World Politics and International Relations

2017/2018

Учебный год

ENG

Обучение ведется на английском языке

5

Кредиты

Кто читает:

Департамент политологии и международных отношений

Статус:

Курс обязательный

Когда читается:

2-й курс, 1, 2 модуль

Преподаватели

Агеева Вера Дмитриевна

Фергюсон Йен Эндрю

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This course is about the theory and practice of world politics. It analyses world politics as a specific and historically relatively recent form of politics. And it invites critical reflection on the academic discipline of International Relations, which tries to map and explain this evolving form of politics. The teaching format is traditional and innovative at the same time. Students will learn through lectures and through class-led debate. Most of the intellectual work on this course will be done in the seminars, where students will discuss the assigned readings for the course and link them to major IR theories and policy dilemmas of the day. Block 1 tells the story of the formation of IR as a discipline in the twentieth-century and the issues that have dominated IR theory in the twenty-first century. Focussing on ‘the problem of order’ in world politics, it traces the specific sets of approaches to this problem from the six main theoretical schools in contemporary IR (Realism, Constructivism, the English School, Liberalism, Critical theory and Poststructuralism). The overall purpose is to engage students in a sympathetic critique of the literature of IR theory. Students will identify the strengths, weaknesses and limits of the major schools of thought on international and global affairs. And they will develop an awareness of what constitutes international political theory and world order. These theoretical foundations will also prepare them for the second part of the course. Block 2 builds on these foundations in a way that is practice and policy-oriented. It deals with pressing matters of security in world politics in the twenty-first century. Security studies is an established sub-field in IR, which has grown considerably since the end of the Cold War. This part of the course provides insights and understanding about the search for order and stability both within and between states. This part of the course aims to: introduce students to the central concepts in security studies develop their comparative skills of analysis of differing security policies in practice, and promote critical engagement with the security policy literature, enabling them to display this by developing their ability to present, substantiate and defend complex arguments in oral debates (in the Seminars) and in writing (in the assignments).

Learning Objectives

• The goal is to introduce students to the major theories in International Relations about world politics and security-related issues of policy and intervention in contemporary world politics.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Student is capable of retrieving, collecting, processing and analyzing information relevant for achieving goals in the professional field
• Student is capable of executing applied analysis of the political phenomena and political processes
• Able to conduct professional activities internationally

Course Contents

• BLOCK 1. Theories of International Relations. International Relations Theory and the Problem of Order
• Balance and Realism
• Society, the English School and Constructivism
• Institutions and Liberalism
• Emancipation and Critical Theory
• Limits and Poststructuralism
• Revision Test – Block 1
• BLOCK 2. Security in World Politics . The Idea of Security
• The State as a Security Arrangement
• National Security in Question: Weak and Strong States
• International Society as a Security Arrangement
• International Security in Question: The Changing Character of War
• Human Security and the Shift to a Global Polity
• Human Security in Question: The Politics of Protection
• Conclusions & Revision Test – Block 2

Assessment Elements

• Written Participation in seminars
  For every seminar in the course, students are expected to submit a maximum 200-word set of answers to two seminar questions. They are to choose these from a selection of between three and five questions for each topic. Answers can be written by hand or printed out. But they must be submitted at the start of each seminar, in person. The idea of these assignments is two-fold: first, to test if the students have mastered all the essential readings for the class (and at least ONE of the optional readings); second, to have the students’ practice and improve their skills in researching and composing written answers to challenging questions.
• Oral Participation
• Revision Tests
• Homework
• Essay
  Essay is assigned in Block 2. Students are to write a 2000-word essay that answers the following question: ‘Security Paradigms in Conflict?’.
• Exam

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (2 module)
  The cumulative grade for this course is calculated as follows:  30% for the Block 1 & Block 2 seminar participation ([10% + 5%] + [10% + 5%]).  20% for the Block 1 & Block 2 parts of the revision tests (10% + 10%);  20% for the Block 1 homework assignment;  30% for the Block 2 essay. The final mark for the course is worked out by this formula: 0.35 * exam mark + 0.65 * cumulative grade.

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Peoples, C., & Vaughan-Williams, N. (2015). Critical Security Studies : An Introduction (Vol. 2nd ed). London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=837940
• The Oxford handbook of international relations / ed. by Christian Reus-Smit . (2008). Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford Univ. Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.253060060

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Babadac, A. A. (2013). The Oxford Handbook of National Security Intelligence - Edited by Loch K. Johnson. Political Studies Review, 11(2), 275. https://doi.org/10.1111/1478-9302.12016_77
• Oxford handbook of the international relations of Asia / edited by Saadia M. Pekkanen, John Ravenhill and Rosemary Foot. (2014). New York, NY [u.a.]: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.414586344
• Williams, P. D., & McDonald, M. (2018). Security Studies : An Introduction (Vol. 3rd edition). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1714831