English

This course introduces students to the world of Human Geography and human geography of the world. Starting from the proclaimed death of geography as a result of ongoing processes of globalization, this course investigates how geography is still relevant, at the global, national, regional, and local levels. Students familiarize themselves with the conceptual base of contemporary human geography, learn about different traditions within the field of human geography, and study a range of global and local issues from a human geographical point of view. The course content is divided into three thematic sections: globalization and the death of geography, from Fordism to post-Fordism, global production networks, and the impact of globalization on places; the hollowing out of the nation-state: nations, national identities, and rescaling; and the mixed blessing of tourism: economic, ecological, and socio-cultural impacts of tourism.

This course examines Japanese political economy. It provides an overall understanding of political economy in Japan. The course covers diverse topics of contemporary Japan through the lens of political economy including the developmental state and Japan Inc., the politics of industrial policy, the bubble economy and lost decade, the Japanese financial Big Bang, the political economy of globalization and Japanese reform, types of economic recovery or recession after the 2008 global crash and 2011 quake, Abenomics and recent symptoms of recession, and Japanese foreign policy and new initiatives, etc. This course is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on the developmental state of Japan; the second part covers the Japanese “lost decade” and the future of its economy; and the third part outlines Japan’s foreign policy. 

The course serves as an introduction to the city of Prague as a specific cultural and social milieu, seen through the lens of its artists, architects, and their works. It is also intended – particularly through the reading list – to inspire an interest in the unique blend of storytelling and legend that underpins much of the city’s character and history. The scope of the course includes the major periods of European architectural development: from medieval to modern, as well as aspects specifically reflecting the history and heritage of the Czech nation. In structuring the course according to artistic styles and movements, the course recognizes the ways in which artists of widely varying origins and temperaments responded to, influenced, or disrupted the artistic conventions of the day, and how their work continues to reflect the social and political dynamics of the city.

This course explores a range of key concepts and topics in Data Science, accompanied by practical implementations using Python. This ranges from the initial stages of data collection and preparation through to data analysis and modelling. Students become familiar with widely-used Python packages for data analysis, including Pandas, Matplotlib, and scikit-learn. 

This course examines current discussions and evidence about the psychological significance of media. It encompasses analyses of the psychological impacts of media content and presentation; how individuals process media content as well as how the media affects individuals' knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. Topics include: psychological processing of media; media violence; media realism; sexual content; stereotyping; media effects on collective opinion, and the effects of new communication technologies. 

The course provides general knowledge on various aspects of urban economics. It uses microeconomic analysis to explain why cities exist, where they develop, how they grow, and how different activities are arranged within cities. Models of firm, industrial, and household location decisions form the basis in analyzing urban land use patterns and trends. Other topics covered include housing markets, the role of the government in the urban economy, and urban transportation. 

This course provides an overview of the traditional media and the newer technology-oriented media in Korea. The course is divided into three main parts: examining the role of the traditional media in the social and political development and change of the Korean society; examining the influence of the newer media such as the Internet and social media that have brought about further changes in Korean society; and examining the content and Influence of the Korean entertainment media. The first part of the course starts by examining the general media landscape and then looks at the various factors in the development of Korean media. Since the development of Korean media is closely linked with various social and political factors in the development of democracy in Korean society, a critical aspect of is and understanding of Korean political history. We watch the movies “Peppermint Candy”and “Tae Guk Gi: Brotherhood of War” to this effect. Factors that affect the characteristics of Korean newspapers are examined in the first part of the course. In the second part of the course, we examine the extent of the influence of traditional media such as newspapers and broadcasting and compare it with the influence of newer forms of media that are being offered through the Internet such as Blogs, SNS, youtube videos, and podcasts. We try to understand the influence of these newer media in changing the Korean political and social culture. The third and last part, we look at the Korean media audience and try to understand the “Korean Wave”(Hanryu, Hallyu) not just in Asian countries but also around the world.