Switzerland

This course provides an introduction to the study of politics in contemporary Africa. It focuses on the historical dynamics of state formation since the establishment of colonial rule and on the relations between state and society, as well as current debates on politics and the state in Africa. The course is structured both chronologically and thematically. It begins with the legacies of colonial rule and moves on to the formation of one-party states in the Cold War context, the crisis of modernization and the implementation of neo-liberal policies, the post-1990 democratization dynamics and their consequences, civil wars and the "failure" of the State in the 1990s, and the current rhetoric of "Africa Rising." The course is comprised of a weekly lecture as well as a course complement, which provides an opportunity to explore some themes more in depth.

The Model United Nations (MUN) seminar is an interactive course developed by Geneva International Model United Nations (GIMUN). MUN is the simulation of a United Nations committee or agency, where each participant represents a State or organization and advances their policies as they debate contemporary global issues. The course is divided in two parts: theoretical and practical. In the first part of the semester, a new theoretical element of MUN is studied every week in the form of a traditional lesson with obligatory readings. In the second part of the semester, a contemporary global issue is debated every week in mini-simulations led by groups of four students. The course covers a variety of subject matter including international law, environment, and development. Students learn about the United Nation (UN) system and government foreign policy, while training in public speaking, research, negotiation, and diplomacy.

The course covers the topic of emotions in international relations. In the first part, students discuss the definition of emotions, the social and political dimensions of emotions, and group and collective emotions. In the second part, students learn about emotions in intergroup conflicts. The course discusses the role of emotions (such as hatred and threat) in fueling conflicts, as well as the role of emotions (such as empathy and collective guilt) in conflict resolution. In the last part of the course, students learn about the role of emotions in collective reactions to global threats, such as climate change and rise of populism. In particular, the course discusses the role of emotions in mobilization of collective actions in a globalizing world. Course graded on P/NP basis only.