deadline for submission POSTPONED 29th November 12.00H (IS)

course requirements - deadline for submission 27th November 12.00H (IS)
1.Map of the Problem (visual system map)
2.Background Research Paper (5,000 words)
3.Conference Presentation

Course overview

GLCb1016 Combating Global Social Challenges and Risks: Practical Workshop (5 ETCS/exam)

Lecturers: Lucie Vidovićová (LV), Marcela Petrová Kafková (MPK) and guests

Note: The order of topics may be changed. Students will be informed of any changes as far in advance as possible, please keep an eye on IS emails.

The aim of this practical workshop is to provide the students to make use of the theories and approaches that they taught in obligatory and optional courses about sociological and anthropological perspectives about global challenges (especially GLCb1006 and GLCb1009). The course is divided into four blocks in which the students will discuss particular topics, including, but not limited to: Social exclusion and marginalization, global migration in local context, global demographic changes and local responses, processes in urban space. The course will include also excursions and visiting expert from the praxis. The emphasis is put on the students group projects and cultivation of their ability to contribute to the formulation of the potential solutions to global challenges. The role of the applied social research will be discussed and students will use its principles for their group projects.

This is a course that could also be called "Sociology and applied demography for evidence-based policy making: approaches, data, strategies or practical exercises in data support for policy making". It is not a methodological course in the sense of data processing, rather its focus is on working with text, working with databases of statistical data, and especially the sociological imagination.

The aim of applied sociology is to "take" sociological, and demographic, knowledge outside the university and academia. The course will focus on practical exercises in the development of basic data models for strategies and policies.

The course offers practical skills, including "field trip" and insights into the practical/authentic "policy making" process at different levels. "Outside the box" thinking will be encouraged (How do we measure whether the green light time is sufficient for different crossing groups? When building a housing estate, do we plant lawns first, or paint and pave the roads? How do we survey the older people on the street? Qualitatively or quantitatively? How do we verify that the measures taken against loneliness in the community have been successful?).

The course is designed as a series of practice-oriented seminars with interpretation and exploration of diverse sociological and demographic data for the development of so-called evidence-based policy, i.e. evidence-based measures. The course will focus primarily on the area of broadly defined social policy, but the principles and practices covered in the course can be applied to a range of other areas. The output of the course will be a contribution to a practical mock project, and will include work with databases, possibly field observations or informational interviews with key actors. Learners' own alternative projects of an appropriate scale will be accepted for the course by prior arrangement.

Guest lectures will be given by experts from practice who will talk about how they work with data, policy issues and stakeholders. We strive to combine short lectures with different participatory methods and creative modes of collaboration (brainstorming, map the system, etc.). It is an advantage, but not a requirement, to have your own laptop/tablet to work in class.

Completion of the course and examination. The case study will consist of a proposal for a model example of the strategy developed, including relevant indicators and a conceptual proposal for a model solution. The work on the case study will be continuous, partly in the classroom and partly as group and independent work with literature and databases. At the end of the course the work will be presented at a student conference.

Credit requirements: Absences due to health and other serious reasons require a proper excuse in the IS and are dealt with individually, usually by increased self-study of texts and a seminar assignment of the material covered. During the reading week, there is no faculty teaching; self-study of the prescribed texts and work on assignments is expected. Credits may be earned after submission of all seminar assignments and a final (team) presentation of a co-authored scholarly essay. 

 Classification

Marks: (92-100 = A) (84-91 = B) (76-83= C) (68-75 =D) (61-67 = E) (0-60 = F)

Literature for study and assignments for seminar tasks are gradually published in the interactive course syllabus.

Note: Texts are available in the FSS library and its electronic resources. In case of unavailability of any of the texts, please contact the LV or MPK without delay.

Course survey: The survey is automatically distributed after the course. Please also provide feedback during the semester so that we can arrange for any corrections without delay. Suggestions can be emailed, handed in during breaks between class blocks, or left (even anonymously) in the mailbox by the 3.62 office.

Key resources: https://mapthesystem.web.ox.ac.uk/; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GoSsbwxn0Q

Recommended reading for further self-study:

Poth, C.N. 2018. Innovation in Mixed Methods Research. Sage (kap. 2, str. 24-53).

Bastow, S., Dunleavy, P., Tinkler, J. 2014. The Impact of the Social Sciences. Sage

The British Sociological Association Applied Sociology Group https://appsoc.org.uk/?page_id=1435 (Resources)

Morse, J.M. 2003.  A Review Committee´s Guide for Evaluating Qualitative Proposals. Qual Health Research, 13 (6) 20:833-851

Rugel, E.J., Chow, C.K., Corsi, D.J. et al. Developing indicators of age-friendly neighbourhood environments for urban and rural communities across 20 low-, middle-, and high-income countries. BMC Public Health 22, 87 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12438-5

Further resources: 

Hilário, AP, Scavarda, A, Numerato, D, Mendonça, J, Cardano, M, Marhankova, J, Gariglio, L, Vuolanto, P, Anderson , A, Auvinen, P, Bracke, P, Douglass, T, Hobson-West, P, Lermytte, E, Polak, P & Rudek, T 2023, 'Recruiting a hard-to-reach, hidden and vulnerable population: the methodological and practical pitfalls of researching vaccine-hesitant parents', Qualitative Health Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323231196439 

AARP The Livability Road map (resources)

Morse, J.M. 2003.  A Review Committee´s Guide for Evaluating Qualitative Proposals. Qual Health Research, 13 (6) 20:833-851

Doing Economisc https://www.core-econ.org/doing-economics/book/text/0-3-contents.html This ebook is developed by the CORE project. More information and additional resources for learning and teaching can be found at www.core-econ.org

Analysing and Measuring Social Inclusion in a Global Context (2010) https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/publications/measuring-social-inclusion.pdf