika. Vybrané otázky politické geografie. (State, space, politics. Selected issues of political geography.). Praha: Univerzita Karlova, Přírodovědecká fakulta, 2000, 276 pp. ISBN 80-238-5566-2. info
  • The post-development reader. Edited by Majid Rahnema - Victoria Bawtree. 2nd imp. London: Zed Books, 1998, xix, 440 s. ISBN 1-85649-474-8. info
Teaching methods
A combination of lectures, class discussions and presentation of student`s projects (in groups).
Assessment methods
The students are expected to attend seminars, to read required papers (ca 100 pages) and present their written evaluation of those papers, and to present a project (seminar work - an analysis of a regional political conflict - in a group). The final examination is in writing.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2002, Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2015, recent)
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