Political Science

The course examines international relations theories, which describe, explain, and predict international affairs. The course focuses on the core and the standard canon of International Relations theory (IRT), as well as the political interactions of states. The purpose of IRT is to support the analysis of international, but mostly political, events. Therefore, the course links theoretical work with the application of theory to the investigation of the international political world. Assessment: Midterm (15%), Final (15%), Participation (30%), Essays (40%).

This course provides a broad overview of the European Rights guaranteed within the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), a treaty signed in 1950 binding 57 European states. The course focuses on the fundamental rights and liberties guaranteed in the European Union. This course closely analyzes these guarantees and their specifications with regard to their correct implementation. This course also examines different cases in which guaranteed rights and liberties have been threaten and then solved by the Court of Strasbourg.

This course introduces students to the study of the dynamic interaction between the pursuit of wealth and the pursuit of power in the global economy. The course presents the key concepts and theories of IPE, and how these can be used to understand pressing empirical and economic policy questions facing policymakers and citizens in the 21st century.

 

This course provides an introduction to the study of modern international relations from the legal point of view. The course is organized in three parts, following the textbook, “International Law for International Relations.” Part I deals with theoretical perspectives on international relations and international law. In Part II, basic concepts and rules of international law are explained, such as sources of international law, statehood, sovereignty, responsibility. In Part III, major topics of contemporary international law and relations are explained and analyzed. A case study approach is used to explain how legal rules are applied. Text: Basak Cali, INTERNATIONAL LAW FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.

In this course, students learn how to write a report to influence a parliamentary select committee. UK Parliamentary staff teaches part of the course to provide knowledge of parliament, and students use previously written reports as guiding examples. Students also attend a trip to Parliament where they meet with MPs and parliamentary staff and learn about a career in politics.

This course introduces basic principles of international human rights law, international criminal law, and international refugee law through the study of the migration crisis in the Mediterranean. Approximately 258 million people, or roughly 3% of the world's population, live outside their country of origin or habitual residence – the highest number ever recorded. Of these, approximately 10%, or about 25 million people, have fled their country as refugees – the largest number since WWII. Millions of civilians have fled or are fleeing their homes, escaping from war and terror, hunger and persecutions, ecological disasters and poverty. The course critically presents the different positions on the matter by examining the situation from several international law perspectives and instruments: the laws of the sea, human rights law, and the legal institution of asylum. After the legal framework is established, the course further examines what legal venues are available to hold states, non-State actors, and individuals accountable for any human rights violations. Finally, the course explores cutting-edge legal questions, such as whether migration policies based on deterrence, arrival/departure prevention, and refoulement may bear international criminal liability.

This course is designed to provide an overview of the historical evolution and current realities of Ghana foreign policy since independence. It seeks to: i) explore the substance, dynamics, and nuances of foreign policy under various governments, and ii) critically analyse and review the foreign policy formulation as well as the major factors that shaped the orientation of foreign policy in Ghana over the period. Through academic and popular readings, we will discuss the global dimensions of foreign policy decisions and the domestic forces that sometimes influence foreign policymaking in Ghana. The course begins with a review of contending theoretical perspectives and analytical overviews of what constitutes Ghana’s ‘National Interest’. Attention then switches to the historical overview of the country’s foreign policy; that is, the challenges and prospects confronting Ghana as the first sub-Saharan African country to practice statecraft. This is followed by the central focus of the course: an examination of the major foreign policies implemented by various governments since 1957. The central concern here is to explore the extent to which the idiosyncrasy of leaders shapes the country’s foreign policy; find out who are the major actors and what are the major determinants of Ghana’s foreign policy orientation. Course Expectations: The primary goal of offering this course is the intellectual development of your knowledge and analytical ability in the realm of Ghana’s external relations. Students are expected to have a general knowledge of world affairs, theories of international relations, considerable reading comprehension skills and analytical