Kickoff – session (August - At Bifröst)
Two intensive weeks at Bifröst University Campus, Iceland. Viewed as model societies of the modern world the Nordic Countries are most often seen as stable states of solid wealth, high education, wide scale public welfare, gender equality and benign foreign policies for world peace – crowned by their generous development aids, but challenged by narrow nationalist sentiments and reactionary political movements. Students will study the Nordic social, political and cultural model, the successes and challenges of the Nordic Countries, domestically and internationally. They will engage with current and former decision makers and academics in the field.
The course will include the following modules:
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
Political Economy analyses the relations between the state, economic actors, and society. Through readings, lectures and discussions on key texts in political economy, the course is used to examine the fundamental assumptions on which our understanding of the international society are based. Amongst topics explored are liberalism, conservativism, Marxism, neo-liberal institutionalism, feminism, anarchism and sociological, political and cultural theories.
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
In this course we examine the institutional architecture of the international political system which has developed since the second world war. Here we examine the role of international institutions such as the United Nations, NATO, the European Union and the Bretton Woods Institutions and the international judicial order, including the International Criminal Court and the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
In this course the history and structure of the international system will be discussed as well as key issues related to international politics. Main theories of international relations will be introduced and used to explain world politics after the Cold War and during a period of globalisation. The role of the different actors in the international system will be examined both states, international organisations, multilateral corporations and non-governmental organisations. In the second part of the course the lens will be narrowed down to specific issues of international politics e.g. international environmental issues, international trade and poverty in the developing world. The Nordic Countries‘ place as small states will be discussed and integrated where relevant.
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
This course is an introduction to economic and financial globalisation. The focus will be on global financial and economic processes, the principles of international trade and the interplay of national governments and international institutions. The course combines historical and economic analysis to uncover the forces that have shaped the current global economy, and analyses the process of globalisation and functioning of financial markets. A special focus will be on economic cycles and recent financial crises.
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
Recent years have seen various manifestations of public protests having great impacts on domestic and international politics. These events include for example the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, Anonymous and public protests in Greece, Spain, Iceland, etc. in the wake of the financial crisis. Amongst thematic public protests discussed in this course are ones aimed against for instance; globalisation, climate change, inequality, immigration and other current issues. In recent years social media and other kinds of new mediums have served to empower publics that before were kept in the shadows and given voice to previously silent people. Here we will for instance look into the so-called #metoo revolution.
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
Recent years have seen a rise in international migration due to several international challenges, such as civil wars and climate change. This has caused a certain strain in North-South relations which this course will examine. It will introduce students to the characteristics, causes, effects and implications of evolving patterns of population movement. The relationship between migration, on the one hand, and economic development, environmental change, conflict and social change, on the other, will be explored in detail. Migration is a heavily gendered process, and special attention will be devoted to that aspect. The course explores challenges which international migration has raised for e.g. state sovereignty and conceptions of citizenship and national identity, along with variations in policy response aiming at to controlling or regulating immigration and integrating immigrant populations.
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
In recent years western societies have seen rising support for varieties of nationalist populist political parties. This has led to emergence of new political dividing lines. Political conflicts are no longer primarily flanked by the traditional left and right in an economical sense but are increasingly polarized by conservative nationalists and internationalist liberals. Populist movements are of various kinds and usually tap into heritage and specific characteristics of their own nation rather than basing their politics on universal values. In this course, students will turn their sights on the emergence of politics of lies and systemic misinformation tactics – often referred to as Post-Truth Politics. Finally, students will explore the flora of conspiracy theories upheld by populist political actors.
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
The course is intended for students interested in the theoretical and practical approaches to the question of peace, the problems of conflict and violence, and responses to them. The course is divided into three parts. The first part explores the changing characterisation of conflicts in the post-Cold War international system and the different functions of conflict. In the second part, students will examine the causes and dynamics of conflict: economic and political grievances; human security; nationalism, ethnicity and identity; the role of gender, culture and environmental change in conflict. The course will also introduce students to the political economy of war, warlordism and the functions of patrimonialism in building political power in fragile states. The last part of the course is concerned with theories of peace, the differing concepts and accounts of peace theory and how peace is secured with a specific focus on the Nordic approach to peacekeeping and peacemaking and the role of Gender as reflected in UN resolution 1325.
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
The course will focus on Arctic politics, the global importance of the Arctic region and how both globalisation and climate change are transforming the geopolitical status of the region and influencing the positions of the Arctic states within the international political economy. Will the future of the Arctic be colored by a resources race, accompanied with interstate tensions, or will the Arctic states cooperate peacefully on the sustainable development of the region? Topics covered will include a discussion of Arctic related international institutions, Arctic policies of states in the region and the role of local communities, including indigenous populations. A special focus will be on how the changing position of the region is creating both threats and opportunities for the Arctic states.
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have: