Delivered at:: Department of Political Science and International Affairs

Course type:: Compulsory course

When:: 3 year, 1, 2 module

Instructors

Arkatov, Dmitry

Goncharov, Dmitry V.

Егоров Роман Вадимович

Sorbale, Aleksei

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The main goal of this course is to introduce students to the concepts and authors of the contemporary world politics and international relations, grounding students in several national theoretical traditions and encouraging them to produce analysis beyond the traditional nation-states centered paradigm. Students will learn about why these concepts matter; what controversies surround each of them and what the vigorous debates and disagreements about them reveals about the character of contemporary world politics in the era of globalization.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course students will have a much better understanding of the ideational, and normative dimension of international relations. They will learn about how to do concept analysis, and generally improve their analytical capabilities and their abilities to grasp the essence of world politics.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Work with information: find, define and use the information from different sources which required for solving of research and professional problems (including the system approach)
Able to identify scientific subject
Able to think critically and interpret the experience (personal and of other persons), relate to professional and social activities
Student is capable of posing research problems relevant to the study of political phenomena and political processes; setting particular research tasks; and putting together a research design
Student is capable of reporting the results of the information retrieval and analysis, academic or applied research she/he has conducted: - in various genres (including reviews, policy papers, reports and publications pertaining to socio-political subject matter); - and depending on the target audience

Course Contents

International Relations/World Politics in a global era: basic concepts and theories
From international conflict and divide of the 20th century to the global community
Post-colonialist and Marxist critique: Is there such a thing as globalization?
International institutions and international law
Regional cooperation in a global context
International security, terrorism and changing character of war
Political regimes, human rights, and civil society in the age of globalization
Political economy in the age of globalization
Global inequalities: poverty, hunger, and migration
Geopolitics and the political economy of climate change
Geopolitics and the political economy of energy transition

Assessment Elements

Discussion on Readings
For every seminar student should read the required reading and be able to discuss it in class and answer instructor’s questions on the content of the reading as well as on the contribution of this text to the discussion on the most important topic of the course. This oral participation amount to 20% of the cumulative grade for the course.
Essay
In the end of the second module of the course students should write a 2000-word essay. It comprises 30% of the cumulative grade for the course. To choose the topic of your essay you should contact the teacher. When choosing the essay topic, students can stick to one of the following tracks: Track 1: the topic of the essay covers the range of problems that are described in the vein of the course (e.g., the impact of international politics on the global stock market). Track 2: the topic of the essay is based on the theory-issue bunch, where the issue is not the core focus of the respective theory (e.g., realism-environmental issues, feminism-arms race). An essay should include clear statement of a research problem; include an analysis of the problem by using concepts and analytical tools within the subject that generalize the point of view of the author. An essay should include Introduction, Main part, Conclusion, Reference list. Introduction should include the following information: (1) some background information about the topic, (2) research question, (3) thesis statement, (4) structure of the essay. Body of the essay should cover the theoretical foundation of selected problem and evidence-based argumentation of a research question. Conclusion should include the argumentative summary about the research question and possibilities for further use or development. As a rough guide, the Introduction and Conclusion should be around 500 words (25%) of your whole essay. There should be no Title page. The length of the essay is 2000 words. Every 10% more or less than the word limit will incur a 10% grade penalty. The word limit does not include citations, endnotes and bibliography. It only refers to the substantive content of the essay itself. In case of plagiarism, the student automatically gets 0 for the whole essay. The essay should be written in 12 point font, 1.5 spacing. The title and section heading should be bold. For citations use APA style (in-text, author-date)
Quiz
Once every month there will be a short 5 min-quiz at the beginning of the seminar, covering the material of the previous lectures. It would consist of questions on remembering dates, names, and key ideas. Quizzes comprise 30% of the cumulative grade for the course.
Exam
Exam comprises 20% of the cumulative grade for the course. The student may be exempted from the exam in case if her cumulated grade for the remaining forms of control is 4 or higher.

Interim Assessment

2021/2022 2nd module
0.3 * Essay + 0.2 * Exam + 0.3 * Quiz + 0.2 * Discussion on Readings

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Khan, J., & Sultana, R. (2021). Sino-Russia Strategic Partnership: The Case Study of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). FWU Journal of Social Sciences, 15(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.51709/19951272/Summer-2/1
The globalization of world politics: an introduction to international relations, Baylis, J., 2017
von Bogdandy, A., & Villarreal, P. A. (2021). The Role of International Law in Vaccinating Against COVID-19: Appraising the COVAX Initiative. Zeitschrift Für Ausländisches Öffentliches Recht Und Völkerrecht / Heidelberg Journal of International Law ; Volume 81, Issue 1, Page 89-116 ; ISSN 0044-2348. https://doi.org/10.17104/0044-2348-2021-1-89

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Handbook of international relations, , 2013

Bachelor’s Programme 'International Business and Management Studies'

World Politics and International Relations