International Politics: Basic Theories and Conceptions (SZF_014)
About Study Course
Objective
To help students learn the theoretical foundations of international politics, to provide basic knowledge of the main theoretical directions and their characteristic concepts, which would allow students to find their way in the theoretical context of international relations and use theories to address specific issues of international politics.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge on political and international relations processes in the scope of the 1st year of studies of the programme.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students should have basic knowledge of the main theories and concepts of international politics. Student should be able:
• to explain the main theoretical trend, the principles of individual theories learned in the course, as well as the nature of the main concepts;
• to explain basic differences in methodological principles of theories of international relations (differences between positivism and postpositivism, explanatory and interpretive theories);
• to evaluate differences between different theories;
• to assess the suitability of individual theories to address specific international political problems.
The following skills will be acquired in the study course:
• to find one’s way in academic literature, to understand the theoretical orientation of authors and methods used;
• to choose an appropriate theory or concept for research on a particular topic;
• to use concepts and terms;
• to explain and substantiate the nature and applicability of concepts and theories to solve certain problems.
• Application of theoretical knowledge to the analysis of international politics in essays.
• Ability to substantiate and defend own views in seminar classes.
• Skill to find one’s way in literature and analyse in a concentrated way a particular problem in the report.
• To develop theoretical aspects of academic work (course paper, Bachelor’s thesis).
Study course planning
| Study programme | Study semester | Program level | Study course category | Lecturers | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Relations - European Studies, SE | 3 | Bachelor’s | Required | Elīna Vrobļevska |
