Course Details
Course Information Package
Course Unit Title | POLITICAL SCIENCE III : GLOBAL POLITICAL ISSUES | ||||||
Course Unit Code | APOL205 | ||||||
Course Unit Details | |||||||
Number of ECTS credits allocated | 4 | ||||||
Learning Outcomes of the course unit | By the end of the course, the students should be able to:
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Mode of Delivery | Face-to-face | ||||||
Prerequisites | NONE | Co-requisites | NONE | ||||
Recommended optional program components | NONE | ||||||
Course Contents | · Theoretical issues and empirical data/substantiation. The need to link the two. As an example: discussion the theoretical debate on “agency” and systemic/structural dynamics/determinism. Discussion of the theory of “hegemonic war” and its possible use in the current conjuncture [from the bombing of Yugoslavia to the war in Iraq]. Globalization and the debate on the crisis of US hegemony. The debate on the dynamics of globalization – applying the theoretical debate on “agency-structure”. · Development: The debate on “development” – conservative, liberal, radical perspectives. Emphasis on the how the data are used to prove a theoretical position. Selection of an area/country [outside the west] and discussion of some related data, in order to evaluate the theoretical perspectives. · Culture and the Economy: Discussion of Huntington’s thesis in the context of the post 1999 global conflicts. The critique of Huntington and the “culturalist”/ “clash of civilizations” argument. Alternative perspectives on culture, politics, and the post industrial economic system: Negri-Hardt “Empire” · Post modern Politics: The politicization of phenomena like identity, the body, ecology, images. Review of the trends in this realm since the 1960’s. Special emphasis on the role of the media · Historical efforts at analyzing the causes of war and controlling the phenomenon. The current urgency: nuclear weapons and asymmetrical warfare. Efforts at international organizations: essay on their dynamics and prospects in the current conjuncture | ||||||
Recommended and/or required reading: | |||||||
Textbooks |
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References |
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods | This course is delivered to the students by means of lectures and class discussions. Lectures are supplemented with assignments on specific case studies in order for the students to familiarize themselves with the concepts and their application. The course is structured around 5 essays and the students must follow both weekly global events which are discussed in class and must be organized in order to complete their works on time as if on job assignment for biweekly editions.
The first two essays apart from their theoretical dimensions they also have methodological ones: one key dimension here is the discussion of quantitative and qualitative data.
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Assessment methods and criteria |
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Language of instruction | Greek | ||||||
Work placement(s) | NO |