Syllabus

Title
0662 Growth, Well-Being and Development I
Instructors
Univ.Prof. Dr. Jürgen Essletzbichler, PD Dr. Manuel Scholz-Wäckerle
Type
PI
Weekly hours
4
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
09/01/23 to 09/30/23
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Subject(s) Master Programs
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Monday 10/09/23 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM TC.0.01
Monday 10/16/23 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM TC.1.01 OeNB
Tuesday 10/17/23 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM D4.0.039
Monday 10/23/23 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM D5.0.001
Tuesday 10/24/23 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM D4.0.039
Monday 11/06/23 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.225
Tuesday 11/07/23 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM D4.0.039
Monday 11/13/23 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM TC.2.02
Tuesday 11/14/23 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM D4.0.039
Monday 11/20/23 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.225
Tuesday 11/21/23 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM D4.0.039
Friday 11/24/23 12:30 PM - 04:30 PM D3.0.233
Monday 11/27/23 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.233
Monday 12/04/23 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM D5.0.001
Tuesday 12/05/23 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM D4.0.039
Monday 12/11/23 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM TC.1.02
Tuesday 12/12/23 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM D4.0.039
Monday 12/18/23 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM TC.1.02
Tuesday 12/19/23 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM D4.0.039
Monday 01/08/24 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.233
Tuesday 01/09/24 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM D4.0.039
Monday 01/15/24 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM D3.0.233
Tuesday 01/16/24 12:30 PM - 05:30 PM D3.0.233
Friday 01/19/24 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM TC.1.02
Monday 01/22/24 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM TC.1.01 OeNB
Contents

This course is separated into two parts, sessions 2-7 are lectured by Manuel Scholz-Wäckerle, sessions 8-13 are lectured by Jürgen Essletzbichler.

The course is structured in a frontal lecture for all students to be held on Mondays, three student-led ‘seminars’ of 20 people each on Tuesdays. Each student is required to attend the Monday lecture and one seminar group, for a weekly total of 3 hours.

-------------------

Session 1, Course overview and introduction

Session 2, Capitalism, GDP and growth: Basics

Session 3, Commodities, money and capital accumulation (Marx)

Session 4, Production of space, development in the world system and global capitalism

Session 5, Technological and institutional change (Schumpeter and Veblen)

Session 6, Intellectual monopoly capitalism and the platform economy

Session 7, Mid-term exam

Session 8, The necessity and limits of growth: The economic lens

Session 9, Re-embedding economy in nature: The biophysical lens

Session 10, Affluence, domination and freedom: The social-political lens

Session 11, From limiting growth to the “Good life for all”

Session 12, Utopias, dystopias and multi-scalar transformation

Session 13, Final exam.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

  • Understand the process of economic growth and development in a historical and theoretical manner;
  • Connect the dynamics of this process to those of environmental processes;
  • Understand the role of space and time in capitalist production systems, discuss issues of world-ecologies and post-development;
  • Understand the role of technology and institutions for political economic evolution;
  • Understand biophysical foundations of the economic process
  • Identify and discuss different political economic approaches to growth, development and well-being;
Attendance requirements

Attendance is mandatory in all units of the course. Some of the sessions are reserved as make-up dates. These will be cancelled if no needed.

Notice of Special Regulation for Covid-19: If a student is required to quarantine, or is otherwise prevented from attending class, due to a certified case of Covid-19 infection or a federally mandated Covid-19 lockdown, and this affects either attendance or the completion of an exam or other required course assignment, the course instructor is empowered to move the location of the course online or to provide an alternative means for said student to meet the attendance/assessment requirement as necessary. The same means will be required of any student in the same situation in the same course. If an instructor is required to quarantine, or is otherwise prevented from attending class, the location of the course can be moved online.

Teaching/learning method(s)

The course will employ an innovative approach in order to present a more effective and personalised educational offer.

There will be a frontal lecture for all SEEP students on Mondays and seminars will be held on Tuesdays.

Students will then be divided in three 'seminar' groups of 20 people each. These groups will meet separately on Tuesdays. These student-led seminar group will include student group presentations, discussion of readings, group work and Q&A.

Students will have to attend the common frontal lecture, plus the specific seminar to which they will be assigned before the beginning of the course.

 

Assessment
  • Group presentation in seminar session 2-6 (15%)
  • In-group participation and contribution session 2-6 (5%)
  • Mid-term exam session 7 (30%)
  • Group presentation in seminar session 8-12 (15%)
  • In-group participation and contribution session 8-12 (5%)
  • End-term exam session 13 (30%)

 

Readings

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Availability of lecturer(s)
Regular office hours (TBD) will be held by the course lecturers.


Last edited: 2024-01-08



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