Political Science

This course provides an introduction to the politics of Russia. It traces the evolution of Russian politics by offering a wide-range discussion of main events, figures and scholarly interpretations of Russia's past and present. While the initial focus is on the rise and fall of communist ideology and institutions, the course examines in detail the ongoing development of political structures in post-communist Russia and the forces, both domestic and international, that shape the life of Russians today.

This interdisciplinary course addresses sustainability, climate change, and how to combine economic development with a healthy environment. The course explores greening the economy and the sustainable development goals on four levels – individual, business, city, and nation, and looks at the relationships between these levels. Practical examples of the complexities and solutions across each level are discussed. A particular focus is placed on examples from Scandinavia, but the course also features examples from Europe and around the world, which taken together provide a practical starting point for learning about greening the economy and the relationship to sustainable development goals.

This course is designed to provide an introduction to political science for students who have an interest in political science. It is desirable for students to have civic culture in democratic society. The purpose of the course is to introduce the basic contents and logic of political science (and social science). Students learn theories and practices related to various political phenomena and discuss salient issues on state and democracy. Topics include definition of political science, methodology and logics of social science (correlation and causalit, problems of subjective and objective measurement), state and society, institution and culture, fairness and efficiency, idealism and realism, parliamentarism, presidentialism, semi-presidentialism, elections and political parties, political communications, theories of democracy, public choices, international relations, and perspectives on social changes.

Assessment: Midterm Essay (30%), Final Essay (60%), Attendance and class participation (10%)

The philosophy of this course is to offer a blended approach on Contemporary Diplomacy focused on theory and practice. It is built around a series of lectures that discuss the logics of modern diplomacy, intertwined with workshop sessions during which students have an opportunity to use their learning by engaging with others in role-plays, dispute resolution exercises and simulations. The lectures review the key challenges that globalization has imposed on the traditional diplomatic practices as well as the art of negotiation as a function of diplomacy. The course also reviews iconic case studies, discusses the relevance of traditional and modern diplomatic practices, assesses the triangle between media-politics-society, and distinguishes the strategies to succeed. Finally, an emphasis on intercultural diplomatic skills is offered in order to broaden the perspectives of the course.