Curriculum

Students are obliged to take courses in the following structure:

Compulsory courses (students take all 10 courses)

Global Demographic Trends

The aim of the course is to understand the demographic context of geographical phenomena and processes and to gain an overview of the historical formation, current state and future development of the population in the Czech Republic, macro-regions of the world and in the world in general. Students will learn the methods of obtaining, processing and evaluating demographic data. Attention will also be paid to the forecasts of population development in the world, especially with a focus on developing countries.

Technological and Social Change

Futures Mapping and Shaping

The aim of the course is to acquaint students with the methods used in the processes of mapping and shaping possible futures. The mapping of possible futures is made up of three basic areas: research that maps the past and current context, scanning of ongoing changes and forecasting itself, i.e. the formulation of expected future changes. In particular, shaping possible futures focuses on the following three areas: leadership, visioning and planning.

Past Futures - Future Pasts

Our future is not created from nothing; it is rather deeply rooted in our past. Seminar is focused on future pasts and past futures from different points of view applied by historians, philosophers, economists or political scientists. Discussion will be based on relevant theories and texts published since 1800 by philosophers such as Karl Marx, Immanuel Wallerstein, Samuel Huntington, Francis Fukuyama, Fareed Zakaria, Zygmunt Baumann and many others.

Methodological courses (students take at least 1 course)

Quantitative Methods in Development

The aim of the course is to introduce the use of quantitative tools for the analysis of development issues for students in the field of development studies.

This course will focus on the use of quantitative tools for the analysis of development issues for graduate students in the field of development studies. The course will help students develop technical skills for undertaking their own analytical and quantitative research activities. Students will learn to use statistical software to be able to work with various datasets to analyze key development issues.

Qualitative Methods in Development

The aim of the course is to introduce students to basic qualitative research methods.

The course is an introduction to qualitative methods for students of International Development Studies. It provides students with basic theoretical framework for qualitative research, introduces main data collection methods, coding, analysis and interpretation. The aim of the course is to provide students with essential theoretical knowledge necessary for conducting development research and enable them to continue on postgraduate level. Part of the course is also devoted to current software tools used for qualitative research.

Optional Courses (students take 4 to 7 courses)

Sport and Development

The course is focused on explanation of the concept of sport and development, its application in development practice and concrete examples. During the course, the basic theory as well as development cooperation taking place in developing countries will be mentioned. Students will be acquainted with all stakeholders and also with organizations working directly in the field. Seminars are based on reading and discussing articles from the mentioned area.

Introduction to GIS

The aim of this course is to provide basic knowledge of geographic information systems (GIS) and geoinformatics. Emphasis is placed on representation of reality in the digital environment, description of individual geoinformation technologies (GIT), building GIS and their use in various scientific disciplines. Students will learn the basics of work in GIS, especially in the open-source program QGIS. They will understand basic data sources, terminology and present their results in the form of visualization.

Regression Methods for Development Studies and Foresight

The aim of the course is to deepen and broaden students‘ practical skills in the application of quantitative research methods in development and environmental studies. The course is focused on practical use of regression analyzes with cross-sectional data, panel data and time series in Stata statistical software.

Development Challenges I

The aim of the course is to provide students with current topics in the field of international development taught by a foreign lecturer.

Development Challenges II

The aim of the course is to provide students with current topics in the field of international development taught by a foreign lecturer.

Migration in Today's World

Migration in today’s world is a course designed for students with an active interest in migration and asylum. During the lectures the following questions are presented and analyzed: the theory of international migration; the multifactoral conditionality of the migration process and the blurring of the borders between voluntary and forced emigration (with particular regard to environmental migration); changing migrant profile; refugees and asylum; impeding the entry of migrants into national territory; the consequences of migration for countries of origin, host countries and migrants themselves. Theoretical considerations are accompanied by more extensive case studies from different parts of the world.

Field Trip to a Developing Region

The aim of the course (excursion) is to acquaint students with governmental and non-governmental organizations dealing with development issues operating in the selected region that students will visit during the excursion (Moldova, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia,…). During the excursion, visits and discussions are prepared in organizations such as the World Bank, UNDP, Czech embassies, local companies and NGOs and others.

Field Trip to Development Institutions

The aim of the course (excursion) is to acquaint students with international governmental and non-governmental organizations dealing with development issues that operate in the EU. Visits and discussions to organizations such as the World Bank, UNDP, development think-tanks, relevant Directorate-Generals of the European Commission, national development agencies and non-profit organizations, etc. are planned during the excursion.

Internship

The six-week internship will be carried out in consultation with the course guarantor in a selected governmental or non-governmental institution dealing with humanitarian or development aid or policy; Foresight, the environment (e. g. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Environment, Refugee Facilities Administration of the Ministry of the Interior, Czech Development Agency, People in Need, Charity, Volonté etc.). The internship aims to increase graduates‘ preparedness for future careers as well as to better understand development policies and interventions.

A wide variety of courses are offered by the Department, the Faculty of Science and Palacky University Olomouc. A list of all courses taught in English at Palacky University Olomouc can be found at the respective webpage of the university website.

The offer of optional courses may change in any given year.