INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

A staple of the Global Studies and EU Studies curricula, the course participates in the make-up of the political science component within the Master's Degree Programme in Comparative International Relations while advancing its interdisciplinary goals.

The course aims at developing the students’ comprehension of the international dimension of politics from a theoretical and practical perspective. International politics' processes, actors, representations and historical developments will be approached starting from the critical observation of a number of prominent phenomena - e.g. war and peace, the globalisation of economy, the rule of norms in international affairs. By means of appropriately guided class discussions and with the support of the reading materials, students will be given the opportunity to infer, with a certain degree of autonomy, concepts, theoretical premises and arguments that scholars, observers and practitioners rely on (more or less consciously), including the main paradigms and debates in IR and related disciplinary fields.

The ultimate goal of the course is to provide students with the ability to give an informed and autonomous assessment of the most important issues in the agenda of contemporary world politics.

A set of conceptual and methodological instruments will be introduced and tested in order to approach international politics (as a field of study and a dynamic set of structures, actors and behaviours) in a critical, reflexive manner, to question the commonplaces and conventional readings that are current in everyday discourses, and to be able to grasp effectively and accurately present and future developments of world affairs.

Admission criteria are those required by the RIC program.

The course will introduce a number of general topics, starting with a short theoretical presentation and the focusing on empirical analysis and discussion. Here a comprehensive list of the subjects:

- The globalization of world politics: definitions and problems
- Globalization and hegemony: politics, trade and global finance
- Anti-globalization and de-globalization: the crisis of the global system
- Unipolarism to Multipolarism: the changing structure of world order
- New and old security issues: proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, the privatization of war, humanitarian interventions
- Environmental issues
- Refugees and forced migration
- Poverty, hunger, and development
- Nationalism, national self-determination, and inter-national relations
- Human rights and international law
- Personal and collective identity in world politics: gender and race
- International organizations (IGOs, NGOs)

John Baylis, Steven Smith and Patricia Owens, The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, Oxford and New York, Oxford University Press, 8th edition, 2019 - selected chs.

Bryan S. Turner, The Routledge International Handbook of Globalization Studies, Routledge, 2010 - selected chs.

Further reading materials (e.g. selected scientific articles and book chapters) about each of the issues listed in the "Content" section can be provided via Moodle. Students will be assessed based on their ability to draw on them in their exams.

For the final exam, students can choose between two alternative options.

1) A written essay (5000 words) on a specific subject related to one of the general topics discussed in class. The teacher is available to provide guidance and suggestions to students in defining the subject, the research questions, the goals and the structure of the essay.
The deadline for the submission (via email) is one week before the exam date chosen by the student.

2) A standard written exam (in class). Students will answer three from a choice of many questions reflecting the course contents. Time available: 90 minutes. More information to be given in class and during the exam.

In both cases, the written essay/answers are supposed to include:
- a section where the matter at hand is properly introduced and a the research question is identified and clearly expressed;
- a section where different theoretical positions about the issues are presented;
- a section in which a reasonably compelling argument about the subject is made or a critical analysis of existing arguments is provided;
- a concluding section including final considerations about further possible aspects of the problem to be addressed.

written

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

GRADING SCALE
0-17/30 = failing grade
18-22/30 = sufficient rating
23-26/30 = good
27-30/30 = more then good / very good
30/30 e lode = excellent

The course is designed to be as interactive as possible, with traditional lectures intended to provided information for more advanced discussions. Lessons in form of seminars, based on reading materials made available in advance, are also possible.

The use of electronic devices, such as mobile phones, personal computers, tablets, and smartwatches, is restricted to course-related purposes only, i.e., taking notes and reviewing readings when appropriate. Any interaction, active or passive, with material not directly related to the course constitutes a serious offense. According to the privacy and personal data management policies, recording audio, video, or images of the sessions and participants is strictly prohibited.

Students interested in writing their final dissertation under my supervision are invited to get in touch with me at the end of the course to discuss possible avenues.