FSS:ENSn4654 Global Citizen and Systemic Ch - Course Information

ENSn4654 Global Citizenship and Systemic Change

Extent and Intensity

1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Adam Čajka, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Zuzana Hroudová (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Jan Činčera, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Vojtěch Pelikán, Ph.D. (assistant)

Guaranteed by

Mgr. Vojtěch Pelikán, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Klára Dubinová
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies

Timetable

Thu 24. 9. 10:00–11:40 U53

Prerequisites (in Czech)

!HEN654 Global Citizen and Systemic Change && !NOW(HEN654 Global Citizen and Systemic Change) && 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 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 14/20, only registered: 3/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Environmental Studies (programme FSS, N-ENV)

Abstract

Aim: This course adopts a broad social sciences approach to understanding current multiple crises and various visions of just futures through the lens of different worldviews. It allows students to identify the assumptions that come with their own value system when evaluating global development pathways or the meaning of progress. Moreover, the course encourages students to reflect on the modern world in which we live, to identify historical and present power structures and cultural pillars on which it is founded, and to explore the diversity of perspectives on international development, progress, well-being, and the possibilities for social change.

This course provides students with the tools to navigate unprecedented emergencies and comprehend the scale, speed, and extent of the societal transformations needed. It also offers space to evaluate the situation from different perspectives, including non‑western cosmologies. By doing so, students are subsequently able to connect to their values and feelings and see global citizenship through different eyes. They learn how to address difficult ethical questions such as what is fair and for whom, and what kind of engagement makes sense today. Finally, the course examines the conceptualization of systemic change and the notion of global citizenship in the 21st century.

Introduction: Welcome to Global Citizen, a course where we will explore both “global” and “citizenship”...and much more. In this course, we will focus on how we, as humanity, arrived at the present times of multiple crises, what modernity is based on, the different ways we can view it, and what possible futures lie ahead. In doing so, we will consider what (new) skills and competencies are necessary to contribute to the creation of a world in which everyone’s needs are met within planetary boundaries. This includes critical engagement with broadly reproduced social patterns, beliefs, power relations, and concepts of development, the study of systemic causes, and the role of emotions, senses, and imagination in our capacity to contribute to change. This will only be possible through dialogue - the challenges we face, which go beyond the climate crisis, can only be overcome together. Let’s work together to find ways to ensure a dignified life for everyone, while respecting the limits of our planet. We will also stay with our own inner challenges and resources we encounter on the path toward active action for the benefit of both the human and non-human worlds.

We will use a variety of learning methods including reading, watching videos, group work and discussion, body work and movement, reflective circles and self-reflection, games, experiential and outdoor learning, as well as conducting interviews. Using visual, spatial, and experiential tools, we will map out the past, the present, and possible paths for the future, diving into concepts such as cartographies by Vanessa Andreotti & collective, holistic science, Social Presencing Theatre, degrowth, decolonization, or Work That Reconnects.

We want to develop the ability to look inside ourselves with the support of the group and outline the directions we can step in as global citizens that might still make sense seven generations from now.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, you will be able to:

• Identify the assumptions and foundations of our perception of development, progress and well-being.
• Explain and apply modernity-related concepts such as universalism, separability and hidden costs.
• Describe how global issues are influenced by power relations in history (colonialism) and the present (global capitalism).
• Consider various perspectives and visions of possible futures and critically assess possible pathways, while also navigating your personal challenges and resources in this endeavor.
• Recognize the pitfalls of power and epistemic hegemony and negotiate alternatives for just and inclusive development pathways, while applying these in your own decisions as active citizens.
• Connect to the current multiple crises, as well as to the potentials for change, through your own reflection, experience, emotions and bodies.
• Take responsibility for your own learning and step out of your comfort zone when focusing on multiple crises, exploring not knowing and our emotional responses.

Key topics

1. critical assessment of global development, colonialism, power and privilege
2. exploring assumptions of different conceptions of development and well-being
3. different perspectives on systemic change & alternative pathways to well-being
4. exploring different forms as well as challenges of active global citizenship

Cross-cutting topic: Reflections on a student's own position and application of what they have learned to their own practice/ life. 

Study resources and literature

required literature
• ANDREOTTI, Vanessa de Oliveira (a kol.). From the house that modernity built to healthy mycelium.
• ANDREOTTI, Vannessa de Oliveira. HEADS UP checklist.
• ANDREOTTI, Vanessa de Oliveira, STEIN, Sharon, AHENAKEW, Cash, HUNT, Dallas. Mapping interpretations of decolonization in the context of higher education.
• DANĚK, Petr. Nerovnoměrný rozvoj světa: kolonialismus, neokolonialismus a diskurz rozvoje (Uneven Development: Colonialism, Neo-colonialism, and Discourse of Development). In Stát, prostor, politika. Vybrané otázky politické geografie. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, Přírodovědecká fakulta, 2000, p. 28-58. ISBN 80-238-5566-2. info
• STEIN, Sharon. Reimagining global citizenship education for a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. GLOBALISATION SOCIETIES AND EDUCATION. ENGLAND: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2021, vol. 19, No 4, p. 482-495. ISSN 1476-7724. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2021.1904212. URL info

