Kickoff – session (Online from Bifröst)
Two week intensive at Bifröst University Campus, Iceland. As model societies of the modern world, the Nordic Countries are most often seen as stable states with solid wealth, high levels of 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, both domestica and placed in an international perspective. They will engage with current and former decision makers and academics in the field.
The intensive includes the following modules:
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
Political Economy analyses the relationship between the state, economic actors and society. Through literature, lectures and discussions on key texts in political economy, the course will examine the fundamental assumptions on which our understanding of the international society are based. Topics explored are (among others) 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 political 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 the process of globalisation. The role of the different actors in the international system will be examined at the level of states, international organisations, multilateral corporations and non-governmental organisations. In the second part of the course the focus will be on more 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 placed 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 have a great impact 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. Public protest themes discussed in this course are for instance; globalisation, climate change, inequality, immigration and other current issues. In recent years social media and other kinds of new media have empowered a public that till now had been kept in the shadows and have given a voice to people who were previously silent. To illustrate this we will study the #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. The resulting tension in North-South relations is the main subject of this course. Students will be introduced 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 this subject. The course also explores challenges that international migration has raised for state sovereignty, citizenship and national identity, as well as variations in policy responses aimed at controlling and/or regulating immigration and integrating immigrant populations.
Learning outcomes
Upon passing the course students should have:
In recent years western societies have seen growing support for a variety of nationalist populist political parties. This has led to the emergence of new political divides. 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 examine the emergence of the politics of lies and systematic 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:
This 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 characters of the 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 coloured by a resource race, accompanied by interstate tensions, or will the Arctic states cooperate peacefully towards 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: