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Decentering International Relations: Views from the Global South

Vak
2021-2022

Admission requirements

Admission to the MA International Relations.
Pre-existing knowledge of theories of International Relations is recommended.

Description

This course problematises the western-centric nature of International Relations (IR) as a discipline, and explores alternative contributions from the Global South. During the first part of the course we will ask questions such as: How ‘international’ is IR?; Can existing frameworks make sense of the current changes in the international system? During the second part of the course, we will engage with scholarship questioning the western dominance of IR, and explore contributions by non-western scholars. We will try to find answers to questions such as: Can we assume that an African / Asian / Latin American perspective on IR will necessarily be different from a European or North American one?
The course will mainly take the form of text-based discussions. As this is a graduate seminar, a high premium is placed on attendance, preparation and participation. Your performance in the course will depend largely on the time you commit to reading the prescribed material, and the effort you make to understand it. Pre-existing knowledge of theories of IR is recommended.

Course objectives

Once you have completed this course you will be able to:

  • Understand the intellectual genesis and development of the field of IR;

  • Problematise the western-centric nature of the field and critically discuss the benefits of opening up the field to previously marginalised voices;

  • Illustrate familiarity with a range of non-western contributions to IR;

  • Assess the value of different theoretical approaches to providing explanations for real-world phenomena;

  • Think creatively about ways to broaden our understanding or world politics.

In addition to the above, this course also facilitates:

  • Critical reading: recognising and understanding the authors’ arguments, discerning the underlying assumptions, and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses;

  • Thinking about real-world problems in an abstract way;

  • Developing the necessary skills to both write and speak about theoretical matters.

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

Seminar

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Participation (20%)

  • Short assignment (1500 words) (20%)

  • Presentation (20%)

  • Research essay (4000-5000 words) (40%)

Inspection and feedback

How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.

Reading list

The required readings will be indicated in the syllabus.

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on the website.

Contact

  • For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.

  • For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga

Remarks

Not applicable.