Bachelor 2020/2021

World Regional Geography

Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'

Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'

Type: Compulsory course (HSE University and University of London Parallel Degree Programme in International Relations)

Area of studies: Public Policy and Social Sciences

Delivered by: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

Where: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

When: 1 year, 2, 3 module

Mode of studies: offline

Instructors: Andrei Skriba

Language: English

ECTS credits: 6

Contact hours: 88

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This course is concerned with current global trends and regional dynamics, explaining the nature of those development through the examination of geographic and historical conditions which impacted state-building process of a particular nation.

Learning Objectives

• To engage with the process of state-building and historical development of statehood by looking at the cases of particular nations and their transformation throughout the history.
• To evaluate the importance of geographic conditions in the emergence of states and formation of national identities by examining the key concepts and ideas in the study of political geography.
• Toidentifythecontemporarydevelopmentsandtrendsontheglobalscaleand be able to apply the main geopolitical concepts to the analysis of political order.
• To have a familiarity with international and regional structures of the contemporary institutional framework and be able to explain the logic behind the political geography of alliances and integration.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• To be able to explain from the perspective of political geography the historical development of Western Europe, the region's current dynamics and transformations inside the political structure of particular states
• To be able to explain from the perspective of political geography the historical development of North America - particularly, and the United States - and the region's current dynamics and transformations
• To be able to explain from the perspective of political geography the historical development of Latin America, the region's current dynamics and transformations inside the political structure of particular states
• To be able to explain from the perspective of political geography the historical development of Eastern Europe, the region's current dynamics and transformations inside the political structure of particular states
• To be able to explain from the perspective of political geography the historical development of Russia and post-Soviet space and the region's current political transformations
• To be able to explain from the perspective of political geography the historical development of China, the state's current political dynamics and transformations
• To be able to explain from the perspective of political geography the historical development of India, the state's current political dynamics and transformations
• To be able to explain from the perspective of political geography the historical development of South-East Asia, the region's current dynamics and transformations inside the political structure of particular states
• To be able to explain from the perspective of political geography the historical development of the Middle East and Africa, the two regions' current dynamics and transformations inside the political structure of particular states
• To be able to invoke the key concepts and ideas in the study of political geography when analysing the historical development of different states and regions
• To develop the factual understanding of the key political events and developments in the history of international relations
• To develop profound knowledge about the development of global affairs in the age of globalisation and apply the main concepts of political geography to asses the politics of integration in the international arena
• To be able to capture the changing nature of the global order and analyse possible implications of the process of globalisation for the relations between states and regions
• To evaluate the phenomenon of territorial instability and the growing number of regional conflicts by interpreting the key conclusions of political geography and area studies
• To be able to interpret the origin and implications of local border disputes and draw on the example of both historical and contemporary instances of such conflict to better grasp the phenomenon of political instability
• To understand the key motives behind regional integration and critically assess its impact on the increasingly globalised and interdependent world politics
• To engage with the examples of successful cases of political alliances and integration in order to understand the logic behind the increasing demand for deepened inter-state cooperation
• To be able to evaluate the role of international organisations in shaping the contemporary international relations

Course Contents

• Western Europe
  Eurocentric nature of political study; origins of sovereignty and nation-state; European Empires and colonialism; a current role of Western Europe in the global affairs, regional integration (e.g. European Union) and development of regional system of institutions
• North America and United States
  Colonial past and its impact on the formation of North America; characteristics of state-building in the United States; current position of the United States in the global power distribution
• Latin America
  Colonial institutions and their role in explaining modern stage in economic and political development of Latin America
• Eastern Europe
  Historical background of Eastern European countries and relations with Russia; formation of national identity and state-building process throughout the history
• Russia and post-Soviet spacе
  The role of history and geography in the development of Russian statehood; inherent vulnerabilities of Russian geographic location; current objectives and goals of Russia, economic and political cooperation with the Post-Soviet Space states
• China
  Historical development of the Chinese state: concepts of sovereignty, regions and dynasties; transformation of Chinese foreign policy, the role of historical and cultural background in directing the current objectives of China as the global actor
• India
  Formation and development of the Indian statehood; historical stages in the political evolution of the Indian state; democratization and modern political discourse in India; influence of geographic factors on the economic and political dynamics inside the state
• South-East Asia
  Geographic position as the key determinant of the regional economic and political development; characteristic of domestic political structure, process of democratization; politics of regional integration in the South- East Asian region
• The Greater Middle East
  Formation of statehood and the role of the sovereign in history of Middle East monarchies; geopolitical factors which explain the unstable nature of the Middle East region; unresolved tensions and grooving regional confrontation; economic and political development of the African states
• Political geography and area studies
  Main concepts in the study of political geography; key ideas and theories applied to explain the dynamics of global affairs
• Global political geography
  Global character of political developments, growing cooperation between regions and states, increased participation of states in shaping international political order
• Globalisation and post-Westphalian world order
  Deepening and speeding-up of the process of globalization; transformation of interstate relations and development of the institutional framework of global governance
• Political order in transition
  Changing nature of political order and re-ordering of interstate relations; growing tensions and appearance of new patterns of power distribution among major political actors
• Political geography and territorial stability
  Increasing concerns about the instabilities and uncertainties in global and regional politics; historical and geographic explanation of current conflicts
• Political geography of local border disputes
  Focus on local dynamics and growing social and political tensions inside regions
• Post-globalisation and regionalism
  Consequences of globalization and increasing interdependence of states in the international relations; formation of regional forms of cooperation
• Political geography of alliances and integration
  Formalized institutional framework and their role in shaping contemporary international relations; forms and particular cases of interstate integration
• International organisations and politics of regional integration
  Formation of international organization such as the United Nations and European Union; structure and the main agenda of those organizations and their importance both in the global and regional decision-making

