Sociology of International Relations 2104-UPIR-D2SOIR
1. Organisational Class
2. How to observe and test social behaviour? A short introduction.
- Homework – prepare a memo (max 1 page, bullet points): What are, in your opinion, the criteria of belonging to your national community? [presentation – next class]
3. Identity and nations
- Chapters: 5, 12, 13 (Edkins & Zehfuss)
- Additional reading: Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Revised edition. London, New York: Verso, 2016.
4. Religion and secularism
- Chapter 6 (Edkins & Zehfuss)
- Additional reading: Thomas, Scott M. The Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations: The Struggle for the Soul of the Twenty-First Century. Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. pp. 1-21.
- Task: Put to the test the freedom of expression of religious identity at the university (in your students groups in social media) [presentation – next class]
5. Power, authority, legitimacy
- Chapter 7 (Edkins & Zehfuss)
- Additional reading:
Max Weber, "The three types of legitimate rule", Berkeley Publications in Society and Institutions".1958, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1-11.
Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power. The Indispensable Chomsky, Vintage, 2002, pp. 267-287.
- Task: Experiment how the authority works and track power relations in your surroundings, e.g. university, work, student club [presentation – next class]
6. From colonialism to the era of intervention
- Chapters: 15, 16, 21 (Edkins & Zehfuss)
- Additional reading: Thomas, Martin, & Andrew Thompson. "Empire and Globalisation: from ‘High Imperialism’ to Decolonisation". The International History Review 36, no. 1 (2014): 142-170.
Said, Edward W. Culture And Imperialism. Random House Group Ltd, 2014.
Eristavi, Maksym. Five Myths That Helped Russian Colonialism Remain Hidden in Plain Sight. EUvsDisinfo, 2023. https://euvsdisinfo.eu/five-myths-that-helped-russian-colonialism-remain-hidden-in-plain-sight/.
- Task: Track manifestations of Eurocentrism in discursive practices (cultural texts). [presentation – next class]
7. Language and Media
- Chapters: 2, 8 (Edkins & Zehfuss)
- Additional reading: Chomsky, Noam. Understanding power: the indispensable Chomsky. Edited by Peter R. Mitchell & John Schoeffel. New York: New Press, 2002. pp. 12-37.
8. Language and Media
- Presenting Team Work: Analyze the content of the media coverage on the chosen topic for the given edition.
9. Language and Media part 2
10. Test
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Term 2023L: | Term 2024L: |
Learning outcomes
Students become acquainted with the theories of leading sociologists whose concepts shape the research of international relations. They learn about the latest trends in area studies with emphasis on the social dimension of international relations. Students are encouraged to conduct their own research (experiments) in order to better understand the presented sociological theories. They learn how to prepare and present their own research projects. They learn how to present their research results in a succinct manner. They gain experience of working in a group.
Assessment criteria
The fundamental condition of receiving a graded pass is the presence during classes. Student has a right to be absent twice and only during these weeks when she/he does not perform a presentation (!)
Obligatory:
1. Presence on lectures (ONLY two absences are tolerated)
2. Participation in weekly discussions
3. Preparing and presenting assignments
4. Final test
During the course each student is expected to prepare 3 different assignments, differing in form and difficulty:
- a memo on belonging to national community (5%)
- task on the selected topic (20%)
- team work (analyzing mass media coverage) (15%)
If a student failed to prepare at least one out of three assignments, he/she is not allowed to take the final test.
By being active (covering compulsory readings, asking questions, comments, participating in discussions) during classes a student can increase his/her final mark by 20%. However, this is only the case, if the student has succeeded in passing the final test.
Overall point from the tasks: 40%
Exam: 60%
System of grades:
55% - 3 (pass)
75% - 4 (good)
90% - 5 (very good)
Practical placement
not included
Bibliography
- Edkins, Jenny, & Maja Zehfuss, eds. Global Politics: A New Introduction. 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2019. (the primary textbook)
- Cohen, Robin, & Paul Kennedy. Global Sociology. 4th ed. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017.
- McSweeney, Bill. Security, Identity and Interests. A Sociology of International Relations, Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Lektura uzupełniająca:
- Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Revised edition. London, New York: Verso, 2016.
- Thomas, Scott M. The Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations: The Struggle for the Soul of the Twenty-First Century. Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
- Weber, Max. "The three types of legitimate rule", Berkeley Publications in Society and Institutions. 1958, vol. 4, no. 1. pp. 1-11.
- Thomas, Martin, & Andrew Thompson. "Empire and Globalisation: from ‘High Imperialism’ to Decolonisation". The International History Review 36, no. 1 (2014): 142-170.
- Chomsky, Noam. Understanding power: the indispensable Chomsky. Edited by Peter R. Mitchell & John Schoeffel. New York: New Press.
- Tilly, Charles. The politics of collective violence. Cambridge, U.K. ; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
- Said, Edward W. Culture And Imperialism. Random House Group Ltd, 2014.
- Bauman, Zygmunt, & Carlo Bordoni. State of Crisis. John Wiley & Sons, 2014.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: