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2020/2021

Current Issues in International Relations

Code: 101092 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500259 Political Science and Public Management OT 3 2
2500259 Political Science and Public Management OT 4 0
2503778 International Relations OT 4 0
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Carlos Martin Faus
Email:
Carlos.Martin.Faus@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
spanish (spa)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

It has no academic prerequisites.

The student should have the habit of reading press reports and articles on international affairs and global politics.

Objectives and Contextualisation

This course will address in a monographic manner contemporary issues of great relevance for the International Relations discipline and also for the current agenda of international politics and global affairs.

The main objective is to introduce the students to the knowledge of relevant international issues in the current political agenda, offering them with the main conceptual tools provided by the theory of International Relations and allowing them to approach contemporary phenomena in all its complexity.

The basic objectives of the course are:

- Encourage the students to apply the fundamental concepts of the International Relations discipline for the understanding of thematic areas;

- Familiarize the student with a series of processes that make up the contemporary international society

- Contribute to improve the oral and writing skills of the students so as to be able to defend different points of view ans perspectives on relevant international issues.

Competences

    Political Science and Public Management
  • Applying theoretical and analytical knowledge of International Relations to practical and professional cases, in particular to the areas of conflict and cooperation between actors.
  • Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
  • Assessing specific distinctive aspects and conceptual and methodological instruments of the different tendencies and analytical approximations of International Relations.
  • Demonstrating good writing skills in different contexts.
  • Demonstrating they know theoretical tendencies and classical and recent analytical approximations of International Relations.
  • Designing data collection techniques, coordinating the information processing and meticulously applying hypothesis verification methods.
  • Distinguishing the discipline's main theories and different fields: conceptual developments, theoretical frameworks and theoretical approaches underlying the discipline's knowledge and different areas and sub-areas, as well as their value for the professional practice through concrete cases.
  • Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
  • Interpreting and applying English texts in an academic way.
  • Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
  • Producing and planning researches or analytical reports.
  • Realising effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
  • Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
  • Using the main information and documentation techniques (ICT) as an essential tool for the analysis.
  • Working autonomously.
  • Working by using quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in order to apply them to research processes.
  • Working in teams and networking, particularly in interdisciplinary conditions.
    International Relations
  • Analyse international society and its structure and understand its importance for real-life problems and professional practice.
  • Apply knowledge of the structure and operation of international institutions to problems and/or practical cases, either real or simulated.
  • Apply quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in research processes.
  • Design, plan and carry out projects and studies for analysis and/or intervention in different areas of international relations.
  • Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  • Identify the main theories of international relations and their different fields (international theory, conflicts and security, international politics, etc.) to apply them in professional practice.
  • Produce and prepare the presentation of intervention reports and/or proposals.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in research processes.
  2. Apply theoretical and analytical knowledge of international relations in practical and professional case studies, in particular in the area of conflict and cooperation between actors.
  3. Applying theoretical and analytical knowledge of International Relations to practical and professional cases, in particular to the areas of conflict and cooperation between actors.
  4. Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
  5. Assessing specific distinctive aspects and conceptual and methodological instruments of the different tendencies and analytical approximations of International Relations.
  6. Critically assessing the impacts of globalization in several areas: safety, environment, human rights, migrations and peace.
  7. Demonstrate knowledge of theoretical trends and classical and recent analytical approaches to international relations.
  8. Demonstrating good writing skills in different contexts.
  9. Demonstrating they know theoretical tendencies and classical and recent analytical approximations of International Relations.
  10. Describe the international order: anarchy versus order, national society and transnational society.
  11. Describe the main approaches to international relations (realism, transnationalism, structuralism).
  12. Describe the main elements that characterise international global society (1945-2000).
  13. Describing the international order: anarchy versus order, society of states and transnational society.
  14. Describing the main characteristic elements of the international society as a whole (1945-2000).
  15. Designing data collection techniques, coordinating the information processing and meticulously applying hypothesis verification methods.
  16. Evaluate the distinctive and instrumental aspects of the different trends and analytical approaches to international relations from a conceptual and methodological focus.
  17. Explaining the major approximations to the international relations (realism, transnationalism and structuralism).
  18. Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  19. Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
  20. Interpreting and applying English texts in an academic way.
  21. Make adequate use of the theory and concepts of international relations (Hobbesian, Grotian and Kantian thought).
  22. Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
  23. Produce and prepare the presentation of intervention reports and/or proposals.
  24. Producing and planning researches or analytical reports.
  25. Properly using the theory and concepts of international relations (traditions of Hobbesian, Grotian or Kantian thought).
  26. Realising effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
  27. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  28. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  29. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  30. Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
  31. Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.
  32. Using the main information and documentation techniques (ICT) as an essential tool for the analysis.
  33. Working autonomously.
  34. Working by using quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in order to apply them to research processes.
  35. Working in teams and networking, particularly in interdisciplinary conditions.

