International Relations

International Relations course content:

Welcome to the fascinating and turbulent world of international politics. Wars, the decisive influence of multinational companies, the migrant crisis, pandemics, climate change: it would be an understatement to say that the impact of international issues on our societies is very direct, if not, more bluntly, on human life itself. All these issues are embedded in what is commonly known as the theories of International Relations (IR). Like any other phenomenon in political and social life, international relations is an object of study that needs to be theorised in order to be grasped through in-depth, well informed and wise knowledge. Consciously or unconsciously, academically or not, our interpretations of the international politics are often linked to existing theoretical approaches (realism, idealism, Marxism, constructivism, etc.) which emphasise various causal factors such as national interests, the role of non-state actors, anarchy, the importance of cooperation, the economy or ideas and norms. The central aim of this course is to give an account of the main theories of the international system, their postulates, their analytical capacities, their explanatory power and their limits.

Objectives of the International Relations course:

This course aims to deepen participants’ knowledge of the discipline of International Relations (IR). In doing so, the course also offers participants the opportunity to develop their academic and practical skills, including scientific reasoning, reading and understanding scientific literature, and synthesis writing. On completion of the course and reading seminars, students will be able to:
1. Identify the implicit theoretical assumptions in an analysis of international relations;
2. Evaluate different theoretical approaches according to given epistemological criteria;
3. Understand the intellectual continuities and ruptures in a discipline such as IR;
4. Apply different theoretical models to the same phenomenon of international relations;
5. Understand how theoretical debates have co-evolved with historical shifts and the development of the discipline;
6. Develop and defend your own theoretical position. The aim of this course is to help students develop a critical stance on the theories studied. Although each of the theories presented can be applied to the same international phenomenon, they all have their limits. With this in mind, the course is designed to enable students to develop their own reflective capacity and theoretical identity;
7. Develop their understanding of the historical and contemporary contexts, key concepts, dominant and dissenting approaches, and the main controversies within the IR discipline;
8. Improve their ability to analyse, also in a critical manner, the existing scientific literature on the themes examined in class;
9. Improve their understanding of the ethical and political issues involved in the study of international politics, their ability to appreciate the differences between scientific analysis and media or political views, and to distance themselves appropriately from the positions and views of international relations practitioners;
10. Put into practice practical skills such as the analysis of scientific sources, including in a language other than their first language, and synthesis writing.

Prerequisites:

This is a Masters-level course, not an introductory course. It assumes that participants have already successfully completed undergraduate courses (BA, bachelor) in political and/or social sciences, and have successfully taken one or more introductory courses in history, contemporary issues and the study of international politics. If this is not the case, it is therefore recommended that you read the additional readings that will be offered at each class session, which may prove useful for this purpose.
A good command of the French language is required. In addition, the course includes compulsory readings, and all of these texts are in English. Therefore, a good command of academic English is strongly recommended.

Teaching methods:

The course consists of 12 online courses of 1 hour 30 minutes each. Each session uses a PowerPoint presentation. In addition to attending the lessons, the course requires autonomous work.
A compulsory reading is assigned for each session, generally an article or chapter from a university textbook of around 20-30 pages. These compulsory readings should be read before the corresponding session.
In addition, a course handbook made available for students provides support readings for each session, which do not necessarily have to be done, but which allow you to pick up on certain elements of the teaching that you may have missed or that seem unclear. This reading may also be useful if you have not taken an introductory course in international relations and (to a lesser extent) a course in the history of international relations.
The last slide of each lesson gives you 4-5 study questions. These questions should enable you to review the course content and the compulsory reading for each session. They are therefore an excellent way to review the course.
The teaching language and evaluations are in French. For reasons that will be discussed during the course, however, all compulsory readings are in English. Additional readings in French are available if you have any difficulties understanding the English language.

Evaluation:

The final assessment is a two-hour online exam which includes questions on the course content and the compulsory readings. It is graded on a scale of 20. It consists of 5 questions, each graded on 4 points. Further instructions will be provided by email at the time of the exam.
The second-session exam takes the form of a two-hour online exam which includes questions on the course content and the compulsory readings. Like the first-session final exam, the second-session exam includes questions on the course content and the compulsory readings. It is graded on a scale of 20. It consists of 5 questions, each graded on 4 points. Some of the questions from the first-session exam may be asked again in the second-session exam.
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