International Political Relations 1
- Credits: 7
- Ending: Examination
- Range: 4P + 4C
- Semester: summer
- Year: 1
- Faculty of International Relations
Teachers
Included in study programs
Teaching results
The aim of the course is to understand the basic theoretical and historical-logical context of
international political relations as a basic prerequisite for the study of other subjects of political
science, economics and law at the Faculty of International Relations EUBA. The ambition of the
course is to contribute to the preparation of graduates equipped with knowledge, skills and
competencies that are required to apply as a qualified professional in the field of international
political relations at the level of lower and middle management in Slovak or international companies operating in an international environment.
Knowledge:
The student will learn the basic terminology, principles of operation of processes and phenomena and the essence of facts from the field of international political relations. He/she will be able to analyse the basic historical and logical context determining the nature of current international political relations and take a critical view of them. He/she will gain the ability to apply the acquired theoretical knowledge in practical life and to orientate himself in the field of international political relations in the performance of his profession.
Competences:
In accordance with the graduate profile, he/she will gain the competence to work as a member of an expert team in the field of international political relations. He/she will be able to think critically, abstract relevant facts in the field that will be the subject of his job, especially in an international team or in a national team in cooperation with foreign partners. In his/her job, he/she will be able to present his/her own proposals and solutions at the level of lower and middle management. He/she will gain the competence to relevantly evaluate theoretical and practical issues in state and municipal administration, in public and private institutions, in the field of international political relations. He/she will have social, moral and the ethical knowledge needed to apply them to a wide range of social and political knowledge and skills.
Skills:
As part of the study of the subject International Political Relations I., he / she will acquire the ability to independently creatively prepare materials for decision-making within his/her professional activity and to continue to expand and enrich own knowledge and skills with the latest knowledge in the field of international politics. The graduate will be able to creatively use communication methods in the management of relations with partners of the institution in which he/she will work.
After completing the course, the student should:
- recognize and understand key concepts and terminology related to the theory and history of
international relations;
- be able to identify the main historical stages of international relations, their development, the
reasons for their expansion or fall;
- master the basic terminological instruments of the theory of international relations and be able to have a critical professional discussion on topics related to theoretical and historical issues of an
international-political nature.
Indicative content
Introduction to Theories of International Relations. Constructivism. Poststructuralism, and Postcolonialism. Postcolonialism. Marxism. Global Political Ecology. Celebrities. Introduction to the Study of International Organizations. Structure, Actors, Decision-Making Processes, and Lobbying in International Organizations. The UN. Regional Security Organizations: OSCE and NATO. Regional Organizations of the Global South: ASEAN and the African Union. Digital Diplomacy and International Organizations. Selected Current Issues in International Relations.
Support literature
Abrahamsen, R. (2004). “The power of partnerships in global governance”. Third World Quarterly 25 (8): 1453–67.
Archer, C. (2015). International Organizations, Fourth Edition, Londýn – NY: Routledge.
Bjola, C., Zaiotti, R. (2020). Digital Diplomacy and International Organisations. Autonomy, Legitimacy and Contestation. Londýn – New York: Routledge. 320 s.
Brand, U., Wissen, M. (2022). Imperiální způsob života. Každodenní život a ekologická krize kapitalismu. Praha: Neklid.
Brand, U., Wissen, M. (2021). The Imperial Mode of Living: Everyday Life and the Ecological Crisis of Capitalism. London New York: Verso.
Budabin, A. C., Rasmussen, L. M., Richey, L. A. (2017). “Celebrity-led development organisations: the legitimating function of elite engagement”. Third World Quarterly 38 (9): 1952–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2017.1322465.
Čech, Ľ. (2021). Medzinárodné vzťahy v období od skončenie tridsaťročnej vojny do začiatku prvej svetovej vojny (1648 – 1914). Bratislava: Vydavateľstvo EKONÓM. 105 s.
Gutner, T. (2016). International Organizations in World Politics. New York: SAGE, 2016. 304 s.
Hall, S. (1992). “The West and the Rest”. V Formations of Modernity, by Bram Gieben a Milton Keynes, 275–320. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Hall, S. (1997). “The Spectacle of the ‘Other’”. V Representation. Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, zostavil Hall, Stuart, 223–79. London: SAGE and the Open University.
Hurd, I. (2020). International Organizations. Politics, Law, Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 330 s.
Hickel, Jason. (2020). “Quantifying National Responsibility for Climate Breakdown: An Equality-Based Attribution Approach for Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Excess of the Planetary Boundary”. The Lancet Planetary Health 4 (9): 399–404. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30196-0.
