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by Vendulka Kubalkova (Author)
The invention of the movable-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-1400s represents one of the most significant technological advancements in history.
The printing press shaped the modern era by revolutionizing how information was shared and preserved, as well as educational practices. Today, society is entering the Digital Era. Students now grow up with the internet and social media. Research shows that younger generations increasingly prefer audio-visual content, while both students and the general public read for recreation less often.
This book introduces an innovative educational format we call a videobook. It offers access to about 135 original online videos, featuring animated presentations that provide a comprehensive introduction to contemporary global issues. The videobook covers a wider range of topics than most university-level International Relations courses. Integrating video content improves accessibility and relevance, addressing the limitations of traditional educational resources. The videos also encourage deeper engagement with philosophy and history. Many universities have yet to fully adopt visualization as a teaching tool, which remains a significant limitation in the Digital Era. This project aims to address that gap.
This work is designed primarily for university students but remains accessible to a wider audience.
Professor Kubálková holds a JUDr. from Charles University, Czechoslovakia, and a Ph.D. in International Politics from Lancaster University, England. She is also a graduate of the Prague Conservatoire. She currently serves as a Professor of International Studies at the University of Miami in Florida. Her previous appointments include academic positions in England, New Zealand, and Australia, as well as fellowships at the University of Munich, Stanford University, and the University of California, Berkeley. She has served as Assistant Provost for International Studies and Director of the M.A. program in International Administration (MAIA). Since 2016, she has been a Visiting Professor at VSE, University of Economics and Business, Prague. Professor Kubálková is a past President of the International Studies Association South and served for ten years as a trustee of the Social Science Research Foundation Board at the Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. She co-edited the eight-volume M. E. Sharpe series, "International Relations in a Constructed World," and was a founding member and co-chair of the ISA section Global International Relations (GIRS). Following years in exile, she received the Jan Masaryk Medal "Pro Amicitia Inter Naciones" for expertise in International Relations and has been inducted into the "Memory of the Nation" of the Czech Republic.
Her research, publications, and teaching focus on International Relations theory, Marxism, Constructivism, post-Soviet studies, religion, civilizations, culture in world affairs, non-Western perspectives, pedagogy, and the application of information technology in education. She is the author, among others, of My Path to Global International Relations: An Autobiographical Textbook (2026).
