Course Title: Environmental Sociology and Social Problems on The Post-mining Areas
Lectures focus on the sociology of the environment, technology-human-society relations, social aspects of energy transition and post-mining areas. Within these topics, detailed theories of the environment and environmental risks associated with the development of civilization (degrowth, Anthropocene) are discussed, as well as ways to counteract these risks. Human being, as a species throughout his history, using technological development as an agent to significantly transform his environment. The transformation of the fossil fuel era has contributed to the perception of the negative effects of technological development and the search for ways to counteract them. In this aspect, both sociological interpretations of environmental changes (Beck, Giddens) and scientific and political ways to halt them (Energy transition) are presented. Specific problems of social acceptance of technology and social problems of post-mining areas are also presented.
The exercises are divided into two parts. The first is devoted to the analysis of studies on the social problems of the energy transition and the situation of post-mining areas. Students become familiar with ways to study and describe these social problems. The second part - the practical part - will be a field study carried out by students during their stay in a post-mining community in Poland. The purpose of this study is to familiarize themselves with solutions for the protection of the cultural and technological heritage of this type of community.
Requirements
Lectures: Exam (test)
Exercises: Class activity and final essay based on fieldwork research
Lectures: 30 h
Practical and class exercises: 30 h (15 hours as fieldwork research)
LECTURER
Prof. Dariusz Wojakowski, Faculty of Humanities
Dariusz Wojakowski is a sociologist, professor in the Department of Society and Technology Studies, and Vice-Dean for Cooperation and Students at the Faculty of Humanities of the AGH University of Kraków. As of 2019, he is the Secretary of the Commission on Threats to Civilization at the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences. His research interests include regional and borderland studies, sociology of local communities, social acceptance of energy transition and qualitative methodology. Recent publications are devoted to: borderland community resilience; territorial branding; borderland representations and social acceptance of CCS. These publications have appeared in, among others: “International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control”; “Borderland. Social Studies”; “Konteksty”; “Polish Sociological Review”; “Sociologia. Slovak Sociological Review”; “Regional Science, Policy and Practice”.
