Political Science

The topics for this course differ each term. In spring 2024, this course has a special focus on The Origin and Development of Political Psychology: From Plato to Martha Nussbaum. Political Philosophy is conceived as the application of philosophical investigation to politics and thus as a study of the contribution that philosophy may give to political practice. This implies both a clarification of the terms used in our everyday political vocabulary and an attempt at designing models of a just society. The course provides the following: a) notions on methodology in historical investigation; b) the ability to analytically read a text while at the same time situating it into the historical and linguistic context of the age; c) knowledge of the perennial tasks of political philosophy; d) an introduction to political realism. The course is devoted to the examination of the origin and development of political psychology. It starts with Plato's notion of the tripartite soul and arrives to the role of emotions in Martha Nussbaum's thought. The first part is devoted to a clarification of the notion of 'political philosophy' and to an account of the methodology in the history of political thought.

This course introduces the various theoretical traditions and research fields of feminist political science. First, the heterogeneous field of feminist theories is presented (liberal feminism, radical feminism, socialist feminism through to intersectional, queer feminist and postcolonial approaches). Selected concepts and subdisciplines of political science are then discussed from a feminist perspective. Using the example of selected research fields, the previously introduced theoretical perspectives are subjected to critical reflection.

This course examines moral arguments relating to the functioning of markets; considers the different ways in which the use of markets may, in general terms, be justified or criticized; introduces students to a range of normative perspectives on the operation and appropriate extent of markets, and demonstrate how such ideas are deployed in political debate; and provides a detailed assessment of a number of specifically troubling areas of exchange. 

This course investigates the cultural and political significance of food within Paris, with a distinctive literary approach. Focusing on the lively debates and controversies surrounding French culinary culture, it explores how food acts as a gateway to understanding dynamic changes in cities, global systems, and national identity formation. The course analyzes how food has been instrumental in fostering ideas of community and belonging. Through a rich selection of interdisciplinary readings, literary analyses, writing assignments, and exploratory excursions throughout Paris, the course examines how food influences personal identities, everyday life, and the political sphere, with a special emphasis on its representation in literature and the arts.

This course offers an in-depth introduction to the complex historical and conceptual reality of the central role played by Constitutions in the legal systems of present day democratic societies. It explores the evolution of constitutions and constitutional thought from their medieval origin to the gradual building and consolidation of the essential defining notions and principles of the new model of the State established as a result of liberal revolutions, such as sovereignty, legality, separation of powers, or recognition and protection of individual and collective rights. This course analyzes and compares important historical constitutional texts, including the current Spanish Constitution, and the particular political, economic and social circumstances at the moment of their writing.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course studies contemporary forms of terrorism, its definitions and origins, as well as its objectives, functions, and forms, with a particular focus on counterterrorism measures implemented both by individual states and the international community. It approaches classic and current scholarship on terrorism and counterterrorism and explores many of the research puzzles that remain unanswered. Underpinned by the existing debates among scholars of terrorism, ranging from mainstream to critical perspectives, the course examines the spectrum of terrorist motivations, strategies, and operations; the socio-political, economic, and other factors and causes that can create enabling environments for terrorist group activities; and finally, the means by which governments (especially liberal democratic states) react to contemporary forms of terrorist violence in different regions of the world. Classes are enriched by guest lectures who present case studies and focus on specific geopolitical spaces that are of critical relevance for current and future trends and scenarios on terrorism and counterterrorism. This comparative analysis develops a complex understanding of historical trends, meanings, contemporary dilemmas, and challenges related to this form of political violence.

The course is divided into two main sections. Following a brief historical introduction to the discipline, students explore classical concepts and theories of IR, including power and anarchy (realism), cooperation and human rights (liberalism), norms and identity (constructivism), followed by critical perspectives on global politics such as class and dependencies (Marxism), gender and the patriarchy (feminism), and exploitation and orientalism (postcolonialism). In the second section of the course, students investigate pressing global issues like terrorism, AI, and the climate crisis, which have fundamentally altered the conduct of international politics. Finally, the course concludes with a discussion of future (im)possibilities for global politics. 

This course provides a Law and Politics study on current issues of "Democracy in Crisis" from the perspective of comparative law. The course also covers what the rule of law might mean to democracy and how these two fundamental political ideas play a mutually complementary role for each other in practice and in theory. Students explore the foundations of democracy vis a vis reasons why this political regime is still important to - and conceived as pivotal in - civil society today.  

Topics include Weakening of Referee Institutions in India, Democracy in Crisis in Southeast Asia, State Capacity and Accountability in Low-Income States, Democratic Backsliding and the Politicization of Public Employment; Nationalist Passion, Economic Interest, and the Moral Economy of the Hungarian Civic Right: 2002-2010, Election Administration and Democratic Fragility in the USA, Post-Communist Democracy, Civil Society, and the Problem of Accountability, Civil Society Resistance to Democratic Backsliding, Social Media, Disinformation, and Resilience of Democracy, and Security Imperative and Right Nationalist Politics in Contemporary Europe and USA.   

The course designs the composition and content of lectures based on the actual situation of top experts in relevant fields. Leaders, experts and scholars from Chinese government departments, international organizations, institutions and embassies in China, non-governmental organizations and well-known schools home and abroad will be eligible to be invited to give lectures this course. Students have the opportunity to engage with lecturers in an in-depth discussion of practices and challenges in the field of sustainable development. This course is mainly based on classroom lectures. The Office of International Exchange and Cooperation and the Teaching Office of Tsinghua University School of Public Policy and Management will jointly organize and identify relevant lectures. Students are required to attend no less than 16 hours of lectures after selecting the course, and submit course papers to complete the course study.

The course offers a critical reading of the work undertaken by all international criminal courts and tribunals. Throughout the course, the basic tenets of Criminal Justice and their application at the international level to discover the fragility of the international legal system, its interplay with global, regional, and local politics, and the challenges of reconciling justice with the interest of states are studied. Topics covered include the selection of cases at the international level, the relation of courts with states (participants and by-standers), the setting of goals and the measuring results of courts, determining the societal impact that courts have in the international community, determining the impact courts have on individuals (end-users) such as victims and accused, the role of international criminal courts in the writing/re-writing of history, the effectiveness of courts in responding to ever-growing international criminality and the alternatives available to address the same. The course presents challenging debates regarding the state of international criminality and justice, tests criticisms in the field with real-life practice, and sparks debates regarding solutions or alternatives to all the limitations of the international criminal justice system.