Political Science

This course is divided into two parts. In the first part, it focuses on some key policies of the EU: students look at the economic and monetary policies, justice, and home affairs, the common agricultural policy, environmental and climate policy, trade policy and EU foreign policy.  The second part looks at some current challenges and controversies that the EU is facing. Students consider whether the EU is an efficient and legitimate system, current challenges to the rule of law, Euroscepticism and the increasing domestic contestation. 

This course investigates key debates and unresolved questions within the field of international relations. The beginning of the course is based on a theoretical foundation. Then, it diverges from the conventional structuring around overarching and traditional approaches such as realism, liberalism, and constructivism. Instead, it acquaints students with some of the field's crucial concepts and middle-range theories within the discipline. Each session is dedicated to analyzing a specific question that has sparked significant controversy. The course scrutinizes both the historical and academic context in which each examined notions and propositions arose, determining whether their content has evolved over time, and if so, why. It explores the interrelation between these debates and their utility in comprehending contemporary world politics.

Comparative politics is a subfield of political science that seeks to explain variation in political outcomes, across or within counties. What explain the emergence of the modern state? Why are some countries more democratic than others? What explains regime transitions? What are the conditions under which government represent interests of the voters? Why do some countries have more internal conflict than others? This course discusses how the scientific method is used to answer these questions, paying attention to the strengths and weaknesses of various methodological approaches.