| Course title | Environmental Challenges in Asia and the World |
|---|---|
| Course code | DAS/ECA |
| Organizational form of instruction | Lecture + Seminary |
| Level of course | Bachelor |
| Year of study | not specified |
| Semester | Winter and summer |
| Number of ECTS credits | 5 |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Status of course | Compulsory-optional |
| Form of instruction | Face-to-face |
| Work placements | This is not an internship |
| Recommended optional programme components | None |
| Course availability | The course is available to visiting students |
| Lecturer(s) |
|---|
|
| Course content |
|
Topic 1. Introduction: environmental degradation & economic development (Kuznets). China & Germany. Topic 2. Soil degradation & ecological imperialism (Crosby). India & Australia. Topic 3. Global Warming & Tragedy of commons (Hardin, Ostrom). Thailand (2 cases). Topic 4. Waste disposal, plastic pollution & Commodification of nature (Castree). Pakistan & Japan. Topic 5. Overfishing & Treadmill of production (Schnaiberg). Vietnam & South Korea. Topic 6. Illegal mining & Ecological justice (Chakrabarty). Kazakhstan & Canada. Topic 7. Water scarcity & Scarcity (Hanemann, Pereira). Mongolia & Arab Emirates. Topic 8. Mid-term: every student analyzes the case, using concepts allocated by lot. Topic 9. Loss of biodiversity & Environmental services (Valuation, Marketization & Monetization). Malaysia & China. Topic 10. Human health & One health framework (Virchow, WHO). The game 'co-operation of agencies to solve environmental problems'. Topic 11. Students' presentations. Topic 12. Anthropocene, Capitalocene (Tsing, Haraway, Moore). The EU "Green deal".
|
| Learning activities and teaching methods |
| Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming) |
| Learning outcomes |
|
This course offers students a multi-disciplinary approach to exploring environmental issues both theoretically and practically. It examines various pressing ecological challenges, including climate change, soil degradation, global warming, waste disposal and plastic pollution, overfishing and wildlife trade, illegal mining, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, human health, and technological catastrophes. To explore these topics, the course draws on concepts from a range of social sciences that address environmental problems. Through these conceptual frameworks, students will engage in detailed analyses of case studies from various Asian countries (and occasionally other regions). Each session will focus on two case studies: one positive (where countries or communities have successfully addressed an environmental issue) and one negative (where an environmental problem has escalated into a crisis). For example, the course examines the issue of overfishing in Vietnam and South Korea through the lens of the "treadmill of production" concept, proposed by Schnaiberg. We analyze waste disposal and plastic pollution problem using the "commodification of nature" framework (Castree), focusing on Pakistan and Japan. By integrating theoretical perspectives with real-world case studies, the course equips students with the analytical tools needed to understand and tackle complex, interconnected environmental challenges. Each class will begin with a brief lecture in which the instructor explains a particular concept, followed by an interactive discussion of case studies. In the middle of the semester, there will be a practical test to assess students' understanding of the material. For this test, each student will be assigned a case and randomly select a concept, which they will use to analyze the case. During the 11th session, a simulation game will allow students to take on the roles of representatives from various agencies involved in solving environmental problems (e.g., WHO, WOAH, FAO). In the final session, students will present their own case studies and analyze them using the concepts learned throughout the course. Every class session comprises a brief lecture where the instructor elucidates a particular concept, followed by an interactive case discussion. Grading. Attendance is compulsory - students participate in the discussion of the proposed cases (16%). In the mid-term, students analyse a given case utilizing the concept which is allocated by lot (16%). In 10-11 classes we will play a game, students may gain up to 16%. For the final presentation, students choose any of the proposed concepts and try to apply them to explain a selected case (52%).
By integrating theoretical perspectives with real-world case studies, the course equips students with the analytical tools needed to comprehend and address the complex and interconnected environmental challenges of our time. |
| Prerequisites |
|
unspecified
|
| Assessment methods and criteria |
|
Final project
Attendance is compulsory - students participate in the discussion of the proposed cases (24% = 12*2). Practical test (individual analysis of a case study assigned by the instructor) in the middle of the semester, final presentation at the end of the course, and a written test on the theoretical part. |
| Recommended literature |
|
|
| Study plans that include the course |
| Faculty | Study plan (Version) | Category of Branch/Specialization | Recommended semester | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Asian Studies, Specialization Indonesian Language and Culture (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Korean for Practice (2024) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Asian Studies, Specialization Vietnamese Language and Culture (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Korean Studies (2022) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Chinese Studies (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Korean for Business (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Chinese for Practice (2024) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Vietnamese Philology (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Asian Studies (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Asian Studies, Specialization Japanese Language and Culture (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Asian Studies, Specialization Chinese Language and Culture (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Asian Studies, Specialization Korean Language and Culture (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Vietnamese for Practice (2024) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Vietnamese Philology (2023) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Indonesian Studies (2022) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Indonesian Studies for Tourism (2023) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Korean Studies (2023) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Chinese Studies (2023) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |