HEN573 The role of environmental NGOs in society

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2011
Extent and Intensity
0/2. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Jan Haverkamp (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Dana Pantůčková
Timetable
Fri 25. 11. 10:00–13:30 U32, Sat 26. 11. 10:00–13:30 U32, Fri 2. 12. 10:00–13:30 U32, Sat 3. 12. 10:00–13:30 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 35 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/35, only registered: 0/35, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/35
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
1. Students understand the basic role in society of NGOs in general and environmental NGOs more specifically.
2. Students understand the main differences in roles of environmental NGOs in different societies (USA / Canada, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, international / global / UN level).
3. Students understand the difference between local, national and international civil initiative.
4. Students know the situation under which environmental NGOs work in CZ and Europe
5. Students know where to place different NGOs on the line non-violent – violent, extreme – main stream.
6. Students can form and express a well-founded opinion about who they would support or oppose under which circumstances.
7. Students understand the dynamics of NGO organisation
Syllabus
  • Times
  • Two blocks of two days, 10:00 – 17:00 hours.
  • Dates: 25 and 26 November 2011, 2 and 3 December 2011
  • Exam: in the form of a three people essay and oral discussion in December 2011 or January 2012
  • Students are expected to attend all blocks, as the seminar will be highly interactive and participative and includes a lot of work and discussion during the seminar hours. The seminar blocks will not exist of lectures, but of interactive group work. The seminar will take place in English and much of the literature and materials will be in English. English knowledge therefore is necessary for this seminar. Halfway the seminar, students will investigate the history of one environmental group in small teams and present the results to the group.
  • The course will be concluded in the form of a short group-essay with an oral debrief on the basis of the work done during the blocks and background literature.
  • Friday 25 November 2011
  • Introduction and basis
  • Introduction in the way this seminar will be run
  • Expectations
  • Mapping own experiences with and present position towards environmental NGOs
  • Stakeholders in environmental debates
  • Mapping stakeholders in several key environmental debates: Climate change, GMOs, nuclear power, saving species (whales, the great apes, wolves, river-crabs (astacus)), mobility, toxic pollution (water quality, corporate responsibility, toxics in consumer products), habitat protection (protected areas, Natura 2000).
  • Positioning the role of NGOs in these debates
  • Saturday 26 November 2011
  • Principles, tools, dynamics and organisation of environmental NGOs I
  • Tools environmental NGOs have at their disposition
  • Underlying principles of non-violence, direct and symbolic action, relation of NGOs to the law
  • Creating an overview of environmental NGOs
  • Creating a landscape of NGOs – nature to grey, local to international – some backgrounds
  • Preparation of case histories of NGOs
  • Friday 2 December 2011
  • History of the environmental movement
  • Case histories of NGOs – partly prepared by students themselves
  • Nature protection movement: Dutch Society for the Protection of Nature Monuments
  • parallels and differences with ČSOP International nature protection and the step to environmental problems: WWF and IUCN
  • Friends of the Earth
  • Netherlands, UK, Germany, Czech Republic, FoEI
  • Greenpeace
  • Sea Sheppard, Earth First
  • Veronica, SOS Praha
  • Differences in environmental movements in Central Europe (DDR, CZ, HU, BUL, PL, ex-YU)
  • Group work: further investigation into the different organisations – preparation of a SWOT analysis
  • Saturday 3 December 2011
  • Principles, tools, dynamics and organisation of environmental NGOs II
  • Financing of NGO activities
  • Organisation structures of NGOs
  • Working with volunteers
  • Environmental NGOs and gender issues
  • Round-up – our position towards environmental NGOs
  • real life debate on the role of NGOs
  • short NVDA training (Non-Violent Direct Action)
  • finding our own position towards environmental NGOs
  • preparation for group-essay
  • Exams in coordination with students
Literature
  • See IS - this contains a READER for all students. Please download all!
Teaching methods (in Czech)
Interactive seminars - two blocks of two days
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Exam on the basis of group essay and discussion
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2004, Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Spring 2007.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2011/HEN573