Political Science

This course discusses global environmental problems, with special attention to the Arctic, and international tensions that exist in the Arctic. Topics include: polar exploration; the Artic-- location and characteristics; climate change and its effects in the Arctic-- resource extraction and navigation of Arctic waters; Arctic states and the extension of their sovereignty over marine areas; Greenland and its historical and legal situation; the Arctic Council; indigenous peoples of the Arctic; the 2030 Agenda in the Arctic; security and defense; the EU; China; Arctic science as a tool for cooperation.

This course applies political risk analysis to explain the linkage between luxury consumption and the anti-corruption movement in China. It cultivates students’ understanding about how economic behavior and commercial market are affected by political dynamics in a one-party regime like China. The course analyzes the anti-corruption campaigns during the two decades under the Hu-Wen and Xi-Li regime from 2003 to 2022, and the varieties of luxury goods that are commonly used to capitalize illegal gains. Quantitative, analytical tools, such as game theory and regression methods, are introduced.

This reading-intensive course studies some of the main conflicts that have occurred since 1945 – beginning with the wars in Indo-China (1946-54) and Algeria (1954-62) that saw the end of France as a colonial power. Conflicts covered in this course include: The Franco-Vietnamese conflict; Lebanon civil war; Islamic revolt in Afghanistan and occupation by the Soviet Union; and the American conflict in Iraq.  Students gain a clear understanding of the background and consequences of these conflicts, how immensely difficult it is for outside powers to intervene in any other state, and a deeper understanding of societies that are very different to those of the West. Students critically analyze the impact traditional mass media and social media have had, both in covering the conflicts and in fostering resistance or opposition to the powers that be.

This course explores how the burdens and benefits of social cooperation should, as a matter of justice, be distributed. It considers a range of answers that have been offered by some of today's most prominent analytical political philosophers, all based on the philosophical method of reflective equilibrium, and evaluates their arguments in detail to develop an understanding of the preferred conception of distributive justice.

This course introduces the contemporary and emerging stakes posed by international migration in the international arena. In dialogue with case studies and comparative research, the course explores how states adapt to the changing features of human mobility in a context of growing geopolitical (and climate) instability and how this affects interstate relations. The externalization of migration control and diaspora surveillance policies have transformed the geography of public intervention, thereby opening a new field for diplomatic engagement. The course also provides an understanding of the ways new categories of actors interfere with the management of migrations: international organizations, civil society organizations, cities, and private companies.