Political Science

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.

This course provides a study of main approaches and theories of international relations, and the evolution, processes, structures, problems and challenges of the contemporary global order. Other topics covered include: the international system (actors, structure, dynamics of cooperation and conflice), and the problems, dynamics and challenges on the international agenda (world governance, global terrorism, the international economic system, power and information society).

Democracy is a core concept of politics and we pretend to understand it. However, to be frank, do we really know democracy? The course focuses on some of the most important theories of democracy that have been present since the birth of the term. The goal of the course is to provide students with theoretical musculature to think further about democracy. Topics include democratic principles, right to vote, direct and formative democracy, accountability and representation, constitutionalism, and forms of democratic government.

This course studies and interprets political issues in the Middle East. Topics include its geographical position, historical evolution, civilization, development, relationship between church and state, religion, revolution and reform, war and peace, and oil economy. The course combines a realistic perspective of theory with practice.

This course considers the role of ethnicity as a social and political cleavage. It examines the impact of immigration and ethnic diversity on party politics and political behaviour, using the experiences of countries in Europe and North America. Immigration and ethnicity are one of the major long-term social issues of today, and studying the effects of these phenomena on politics allows students to gain a deeper understanding of long-term political change - as well as current affairs. The approach taken is to consider both the political engagement and representation of immigrants and ethnic minority citizens, and the broader consequences and development of ethnicity and immigration as political issues in their own right. This includes a consideration of racism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and Brexit. This course has an empirical emphasis, teaching students to evaluate empirical (including quantitative) research.

This course addresses how immigration has been built into the political and social dimensions of France from a socio-historical perspective. The course traces the history of immigration in France beginning with the industrial revolution until today. The French and European institutional context, as well as geopolitical and ideological upheavals, are viewed as the driving forces that brought immigration to the political and societal forefront.

Radical Islam is one of the most significant political phenomena of the last decade. This course examines major contemporary Islamist movements and ideologies in the Sunni Muslim world, and the major changes within Islam and jihadism since the events of the Arab Spring of 2011. It explores the origins, motivations, and practices of radical Islamic movements. It examines major Sunni Islamist thinkers, schools, and movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood, Sayyid Qutb, post-MB Egyptian radicalism, and modern Salafism. The course also looks at the rise of ISIS and the impact of the Arab Spring.

The objective of the course is to provide a comprehensive overview of international cooperation and of international organizations. Attention will be devoted to the role of international organizations (IO), particularly UN, EU, WTO, and ASEAN+3 in the contemporary global political system and to those aspects of international relations that are or may be conducted through institutionalized international cooperation.