recommended literature
• ESCOBAR, Arturo. Encountering Development: Making and Unmakind the Third World,1995.
• FANON, Frantz. The wretched of the earth. Edited by Jean-Paul Sartre. 1st ed. New York: Grove Press, 1968, 316 s. info
• GALEANO, Eduardo. Open veins of Latin America : five centuries of the pillage of a continent. Edited by Isabel Allende, Translated by Cedric Belfrage. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1997, xiii, 317. ISBN 0853459908. info
• Gender ve škole : příručka pro budoucí i současné učitele a učitelky. Edited by Irena Smetáčková. Vydání první. Praha: Otevřená společnost, o.p.s., 2006, 67 stran. ISBN 809033315X. info
• HARDING, Stephan. Deep Time Walk, 2007.
• KASHTAN, Miki. Reweaving our Human Fabric. Working Together to Create a Nonviolent Future, 2014.
• KASHTAN, Miki. You’re Not a Bad Person: How Facing Privilege Can Be Liberating.
• KOTHARI, Ashish. Bold vision, weak words.
• LOVELOCK, James. Gaia : nový pohled na život na zemi. Vyd. 2. Tulčík: Abies, 2001, 211 s. ISBN 8088699185. info
• MACY, Joanna and Chris JOHNSTONE. Aktivní naděje : jak čelit zmatku naší doby a nezbláznit se? Translated by Hana Bernardová. První vydání. Praha: Alferia, 2020, 250 stran. ISBN 9788027110421. URL info
• MOYO, Dambisa. Dead aid : why aid is not working and how there is another way for Africa. 1st ed. London: Allen Lane, 2009, xx, 188. ISBN 9781846140068. info
• NAVRÁTILOVÁ, Alice. Nerovný rozvoj světa a rozvojová teorie, 2013.
• SPIVAK, Gayatri Chakravorty. Can the subaltern speak?, 1988.
• TROLL, T. HEADS UP or thumbs down? A postcolonial analysis of the UN decade on education for sustainable development, 2012.

Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching

Workshop	Topics and Readings
Introductory session 24th September (10:00-11:40, U53 na FSS)	House Modernity Built: facing the multicrises Obligatory readings before the Study trip:  STEIN, Sharon. Reimagining global citizenship education for a volatile,  uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 2021, s. 482–495.   HICKEL, Jason. Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World. Penguin, 2021.
Study trip 10th-12th November  (10-15:00)	Starting From Gratitude Connecting With The Multicrises Diving Deeper: seeing through different eyes Readings elaborating on the Study trip:  ANDREOTTI, Vanessa de Oliveira, STEIN, Sharon, AHENAKEW, Cash, HUNT, Dallas. Mapping interpretations of decolonization in the context of higher education. In: Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2015, s. 21–40. HARDING, Stephan; OSWALD, Peter. Deep Time Walk: The Fool and the Scientist, 2007. HAYASHI, Arawana. “Introducing Social Presencing Theatre,” in Social Presencing Theater: The Art of Making a True Move, 2021. MACY, Joanna and Chris JOHNSTONE. Active hope: how to face the mess we're in without going crazy. Warriewood, N.S.W.: Finch Publishing, 2012.
Mid-term session 9th December  (10:00 - 11:40 at FSS)	Help That Actually … Helps Readings before the Closing session:  ANDREOTTI, Vanessa de Oliveira. HEADS UP checklist. 2012. četba na Vánoce
Closing session 22nd January (9:00 - 17:00 in Brno)	Stepping Forward: active global citizenship in the 21st century Recommended reading:  KASHTAN, Miki. Reweaving our Human Fabric. Working Together to Create a Nonviolent Future, 2014. KUMAR, Satish. Elegant Simplicity: The Art of Living Well. New Society, 2019.

Dates: Classes are taught in 4 different sessions, all of which you need to attend in order to successfully complete the course. The main and longest part of the course takes place outside of Brno as a 3-day study trip (accomodation and food will be provided).

Learning activities and methods: Classes are taught in 4 sessions as stated above. The course uses a workshop format. We employ a mix of transformative education and participatory learning methods. This means that classes are interactive and involve active participation of all students including individual reading, presentations, watching videos, group work and discussion, body work and movement, group sharing, reflective circles and self-reflection activities, games, walks, experiential and outdoor learning. 

Between the sessions there is individual reading and work, which is then worked on in class. During the three-day trip, we’ll roll up our sleeves and get to work on the monastery grounds and its surroundings - we invite you to join us in manual labor to help support the venue, which in itself represents a local alternative within the global system.

Full attendance at all classes, continuous reading and individual work, engagement with all learning activities, active participation and willingness to learn from each other are required for successful completion of the course. 

It is NOT possible to join the classes on-line or compensate for missed classes by doing extra work. Our course is worth 100 learning hours (4 ECTS) – your active participation is part of the total learning hours, just like your independent reading. They are essential for you to succeed on the assessment as well as the course as a whole.

Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements

(TLDR: full attendance (100%) + handing in assignment on time + completing the individual assignment (interview) = successful completion of the course)

100% attendance - necessary for completing the course (i.e. marks A-E)

• 3-day Study trip
• 90 mins Mid-term session
• 1-day Closing session

This block course is designed to be taken as a whole. If you are unable to attend all three sessions from beginning to end, please do not register for this course. (If you miss any part of the program, you will receive an F grade.)

Grading scale:

Completion of the task on time: 20 points (max. 20 points)

Individual task (due by May 25th) (interview - details to be given during the Study trip) : max. 80 points

• A = 85-100
• B = 75-84
• C = 65-74
• D = 55-64
• E = 45-54
• F = 0-44 (or attendance 99% and less)

Language of instruction

Czech

Teacher's information

This course was co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Masaryk University and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.

• Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  
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