Modern Geopolitics

Bachelor 2020/2021

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, 4 module

Mode of studies: distance learning

Instructors: Andrei Skriba

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 30

Full Syllabus Ask Question

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

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

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 develop the factual understanding of the Cold War period, its political dynamics and and a profound impact on geopolitics and international relations
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 look at the critical tradition in the geopolitical thought and be able to critically analyse the main ideas and propositions of traditional geopolitics
To draw on the contemporary cases of geopolitical powers and develop the appreciation of the role of geopolitics in the international politics
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
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 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

Course Contents

The birth of geopolitics
The origins of the geopolitical tradition, the key traditional concepts and definitions and their relations to international relations studies; the essential formulations and theories developed by the scholarship working in these traditions
The beginning of the Cold War geopolitics
Geopolitics of the Cold War, classical geopolitical concepts in the context of the bipolar confrontation; the nature of historical circumstances, which defined the US-Soviet relations during the second part of the 20th century; application of classical geopolitical concepts to analyze the essence of the Cold War political order
World politics after the Cold War ended
Post-Cold War geopolitical scholarship challenging the traditional considerations in the field of geopolitical studies; the principal difference between the traditional and contemporary approaches in geopolitical analysis
Critical geopolitics
A vast critique of traditional geopolitical studies; development of critical geopolitics which addressed ever-existing questions and ambiguities in the realm of international politics
The key players in contemporary geopolitics
Currently observed developments in the international realm; assessment of an extended range of new concerns and factors in the global political realm using traditional and contemporary geopolitical formulations; the nature of the newly emergent issues and their impact on the relationship between the major political actors
History and geography of the United States
Geopolitical motives and objectives of the United Sates as the key international players; origins and evolution of the geopolitical thought in the United States; current geopolitical concerns of the United States and the state’s predominance in the global distribution of power
History and geography of Russia
Historical developments and transformations of the Russian states through the lens of geopolitical analysis and by employing classical geopolitical formulations; historical, geographic and political circumstances which laid the foundation of Russian geopolitics
History and geography of China
Emergence of China as the new global power and the logic behind its recent ascendance in the global arena; geopolitical considerations which contributed to shaping both the historical background and modern political objectives of the Chinese state
Geopolitics and its value
An overview of the key concepts and theories in the geopolitical tradition; engagement with the prominent geopolitical scholars and the importance of their work to explaining contemporary international relations

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
Map Tests

Interim Assessment

Interim assessment (4 module)
0.2 * In-Class Quizzes + 0.2 * Map Tests + 0.6 * Seminar Attendance and Participation

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
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

Course Syllabus