Political Science

This course studies the origin and evolution of national, ethnic and supranational identities, social and economic determinants of attitudes towards immigration, and the process of changing cultural values. Ethno-territorial conflicts in the contemporary world and the debate on the clash of cultures are covered, as well as the cultural dimension of regional integration processes, such as the case of the European Union.

This course explores the approaches, analytical models, and key concepts in political theory. It covers liberalism, conservatism, socialism and ideological variants, and other ideologies like racialism, colonialism, imperialism, and totalitarianism.

This course provides a study of the main theories of conflict and violence, the evolution and determinants of interstate wars, intrastate conflict, and terrorism, conflict resolution, and peace keeping.

This course examines democratic theory. It covers topics as justifications of democracy, different types of democracy, democracy in different cultural communities, democracy’s relationship to social justice, populism, capitalism, and globalization.

This course offers a study of the physical and natural environment of Spain. It examines Spain's territory in relation to its social environment and economy, both nationally and regionally. This course also discusses Spain's diversity through examination of its natural regions and its autonomous communities. Finally, it focuses on the transition to democracy, the Spanish constitution and current institutions, and Spanish society today.

This course examines how problems are effectively framed and how ideas and evidence can be practically applied to policy solutions. 

This course explores the complex relationship between public administration and democratic governance. It reviews a set of themes in public administration as they relate to democracy. The course also discusses the case of Korea as an example of how public administration and democratic governance are intricately entwined and interdependent.

This course covers global issues and the impacts of the globalization on the East Asian countries. It examines the concept of globalization and discusses international and transnational Issues in East Asia. Topics include the globalization of world politics; its distinction from internationalization; the driving forces behind globalization; state sovereignty; environmental Issues; sustainable development; 1992 UN Conference; nuclear proliferation; properties that distinguish nuclear weapons from conventional forms; changes in the motivations for acquiring nuclear weapons; nuclear proliferation concerns that have stemmed from the dissolution of the Soviet Union; humanitarian intervention and values; European and regional integration; and the spread, function, and implications of nationalism.

Since the 1983's March for equality and against racism (“Marche des Beurs”), up until the current debates on Islamism separatism, the French public sphere is struggling with a new intellectual debate, which can be described as “the postcolonial question”. By defining and questioning this phrasing, this course first establishes a political history of immigration in France, and how it has deeply defined and redefined the definitions of social progress. Moreover, using diverse approaches in social science, the course explains this rising issue of identity politics in France which seems to have deeply impacted the political scene. The appearance of this issue is mostly due to economic crises, recent immigration waves and diverse social and political movements which stirred a topical debate on the notion of identity - but also the parallels established with the American debate on race and gender, and how the French university has used (or refused) these categories. Analyzing the evolution of immigration and Islam in France, and how the administration has tried to address these stakes, the course discusses political and religious phenomena which currently are one of the main fault lines within French parties - both within the left and the right, on the question of integration or assimilation, on a liberal or strict vision of laïcité. The teaching mainly focuses on France, in order to understand the consequences of these events as a matter of domestic policy. However, those dynamics are systematically compared to foreign similar events and replaced in a Euro-Mediterranean context through a comprehensive chronology.