MVZb2065 Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Innovation – Practitioner’s Perspective

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Rastislav Vrbenský, MSc, Ph.D. (lecturer), Mgr. Martin Chovančík, Ph.D. (deputy)
Ing. Mgr. Adriana Ilavská, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Kříž, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Tue 17. 10. 16:00–19:40 U33, Wed 18. 10. 8:00–11:40 M117, Tue 31. 10. 16:00–19:40 U33, Wed 1. 11. 8:00–11:40 M117, Tue 12. 12. 16:00–19:40 U33, Wed 13. 12. 8:00–11:40 M117
Prerequisites (in Czech)
IREb1007 International Security || IREb1006 Global Politics:Current Issues || MVZb1005 Theories of International Rel. || MVZb1015 Theories of International Rel.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 14 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 3/14, only registered: 0/14
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 8 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course introduces and analyses the concepts of sustainable development, Agenda 2030 and SDGs along with the approaches and tools for their implementation, monitoring and financing at the global, regional and national levels. Special attention will be given to the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This overall framework will be illustrated by in-depth analyses of development system response to selected SDG – namely SDG 13 on Climate Action, with particular attention to climate science, key drivers of climate change, climate-related impacts, vulnerabilities as well as international agreements as well as importance of climate finance. The ability to innovate and continuous change management has been recognized as one of the key aspects of successful implementation of Agenda 2030/ SDGs. The course will therefore explain the role of innovation in public sector. This will include theoretical and methodological underpinnings of innovation, the skills, attitudes and behaviors required for promoting innovation as well as concrete toolkits used by key public sector actors. Further attention will be given to understanding of innovation ecosystem and real-life examples of building the culture of innovation in UN and other international organizations. Last part of the course will concentrate on executive aspects of Agenda 2030/ SDGs implementation, such as leadership, organizational and change management, result-based and project management cycle as well as individual career management of professionals working in the public sector. The course puts particular emphasis on combining the understanding of overall concepts and their theoretical underpinnings with practical examples and hands-on experience (provided both by lecturer as well as guest speakers) from practical implementation of public polices and development projects, especially in middle- and low-income countries.
Learning outcomes
The course puts particular emphasis on combining the understanding of overall concepts and their theoretical underpinnings with practical examples and hands-on experience (provided both by lecturer as well as guest speakers) from practical implementation of public polices and development projects, especially in middle- and low-income countries.
Syllabus
  • The course consists of lectures combined with interactive class discussions and 4 conferences dedicated to the key topics/ blocks of the course, special attention will be given to sharing and discussing practical case studies and examples from public sector and development field. In addition, each block will feature host presentation from leading practitioner in specific field, such as scientist, former high-ranking politician, high-level UN official and similar. The presentations and subsequent discussions aim at maximizing learning how to apply acquired knowledge in sustainable development, innovation, leadership and management on concrete, real-life public sector and development issues. Lectures serve as important introduction to the issues of the course, it is however assumed that additional part of subject matter knowledge will be acquired through self-studying of the recommended literature.
Literature
  • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/ Goalkeepers. (2022). The Future of Progress - Halfway into the Sustainable Development Goals era, it’s time to change our approach.
  • Langford, M. 2016. Lost in Transformation? The Politics of the Sustainable Development Goals. Ethics & International Affairs, 30, no. 2(2016), pp. 167-176. Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
  • Georgeson, M., M. Maslin, Mark. 2018. Putting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Into Practice: A Review of Implementation, Monitoring, and Finance. Geo: Geography and Environment. 5
Teaching methods
The course consists of lectures combined with interactive class discussions and 4 conferences dedicated to the key topics/ blocks of the course, special attention will be given to sharing and discussing practical case studies and examples from public sector and development field.
Assessment methods
During the course the students need: to prepare and present one presentation on assigned topic or perform other role in the conferences as well as successfully complete the written exam. Grading 30 points will be awarded for presentation, 70 points for written exam, overall assessment with be as follows:
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2023/MVZb2065