ZA221 Global inequalities and uneven geographical development

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
RNDr. Petr Daněk, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
RNDr. Petr Daněk, Ph.D.
Department of Geography – Earth Sciences Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: RNDr. Petr Daněk, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Geography – Earth Sciences Section – Faculty of Science
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Using political geography lens, the course points to the economic and social inequalities as the critical drivers of the environmental change. The course is organised around the central concept of development. Development is presented as a powerful discourse (in the Foucauldian sense), imbued with power to create worlds of which it speaks (such as “underdeveloped regions”) and deepening global inequalities (uneven development). The course introduces students to the genealogy of the discourse of development, conceptualised as a consequence of projects, beginning in the European Enlightenment. Particular attention is paid to the social and environmental consequences of development, at diverse geographical scales, and to interrelations between “the social” and “the natural” domains. The course cultivates critical thinking, with students being encouraged to present and discuss their interpretation of linkages and related problems. It is facilitated by employment of concepts from the post-development, post-colonial and actor-network theories.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, a student will be able:
- to understand the sources of economic and social inequalities;
- to analyse evolution of inequalities, using quantitative and qualitative data and methods;
- to identify development as a discourse;
- to describe its evolution from the Enlightenment to present;
- to employ global thinking in interpretation of relations between the social and the natural domains;
- to apply critical thinking in interpretation of diverse social and environmental phenomena and problems.
Syllabus
  • 1. What are the inequalities, and how are economic and social inequalities related to the environmental change.
  • 2. How to measure inequality?
  • 3. What is development? Development as a discourse. How do discourses change?
  • 4. The colonial project.
  • 5. The project of modernity.
  • 6. The great transformation? Consequences of the colonial discourse.
  • 7. The Keynesian project.
  • 8. The neoliberal project and the ascent of “globalisation”.
  • 9. The post-development critique.
  • 10. The struggles against development.
  • 11. Cases: the case of nature.
  • 12. Cases: the case of food.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • POTTER, Robert B. Key concepts in development geography. 1st pub. London: SAGE, 2012, viii, 278. ISBN 9780857025852. info
  • POTTER, Robert B. Geographies of development : an introduction to development studies. 3rd ed. Harlow: Prentice Hall, 2008, xxviii, 54. ISBN 9780132228237. info
    not specified
  • Human development report. https://hdr.undp.org/
  • Telleria, J. (2021) Deconstructing human development. From Washington consensus to the 2030 agenda. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-003-04365-2
  • PROFANT, Tomáš. Kritika rozvoje : od kolonialismu k postrozvojové praxi. Vydání první. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2022, 173 stran. ISBN 9788024650401. URL info
  • The Development dictionary : a guide to knowledge as power. Edited by Wolfgang Sachs. London, New York: Zed Books, 2010, 332 p. ISBN 9781848133815. info
  • DANĚK, Petr, Alice NAVRÁTILOVÁ, Marika HILDEBRANDOVÁ and Robert STOJANOV. Approaching the Other: The Four Projects of Western Domination. Olomouc: Palacký University, 2008, 176 pp. Monographs. ISBN 978-80-244-2046-2. info
  • The globalization and development reader : perspectives on development and global change. Edited by J. Timmons Roberts - Amy Hite. 1st pub. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2007, xiv, 450. ISBN 9781405132374. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, group discussions, reading, reading group discussions, group presentation, an essay writing.
Assessment methods
The course assignments are fulfilled during the semester. The pre-requisites for the successful completion of the course:
- compulsory attendance at group discussions (in seminar)
- compulsory reading and attendance at reading group discussions (in seminar)
- presentation of a project (in group)
- writing an essay (1500 words)
- written test (60 % of correct answers is needed to pass).
Language of instruction
English
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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