Geography and Global Trends - AB501097
Title: Geography and Global Trends
Guaranteed by: Department of Economics and Management (837)
Faculty: Central University Departments of UCT Prague
Actual: from 2023
Semester: both
Points: 3
E-Credits: 3
Examination process:
Hours per week, examination: 0/2, MC [HT]
Capacity: winter:unknown / 30 (unknown)
summer:unknown / unknown (unknown)
Min. number of students: unlimited
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Teaching methods: full-time
Teaching methods: full-time
Level:  
Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan
enabled for web enrollment
you can enroll for the course in winter and in summer semester
Guarantor: Hudeček Tomáš doc. RNDr. Ph.D.
Examination dates   
Annotation -
The subject is focused on understanding the impacts of current global social, economic and environmental trends in a regional context. In discussion seminars, specific global megatrends are introduced and described, and their consequences and impacts are subsequently discussed using selected cases of cities and regions chosen by students. The aim of the subject is to illuminate the complexity of our socio-economic-geographic reality, its multilayered nature, and diversity at various scales.
Last update: Hudeček Tomáš (26.09.2023)
Course completion requirements -

The course is concluded with a classified credit based on the attendance, the level of activity in seminars and the level of individual work.

Last update: Hudeček Tomáš (26.09.2023)
Literature -

HUDEČEK, T. (2020): City management and administration: The First Book - City, People and Society: A Contribution to General Systems Theory. Prague: IPD. 140 p. ISBN 978-80-88377-16-0

INGLEHART, Ronald a Christian WELZEL, 2010. Modernization, cultural change, and democracy: the human development sequence. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 05-216-0971-2

KUHN, B.M., MARGELLOS, D.L , 2022. Global Perspectives on Megatrends: The Future as Seen by Analysts and Researchers from Different World Regions. Hannover, ibidem Press. 403 p. ISBN 978-3838215631

WEST, G., 2017. Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies. NY: Penguin Press. 496 p. ISBN 978-1594205583

Last update: Hudeček Tomáš (26.09.2023)
Syllabus -

1. Introduction, course structure, course completion requirements, practical exercises on hierarchical levels of socio-economic-geographic reality.

2. Discussion of a case study of the regional context: socio-economic geography of Prague and the Prague-Central Bohemian agglomeration. Student independent work and presentations - case studies of selected countries, regions, and cities I.

3. Case studies of selected countries, regions, and cities II. Student independent work and presentations.

4. Economic megatrends, especially Global Economic Growth, Increasing Regulatory Volume, and Growing Indebtedness. Geographic dimension, discussion of manifestations and impacts in different regional contexts.

5. Industry and Innovation: Increasing Accessibility of Technologies, Increasing Speed of Technological Change, and Intensifying Globalization. Geographic dimension of megatrends, discussion of their manifestations and impacts in different regional contexts.

6. Urbanization and Growing Mobility. Geographic dimension of megatrends, discussion of their manifestations and impacts in different regional contexts.

7. Societal megatrends, including Societal Democratization, the Growing Importance of Non-State Actors, Reduction of Discrimination, the Growth of the Middle Class, and Increasing Individualism and the Power of Individuals. Geographic dimension, discussion of manifestations and impacts in different regional contexts.

8. Growing Inequalities and Increasing Migration. Geographic dimension of megatrends, discussion of their manifestations and impacts in different regional contexts.

9. Geopolitical megatrends, such as the Shift from a Unipolar to a Multipolar World and the Rise of Power Politics. Geographic dimension, discussion of manifestations and impacts in different regional contexts.

10. Resource Limitations: Increasing Competition for Resources, Growing Resource Consumption, Increasing Energy Consumption, Food Security. Geographic dimension of megatrends, discussion of their manifestations and impacts in different regional contexts.

11. Atmosphere and Biosphere: Ecosystem Degradation, Climate Change and its Impacts. Geographic dimension of megatrends, discussion of their manifestations and impacts in different regional contexts.

12. Megatrends in the Health and Well-being of the Population, including Growing Population, Civilization Diseases, Global Aging. Geographic dimension, discussion of manifestations and impacts in different regional contexts.

13. Digitalization: Virtualization of the World, Increasing Access to Information. Geographic dimension of megatrends, discussion of their manifestations and impacts in different regional contexts.

14. Updates of actual trends, supplements, summaries, and exploring connections.

Last update: Hudeček Tomáš (26.09.2023)
Teaching methods
Activity Credits Hours
Obhajoba individuálního projektu 0.1 2
Příprava na přednášky, semináře, laboratoře, exkurzi nebo praxi 1.3 36
Práce na individuálním projektu 0.6 18
Účast na seminářích 1 28
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