Syllabus
Problems of Czech Society and Public Policy (Creative Workshop)
Course no.: JSB440
Websites: http://ceses.cuni.cz, http://martinpotucek.cz/vyuka_vp.html
Lecturers: Members of the Centre for Social and Economic Strategies (CESES) of the Charles University Faculty of Social Sciences and Doctoral Students of Public and Social Policy. Lecturers will be selected according to the degree of student interest in individual fields.
Course Master: Professor Martin Potůček, Ph.D., CSc. MSc.
Number of Credits: 5
Completion: Graded Credit
Goal: Students get acquainted with manners (approaches, theories and methods) in which public policy and other social sciences identify problems of Czech society and ways of solving them.
Offer of theme areas:
? "Sore spots" of the Czech education system
? Labour market and employment policy
? Social security system including public health
? National and public security, security policy
? Social assistance, services and social inclusion
? Family status, family policy and gender issues
? Community and strategic planning, civil participation
? Corruption
Talented students will be offered, after completing the course, the possibility of further involvement in the CESES research projects.
Target group: Bachelor and Master Students of the Charles University Faculty of Social Sciences.
Note: Especially suitable for bachelor students of Sociology and Social Policies, and master students of Public and Social Policy. Upper limit for registered students: 25.
Conditions of meeting student obligations:
Active participation in the academic process. Presentation and successful final thesis. Students will be offered involvement in selected CESES events.
Means of achievement:
Interactive instruction, topical discussions, presentation of background findings.
Critical treatment of (mainly but not exclusively) CESES publications.
Students interact with lecturers in (up to four-member) teams. Application of selected methods.
Structure: 1. Course induction. Characteristic of CESES (guarantor). Perception of problems of Czech society. Collective attempt to identify and structure the problem field (guarantor students only). Team formation. 2. Identification of problems in the cognitive inventory of social sciences and forecasting. Examples of priority problems outlined in Guide and Strategic Audit. Setting up a team and assignment of teamwork. 3. Teamwork with lecturers from CESES I. Teams will meet individually, according to need. 4. Teamwork with lecturers from CESES II. Teams will meet individually, according to need. 5. Criteria of assessment of social development (quality and sustainability of life, competitive strength, social cohesion, sound environment, safety). Presentation of final versions of final internships. 6. Closing conference to discuss and advocate students' papers. Conclusions.
Each meeting will start with a brief general discourse of topical problems facing the Czech society as reflected by students' proposals and the contents of the political, medial and specific discourse.
Recommended reading:
Frič, P. ? Potůček, M. (2004) Model vývoje české společnosti a její modernizace v globálním kontextu. Sociologický časopis, ročník 40, č. 4, srpen 2004, s. 415-431.
Potůček, M. a kol. (2002) Průvodce krajinou priorit pro ČR. Praha, Gutenberg.
Potůček, M. a kol. (2005) Jak jsme na tom. A co dál? Strategický audit České republiky. Praha, Sociologické nakladatelství.
Potůček, M. a kol. (2006) Veřejná politika. Praha, Sociologické nakladatelství.
Putování českou budoucností. (2003) Praha, Gutenberg.
Veselý, A.: Analýza a vymezení problému ve veřejné politice. Prague Social Science Studies PPF008, Praha, FSV UK 2006, http://publication.fsv.cuni.cz/attachments/113_008_Vesely.pdf
Vize České republiky do roku 2015. (2001) Praha, Gutenberg.
Annotation
Students get acquainted with manners (approaches, theories and methods) in which public policy and other social sciences identify problems of Czech society and ways of solving them.