Political Science

This course provides an introduction to basic political theory, a history of international politics and global governance, and to the structure of the global political economy. Students are given an opportunity to learn about the actors, structures, and politics of global health governance and international health policy. This includes global actors such as WHO, the Gates Foundation and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; as well as the role of civil society organizations and social movements in promoting global health equity. With these basic building blocks in place, the course examines the following contemporary health issues through a social and political lens: health financing and health sector reform; global pandemic threats and the securitization of health; the effects of armed conflict on health; and the influence of trade and business on health. The course also examines health inequalities within the local area of East London - a part of London which includes both some of the most deprived households in the country, as well as one of the biggest financial and banking hubs in the world. This includes a field trip, as well as a global health "treasure hunt" in the British Museum.

This course engages with key contemporary issues and debates in politics through the thought of political theorists writing from different traditions and perspectives. It examines fundamental and perennial political questions as well as issues new to our time. Topics may include freedom and autonomy, epistemic crisis and democracy, intergenerational justice, animal rights, the impact of AI etc. It offers the opportunity for students to examine more contemporary theorists, debates, and literature in dialogue with each other. The course introduces students to a variety of competing theoretical perspectives, requiring critical consideration of the insights and problems each perspective offers. It provokes students to engage with, evaluate, and critically reflect upon the different ways to think about and conceptualize key issues and debates in political theory.

This course aims to explore a set of important issues about the theory and practice of democracy. The first part of the course will examine the challenge of meritocracy and various justifications of democracy, including those offered by Mill, Rousseau, Schumpeter, and others. The second part will address some of the most pressing problems facing liberal democracies today: how to improve the quality of public deliberation in the age of social media? How to overcome the challenges posed by populism? How to maintain the efficacy of democratic institutions in a global capitalist economy?

This course examines the political thought of tumultuous times in ancient China covering the late Spring and Autumns (770-476 BC) and Warring State (476-221 BC) periods. It focuses on the following questions: what is, for ancient thinkers, the common good for All Under Heaven? How can the ruler deliver good governance? What is the standard of political legitimacy? What role do scholars play in political order? What is the relationship between domestic and international order? How do all of these bear on the understanding of human nature?

The analogy between the intelligence analyst and the academic, evoked above by the spy fiction writer John le Carré, is theme of this course. The course teaches students about the function of intelligence in the 20th and 21st centuries, and promotes reflection on the nature of scholarly work. The connection between scholars and the spies is not just a fanciful one dreamed up by novelists. During the world wars and the Cold War, academics swelled the ranks of Anglo-Students learn about the problems of gathering evidence, interpretation, analysis, presentation, and distribution of intelligence. 

This course introduces students to the leading theories and frameworks in comparative politics, with a broad focus on political systems, institutions, and behaviors across different countries and regions. The course addresses critical questions, including why some countries are democracies while others are dictatorships; which factors contribute to the rise of populism, and how institutions shape political outcomes. 

This course introduces post-World War II Japanese history, with a focus on foreign policy and the domestic factors affecting it. The course examines Japan’s relations with Asia and the United States as well as issues such as the debate over the revision of Japan’s constitution; Japan’s security; the “history problem;” Japan’s official development assistance, and Japan’s “Soft Power” strategy. 

This course offers an introduction into the field of comparative politics with specific focus on the government and ideologies, social stratification, and institutions in the Middle East. It also includes a study of the problems of modernization and political development. It studies the similarities and differences between political systems by examining in-depth themes of analysis in order to provide certain patterns and dynamics to create a comparative framework tool in order to better understand the nature and dynamics of governance in the region. Themes include: Arab nationalism, democratization, personal rule, military involvement in politics, the politics of violence, and why civil war emerges. Specific country case studies are used as a basis to provide an in depth framework of understanding and analyzing the Middle East. The course creates an overall framework for students to navigate understanding of the region and develop a better understanding not only of individual political systems, but also an overall knowledge within that realm.

Transnational corporations and local businesses face significant challenges arising from geopolitical tensions. This course introduces the intricate relationship between geopolitics and business operations at both the international and local levels.