Hickel, J. (2023). Propast. Stručný průvodce nerovnostmi a jejich řešeními. Praha: Peoplecomm.
Hickel, J. (2017). The divide: a brief guide to global inequality and its solutions. London: William Heinemann.
Hickel, J., Dorninger, C., Wieland, H., Suwandi, I. (2022). “Imperialist appropriation in the world economy: Drain from the global South through unequal exchange, 1990–2015”. Global Environmental Change 73 (marec):102467.
Karlas, J. (2015). Mezinárodní organizace: systémy spolupráce mezi státy. Praha : Sociologické nakladatelství, 347 s.
Katz Cogan, J., Hurd, I., Jonston, I. eds. (2016). Oxford Handbook of International Organizations, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1344 s.
Kurucz, M. (2021). Medzinárodné organizácie. Bratislava: Sprint. 171 s.
Osborn, Ronald. (2009) “Noam Chomsky and the realist tradition”. Review of International Studies 35 (2): 351–70. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260210509008559.
Park, S. (2018). International Organisations and Global Problems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 324 s.
Rittberger, V. et al. (2019). International Organization. Londýn: Bloomsbury Publishing. 286 p.
Rittberger, V., Zangl, B., Kruck, A., Dijkstra, H. (2019). International Organization, Third Edition, Londýn: Red Globe Press. 286 s.
Schmelzer, M., Vansintjan, A., Vetter, A. (2023). Budoucnost je nerůst. Praha: Peoplecomm, s. 73–116, s. 124–143.
Schmelzer, M., Vetter, A., Vansintjan, A. (2022). The Future Is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism. New York: Verso, chap. 3 (except 3.5, 3.8, 3.9).
Sterling-Folker, J. (2013). “Neoliberalism”. V International Relations: Discipline and Diversity, zostavil Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki, a Steve Smith, 114–31. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Škvrnda, F., Čech, Ľ., Kucharčík, R. (2021). Teória medzinárodných vzťahov. Bratislava: Vydavateľstvo EKONÓM. 183 s.
Weiss, G.T., Wilkinson, R. eds. (2018). International Organization and Global Governance, Londýn – New York: Routledge, 2018. 844 s.
Syllabus
1. Introduction to Theories of International Relations, Philosophical Dilemmas in IR Theories, Realism, Noam Chomsky as a Realist and the Dominant Understanding of Realism, Structural Realism, Defensive and Offensive Neorealism, Liberalism and Neoliberalism, Democratic Peace and Its Critique. 2. Constructivism, Poststructuralism, and Postcolonialism, Discourse and Power, Securitization Theory, Hybrid “War” in the Media Space, Racism, Stereotypes about the Other. 3. Postcolonialism, the Origins of Western Domination, Neocolonialism Today, the Role of the State in the Era of Globalization, Three Forms of Power in International Relations, Reparations. 4. Marxism, Classical Theories of Imperialism, Global and Eastern European Value Drain, Gramsci and Hegemony, the Connection between Marxism and Ecology, Capitalism. 5. Global Political Ecology, Climate Inequality in International Politics, the Paris Agreement, SDGs, Various Approaches to the Environment, Resources, Diversity of Economies. 6. Celebrities, Three Critiques of Celebrity Engagement in International Politics, Poverty and Inequality in International Relations, MDGs, SDGs, Different Ways of Measuring Poverty and Inequality, Development Aid. 7. Introduction to the Study of International Organizations. 8. Structure, Actors, Decision-Making Processes, and Lobbying in International Organizations. 9. The UN, Organizational Structure, Goals and Activities, Collective Security, Political-Security Agenda, Peacekeeping, UN Reform. 10. Regional Security Organizations: OSCE and NATO, Their Organizational Structure, Goals and Activities, Cooperative Security, Collective Defense. 11. Regional Organizations of the Global South: ASEAN and the African Union, Their Organizational Structure, Goals and Activities, Key Challenges of Political and Economic Integration. 12. Digital Diplomacy and International Organizations. 13. Selected Current Issues in International Relations.
Requirements to complete the course
The final student assessment is based on continuous assessment during the semester and the final written exam according to the following criteria: 70% is made up of continuous assessment (writing of text excerpts at home 24%, presentation of papers 10%, tests and excerpts written in class 20%, essay 10%, activity 6%) and 30% is made up of the final exam.
Student workload
Attendance at lectures 52 hours, participation in seminars 52 hours, preparation for seminars and semestral project 56 hours, preparation for the exam 26 hours.
Language whose command is required to complete the course
Slovak language
Date of approval: 13.03.2024
Date of the latest change: 09.04.2025