Political Science

This course introduces the range of historical, political, and cultural frameworks that define the region of the Balkans. Guided by critical geopolitics and critical heritage studies, it maps the turning points and minor stories that make this region. The mapping exercise provides an opportunity to use multi-scalar and multi-temporal approaches and explore territories, practices, events, and communities from the mid-19th century to contemporary initiatives such as the Open Balkans. The course investigates the discrepancies between dynamics around the making of a region, and the spatial entanglements in the culturally and historically charged urban heritage sites. Through these places, it examines spatial categories, borders as part of everyday life, notions of politics of the past, heritage as a tool of geopolitics, and the democratic potential of heritage.

This class has an innovative approach to European institutions and politics. Unlike a theoretical university presentation, the class provides students, regardless of whether they have extensive knowledge of the subject, with a concrete overview of the daily functioning of European institutions and true ratios of power between all the stakeholders involved. Using numerous enlightening examples, some of which are unknown by the general public and the media, the aim of the course is to challenge misconceptions and preconceived ideas about Europe and to help students form their own points of view. It may occasionally call upon external speakers to debate with students and share their experience.

The course provides an overview of key concepts and approaches of peace and conflict studies. It analyzes the most important problems that are central to understanding peace and conflict studies. What, for example, are the causes of war and peace? When do actors decide whether to go to war (as Russia and Ukraine did),  or cooperate? The class emphasizes critical thinking and encourages students to develop negotiation skills to resolve conflicts between two parties using negotiation games that will be implemented in class. 

  This course discusses Spanish politics. Topics include: important moments of the Spanish political process; the party systems in Spain and their transformations; partisan actors in the Spanish political system; non-partisan actors in the Spanish political system.