This course aims to help students develop their intercultural communication and collaboration skills.
About the course
Content
In this course, students learn how to identify and analyse contemporary societal challenges caused by the intersection of climate change, sustainable development, growing inequality, increasing migration and urbanization.
During the course, students employ these tools to discuss in class and in smaller groups specific empirical examples relevant to post-socialist Eurasia. During a practical research, assignment students train how to work and produce knowledge together with local stakeholders in order to design solutions to real-life challenges.
Some of the questions that students should be able to address after taking the course are:
- Through what processes is the sustainable city created;
- who benefits from it and what categories are vulnerable in the process of green transition;
- how may sustainable cities create secure spaces for different categories of human and non-human residents in a rapidly changing climate;
- what is the role of information and information technologies in city space production;
- who has the right to produce, and access and distribute information;
- how do humans, non-human subjects and ideas move in the city;
- how is the environment in the city conceptualized, treated, and valued?
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
- of important theoretical concepts from the fields of justice, urban studies, and sustainable development, that are relevant to the analysis of societal challenges caused by the intersection of climate change, sustainable development, growing inequality, increasing migration, and urbanization;
- of the most important challenges in meeting the goals of sustainable and economic development and increasing social equality in urban areas;
- of basic social science methodology for research in urban areas and practices of co-production of knowledge with local stakeholders;
Competence and skills
- apply basic social research methods and produce knowledge together with local actors in urban areas;
- identify societal problems, conflicts and challenges related to green transition, social and nature justice, human security, and growing migration and urbanization;
- select relevant theoretical concepts to analyze societal challenges, injustices, and unsustainable practices;
Judgment and approach
- analyze complex societal issues and challenges of just sustainable cities from diverse and sometimes contradicting analytical and stakeholders' perspectives;
- compare regulations, practices and solutions from different parts of the world;
make informed suggestions about solutions or improvements of existing practices, injustices, or challenges to just sustainable cities in postsocialist Eurasia;
Programme
The course is comprised of online lectures and seminars, practical assignments, and two on-site intensive weeks in Uppsala, Sweden.
Preliminary Schedule
6 February, Tuesday, Venue: Zoom - Introduction to the course
February – time for reading course literature and preparation for seminars, planning for field research
On-site period in Uppsala, Sweden: 27 February-7 March
Summary of theoretical points ; information about the practical assignment
-------------------------
March – Field research in students’ home countries; practical group assignment
April – Writing research reports
Mid May – Presentation of student reports (Venue : Zoom)
Assessment
The course is assessed by active participation in seminars, oral and written assignments.
If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the university´s disability coordinator, or a decision by the department's working group for study matters.
Lecturers
Uppsala University:
- Uppsala University
Vladislava Vladimirova, Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies - University of Tartu
Age Poom, Department of Geography, Urban Environment - Comenius University
Csabay Jakub, Institute of European Studies and International Relations
Mišík Matúš, Department of Political Science
Rochovská Alena, Department of Economic and Social Geography, Demography and Territorial Development
How to apply?
Students from all ENLIGHT partner universities are eligible to participate.
Entry requirements: A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.
Students will be selected at each of these universities separately. Students interested in the course need to apply via their home university. They should contact their faculty or programme to verify whether it can fit in their curriculum and to ensure academic recognition of the credits obtained.
Specific contacts and information per university follow below.
- University of the Basque Country:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - University of Bern:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - University of Bordeaux:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Comenius University Bratislava:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - University of Galway:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Ghent University:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - University of Groningen:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - University of Tartu: Application instructions for students at the University of Tartu
- Uppsala University: Student at Uppsala University have to apply to this course through www.antagning.se/