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Regular version of the site
Master 2019/2020

(Dis)Order and Governance in the Global Age

Type: Compulsory course (Politics. Economics. Philosophy)
Area of studies: Political Science
When: 2 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies: offline
Instructors: Mikhail Mironyuk
Master’s programme: Политика. Экономика. Философия
Language: English
ECTS credits: 4
Contact hours: 56

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This course combines a focus on major theoretical and conceptual approaches in IR and foreign policy formation with discussions of the pressing issues of world politics. The course is organized around three main goals. The first goal is to introduce students to major concepts, ideas, and issues in IR, which have been shaping its field. We will explore the essential problems and puzzles in the study of world politics and international relations: Under what conditions do politicians choose to settle disputes without fighting? What is the role of international institutions in world politics? How can institutions and norms shape the behaviour of a state? Under what conditions do politicians take into account the preferences of groups or the public when foreign policy decisions or major policies are made? Why do leaders decide to start trade wars? What means do states have at their disposal to get what they want? The second goal is to invite students to reflect critically on the relationship between theories and history in the study of world politics. The third goal is to stimulate students to critically read, understand and contest political statements and official policy objectives. This course is not about Russia, the United States, China, the EU. This course is not about retelling the news and criticising particular leaders or countries. Students will learn concepts, models, and ideas that can be used to analyse the choices available to leaders and to understand the rationale behind their choices. We will try not to make judgements on moral or partisan grounds. Our approach is mostly evidence-based. As for the prerequisites, students starting this course are expected to have a good knowledge of World Politics and International Relations, Comparative Politics, Economics, and Political Theory.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • Students are expected to: (1) master theoretical and conceptual approaches to the analysis of international and transnational interactions and foreign policy analysis tools; (2) understand the forces of change within the contemporary international system; (3) familiarize with the pressing issues of world politics and national politics and their sometimes troubled interrelations.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • To have knowledge of major concepts, ideas, and theories of IR.
  • To be able to apply tools of IR research and foreign policy analysis to analyze problems in the sphere of international relations and world politics.
  • To analyze critically the political statements and developments in world politics.
  • To be able to identify complex interrelations between national, international, and transnational politics.
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Introduction to Class. How We (Can) Study IR and World Politics: A Very Brief Introduction
  • A Bit of History: How Our World Was Shaped and Where We Are Now. The Making and Expansion of the Territorial State, European Imperialism, the World Wars
  • Discussing the Liberal World Order
  • Competition and Cooperation among States. Hegemony: How It Starts, How It Ends, and What Comes After
  • Actors, Preferences and Interests, Institutions, and Interactions.
  • Means of Getting What You Want in World Politics: Hard, Soft, Smart, Sharp. When and How Sanctions Work (and Do not Work).
  • Domestic Politics and Relations Among States. When Migration Matters: Domestic and International Dimensions (and Vice Versa) .
  • International Law and Norms. Human Rights in World Politics. The Logic of Appropriateness and the Logic of Consequentialism. Courts as Actors and Institutions.
  • Digital Technologies and the Dawn of Algorithms: Changing Politics, Changing Societies.
  • International Trade: Winners and Losers.
  • Can We Stop Climate Change Before It Is too Late? If It Is too Late, Should We Care? International and Domestic Dimensions of Environmental Policies.
  • Making Things Better by Designing a Better Policy.
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Attendance
  • non-blocking Active Participation in Discussions
  • non-blocking Essay 1
  • non-blocking Test
  • non-blocking Exam
  • non-blocking Essay 2
  • non-blocking Essay 3
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • Interim assessment (2 module)
    0.2 * Active Participation in Discussions + 0.15 * Attendance + 0.1 * Essay 1 + 0.1 * Essay 2 + 0.1 * Essay 3 + 0.25 * Exam + 0.1 * Test
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Collins, S. D. (2015). War-Making as an Environmental Disaster. New Labor Forum (Sage Publications Inc.), 24(2), 25–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1095796015579453
  • Fazal, T. (2012). Why States No Longer Declare War. Security Studies, 21(4), 557–593. https://doi.org/10.1080/09636412.2012.734227
  • Johnston, A. I. (1995). Thinking about strategic culture. International Security, 19(4), 32. https://doi.org/10.2307/2539119
  • Keohane, R. O. (1998). International institutions: Can interdependence work? Foreign Policy, (110), 82. https://doi.org/10.2307/1149278
  • Löwenheim, O., & Heimann, G. (2008). Revenge in International Politics. Security Studies, 17(4), 685–724. https://doi.org/10.1080/09636410802508055
  • Putnam, R. D. (1988). Diplomacy and domestic politics: the logic of two-level games. International Organization, 42(3), 427–460. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020818300027697
  • Ratner, S. R. (1998). International law: The trials of global norms. Foreign Policy, (110), 65. https://doi.org/10.2307/1149277
  • Reinhard Steurer, & Christoph Clar. (2015). Is decentralisation always good for climate change mitigation? How federalism has complicated the greening of building policies in Austria. Policy Sciences, (1), 85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-014-9206-5
  • Spruyt, H. (2002). The Origins, Development, and Possible Decline of the Modern State. Annual Review of Political Science, 5(1), 127. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.5.101501.145837
  • Valentino, B. A., Huth, P. K., & Croco, S. E. (2010). Bear Any Burden? How Democracies Minimize the Costs of War. Journal of Politics, 72(2), 528–544. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022381609990831

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Larson, D. W., & Shevchenko, A. (2010). Status Seekers. International Security, 34(4), 63–95. https://doi.org/10.1162/isec.2010.34.4.63
  • Legro, J. W., & Moravcsik, A. (1999). Is Anybody Still a Realist? International Security, 24(2), 5–55. https://doi.org/10.1162/016228899560130
  • Montgomery, E. B. (2006). Breaking Out of the Security Dilemma: Realism, Reassurance, and the Problem of Uncertainty. International Security, 31(2), 151–185. https://doi.org/10.1162/isec.2006.31.2.151