Duration
10h Th, 15h Lect.
Number of credits
| Extra courses intended for exchange students (Erasmus, ...) (Faculty of Law, Political Science and Criminology) | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Welcome to the fascinating and turbulent world of international politics. The Covid-19 global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the rise of high-tech firms, the US-China tensions around the status of Taiwan, the global warming: in our contemporary times, it is an understatement to say that international dynamics have a consequent impact on societies if not, crudely speaking, on human life itself. What is generally referred as the discipline of "International relations" (IR) emerged in the aftermath of World War I, with the attempt to precisely unpack the logics of international politics. If the most basic and classic objects of study in IR have been the sources of war and peace among sovereign states, the discipline progressively extended its scope to other fields of research, such as international organizations, non-state actors and political economy.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of the course, the students will:
- have acquired the basics of international relations studies
- be able to analytically problematize international realities
- be in a position to comment international facts and topical issues through a theoretically informed knowledge
- have landmarks to navigate in the different IR literatures
- be able to attend more specialized and advanced courses in IR
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Advanced notions of English are required.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course prioritizes understanding over substance. It means that the objective is not to provide an exhaustive and unilateral panorama of international relations issues, but rather to focus on the essentials.
Assessment is based on a written work to be completed in groups (2 to 4 students). Students may choose one of the 3 reading portfolios, which cover 3 different theories of international relations. Based on these readings, students will write a paper between 6-8 pages long, which aims to explore and discuss the theoretical school of the portfolio. The work is guided and structured by 3 questions to be answered. This format will enable students to delve deeper into an IR theory while putting it into perspective with other schools of thought.
Students are expected to choose their portfolio and form their group during the introductory session.
Students will work mainly independently. Two meetings will structure the course. The first is an exchange on the direction the work will take. Students should have read the texts in their portfolio and thought about the direction they want their work to take. The second meeting will consist of a discussion of a more advanced version of the work. Students should have thought about the different elements that will make up their work.
The course is composed of three sessions
- Introductory session (October 4 - B31 Séminaire 1 (0/1)
- First meeting (October 25). Lecturer's office: 77, level 0 (between 9h-11h)
- Second meeting (November 15 - Online meeting - between 9h-11h)
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Blended learning
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège
Further information:
The three portfolios on which to base the final work are:
- NEOREALISM
Zanvyl Krieger, Ariel Ilan Roth. 2007. "Nuclear Weapons in Neo-Realist Theory". International Studies Review 9(3): 369-384
Jeffrey Taliaferro. 2001. "Realism, power shifts, and major war". Security Studies 10(4): 145-178.
- NEOLIBERALISM
Shah Tarzi. 2004. "Neorealism, neoliberalism and the international system". International Studies 41(1): 115-128.
Abdullah Alhammadi. 2022. "The neorealism and neoliberalism behind international relations during covid-19". World Affairs 185(1): 147-175.
- SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
Matthew Hoffmann. 2017. "Norms and Social Constructivism in International Relations", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies.
Alewandra Gheciu. 2005. "Security Institutions as Agents of Socialization? NATO and the 'New Europe.'" International Organization 59(4): 973-1012
Written work / report
Further information:
The work is structured by 3 answers to which students must give organized and well-argued answers (questionnaire available on MyULiège). Students may focus on texts from their portfolio and/or extend to other readings of their choice. The aim is not to include all dimensions of the texts but to select important aspects to answer the questions and discuss IR theories.
Dissertation format: 6-8 pages (single space); Times new Roman; references and bibliography (excluded from the 8 pages).
Deadline: December 20, 2024; PDF format, submission by email (julien.pomarede@uliege.be)
For the references and the bibliography, see the Harvard Style guide: https://www.scribbr.co.uk/referencing/harvard-style/
Artificial intelligence:
The use of AI applications such as Chat GPT is allowed must be mentioned in the final work, in the form of a footnote for example. Its use must be reasonable and will be systematically checked using detection tools. Excessive use will be considered plagiarism in two situations:
- work based on whole sentences or paragraphs generated by the AI
- portions of texts inspired by the use of AI that are not referenced (articles, books, etc.).
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The course is composed of three sessions
- Introductory session (October 4 - B31 Séminaire 1 (0/1)
- First meeting (October 25). Lecturer's office: 77, level 0 (between 9h-11h)
- Second meeting (November 15 - Online meeting - between 9h-11h)
Contacts
Dr. Julien Pomarède
Associate Professor in International Politics, Department of Polical Science
Bât. B31 International Politics
Quartier Agora
place des Orateurs 3
4000 Liège 1
Belgique
office R.77, level 0
email: julien.pomarede@uliege.be