Political Science

Laurea Magistrale program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. This course sheds light on the nature and problems in the relations among the main regional actors in Northeast Asia (including the United States), by examining the changes that have taken place, especially in the last decade. These countries’ economic systems and their characteristics are also carefully discussed. This course is an overview of international relations of the East Asian region, which aims at broadly exploring the economic and political issues surrounding the Asia-Pacific rim. At the end of the course students are able to examine topics related to historical and contemporary patterns of state relations in East Asia, US security alliances in East Asia and the new Asian Pivot, the rise of China, nuclear crise in the Korean Peninsula, territorial disputes, regional multilateral institutions, East Asian development models and economic integration, environmental challenges, energy security, and other related issues.

This course explores core questions which lie at the heart of International Political Economy (IPE), the discipline that studies the interactions between states and international markets and the governance of the global economic system. These include, among others: how do politics shape international economic relations and vice versa; who are the winners and losers of economic globalization? Is the global economy stable and why do economic crises happen; why is regional integration so widespread today?

This course introduces to government and politics of modern China. It examines traditional background and modern revolution from 19th century to 1949. It focuses on ideology, leadership, institutions, and political processes of the People's Republic. Students learn about politics of social groups, major issue areas, the Cultural Revolution, and the politics of reform.

This course introduces students to the study of History and Political Economy. Students consider the difficulties related to data collection and the use of proxies in historical contexts. They review the main methodological approaches used by scholars in this field, and they  probe the advantages and limits of History and Political Economy as a discipline in answering some of the most challenging questions of our time: Why do humans cooperate? What are the origins of democracy and the rule of law? Why are some countries more developed than others? And what lessons can we draw from historical institutions to redesign our own?

This course helps students to understand how principles of human rights and social justice underpin social work today. The course introduces students to international human rights frameworks and legislation relevant to social work law and policy. There is a focus on law and policy as it affects social work practice in the UK, particularly in Scotland, and students also consider examples from a wider international field. The course forms a substantial part of the social work degree program and reflects the Standards in Social Work Education set for social work qualifying programs in Scotland. The course welcomes students who are not registered for the social work program but who are interested in how law and policy work together in this important area of social welfare.

This course introduces the background of China’s political institution and culture and provides overview of the relationship between China’s media and politics in a global context. It provides a broad perspective of China’s political communication and a familiarity with China’s media system and its political consequences. Four general topics are explored: China's media system; China's international communication system; Chinese nationalism in international conflicts; China's public diplomacy and international relations. 

The course is an introduction to the study of comparative politics and provides an overview of some of the key theoretical frameworks, concepts, and analytical methods of this field of study, as applied to the developing world. We particularly examine non-democratic forms of politics, asking why authoritarian regimes persist and whether corruption undermines democracy. Other topics covered include the causes of civil war, the clash of civilizations, and ethnic violence.