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Course Syllabus

Bachelor 2022/2023

Modern Geopolitics

Type: Compulsory course (International Bachelor's Programme in World Politics)
Area of studies: International Relations
Delivered by: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs
Where: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs
When: 2 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies: distance learning
Online hours: 20
Open to: students of one campus
Instructors: Andrei Skriba
Language: English
ECTS credits: 4
Contact hours: 48

Course Syllabus

Full Syllabus

Abstract

This course offers an introduction into modern geopolitics, starting from the origins of classical geopolitics and continuing the discussion with the deep analysis of the examined country cases, including the United States, Russia, and China. The course will cover the key concepts and ideas in the study of geopolitics and engage with the current dynamics of international relations.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • To engage with the key concepts and ideas in traditional geopolitical thought and be able to make a distinction between the study geopolitics and international relations.
  • To evaluate the historical background of geopolitical tradition and know the main geopolitical scholars and their contribution to the evolution of geopolitics as a field of science.
  • To discuss the critical strand in the study of geopolitics and evaluate the relevance of critical geopolitics the nature of in explaining the nature of contemporary international relations.
  • To identify the major geopolitical actors in the global political arena and analyze the distribution of power in the contemporary geopolitical system.
  • To understand the importance of certain geopolitical characteristics and historical background in determining geopolitical objectives of a particular state and its perception of other actors in the global system.
  • To analyze the relationship between the traditional geopolitics and newly emerging trends and ideas in the geopolitical discourse of major geopolitical actors.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • To be able to evaluate the contemporary patterns of global and regional dynamics by looking at the history of geopolitical thought and employing traditional geopolitical concepts and ideas
  • To be able to interpret the fundamental developments in the international arena in the post-Cold War era by invoking the main conclusions of geopolitical scholars of the Cold War era
  • To develop the factual understanding of the Cold War period, its political dynamics and and a profound impact on geopolitics and international relations
  • To develop the understanding of the stages in the formation of the United Staes as a geopolitical actors and be able to evaluate its current position in the international arena
  • To draw on the contemporary cases of geopolitical powers and develop the appreciation of the role of geopolitics in the international politics
  • To engage with the historical transformation of Russia and its unique geographic conditions in order to assess the main priorities and political orientations of Russia as one of the key geopolitical actors
  • To have profound knowledge about China's current geopolitical developments and the possible implications of the rise of China for the distribution of power in the global arena
  • To look at the critical tradition in the geopolitical thought and be able to critically analyse the main ideas and propositions of traditional geopolitics
  • To understand the nature of interstate relations from the perspective of geopolitical analysis and be able to apply in practice acquired factual knowledge about the classical and modern strand in geopolitics
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • The birth of geopolitics
  • The beginning of the Cold War geopolitics
  • World politics after the Cold War ended
  • Critical geopolitics
  • The key players in contemporary geopolitics
  • History and geography of the United States
  • History and geography of Russia
  • History and geography of China
  • Geopolitics and its value
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Seminar Participation
  • non-blocking Midterm Test
    Quizzes are short tests aimed to verify how the material was learned. The quizzes include 15-20 questions. The first part is - questions on understanding the topics of the seminar, which are aimed at a more detailed comprehension of the lecture materials and home readings.
  • non-blocking Final Test
    The Final Test is composed of 30-40 questions covering all the topics studied throughout the course. The test is designed to check the students' comprehension of the covered material and their ability to engage in critical evaluation of global and regional processes.
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • 2022/2023 2nd module
    0.4 * Final Test + 0.25 * Midterm Test + 0.35 * Seminar Participation
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Aaltola, M., & Käpylä, J. (2016). U.S. and Chinese Silk Road initiatives: towards a geopolitics of flows in Central Asia and beyond. Germany, Europe: B. Budrich. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.849A1B4A
  • Bandeira, M., & Guimarães, S. P. (2017). The Second Cold War : Geopolitics and the Strategic Dimensions of the USA. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1527484
  • Black, J. (2016). Geopolitics and the Quest for Dominance. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1092425
  • Cohen, S. B. (2015). Geopolitics : The Geography of International Relations (Vol. Third edition). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=920009
  • Dittmer, J., & Sharp, J. (2014). Geopolitics : An Introductory Reader. Hoboken: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=806225
  • Editorial article. (2016). International Conference “Shifting Geopolitics & Security Among Major Powers: China, Russia & The United States.” Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.EE78FABD
  • Geopolitics : a very short introduction, Dodds, K., 2014
  • Guiora, A. N. (2014). Modern Geopolitics and Security : Strategies for Unwinnable Conflicts. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=661020
  • Ikenberry, G. J. (2014). The Illusion of Geopolitics. Foreign Affairs, 93(3), 80. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=f5h&AN=95603432
  • Jones, B. (2014). Fueling a new order? : The new geopolitical and security consequences of energy / Bruce Jones, David Steven, and Emily O’Brien. Washington/D.C: Brookings. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.413071278
  • Kappel, R. (DE-588)137762747, (DE-576)161650112. (2015). Global power shifts and challenges for the global order / Robert Kappel. Lisboa: Instituto Marquês de Valle Flôr. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.468206930
  • Kurecic, P. (2015). Geoeconomic and Geopolitical Conflicts: Outcomes of the Geopolitical Economy in a Contemporary World. World Review of Political Economy, 6(4), 522–543. https://doi.org/10.13169/worlrevipoliecon.6.4.0522
  • Modern Geostrategy ; Geostrategy and Geopolitics. (2017). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.25D67EDD
  • Wrobel, R. M. (2019). Chinese geopolitics in Southeast Asia : a new pattern of economic power within ASEAN? Asiatische Studien : Zeitschrift Der Schweizerischen Asiengesellschaft / Études Asiatiques : Revue de La Société Suisse-Asie, (1), 149. https://doi.org/10.5169/seals-823081