Content

Block I: Analysis of the contemporary international agenda

- Concepts and definitions

- Global characteristics and trends of the international agenda

- Global and regional radiography of the main international affairs

- Actors and dynamics involved

- Gender perspectives on the international agenda

Block II: Study and monitoring of the selected current problems of the international system

- Direct and deep causes of the selected problems

- Consequences for the system, the actors and for cooperation and conflict in the system

- Instruments and analysis guidelines applicable to the main international problems

- Case studies and lessons learned

- Gender vision in monitoring the current problems of the selected international system

- Main challenges and opportunities

- The challenges of solutions

Methodology

The dedication to this subject is specified in various types of activities. 6 ECTS credits implies a total dedication of 150 hours, which will be distributed in different types of activities:


- The directed activities are activities in the classroom, with the presence of the teacher and will consist of master classes (with the possibility of developing debates in a large group); seminars to discuss the compulsory readings or thematic materials in smaller groups; sessions more oriented to practical issues, in which cases, problems and examples related to the course syllabus will be analyzed. These activities represent around 35% of the total work required.

- The supervised activities are activities carried out by the student outside the classroom according to a work plan designed and subsequently supervised and evaluated by the teacher. These activities represent approximately 10% of the work required.

- The autonomous activities are all those activities carried out by the student on their own and in accordance with the requirements of the course to successfully pass the subject, such as basic and complementary readings, study of class notes or all those other activities that complement the training that is achieved in this course.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Debates on the mandatory readings 3 0.12 4, 9, 8, 17, 20, 25, 5
Master classes using ICT and all-group debates 43 1.72 3, 4, 9, 14, 13, 24, 30, 6
Practical exercises and oral presentations at class, case studies 6 0.24 3, 9, 8, 14, 24, 26, 19, 30, 35, 6
Type: Supervised      
Prapration of the readings that will be evaluated at class 7 0.28 22, 19, 20, 30, 33
Tutorial sessions and exam review 3 0.12
Writing of the final essay 5 0.2 22, 20, 30, 35, 32
Type: Autonomous      
Study of the contents of the subject and complementary readings 76 3.04 22, 33

Assessment

The evaluation consists of several items:
- Regular attendance to class and participation in activities (20% of the final grade): debates, comments on readings, contributions to oral presentations, etc.

- Continuous evaluation (30% of the final grade): written essays on readings or videos, preparation of debates or simulation games, etc.

- A group work on some of the topics or cases addressed in class (50% of the final grade), which will be presented in public in the last sessions of the course. The written part will account for 80% of the grade, while the oral defense will account for the remaining 20%. The extension of the work will be a maximum of about 5,000 words, plus bibliography and annexes. The work will be done with line spacing of 1.5, Arial 12 (10 in the footnotes). The date of delivery of the work will be specified once the course has begun.

There is no final exam
 

In February there will be a retake or compensation exercise for those students that attended the course regularly but did not pass. The mark obtained in this compensatory exercise will average 70% with the grade obtained during the course (30%). This compensatory evaluation will take place on the dates established by the Faculty.

The participation in two of the aforementioned evaluation activities is incompatible with the qualification of "No show".

In accordance with article 117.2 of the Academic Regulations of the UAB, the evaluation of repeating students may consist of a single synthesis test. Those students who wish to take up this possibility will need to contact the faculty at the beginning of the course.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Continuous assessment: written essays on readings or videos, preparation of debates or simulation games, etc. 30% of the final mark 4 0.16 2, 1, 4, 31, 7, 14, 12, 13, 10, 23, 17, 11, 18, 29, 28, 27, 30, 33, 25, 21, 16
Group essay and oral presentation 50% of the final mark (80% writen part and 20% oral presentation) 3 0.12 3, 9, 8, 14, 13, 15, 24, 17, 26, 22, 19, 20, 30, 34, 33, 35, 25, 32, 5, 6
Participation in class, debates and other activities prepared by the professor 20% of the final mark 0 0 26, 19, 20, 30, 33, 32

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