Assessment Elements

• Seminar Attendance and Participation
  Medical certificate or any proof of academic activity (e.g. conference) should be handed in to the Administration Office if a student wants to make up for the missed opportunity to get credits. It is obligatory to notify the tutor or the assistants to ask for a special task for the related topic. The tutor should be notified by a student via e-mail during a student’s absence and a medical certificate (or any document explaining the valid reason) should be handed in not later than 2 days after a student has return to studying. Unless these steps are accomplished, a student will get the mark “0” for all seminars they missed.
• In-Class Quizzes
  There may be more than one quiz at the seminar.
• Map Test 1
• Group Project 1
  Each group’s presentation is also evaluated by a jury and all other groups according to the rubric. One evaluation per each presentation is then randomly selected and compared against the jury’s evaluation; this translates into the evaluating group’s feedback mark.
• Group Project 2
  Each group’s presentation is also evaluated by a jury and all other groups according to the rubric. One evaluation per each presentation is then randomly selected and compared against the jury’s evaluation; this translates into the evaluating group’s feedback mark.
• Map Test 2

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (3 module)
  0.1 * Group Project 1 + 0.1 * Group Project 2 + 0.3 * In-Class Quizzes + 0.1 * Map Test 1 + 0.1 * Map Test 2 + 0.3 * Seminar Attendance and Participation

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Beeson, M. (2014). Regionalism and Globalization in East Asia : Politics, Security and Economic Development (Vol. 2nd ed). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1524099
• Champlin, J. R. (2017). Paradigms of Political Power. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1550524
• Christensen, B. J., & Kowalczyk, C. (2017). Globalization : Strategies and Effects. Berlin: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1287433
• Deese, D. A. (2016). Globalization: Causes and Effects. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1520106
• Detlef Nolte. (2016). Latin America: Flexible Constitutions and Rigid Political Power Structures. Iberoamericana. América Latina - España - Portugal, (61), 235. https://doi.org/10.18441/ibam.16.2016.61.235-240
• Dillon, M. (2018). Xinjiang and the Modern Chinese State. China Journal, 80(1), 157–159. https://doi.org/10.1086/697639
• Flint, C., & Taylor, P. J. (2018). Political Geography : World-Economy, Nation-State and Locality (Vol. Seventh edition). New York, NY: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1802663
• 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
• Giulio Sapelli. (2015). Global Challenges and the Emerging World Order. Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.b.spr.sprbok.978.3.319.15624.8
• Gopinath, C. (2018). Globalization : A Multidimensional System (Vol. Third edition). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1982686
• Klaus Larres, & Ruth Wittlinger. (2019). Understanding Global Politics : Actors and Themes in International Affairs. [N.p.]: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2142232
• Kohen, M. G., & Hébié, M. (2018). Research Handbook on Territorial Disputes in International Law. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1919002
• Mapping a new world order : the rest beyond the West / edited by Vladimir Popov (Central Economics and Mathematics Institute, Mosow, Russia), Piotr Dutkiewicz (Political Science Department, Carleton University, Canada). (2017). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.497041669
• Moelle, M. P. (2017). The International Responsibility of International Organisations : Cooperation in Peacekeeping Operations. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1458592
• Richmond, O. P. (2016). Peace Formation and Political Order in Conflict Affected Societies. New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1158959
• Slowe, P. M. (2016). Geography and Political Power : The Geography of Nations and States. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1100921
• Stephen, M. D., & Zürn, M. (2019). Contested World Orders : Rising Powers, Non-Governmental Organizations, and the Politics of Authority Beyond the Nation-State (Vol. First edition). Oxford, United Kingdom: OUP Oxford. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2177653
• Thauer, C., & Wendt, C. (2016). Thucydides and Political Order : Lessons of Governance and the History of the Peloponnesian War. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1218805
• The politics of integration:Adjusting to new lives in host societies. (2019). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.3054085D
• When Right Makes Might : Rising Powers and World Order. (2018). Netherlands, Europe: Cornell University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.59588089
• Yaylacı, I., Kayapınar, M. A., & Dallmayr, F. R. (2014). Civilizations and World Order : Geopolitics and Cultural Difference. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=859871
• Zoran Milutinovic. (2019). The Rebirth of Area Studies : Challenges for History, Politics and International Relations in the 21st Century. London: I.B. Tauris. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2271163

