GLCb1016 Combating Global Social Challenges and Risks: Practical Workshop

Fakulta sociálních studií
podzim 2026
Rozsah
0/2/0. 5 kr. Ukončení: zk.
Vyučující
Mgr. Lucie Vidovićová, Ph.D. (přednášející)
Mgr. et Mgr. Marcela Petrová Kafková, Ph.D. (přednášející)
Mgr. Adéla Chvílová Kolářová (cvičící)
Ing. Soňa Enenkelová (pomocník)
Garance
Mgr. Lucie Vidovićová, Ph.D.
Katedra sociologie – Fakulta sociálních studií
Kontaktní osoba: Mgr. Lucie Vidovićová, Ph.D.
Dodavatelské pracoviště: Katedra sociologie – Fakulta sociálních studií
Předpoklady
TYP_STUDIA(B)
none
Omezení zápisu do předmětu
Předmět je otevřen studentům libovolného oboru.
Anotace
The aim of this practical workshop is to provide the students to make use of the theories and approaches that they taught in obligatory and optional courses about sociological and anthropological perspectives about global challenges (especially GLCb1006 and GLCb1009). The course is divided into four blocks in which the students will discuss particular topics, including, but not limited to: Social exclusion and marginalization, global migration in local context, global demographic changes and local responses, processes in urban space. The course will include also excursions and visiting expert from the praxis. The emphasis is put on the students group projects and cultivation of their ability to contribute to the formulation of the potential solutions to global challenges. The role of the applied social research will be discussed and students will use its principles for their map-the-system projects.
Výstupy z učení
After completing the course, a student will be able to:
- identify the social global challenges and their roots
- formulate the solutions to global challenges
- work in groups to create group projects
- address stakeholders and formulate the actions
- critically thinking about the existing praxis and policies
Klíčová témata

1. Introduction: What Is Applied Sociology and Why Does It Matter for Public Policy? Overview of the course structure, goals, and expectations. The role of sociology beyond academia — from theory to practice. What is evidence-based policy and why does it matter? Introduction to the concept of sociological imagination in a policy context.

2. Systems Thinking: Complexity vs. Complicatedness What makes a problem truly complex? The core principles of systems thinking and why conventional linear problem-solving falls short. Introduction to feedback loops, interdependencies, and unintended consequences. Group exercise: identifying complex vs. complicated problems in social policy.

3. Navigating Data Sources for Public Administration Overview of key databases: national stat.offices, Eurostat, OECD, WHO, World Bank and others. Understanding the difference between administrative data, survey data, and register data. Hands-on exercise: finding and comparing data on a selected social issue across multiple sources.

4. Reading Data Sociologically: What Numbers Say and What They Don't Critical data literacy — how data is produced, framed, and (mis)used in policy. The politics of indicators and measurement. Case study: unpacking a real policy document and interrogating its data foundations. Discussion: whose realities are made visible and whose are not?

5. Working with Text: Research Reports, Grey Literature, and Policy Documents How to identify, evaluate, and use different types of written sources. Academic literature vs. grey literature vs. policy briefs — strengths and limitations of each. Practical exercise: structured reading and annotation of a policy-relevant report.

6. From Evidence to Argument: Diagnosing a Social Problem How to move from scattered data and sources to a coherent problem diagnosis. Identifying root causes vs. symptoms. Introduction to problem framing and its political implications. Exercise: drafting an initial problem statement for the group case study.

7. Stakeholder Analysis and the Actor Landscape Who are the key actors in a given policy area? Mapping interests, power, and relationships between stakeholders. How actor dynamics shape policy outcomes. Workshop: building a stakeholder map for each group's case study topic.

8. Systems Mapping I: Introduction to Causal Loop Diagrams Principles and tools of systems mapping. Introduction to causal loop diagrams and stock-and-flow thinking. Guided walkthrough of Map the System methodology. Exercise: identifying key variables and drawing first causal links for the group case.

9. Systems Mapping II: Building and Refining the System Map Deepening the system map — adding feedback loops, leverage points, and system boundaries. Connecting data sources, stakeholder dynamics, and structural conditions into a coherent visual map. Group workshop: iterative refinement of system maps with peer and instructor feedback.

10. From Analysis to Strategy: Identifying Leverage Points and Policy Opportunities What is a leverage point and how do you find one in a complex system? Translating systems analysis into actionable policy recommendations. Introduction to the policy brief format. Exercise: drafting key findings and preliminary recommendations from the group case study.

11. Student Conference: Final Presentations and Reflection Final presentations of case studies and system maps in a conference format. How to communicate complex findings clearly and accessibly to a policy audience. Peer and instructor feedback. Collective reflection on the course process, key takeaways, and the limits of evidence-based approaches.

Studijní zdroje a literatura
    povinná literatura
  • https://www.mapthesystem.ca/s/Student-Guide-to-Mapping-a-System.pdf
  • Jones, P., Van Ael, K. 2022. Design Journeys through Complex Systems. Practice Tools for Systemic Design.
    doporučená literatura
  • Bastow, S., Dunleavy, P., Tinkler, J. 2014. The Impact of the Social Sciences. Sage
    neurčeno
  • Scudder, Thayer. 2010. Global threats, global futures: Living with declining living standards. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
  • Benedict, Burton. “The Significance of Applied Anthropology for Anthropological Theory.” Man, vol. 2, no. 4, 1967, pp. 584–592.
  • L. Bickman & D.J. Rog (Eds.). (2009). The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods. London: SAGE:
  • Steele, S.F. and Price, J. (2008) Applied Sociology: Terms, Topics, Tools and Tasks, Belmont: Thomson Higher Education.
  • ERIKSEN, Thomas Hylland. Engaging anthropology : the case for a public presence. London: Bloomsbury, 2013, xii, 148. ISBN 9781845200657. info
Přístupy, postupy a metody používané ve výuce
class discussion, workshop, group projects, excursion
Způsob ověření výstupů z učení a požadavky na ukončení
class activity, Map the System projects, in class presentations


To successfully complete the course, three conditions must be met:

A) Submit a completed case study based on the agreed assignment, with a minimum length of 5 standard pages, supplemented by
B) a graphical output (a system map of the problem).

Work on the case study takes place continuously throughout the semester, partly during classes and partly through both group and individual work.

At the end of the course, the case study project will be
C) presented at a student conference.

Vyučovací jazyk
Angličtina
Další komentáře
Předmět je vyučován každoročně.
Výuka probíhá blokově.
Předmět je zařazen také v obdobích podzim 2024, podzim 2025.