FVP:USESEP007 International Political and Ad - Course Information

USESEP007 International Political and Administrative Regions

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Guaranteed by

prof. RNDr. Vladimír Baar, CSc.
Institute of Central European Studies – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Central European Studies (programme FVP, B6702-MTS)

Course objectives

The aim of the course is to introduce the students to study of international regions and relations from geopolitical point of view, especially to issues of political administrative regions in central and eastern Europe. In the introductory part, the course deepens and enlarges knowledge the students gained in courses Regional Discipline and Regional Development and Historical and Political Geography, in particular in the area of general theory of regions, concept of regions in political geography and geopolitics and global processes which, currently establish the origin, form and mutual relations of regions. Another part of the course is aimed at individual types of political regions with focus on European, resp. east-European. The attention will be paid especially to transnational and trans-border regions in central and east Europe as well as areas in which the important historical traditions meet with dynamic processes of political, economic and social transformation. The final modules involve issues of international administrative regions and euro regions, again with regard to specific situation of central Europe. Following historical courses of this study programme, the course will try to involve how the western influences (western European countries, Germany) and eastern influences (Balkan countries, Russia/Soviet Union) were expressed and mixed in narrower central European region and how these influences defined its development and perception of its own identity. From this point of view, the stress will be put on the period after the decline of Soviet block and fall of totalitarian regimes when the possibility of full-value cooperation between sovereign democratic countries of central and east Europe appeared in an effort to secure own political and economic interests without direct influence of neighbouring aggressive superpowers, later also in the frame of security and economic area of united Europe. The organizations such as Visegrad Four, CEFTA, BSEC, CBSS and others will be analysed. The final modules involve issues on international administrative regions and euro-regions, again with regard to specific situation of central Europe. The graduates should be able to consider consequences of present development of region and specific features of individual countries when evaluating possibilities and overcoming obstacles of further development of international and trans-border cooperation on the level of regional and local autonomies, private subjects and non-profit organizations existing in post-communist countries. The graduates will orientate in basic terminology and various concepts of regions and will be able to use this theoretical knowledge in evaluation of possibilities and overcoming obstacles of development of international and trans-border cooperation in the frame of larger central-European area between lower levels of public administration, microregions, private-market subjects or non-profit organizations.

Syllabus

• 1. Political regions and their hierarchy
  2. Globalisation processes and their impact on regionalisation of modern world
  3. Transnational regions and pan-regions in the world and Europe
  4. Various concepts and qualification of European macroregions
  5. Fundamental political and cultural changes of central Europe
  6. Fundamental economic and social changes in central Europe
  7. Supranational integration structures of central Europe after 1990
  8. Transnational regions in eastern Europe and in Russia
  9. Trans-border regions in Europe
  10. Interregional and trans-border forms of cooperation of European regions
  11. Euroregions as specific type of administrative trans-border regions
  12. Euroregions in central Europe and in the Czech republic (law environment, range and content of action)
  

Literature

required literature
• DOČKAL, V. (Ed.). Přeshraniční spolupráce na východních hranicích České republiky - růžový obláček a hrana reality. Brno: MU - MPÚ, 2005. info
• GURŇÁK, D. - BLAŽÍK, T. - LAUKO. V. Úvod do politickej a regionálnej geografie. Bratislava: Univerzita Komenského, 2005. info
• MEZŘICKÝ, V. (Ed). Globalizace. Praha, 2003. info
• POMAHAČ, R. - WIDEMANOVÁ, M. Veřejná správa a evropská právní integrace. Praha: VŠE, 2003. info
• ROSŮLEK, P. - CABADA, L. Evropa národů, patriotů a integrace. Pelhřimov: Vyd. A nakl. Aleš Čeněk, 2002. info
• HNÍZDO, B. Mezinárodní perspektivy politických regionů. Praha: ISE, 1995. info

recommended literature
• BAAR, V.- KOVÁŘ, M. Geopolitický, geokulturní a geoekonomický vývoj Evropy. Ostrava: OU, 2004. ISBN 80-7042-969-3. info
• MALARSKI, S. Regiony i euroregiony - zagadnienia organizacyjne, pravne, administrativne. Opole: Wysza Szkola Zarządziania i Administracji, 2003. info
• HUNTINGTON, S. Střet civilizací. Boj kultur a proměna světového řádu. Praha: Rybka, 2001. info
• BRZEZINSKI, Z. Velká šachovnice. K čemu Ameriku zavazuje její globální převaha. Praha: Mladá fronta, 1999. info
• BRZEZINSKI, Z. Bez kontroly. Chaos v předvečer 21. století. Praha: Victoria Publ, 1993. info

Language of instruction

Czech

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

The course can also be completed outside the examination period.

Teacher's information

Managing the course content and successful passing written exam

• Enrolment Statistics (Winter 2013, recent)
  
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