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• A. R. Borisova. (2018). Russia and the United States: Long-Term Confrontation or New Rules of the Game? Vestnik MGIMO-Universiteta, (4(61)), 262. https://doi.org/10.24833/2071-8160-2018-4-61-262-268
• Anderson, C. D., & McGregor, R. M. (2016). Explaining stability and change of territorial identities. Nations & Nationalism, 22(1), 84–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12152
• Charles Boasson, & Max Nurock. (2018). The Changing International Community : Some Problems of Its Laws, Structures, Peace Research and the Middle East Conflict. Essays in Honour of Marion Mushkat (Vol. Published also as a special issue of “International Problems” XIII(1974), No 1–3; Quarterly of the I). Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1926845
• Crouch, C. (2018). The Globalization Backlash. Cambridge, UK: Polity. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1984897
• Diez, T., & Tocci, N. (2017). The EU, Promoting Regional Integration, and Conflict Resolution. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1361932
• Editors of Salem Press. (2017). Political Power & Authority (Vol. Second edition). Ipswich, Massachusetts: Salem Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1385660
• Endicott, J. E., & Heaton, W. R. (2019). The Politics Of East Asia : China, Japan, Korea. LONDON: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2204348
• Gerstbauer, L. (2017). U.S. Foreign Policy and the Politics of Apology. New York, NY: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1386681
• Griffiths, R. D. (2016). States, Nations, and Territorial Stability: Why Chinese Hegemony Would Be Better for International Order. Security Studies, 25(3), 519–545. https://doi.org/10.1080/09636412.2016.1195628
• Horowitz, S. A. V. (DE-588)1056160071, (DE-576)412732440, aut. (2018). International norms in ethno-territorial disputes : legitimacy and efficacy in outsiders’ views of independence and irredentism / Shale Horowitz and Steven B. Redd (Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, USA). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.506100391
• Kaddous, C. (2015). The European Union in International Organisations and Global Governance : Recent Developments. Oxford: Hart Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1057756
• Mansbach, R. W., & Taylor, K. L. (2018). Introduction to Global Politics (Vol. Third edition). Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1631929
• Moelle, M. P. . V. (DE-588)1130258114, (DE-627)88458738X, (DE-576)480349827, aut. (2017). The international responsibility of international organisations cooperation in peacekeeping operations Moritz P. Moelle, Université de Genève. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.480349924
• O’Toole, G. (2017). Politics Latin America (Vol. Third edition). London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1581293
• Olsen, J. P. (2017). Democratic Accountability, Political Order, and Change : Exploring Accountability Processes in an Era of European Transformation. Oxford: OUP Oxford. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1506378
• Orsini, A. (2014). The European Union With(in) International Organisations : Commitment, Consistency and Effects Across Time. Farnham, Surrey, England: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=797106
• Russia and the question of world order. (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/23745118.2018.1545181
• Sagan, I., & Halkier, H. (2016). Regionalism Contested : Institution, Society and Governance. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1432746
• Slobodchikoff, M. O. (2014). Building Hegemonic Order Russia’s Way : Order, Stability, and Predictability in the Post-Soviet Space. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=886326
• Steele, M. (2016). Plenary Power, Political Questions, and Sovereignty in Indian Affairs. UCLA Law Review, 63(3), 666–710. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=asn&AN=113892526
• T. L. Deych. (2018). China in Africa: Neo-Colonial Power or “Win-Win” Strategy? Контуры Глобальных Трансформаций: Политика, Экономика, Право, (5), 119. https://doi.org/10.23932/2542-0240-2018-11-5-119-141
• Tozzo, B. (2017). American Hegemony After the Great Recession : A Transformation in World Order. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1357796
• Vanden, H. E., Funke, P. N., & Prevost, G. (2017). The New Global Politics : Global Social Movements in the Twenty-First Century. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1481128
• Worth, O. (2017). Hegemony, International Political Economy and Post-Communist Russia. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1551444