Core Seminar "Logic of Inquiry and Key Issues in International Studies"

2023/2024

Учебный год

ENG

Обучение ведется на английском языке

6

Кредиты

Кто читает:

Департамент политологии и международных отношений

Статус:

Курс обязательный

Когда читается:

1-й курс, 1-4 модуль

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This core seminar aims to familiarize students of the educational trajectory “International Politics of Eurasia” with relevant approaches to and tools for academic and policy-oriented research in International Studies (International Relations, Global and Transnational Governance, Critical Development Studies). This will enable greater coherence of the educational process, set grounds for knowledge and understanding of the state of the art in the field, and help students to improve their professional communication skills. The seminar will focus on major scholarly discussions on logics of inquiry and key issues in International Studies. It will scrutinize various methodological paradigms and methods used for research on specific topics.

Learning Objectives

• To familiarize students of the educational trajectory “International Politics of Eurasia” with relevant approaches to and tools for academic and policy-oriented research in International Studies (International Relations, Global and Transnational Governance, Critical Development Studies).
• To scrutinize various methodological paradigms and methods used for research on specific topics in International Studies.
• To enable greater coherence of the educational process, set grounds for knowledge and understanding of the state of the art in the field, and help students to improve their professional communication skills.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Knows methodological approaches to and tools for academic and policy-oriented research in International Studies
• Knows the state of the art and key issues in the field of International Studies
• Understands major scholarly discussions on logics of inquiry in International Studies
• Understands major theoretical debates in International Studies
• Identifies and justifies methodological approaches appropriate for their own research in International Studies
• Identifies specific research methods (techniques, tools) that fit selected methodologies

Course Contents

• Ontological and Epistemological Foundations of IR Research
• Explaining international relations
• Methodological Turns and Use of Methods in International Studies: Learning from "Best Practices"
• Selected Issues in IR

Assessment Elements

• In-class participation 1
  Students are expected to attend each seminar and regularly participate in discussions. The instructor grades the participation during the seminars based on the quality of answers, demonstration of engagement with the assigned readings and home tasks, and overall quantitative involvement in the in-class activities.
• In-class participation 2
  Students are expected to attend each seminar and regularly participate in discussions. The instructor grades the participation during the seminars based on the quality of answers, demonstration of engagement with the assigned readings and home tasks, and overall quantitative involvement in the in-class activities.
• In-class participation 3
  Students are expected to attend each seminar and regularly participate in discussions. The instructor grades the participation during the seminars based on the quality of answers, demonstration of engagement with the assigned readings and home tasks, and overall quantitative involvement in the in-class activities.
• Article Review
  Students are expected to choose any article from one of the top International Relations journal published in the last 5 years (from 2018 to 2023) and not covered in the course. Students are to write a review on this article that will summariz its content, place it in the context of debates and categories discussed in the first semester of the course as well as critisize it where appropriate. The volume is 1,500 words (one grade point is substracted for each full 150 words above or below the specified word count.) The reference style is Chicago, in-text citations. The reference list is NOT included in the word count.
• Test
  The test will consist of 4 open-ended questions covering the material of the first module.
• Methodological book review
  Students are expected to read a book from the field of International Studies and comment on its methodological framework and methods. Write a paper that analyses its research objectives, approaches and methods and present your reflections on the connections between these elements. The paper's volume is 2000 words. The reference style is Chicago, in-text citations. The reference list is not included in the word count. The list of books for review is provided by the instructor.
• Research essay
  Students are expected to write an essay that would build on the knowledge obtained in the first two semsters of the course and apply it to the Eurasian context. The argument must be illustrated with empirical data. The students are free to formulate topics of interest but they should be appoved by the instructor. Students can build on the materials that examined during the term paper preparation BUT THE TOPIC OF THE ESSAY CANNOT BE IDENTICAL TO THE TOPIC OF THE TERM PAPER.
• Essay
  The students are to write an essay on any of the approaches or subfield of IR discussed in the first semester. Students are free to formulate any topic that broadly fits the discussed material, but it should be agreed upon by the instructor. The essay must contain an extensive literature review and advance an original argument. The minimal word count is 2000 words. The references style is Chicago, in-text citations. The reference list is not included in the word count.
• Reflection paper
  Students are to write a paper in which they reflect on how the content of the course was useful (or not) in the development of their research projects and/or professional developemnt in general.

Interim Assessment

• 2023/2024 2nd module
  0.25 * Article Review + 0.3 * Essay + 0.2 * In-class participation 1 + 0.25 * Test
• 2023/2024 4th module
  0.2 * In-class participation 2 + 0.4 * Methodological book review + 0.4 * Research essay
• 2024/2025 1st module
  0.3 * In-class participation 3 + 0.7 * Reflection paper

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Christian Reus-Smit, & Duncan Snidal. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of International Relations: Vol. [Paperback edition.]. OUP Oxford.
• Jackson, P. T. (2010). The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations : Philosophy of Science and Its Implications for the Study of World Politics. Hoboken: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1214790
• Sil, R. (DE-588)129445614, (DE-627)39637204X, (DE-576)184228514, aut. (2010). Beyond paradigms analytic eclecticism in the study of world politics Rudra Sil and Peter J. Katzenstein.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Halperin, S. (DE-588)171616154, (DE-627)061837849, (DE-576)177909633, aut. (2012). Political research methods and practical skills Sandra Halperin and Oliver Heath.
• Hay, C. (2016). Good in a crisis: the ontological institutionalism of social constructivism. New Political Economy ; Volume 21, Issue 6, Page 520-535 ; ISSN 1356-3467 1469-9923. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563467.2016.1158800