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? In addition, we will also look at how drawing on sources from outside of the traditional IR canon, such as literature and visual arts, can help us to think innovatively about new ways of understanding international relations.
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
See Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Course Load
Total: 280 Hours
26 hours of classes
130 hours of reading and class preparation (10 hours per week over 13 weeks)
34 hours to prepare for the presentation
30 hours to complete the short assignment
60 Hours to complete the research essay
Assessment method
Participation (20%)
Short assignment (1500 words) (20%)
Presentation (20%)
Research essay (4000-5000 words) (40%)
Blackboard
Via, Blackboard will be used for:
communicating with students
uploading information relevant to the course.
Reading list
The required readings will be indicated in the syllabus.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable