Exchange Students

We are pleased you are interested in the study at the Department of Development and Environmental Studies, Palacký University Olomouc. We have long-term experience with teaching students from abroad.

Palacký University works in a two-semester scheme. The winter (autumn) semester classes begin in the second half of September and end in the middle of December. Exams are usually scheduled throughout January. The summer (spring) semester begins in the middle of February and classes end in the middle of May, with exams continuing usually until the end of June.

Mobility Administration

Palacký University has a decentralized administrative system for exchange students. It means that students are in touch with different employees before, during and after their mobility.

Administrative support during the nomination process is provided by Mrs. Iva Kokinopulosová (iva.kokinopulosova@upol.cz) from the Office for the mobility

Faculty Coodinator at the Faculty of Science: Mrs. Marie Raková (marie.rakova@upol.cz)

For more information contact directly Coordinator at the Department of Development and Environmental Studies – Mr. Jiří Chovaneček (jiri.chovanecek@upol.cz)

Very useful information regarding study and life in Olomouc can be found in the Student Guide UPOL App as well as at the website of International Relations Office (IRO) of Palacký University Olomouc.

List of Courses Taught in English

At this link you will find a list of courses taught in English available for the exchange students at the Faculty of Science. Please note that although the list is regularly updated, some of the course may not be available due to various reasons.

Students are obliged to acquire at least 20 ECTS according to Erasmus Agreement. Please note that students are obliged to acquire at least 50 % of the ECTS at the department to which they have been assigned to (Department of Development and Environmental Studies, abbreviated MRS, in our case).

However, students are allowed to register in courses also taught at other departments, namely at the Department of Geography (KGG), Department of Geoinformatics (KGI), Department of Geology (KGE) and also to register in one or two courses outside the Faculty of Science, e.g. at Faculty of Arts (Department of Political Science). Participation in these courses is determined by the agreement between student and lecturer at the beginning of semester. Teachers are not obliged to accept all demands.

Courses in English Available at our Department for Academic Year 2025/2026 (last update on August 18, 2025)

Winter Semester

MRS/MSD – Sport and Development

The course focuses on explaining the concept of sport and development, its application in development practice, and specific examples. During the course, basic theory will be discussed, as well as development cooperation taking place in developing countries. Students will be introduced to all stakeholders in the field and to organizations working directly in the field. Seminars are based on reading articles from the aforementioned field and discussing them.

Main topics:

Introduction to sport for development (SFD)
Theory of sport and development, history of the concept
Sport + and + sport organizations, stakeholders in SFD
Sport and development cooperation, donors in the field of SFD
Practical exercises with an emphasis on the use of movement games in teaching about HIV/AIDS
Corporate social responsibility and SFD
SFD and the Millennium Development Goals
SFD and gender
SFD and peer-to-peer learning, the role of young people in development through sport
SFD and disability
Football for development
Case studies from the field of SFD

MRS/UPGP – Politico-geographical Processes in the Developing World

The course will pay attention to selected topics related to internal political processes in developing countries, as well as relevant issues in the field of international relations and security. Lectures will focus on the current debate on the processes of formation of modern states, on political systems in developing countries, on democracy and good governance or on the concept of weak, failed and de facto states, etc.

Thematic areas:
– Theory and typology of democracy
– Theory and typology of non-democratic regimes
– Transition processes
– The concept and measurement of good governance
– Promoting of good governance

MRS/UPSDE – Sustainable Development

The main aim of the course is to introduce students to historical development, present situation and future perspectives of mutual political and economic relations as well as cooperation between the EU and developing countries. The course analyzes the basic principles of sustainable development. It covers the following topics: history, definitions and principles of sustainable development, human values compatible with sustainable development, economic instruments of sustainable development, technologies for sustainable development, political and institutional aspects of sustainable development, sectoral aspects of sustainable development (especially energy, transport and agriculture), sustainable development indicators, sustainable development strategies, actors in the field of sustainable development.

MRS/GPM – Project Management

The aim of the course is to provide students with the basic theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for the preparation and implementation of projects, particularly in the field of development cooperation. In the introduction to the course, students will gain an overview of the individual phases of the project cycle (programming, identification, formulation, implementation, and evaluation). The core part of the course focuses on the practical application of the logical framework approach to project preparation, where students will work in groups to create a project based on a case study from a selected developing country. Students will also learn about the Theory of Change approach, which is also used to formulate project strategies, and project monitoring. The topic of project evaluation will also be briefly introduced.

Topics:

The project approach in development cooperation.
The project cycle and its phases.
Analytical phase of the logical framework approach (analysis of stakeholders, problems, objectives, and strategies).
Planning phase of the logical framework approach (creating a logical framework matrix, preparing an activity plan and project budget).
Formulation of the Theory of Change.
Project monitoring and evaluation.

