HEN621 Science and practice: foreign experiences

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2014
Extent and Intensity
2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Michal Sedlačko, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Dana Pantůčková
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Fri 25. 4. 9:45–13:00 Studio 527, Mon 28. 4. 15:15–16:45 U32, 18:30–20:15 U32, Tue 29. 4. 15:15–18:30 U44, Wed 30. 4. 17:00–20:15 U53
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 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course will attempt to link science and practice to examine and better understand the social and environmental impacts of consumption and to enable a more qualified and responsible intervention in consumption practices. The course will take theories of social practice as a unifying theoretical account enabling to understand a multiple facets of human activities, with the focus on consumption practices. It will provide analytical tools to examine social reality and provide an account of how innovations become appropriated in different contexts, and how different practices spread through the society. Also, the course will shed light on the ‘messiness’ of the real world and social change and on the implications and controversies of sustainable consumption discourses, exploring as well the variety of suggested solutions to addressing economic and social crises through consumption.

The ‘science’ in the title of the course reflects on the one hand the study of the outcomes of science and research on sustainability (i.e. what do results of science and research do good and bad for sustainability), and on the other hand a scientific-analytical approach to studying consumption practices. The ‘practice’ in the title points to three dimensions – first, approaching sustainable consumption from the perspective of theories of social practice; second, focusing on what is going on ‘in practice’, in the real world; and third, intervening in this real world, i.e. what can we practically do to make consumption more sustainable. The question mark in the title refers to our honest exploration of the stated question throughout the course, as well as to the contingency and uncertainty of real-world processes.

After completing the course the students will have a higher understanding of how social change can be explained, and they will be aware of the means and channels through which sustainability could become incorporated in broader social practices, particularly consumption practices. The course will offer them analytical tools to better fulfil future roles of environmentally and socially responsible policy, business, media or non-governmental representatives as they will be able to more precisely design and target their activities. They will have the opportunity to develop critical thinking, research and presentation/communication skills and they will have the opportunity to benefit from and improve on the basis of extensive feedback by the course instructor and their peers.
Syllabus
  • Session 1 (25 April 2014 9:45-13:00): Emergence of the consumer society and its implications
  • Session 2 (28 April 2014 15:15-16:45): Introduction into sustainable consumption – consuming differently or consuming less?
  • Session 3 (28 April 2014 18:30-20:15): Theories of social practice as a lens for studying consumption
  • Session 4 (29 April 2014 15:15-18:30): Transitions and co-evolution of practice and infrastructure
  • Session 5 (30 April 2014 17:00-18:30): Policies for practices of sustainable consumption – student presentations
Literature
  • • Inge Røpke (1999) The dynamics of willingness to consume. Ecological Economics 28: 399–420.
  • • Juliet Schor (2005) Prices and quantities: unsustainable consumption and the global economy. Ecological Economics 55: 309–320.
  • • Inge Røpke (2009) Theories of practice: new inspiration for ecological economic studies. Ecological Economics 68: 2490–2497.
  • • Cohen Murphy (2001) Exploring Sustainable Consumption: Environmental Policy and the Social Sciences. (Ch.1 pp. 3–11, Ch. 2 pp. 21–37)
  • • Maniates (2002) In search of consumptive resistance. In: Princen et al.: Confronting Consumption. MIT. (Ch. 9, pp. 199–235)
  • • Elizabeth Shove and Mika Pantzar (2005) Consumers, producers and practices: understanding the invention and reinvention of Nordic walking. Journal of Consumer Culture 5: 43–64.
  • • Alan Warde (2005) Consumption and Theories of Practice. Journal of Consumer Culture
  • • Elizabeth Shove (2003) Comfort, Cleanliness and Convenience: The Social Organization of Normality. Oxford: Berg Publisher. Chapter 3, section Difference and Coherence: Acquiring and Using Air-conditioning, pp. 49–57.
  • • Elizabeth Shove and Gordon Walker (2010) Governing transitions in the sustainability of everyday life. Research Policy 39: 471–476.
  • • Tim Jackson (2005) Live Better by Consuming Less?
  • • POPD Manifesto
  • Comfort, cleanliness and conveniencethe social organization of normality. Edited by Elizabeth Shove. New York: Berg, 2003, xiii, 221. ISBN 1859736300. info
Assessment methods
Assessment:

25% class preparation and participation, including peer-review of in-class presentation
25% in-class presentation (prepared in groups of 4 to 5 students)
50% seminar paper (to be handed in by the end of semester)
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught last offered.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2013.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2014/HEN621