Introduction to International Relations

Course Description

Description
This course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to international relations as a basis of their academic professional profile. It shows an overview of the world of international relations in an era of globalization. Students will understand the complexity of politics and political patterns of interaction in the world and not only between states and will learn the different dynamics, processes and issues facing the contemporary international system. The introduction to the discipline of international relations its main approaches, concepts and instruments of analysis will enable students to analyse and think how the interrelated parts of the international system connect, interrelate and interact. In this context it will enable students to integrate different knowledge within the discipline and thus provide them with a foundation for other courses of the degree in international relations.

Contents
Introduction to international relations.
2. States and Statehood
3. Power and order in the international system.
4. Diplomacy and foreign policy.
5. Transnational actors and international organizations.
6. The United Nations
7. The changing character of war.
8. International and global security
9. Human security
10. Poverty, development and inequality
11. Migration and diversity.
12. Human rights
13. Humanitarian action and intervention.
14. The new agenda of peacebuilding.
15. International society in the era of globalization

Methodology
In order to acquire and develop the required competencies, the teaching-learning methodology is based both on the lecturer´s presentations of the different topics in the classroom and on the student active work through the theoretical and practical activities. The teaching-learning activities consist of a mixture of lectures, class debates, presentations by students, reading and analyzing basic documents and case studies individually or in teamwork. These are supplemented by individual and group tutorials.

Assessment
The final grade for each student will be composed of the following components::
- Participation in discussions and debates: 10 %
- Case studies and work paper of the presentation: 35%
- Group work presentation on an international issue: 20 %. The grade will be determined both by the teacher and by the other members of the class according to the assessment criteria.
- Results of final exam: 35 %

N.B. Students will only get credit for this course if: a) they hand in the group paper on the appointed day and following the guidelines they will be given, b) they do their group presentation, and c) they receive a passing mark in the final exam.