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • An, N., & Zhu, H. (2018). Conceptual and theoretical debates in modern geopolitics and their implications for Chinese geopolitics. Area Development & Policy, 3(3), 368–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/23792949.2017.1405732
  • Arctic Geopolitics, Media and Power. (2019). Netherlands, Europe: Taylor & Francis. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.BD2F7482
  • Baldwin, D. A. (2016). Power and International Relations : A Conceptual Approach. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1090916
  • Chaziza, M. (2018). The Chinese Maritime Silk Road Initiative: The Role of the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Quarterly, 29(2), 54–69. https://doi.org/10.1215/10474552-6898099
  • Geography, Power, Strategy and Defence Policy: Essays in Honour of Paul Dibb. (2016). Netherlands, Europe: ANU Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.C0AF7690
  • Kramer, P. A. (2018). The Geopolitics of Mobility: Immigration Policy and American Global Power in the Long Twentieth Century. American Historical Review, 123(2), 393–438. https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/123.2.393
  • Mothata, L. (2016). What to make of the new world order. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.FE0C62DC
  • Muscarà, L. (2017). Geopolitics and the Quest for Dominance. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 47(4), 537–538. https://doi.org/10.1162/JINH_r_01054
  • Muzalevsky, R. (2015). China’s rise and reconfiguration of Central Asia’s geopolitics : a case for U.S. “pivot” to Eurasia / Roman Muzalevsky. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsgpr&AN=edsgpr.000967969
  • P. P. Brazhnikov. (2015). A Case of Struggle between Land and Sea Powers: A Critical Geopolitcs Viewpoint. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.4830EE70
  • Sloan, G. R. (2017). Geopolitics, Geography and Strategic History. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1470129
  • Vasif HUSEYNOV. (2016). Soft power geopolitics: how does the diminishing utility of military power affect the Russia – West confrontation over the “Common Neighbourhood.” Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.CF22E9A4