Core

1. Power, sovereignty and international relations

  • Nature of power

    • Definitions and theories of power

    • Types of power

  • Operation of state power in global politics

    • The evolving nature of state sovereignty

    • Legitimacy of state power

  • Function and impact of international organizations and non-state actors in global politics

    • The United Nations (UN)

    • Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)

    • Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), multinational corporations (MNCs) and trade unions

    • Social movements, resistance movements and violent protest movements

    • Political parties

    • Informal forums

    • Legitimacy of non-state actors

  • Nature and extent of interactions in global politics

    • Global governance

    • Cooperation: treaties, collective security, strategic alliances, economic cooperation, informal cooperation

    • Conflict: interstate war, intrastate war, terrorism, strikes, demonstrations

2. Human rights

  • Nature and evolution of human rights

    • Definitions of human rights

    • The UN’s The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

    • Developments in human rights over time and space

  • Codification, protection and monitoring of human rights

    • Human rights laws and treaties

    • Protection and enforcement of human rights at different levels

    • Monitoring human rights agreements

  • Practice of human rights

    • Claims on human rights

    • Violations of human rights

  • Debates surrounding human rights and their application: differing interpretations of justice, liberty and equality

    • Individual versus collective rights

    • Universal rights versus cultural relativism

    • Politicization of human rights

3. Development

  • Contested meanings of development

    • Different definitions of development, including sustainable development and well-being

    • Measuring development

  • Factors that may promote or inhibit development

    • Political factors

    • Economic factors

    • Social factors

    • Institutional factors

    • Environmental factors

  • Pathways towards development

    • Models of development

    • Approaches for developing the economy

    • Approaches for developing society

  • Debates surrounding development: challenges of globalization, inequality and sustainability

    • Globalization: wins and losses

    • Inequality and development: role of politics

    • Sustainable development: role of politics

4. Peace and conflict

  • Contested meanings of peace, conflict and violence

    • Different definitions of peace, conflict and violence, including positive peace and structural violence

    • Types of conflict

    • Justifications of violence, including just war theory

  • Causes and parties to conflict

    • Causes of conflict

    • Parties to conflict

  • Evolution of conflict

    • Manifestations of conflict, including non-violence

    • Conflict dynamics

    • Third-party involvement in conflict, including humanitarian intervention

  • Conflict resolution and post-conflict transformation

    • Peacemaking, including negotiations and treaties

    • Peacebuilding, including reconciliation and work of justice institutions

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