International Studies

This course uses the lens of the category of small states to critically think about key concepts in political science, such as sovereignty, independence/dependence, security, and power. It first introduces the concept of small states, its historical development, and the field of small state studies. It then discusses common characteristics and challenges of, as well as the heterogeneity among, small and microstates. Finally, it turns to specific issues of importance to small states, including their role in international organizations such as the United Nations or the European Union, security and defense, climate change, and economic development.

This course offers a study of international relations and trends in the evolution and development of events and processes of global and national significance. It examines the most probable courses of action as well as their implications and consequences. Based on this, students generate, design, and propose timely and appropriate measures, policies and actions.

In this course, students study postcolonial regions in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The course discusses questions such as: what makes a region; who makes a region; how has the experience of colonialism shaped the region; what are the models of regional cooperation and integration, and whose models are they; and how do regions interact with postcolonial global structures and dynamics? Students are encouraged to compare different regional experiences and draw from this breadth of knowledge to critically evaluate the concepts and theories discussed in class.

This course discusses the evolution of terrorism from the 20th century to the present day, through an analysis of international relations that specifies the characteristics of terrorist movements and groups, the nature of their demands, and the threats they pose. The triple dimension - local, regional, and international - is at the heart of the analysis of the motivations and logics behind the operationalization of this radical form of political violence. The gradual development of the fight against terrorism in terms of repression, criminal law and the judiciary enable reflection on the democratic governance of anti-terrorist policies and their impact on our individual freedoms.

This course raises the question: do we have an ethical responsibility to help migrants and refugees? and develops an in-depth response through Community Engaged Research (CER). It is a multi-disciplinary academic immersion in the topic beginning with workshopping community engagement as a practice. Students work in small groups to undertake community engagement with an organization, movement, or individual working publicly to address migration-related issues.  The written, multi-media, or performative project is completed in close collaboration with that social organization, movement, institution, or individual. By combining academic study and community engagement, students develop their vision and response to the issue of migration, even as they negotiate with the community organization/movement/individual regarding the substance, form, and goals of the project to be carried out. The course builds on several introductory questions: How did we get ourselves into this situation? What is driving migration and what is driving our countries’ policies of inhumanity? Why is this such a difficult and sensitive issue? What responses have there been from social movements, civic and human rights organizations and citizens? How do these draw on and transform much older traditions of sanctuary, refuge, hospitality, and human community?

This course provides an international law of armed conflict framework to the main recent and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa regions. It focuses on the role international law plays in the realm of international and regional relations, namely inter-State relations but also State-individual relations through the growth of human rights law. The first part of the course provides an outline of the general public international law framework to key international conflicts faced by the international community. It then applies these concepts to concrete case studies that are discussed in-depth during the second part of the seminar in view of analyzing and studying international law “in motion.” The course is interactive and necessitates active participation and engagement in the class discussions. It introduces general knowledge of general public international law and of international law of armed conflicts; identifies the relevant legal questions and mobilizes the relevant legal and analytical tools to analyze situations of international conflict; highlights the limitations of international law and the reasons why international legality cannot always overcome deadlocked situations; and develops both oral and written advocacy skills.

This course studies the history of the 20th century global movement after World War II, which influenced global politics. Students are expected to examine a historical case of a local movement crossing over to global politics. 

This course offers a study of corruption and accountability. It examines the causes and consequences of corruption, as well as types of corruption: judicial, political, private sector, and organized crime. This course explores means to regulate corruption including through international regulation, good government, transparency, and democracy.

This course provides the basic knowledge of different forms of international standards, how those standards are made and enforced, and how and why they have impacts on what countries do at home and abroad. It covers international rules governing issues such as human rights, trade, climate, and the use of force in resolving disputes between countries and how they affect the day-to-day lives of people and communities all over the world.

This course introduces the politics and international relations in Korea, including some of the major developments in Korea’s contemporary history. It covers the complicated ways in which domestic politics, national division, and international relations intersect with each other. The course also provides opportunities to critically discuss contemporary political issues so that students may identify major political forces affecting them and their implications for Korea and their neighbors. The course aims to equip students with political knowledge and intellectual tools with which they can better understand the politics and international relations in Korea and Northeast Asia in the past and the future.