ENSn4624 Ethical and Local Economy

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Eva Fraňková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
RNDr. Naděžda Vlašín Johanisová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Kateřina Müllerová
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! HEN624 Ethical and Local Economy &&! NOW ( HEN624 Ethical and Local Economy )&& TYP_STUDIA ( N )
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 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is meant especially for students who have a deeper interest in practical socio-ecological economic alternatives. Examples of such alternatives include e.g. community-supported agriculture, carsharing groups and renewable energy co-operatives. The course will be interactive and students will be expected to engage actively in class and to read and commment one text (in Czech or in English) weekly. The texts will form a basis for class discussions. The course will also include discussions with invited speakers who have practical experience with grassroots eco-social initiatives and projects.
Aims of the course: While attending the course the student will acquire the following knowledge, competences and attitudes:
Knowledge: Information on practical models, solutions and approaches in the field of ecological economics (so-called alternative economic projects or projects of the social/solidarity economy)in the Czech Republic and abroad and their contextualisation in terms of ecological economics and other current streams of thought.;
Competences: ability to read Czech and English specialised texts and their evaluation, strengthening the ability of critical thinking and discussion, application of the principles of ecological economics and models of community economies in practice, teamwork, producing a case study or project proposal for a community economic project.
Attitudes: confidence to analyse and pracically apply community economic projects, realistic evaluation of benefits and limitations of such projects as one tool of a transition to an environmentally and socially more sustainable economy.
Learning outcomes
After finishing the course, the students will be able to:
* name and describe concrete examples of economic alterantives existing both in the Czech Republic and abroad;
* identify main characteristics of eco-social benefits of alterantive economic initiatives;
* analyze academic texts on economic alteranatives in terms of their ideological backgroudn and (hidden) assumptions;
* develop own project of an ethical local economic initiative in a fromat of a feasibility study, or elaborate a case study of an existing project including the assessment of its socio-ecological impacts.
Syllabus
  • Introductions, information on course evaluation
  • Ecological vs. environmental economics/ Carsharing in Brno
  • Degrowth/Social center in Barcelona
  • Post-development/Timbactu Collective,India
  • Co-operatives/Co-operative coffee- house, Brno
  • Criticisms of the money system/ Social banking
  • Alternative economic practices, non-monetised economies/Community currency in Brno
  • Social enterprise/Impact Hub, Social Impact award, Praha Economic localisation/Community-supported-agriculture in the Czech Republic
  • Student presentations of their assignment drafts
  • The programme is approximate and may undergo changes
Literature
    recommended literature
  • ILLICH, Ivan. Tools for Conviviality. New York: Harper and Row, 1973 dostupné on-line: http:// www.mom.arq.ufmg.br/mom/arq_interface/3a_aula/illich_tools_for_conviviality.pdf
  • GIBSON-GRAHAM, J.K. Diverse economies: performative practices for „other worlds“. Progress in Human Geography, 2008: 32 (5): 613 - 632
  • DOUTHWAITE, Richard. Ekológia peňazí. Dolný Kubín: diveRzita, 1999, 77 s. ISBN 80-968086-2-1. info
  • ILLICH, Ivan. Tools for conviviality. London: Calder and Boyars, 1973, xiii, 110. ISBN 0-7145-0973-6. info
Teaching methods
The course will be interactive and students will be expected to engage actively in class and to read and commment one text (in Czech or in English) weekly. The texts will form a basis for class discussions. The course will also include discussions with invited speakers who have practical experience with grassroots eco-social initiatives and projects.
Assessment methods
Students will be evaluated using a system of points based on:
1. their active attendance in class
2. their timely submission of comments to readings (this will be required for almost all of the sessions)
3. submissionof a final paper: either a case study of a selected community economic project, or a description of their own potential project. Students will work on this assignment in pairs.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is taught: every week.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Minimální počet studentů: 8
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Spring 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/ENSn4624