Unit Global governance and international organizations

Course
International relations
Study-unit Code
A001445
Curriculum
Migration, globalisation and world governance
Teacher
Valentina Sommella
Teachers
  • Valentina Sommella
Hours
  • 32 ore - Valentina Sommella
CFU
6
Course Regulation
Coorte 2021
Offered
2021/22
Learning activities
Caratterizzante
Area
Storico
Academic discipline
SPS/06
Type of study-unit
Obbligatorio (Required)
Type of learning activities
Attività formativa monodisciplinare
Language of instruction
English. English materials will be provided. Documentaries will be presented in their original version. International and Erasmus students are invited to attend classes. Please, feel free to contact the Professor via email for additional clarification.
Contents
The course seeks to understand the Post-Cold War World from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the present, with a special emphasis on the international relations of European, African and Asian countries. It provides an overview of the changing world order in the last decade of the twentieth century and the first two decades of the twenty-first century, paying attention to the collapse of communism and the end of the cold war; the European enlargement process and globalization; the American decline and the rise of major new powers including China; current migratory processes, conflicts, and tensions in post-Cold War Era.
Reference texts
John W. Young and John Kent, International Relations Since 1945, Paperback, 2013, Part VI and Part VII, pp. 437-624.
Educational objectives
This course offers an introduction to the history of the Post-Cold War World from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the present, with a special emphasis on the international relations of European, African and Asian countries. The aim of the course is to introduce students to the understanding of the changing world order through specialized material in order to achieve a broad and deep understanding of the global governance and international organizations.

Students will extend their knowledge of the international context by studying a wide variety of topics such as state-society relations; late development, economic growth and the global financial crises; democratization; political culture; social movements; localized conflicts; international organizations and globalization. Students acquire theoretical and methodological skills, an ability to detect problems, conduct research and analysis and compose texts, as well as presentation techniques.

Students who complete the course will have a broad knowledge of how the nations of the world have interacted since the end of the cold war to the present, recalling and understanding the importance of the key events, people and ideas of European, African and Asian civilizations chronologically. At the end of the course students should be able to: demonstrate the ability to understand the importance of the contemporary international context; understand the transformation of the global governance system; acquire a knowledge of distinctive cultural and historical features of European, African and Asian countries, with a special focus on diplomatic relations; provide in-depth evaluations of issues that affect the whole international context.

By the end of the course students will have an advanced knowledge of key moments and processes in the international relations of European, African and Asian countries and they will be able to synthesize their knowledge of the global governance across disciplinary perspectives. So, students will be able to show a good knowledge of these countries and societies and they will also deepen their knowledge on the contemporary social and political issues of a chosen European, African or Asian nation/context, acquiring the ability to apply regional studies methods to multiple or individual regions.
Prerequisites
In order to understand the arguments of the course students must have successfully passed the exams of Contemporary History and History of International Relations. Good knowledge of these subjects is important for students wishing to follow the course.
Teaching methods
The educational activities will include theoretical lessons (face-to-face), seminars, seminar lectures with audiovisual material, and DVD projections. The course will operate in formal and informal modes, combining lectures, discussions of audio-visual materials, presentations, and workshops.

Students can choose to deepen specific topics related to the course presenting and discussing a paper in class, either individually or in groups.
Other information
Attendance is optional but strongly advised.
Learning verification modality
The final exam consists in an oral examination, of about 25-30 minutes, which aims at evaluating the acquisition of sufficient knowledge on the topics of the course.

The oral exam also tests the student’s ability to communicate their ideas effectively. Students are assessed on language skills such as the fluency to explain and define academic terms and concepts, and the ability to understand and respond clearly to questions.
Extended program
The Post-Cold War World, 1990-2001:
Europe and the Former Soviet Union;
US Predominance and the Search for a Post-Cold War Order;
Stability and Instability in the Developing World.

The Age of Terror, 2001-2019:
The 'War on Terror' and the War in Afghanistan;
The Iraq War and the Middle East;
The Rise of China and the Shifting Global Balance.
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