World Politics and International Relations

Bachelor 2020/2021

Category 'Best Course for Career Development'

Type: Compulsory course (Political Science and World Politics)

Area of studies: Political Science

Delivered by: Department of Political Science and International Affairs

Where: Saint-Petersburg School of Social Sciences

When: 2 year, 3, 4 module

Mode of studies: offline

Instructors: Vera Ageeva, Denis Stremoukhov

Language: English

ECTS credits: 5

Contact hours: 68

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The course ‘World Politics & International Relations’ combines theory and practice. The first section (Block 1) covers the major theories in the academic discipline of International Relations (hereafter IR). The second section (Block 2) covers diverse issues in world politics and IR (such as diplomacy and its evolution, globalization trends, hard and soft security-related policy issues, etc). The teaching format is traditional and innovative at the same time. Students will learn through lectures, and through more intriguing, class-led and lively ways. Most of the intellectual work on this course will be done in interactive discussion groups (hereafter DGs) where students will discuss the assigned readings for the course and link them to major IR issues of the day.

Learning Objectives

The main goal of this course is to introduce students to basics of world politics and international relations.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Able to conduct professional activities internationally
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 - by using political science methods - and in support of practical decision making process
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

BLOCK 1. Major Theories of International Relations. 1. Introduction to IR
2. Political Realism and Liberalism: The Story of Confrontation and Inter-action
3. Neo-realism and Neo-liberal Institutionalism: the Neo-Neo Debate
4. Marxist and Neo-Marxist International Relations Theories
5. Social Constructivism
6. Post-positivist Turn in IR and Poststructuralism
7. Postcolonialism
8. Feminist Theories of IR
9. Geopolitics as a Theory of International Relations
BLOCK 2. Selected Issues in World Politics and IR. 10. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
11. Fragmentation and Regionalisation
12. Hard and Soft Security
13. Terrorism
14. Development-related Problems
15. Climate change and planet boundaries
16. Demographic shifts and Migrations
17. Information wars
18. Conclusion. World politics today

Assessment Elements

Lecture tests
At the end of each lecture (except the introduction one) there will be a short test based on explained topics. Students will be free to use their notes. Students are expected to complete the test within 10 minutes at the end of the lecture.
Essays
For every seminar of Block1 (8 seminars) in the course, students are expected to submit a set of answers to two seminar questions (200-250 words per each question). They are to choose these from a selection of between three and five questions for each topic. The essay must be submitted strictly BEFORE a respective seminar. Each answer must include at least 2 references to the home readings. The idea of these assignments is two-fold: first, to test if the students have mastered all the essential readings for the class; second, to have the students practice and improve their skills in researching and composing written answers to challenging questions.
Team presentation
In Block 2 (4th module) students must prepare a team presentation on a proposed topic. Each seminar will be devoted to one team's presentation. All group members must participate in the presentation and talk.
Exam
The exam will consist of open questions which will cover Block 1 & 2 lectures and seminars.
In-class participation. Block 1.
Students are expected to participate in discussions, answer the questions posed by the instructor (orally and via the text chat in Zoom), engage in group work, and other forms of activities proposed by the instructor during the seminars.
In-class participation. Block 2
In Block 2 (4th module), the grades for participation come from two sources: peer-assessment of classmates' presentations and questions during the QnA sessions. At the end of each class, each student is expected to submit an assessment of their classmates' presentation based on the same criteria that are used by the instructor and give a detailed justification for the chosen grade. These assessments will NOT affect the grades for presentations and will solely be used to assess students' own engagement during the class. After the presentation student may ask questions to the presenters which will also affect their participation grade.

Interim Assessment

Interim assessment (4 module)
0.2 * Essays + 0.2 * Exam + 0.15 * In-class participation. Block 1. + 0.15 * In-class participation. Block 2 + 0.1 * Lecture tests + 0.2 * Team presentation

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Pashakhanlou, A. H. (DE-576)432305564. (2017). Realism and fear in international relations : Morgenthau, Waltz and Mearsheimer reconsidered / Arash Heydarian Pashakhanlou. Cham: Palgrave Macmillian. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.487788680
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

Drezner, D. W. (2008). All Politics Is Global : Explaining International Regulatory Regimes. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=286643
Lawrence, P. (2005). Nationalism : History and Theory (Vol. 1st ed). Harlow, England: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1361060
Milner, H. V., & Moravcsik, A. (2009). Power, Interdependence, and Nonstate Actors in World Politics. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=376578
Wallerstein, I. M. (2016). Modern World-System in the Longue Duree. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1099274

Course Syllabus