English

This course provides a basic theoretical and empirical understanding the functioning of the global economy. More specifically, on the one hand, it seeks to give an overview of the main problems of the global economy. It places them in a historical perspective and highlights the role of institutions. On the other hand, it presents the fundamental concepts and reasonings of economic analysis and applies them to the mechanisms at work in the world economy. The lecture is based on four major issues: international trade flows, international capital flows, international money flows and international economics beyond money.

The course is developed to advance the knowledge of and ability to apply theories, policies, frameworks, and concepts related to promoting green transition and dealing with the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss through a deeper understanding of sustainability reporting regulations, transition finance and business transformation. The course promotes green transition by better integration of sustainability consideration into financial decision making through enhanced sustainability reporting regulations. The course is structured into modules integrating the following themes: the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The objective, structure, and content of the EU Green Deal, transition finance, and the myriads of public policies and private initiatives related to green transition and business transformation; transition versus incremental change enabling and constraining factors for transition the role of industry, the financial system, and policy makers in promoting societal and business transition; the objective, structure, and content of upcoming and launched sustainability reporting regulations and auditing standards including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and its European Sustainability. Reporting Standards (ESRS), the Omnibus proposal, Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), Green Claim Directive; and the tension between regulative compliance and business transformation. 

This course examines how Indigenous knowledge and ‘Western’ science work against, with or independent of each other and look at examples of how science contributes to Indigenous development. This international approach fosters cross-cultural communication skills, sharing of theory and practice, and comparative analysis of the situations of Indigenous peoples in global contexts.

Main topics include general features of environmental law in the UK; controlling space; controlling climate change; controlling enterprise; and the future of environmental law.

The advent of globalization and the Internet has ushered in numerous economic benefits. However, it has also interconnected global economies and supply chains, thereby increasing the vulnerability of companies to a wide range of rapid and often unpredictable events. These include changes in national policies, international political incidents, natural disasters, and local incidents, all of which necessitate swift and effective managerial responses, strategic risk management, and crisis communication skills. Crisis management equips leaders with the necessary skills to navigate these challenges. This includes: a) Pre-crisis skills for performing vulnerability assessments to identify potential risks and understanding the factors that make up these risks but also avoidance strategies, such policy and ESG adherence; b) Crisis response skills that encompass effective and decisive communication abilities, comprehension of risk reduction strategies, and the ability to engage all stakeholders ethically and effectively; c) Post-crisis skills that aid companies in not only recovering their reputation but also learning from the experience to develop lasting responses and adaptations that help prevent recurrence. This course places a strong emphasis on practical, real-life applications.

This course presents a sociological perspective on environmental knowledge, issues, campaigns, and risks. The course explores what “the environment” is, how environmental quality is measured and understood, and how we perceive of environmental risks and problems. Students examine a number of case studies and examples, including energy, food, climate change, and others. Key questions explored through the course include: how are issues framed; who is responsible for mitigating a risk, cleaning up after a disaster, or saving the planet; how is blame apportioned; what is the epistemological basis for knowledge claims about the environment; and how do we know what we know about environmental problems and risks?

This course is designed to introduce and discuss some of the key debates and on-going processes at the interface of politics, economy and security across the globe. In the light of international corruption and financial scandals, as well as the prevalence of terrorism, its financing, and the laundering of "dirty money" in relation to criminal networks, there is a specific focus on the making of global policies against economic, financial and white collar crimes, from tax evasion to proliferation financing of weapons of mass destruction.

This course mainly focuses on romantic relationships. The course reviews historical and classic approaches to studying intimate relationships as well as new research to better understand real-world relationship functioning. General topics include attachment, attraction, social cognition, commitment, love, sexuality, conflict, and maintaining high-quality relationships, as well as breaking up and being single. The course explores questions such as: Why are relationships so important to us? What informs our choice of friends and romantic partners? What predicts satisfaction and stability in relationships? How can we become better romantic partners? And what predicts wellbeing in singlehood?

This course introduces the emerging landscape of "green industrial policy.” Focus is first be placed on defining such policy, broadly construed as public interventions targeting rapid industrial change in pursuit of national decarbonization. The course then foregrounds historical precedents of rapid industrial change, especially in the Global South. From here, it surveys ongoing policy experiments in different regional contexts, and concludes with case studies of China, Mexico, and France. Throughout the course, attention is placed on distinct theoretical and methodological approaches to studying green industrial policy, with students completing original research proposals.

This course introduces, discusses and works with the key concepts, wide-ranging debates and on-going processes in the realm of international security. It revisits classic security issues and explores newer ones – from terrorism and pandemics – to highlight continuities and discontinuities in international security. The course pays special attention to the proliferation of the types of actors, sectors, rationales and technologies now associated with security practices. It sees that these developments have consequences as they further cut across and reconfigure well-known divides between internal and external security concerns, between policing and military operations, and between public and private spheres to name a few. In order to address these questions, among others, the course is organized in two sections, with weekly debates as a common thread. The first section looks at both the diversity of international security institutions and theoretical foundations of security studies. The second section confronts new international security issues and related developments.