MRS/GIEEL – International and European Environmental Law

The aim of the course International and European Environmental Law is to provide students with an introduction to the development of international and European environmental law and its main topics (basic principles and concepts, main actors, sources of law, law-making processes, implementation and enforcement mechanisms). All theoretical topics will be discussed in the context of current environmental issues. We will watch videos, discuss cases, and talk about many interesting aspects of environmental law, including its connection to human rights. The course is taught in English. Environmental law is presented in this course through the lens of an individual’s story and their ability to influence environmental policy, participate in environmental decision-making, and have the opportunity to influence events not only in their individual case, but also at the local, regional, national, and global levels. Although the course does not focus on national environmental law, students will have numerous opportunities to reflect on the dynamic and interrelated relationship between environmental rules at the international, European, and national levels.

MRS/UPDTA – Development Theories and Anthropology

The lectures will introduce the findings of selected anthropological theories that are relevant to the field of development problems. The relationship between development theories and development anthropology will also be presented, as well as the anthropology of development as a reflection of the development of the relationship between the Western world and its former colonies over the last centuries.

Thematic areas:
– History of cultural anthropology
– History of anthropological thinking
– Theory of culture and cultural change
– Theory based on modernity
– Colonialism and neocolonialism and their influence on the development of world regions
– Alternative theory of development and alternatives to development
– Practical implications of development theories

MRS/UPFOR – Foresight

Students will learn about the history of possible futures and foresight, the most important persons of this field of study as well as internationally recognized institutions focusing on foresight. The opportunities and limits of foresight studies will be discussed in comparison with the study of history (while we can fully interpret the history without having an opportunity to influence it, we cannot fully learn about the future but we have options and opportunities to influence it). Basic concepts and terms will be introduced (framing, scanning, forecasting, visioning, planning and acting).

MRS/UPGDE – Global Development

The aim of the course is to provide students with an economic perspective on issues of global sustainable development. The course examines the concept of sustainable development in a cross-sectional manner, focusing on development issues, particularly in poorer countries, questions of long-term sustainability, and possible solutions at the national and international levels. Emphasis is placed on the overall picture and understanding of the connections between individual topics, rather than on detailed coverage of a few selected topics.

Progress and goals
Development and quality of life
Poverty
Inequality
Economic growth
Population
Environment and development
Sustainability
International trade
Development aid and altruism
Existential risks and longtermism

MRS/UPGEG – Global Environmental Geography

The aim of the course is to provide an overview of key topics in the field of global environmental challenges and to analyze the interactions between human and the natural world in the less developed countries

Thematic areas:
– Life on Earth and the human wellbeing during cultural evolution
– Characteristics of selected current global problems
– Global governance
– The relationship between poverty and the environment in developing countries
– Specifics of development in the drylands and areas of tropical rainforests
– Problematics of nature protection and natural resources in developing countries

MRS/UPRM – Research Methods

The main aim of the course is to introduce the students to qualitative and quantitative aspects of academic research. The qualitative part emphasizes the practical tasks focused on the practice of data collection methods, their analysis and coding, evaluation and presentation of results. The quantitative part of the course will focus on the practical teaching of statistical estimation, hypothesis testing and dependency analysis (correlation and regression analysis) using statistical software.

Thematic areas:
– Research project and design, research ethics, sample selection
– Qualitative research – methods of data collection, methods of analysis, participatory research, work with ATLAS.ti software
– Quantitative research – repetition (descriptive statistics, probability distribution), statistical estimates, hypothesis tests, dependency analysis (correlation and regression analysis) using STATA statistical software

MRS/UPDG – Development Geography

The aim of the course is to provide students with an overview of geographical, socio-economic, political and environmental issues related to development in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The course analyses specific development opportunities and challenges in these regions

Content:

Behavioral geography and its relation to the development; Geographical regionalisation of developing world; Globalisation processes and territorial disparities; Geographical, socioeconomic, political and environmental aspects of development in Africa, Asia and Latin America

MRS/GSD1 – Sustainable Development Issues 1 (short-term course of visiting scholars)

The aim of the course is to introduce students to topics presented by foreign academics, primarily those that are not covered by the study plan and on which the lecturer focuses in their research. Academics are invited according to the current situation, typically through the Erasmus program.

The subject does not have a schedule in STAG. Students are notified in advance.

VCJ/CFF – Czech for Foreigners

Czech language course for foreigners taught in English, focused on conversation in everyday situations. Intended for beginners (language level A0).

Main topics:

Basic information about Czech, grammatical system and categories.

Pronunciation rules, basic phrases.

Conversation in formal and informal situations.

Personal information.

Numbers and their practical use (prices, telephone numbers, addresses, etc.).

Places and orientation, shopping and food.