Political Science

This course introduces students to the political science concepts, theories, and methods used to understand how these disciplines explain international development in the emerging economies. Students are exposed to the foundations of classical political philosophy and democratization theory, while also learning the foundational knowledge of capitalism, modernity, and social change from classical and contemporary scholars. Students gain an understanding of the different trends of development, policy reform and outcomes throughout the emerging regions, and how approaching development issues from political analytical frameworks can strengthen their understanding of development issues and challenges in the emerging economies.

This course begins with an overview of France's relations with the Arab world, Islam and the Ottoman Empire, from the Crusades (11th-13th centuries) onwards. This is followed by a look at the colonial period (Maghreb in the 19th century), the Mandat period in the Levant (after the First World War); the reconstruction of the country after 1945 with the call for foreign labor; decolonization; and continued immigration. All these historical milestones are worth recalling to understand the contemporary period. The latter is characterized by the presence of different communities of Muslim origin, as well as by the complementarity/rivalry between the various currents of Islam in France. The obscure and polemical question of "islamo-gauchisme" is also addressed. In addition to theological and jurisprudential aspects, the presence and influence of Islam is addressed from a political standpoint: what external and foreign elements help determine Islam in France?

This course examines the intersection of international relations and global health. It introduces students to various issues and topics in global health. Questions include: What are the health threats and opportunities that arise with globalization? Who are the main actors and what are the major institutions influencing processes of global health governance? How do existing institutional arrangements function in responding to global health challenges? To engage comprehensive examination of these key issues, the course includes International Relations concepts, such as power, legitimacy, soft vs hard law, regime, and normative change.

In this course, students explore some of the most important texts in the history of western political philosophy, focusing on the work of seven major political thinkers. Students study the broad contours of modern political thought from the 17th to the 20th. Students learn to analyze philosophical arguments, situate the texts within their historical contexts, engage in close textual reading, and understand the wider themes and concepts that shape modern political thought.

.This course offers an overview of modern Japanese political history, focusing on Japan’s domestic and foreign challenges from the late 19th century to the postwar era. It examines key shifts between democratization and militarization, and between unilateralism and multilateralism, highlighting the interplay between domestic politics and diplomacy. Topics include nation-state building, the rise and fall of party politics, Japan’s imperial ambitions, and postwar political developments. The course aims to deepen students’ critical understanding of Japan’s historical trajectory and its impact on Asia.

What impact does war have on changing societal norms, such as sexual behaviour and the roles and status of women? How have societies altered the conduct of war, through the mobilization of resources or the persecution of minorities, for example? This course addresses these questions, exploring the dynamic relationship between culture, conflict and change to fully explore people at war. Through both a thematic and case study approach, it draws on a wide range of historic and contemporary conflicts to investigate the destructive and transformative power of conflict on social, cultural, and political life, as well as the ways that societies shape the motives, methods, and constraints of conflict. 

This course explores the rise and decline of democracy since the “third wave” of transitions in the late 20th century. It examines the causes of democratic backsliding, the resilience of democratic institutions, and strategies of resistance against authoritarianism. The course analyzes regime dynamics, civil society roles, and alternative authoritarian models shaping global politics today.

In this course, students compare and analyze European politics, mapping changes and identifying constants. Instead of taking a country-by-country approach, students address key themes that shape politics in general and Europe in particular. Students explore key comparative questions about governance across Europe, including institutions of politics and how society and politics interacts.

This course explores conceptual, theoretical, and accumulated knowledge of international security and conflict studies. It focuses on:

• The rise of emerging powers: How do emerging powers  change the international security order?
• Asymmetrical threats: terrorism and insurgency activities;
• Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons; and,
• Emerging importance of new domains (space and cyberspace).  

This course is mainly divided into two phases.  The first phase deals with contemporary nature of intra- and international conflicts; observing conceptual and empirical aspects of today’s conflict and discussing case studies in Asia, Middle East, and Africa as regions; and terrorism, proliferation of weapons, and ethnic and religious tensions as issue areas.  The second phase deals with security policy and strategy, investigating phase-dynamics approach (peacetime management, crisis management, deterrence, intervention, post-conflict operations) to security policy, specific sets of policy in each phase, then to evaluating the actual cases.

This course helps students understand the general history and the principal concepts and debates in International Relations. The first half of the course critically examines contemporary international history providing students the historical background and context for the issues that they study on the second half of the course and in future years. The second part of the course draws on themes from the first term and explores them through an examination of key concepts in International Relations: sovereignty, intervention, nationalism, identity, power, international institutions, human rights, globalization and new wars. The emphasis of the course is on understanding and questioning the concepts as well as exploring their use discussing key debates in global politics.