Delivered at:: School of Politics and Governance

Course type:: Compulsory course

When:: 1 year, 3, 4 module

Instructors

Pilkina, Marina

Strokan, Mikhail

Full Syllabus

Abstract

This course introduces students to the current topics, debates, and research questions that are central to political science today. It goes beyond the basics, focuses on contemporary trends and key areas of research in the discipline, and aims at enhancing students’ understanding of complex political phenomena. Many of the questions political scientists address are truly timeless: How do strong states and effective bureaucracies form? Who votes, for whom, how, and why? How modern nations and identities are formed, and why is nationalism on the rise in the world? Why do wars happen, and which systems of international relations are considered more stable? Why, according to some scholars, the process of globalization has slowed down, and what strategies have countries adopted to develop their national economies in the last decades? Answers to these and many other questions are critical both for understanding the real-world outcomes – such as economic growth, inequality, instability within a state and in international relations between states – and for developing effective policies that can change these outcomes. Despite the obvious importance of these questions, few have clear answers. As in any scientific discipline, new research constantly challenges and revises traditional views and introduces new, important paradigms. In this course, students will be introduced to the main topics that have become relevant in the field of political science in recent years. Although the issues discussed have a long history, the main aim of the course is to introduce students to a wide range of contemporary debates and to the most recent developments in this dynamically developing field. This is not a methodological course. The modern methodological tools presented in the articles may be discussed in seminars, but students will not be assessed on their proficiency in any particular modern methodological tool. Yet, this course will create a platform for deep discussion and intellectual exchange that will not only broaden horizons but also generate new ideas and approaches to the study of political reality.

Learning Objectives

The main objective of the course is to provide a broad overview of the current state of the literature in several key areas of contemporary political science. By the end of the course, students should not only understand the current developments across the main sub-disciplines within political science (such as comparative politics, international relations, area studies) and their subfields (state-building and institution formation, political economy, nationalism and national identities, international conflicts and alliances), but also understand how recent research fits into the overall picture of political science scholarship.

Expected Learning Outcomes

To understand the state of the art in the discipline, and how this recent work fits into the grand arc of research in Political Science
to understand the modern methodological tools and research design, as well as how to apply them to developing and critiquing a research agenda.
to have the necessary tools to constructively critique the work of others, as well as an understanding of how to use these tools to design cutting edge research of their own.
to systematically synthesize and summarize key theoretical frameworks within the discipline of political science
to effectively present research findings at seminars, showcasing strong public speaking skills and scientific rigor
Conduct a comprehensive analysis of contemporary research in key areas of political science.
Articulate and defend one’s position during discussions on current political science issues.
to formulate and refine pertinent research questions, leveraging insights to produce innovative and thought-provoking studies in political science
Integrate theoretical and practical dimensions and apply acquired knowledge to tackle pressing political issues of contemporary relevance.
to accurately identify and utilize terminology relevant to the field of political science
Develop original research employing contemporary methodological approaches introduced throughout the course.
to organize and coordinate effective written and oral communication, both in collaborative and individual contexts.
Critically assess causal analyses in the works of others, identifying potential errors through detailed evaluation of selected articles.
to develop original research employing contemporary methodological approaches introduced throughout the course

Course Contents

Introduction to Modern Political Science
State-building & Bureaucracy
Civil-Military relations
Nation-building, Nationalism and Identity
Regimes
Elections, Voting and party systems
Civil mobilization and political violence
Technology and Politics
Comparative Political Economy
Resource Curse
Modern IPE: Globalization vs. Neo-Protectionism
Topics in Modern International Security
Modern Area Studies

Assessment Elements

in-class participation
group projects
written assignment
final exam

Interim Assessment

2024/2025 4th module
0.25 * final exam + 0.15 * group projects + 0.1 * group projects + 0.15 * in-class participation + 0.1 * in-class participation + 0.25 * written assignment

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

A history of the county of Oxford: Broadwell, Langford and Kelmscott : Bampton Hundred, Part four, , 2012
A novel approach to politics : introducing political science through books, movies, and popular culture, Van Belle, D. A., 2013
American Journal of Political Science. Vol.47, N.3, , 2003
Analyzing elections, Morton, R. B., 2006
Anastassia V. Obydenkova, & Alexander Libman. (2019). Authoritarian Regionalism in the World of International Organizations : Global Perspective and the Eurasian Enigma. OUP Oxford.
Becker, G. S. (1983). A Theory of Competition Among Pressure Groups for Political Influence. https://doi.org/10.2307/1886017
Challenges to International Relations in Post-Cold War Europe, , 2002
Feaver, P. D. (1999). Civil-Military Relations. Annual Review of Political Science, 2(1), 211. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.2.1.211
Klingemann, H.-D., & Goodin, R. E. (1996). A New Handbook of Political Science. Oxford: OUP Oxford. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=273524
Mickahail, B. (2015). Corporate Implementation of Design Thinking for Innovation and Economic Growth. Journal of Strategic Innovation & Sustainability, 10(2), 67–79. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=bsu&AN=111311505
Oxford handbook of the history of nationalism, , 2016
Patrick Dunleavy. (1991). Democracy, Bureaucracy and Public Choice : Economic Approaches in Political Science. Routledge.
Political order in changing societies, Huntington, S. P., 1968
Political parties, Jupp, J., 2012
Puchala D. J. Theory and history in international relations. – Routledge, 2013.
Ravi, B. K. (2018). Modern Media, Elections and Democracy. Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd.
Semenenko, I. (2015). Ethnicities, Nationalism and the Politics of Identity: Shaping the Nation in Russia. Europe-Asia Studies, 67(2), 306–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2014.1002681
Social movements : an introduction, Della Porta, D., 2004
State directed development political power and industrialization in the global periphery, Kohli, A., 2010
Tarrow, S. G. (1998). Power in Movement : Social Movements and Contentious Politics (Vol. 2nd ed). Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=366239
The Oxford handbook of Adam Smith, , 2016
The Oxford handbook of electoral systems, , 2018
The Oxford Handbook of international relations, , 2008
Towse, R. (2011). A Handbook of Cultural Economics, Second Edition: Vol. 2nd ed. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Tusalem, R. F. (2015). Democracies, Autocracies, and Political Stability. International Social Science Review, 90(1), 1–40.

Authors

Strokan Mikhail Alekseevich
PILKINA MARINA VASILEVNA

Master’s Programme 'Politics. Economics. Philosophy'

International accreditation

Modern Political Science