MVE406 Critical Approaches to the Study of World Politics

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2002
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 10 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Gergana Císařová Dimitrova, M.A. (lecturer)
prof. PhDr. Ing. Ondřej Císař, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Markéta Pitrová, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Timetable
Mon 14:00–15:40 J.516
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives (in Czech)
This course is informed by the assumption that research in international relations benefits from being incorporated into cutting-edge social scientific thinking. By drawing on innovative vocabularies developed in other disciplines, international relations scholars acquire new tools for thinking about their subject matter, and the motivation to dwell on subjects that could not have been envisaged beforehand. The first objective of this seminar is to acquaint students with the critical theoretical projects that are recently being introduced in the field of international relations: Habermas' theory of communicative action, constructivism/poststructuralism, and Third World criticism (post-colonialism) and critical works on the Balkans and Eastern Europe. The course puts particular emphasis on inquiring into, and understanding, the conceptual architecture of each of these approaches. It seeks not only to clarify the differences between the different approaches, but also to sensitize students to both the enabling potential of these theories and their limits. It should thus allow students to discuss how these critical, and essentially interdisciplinary, approaches can possibly enhance our understanding of world politics. The second objective of the course is to encourage students to critically interrogate the sensitivity of international relations theories to the specific cultural, political, and economic problems in the periphery of the international system. It will thus seek to clarify the distinctiveness of critical scholarship emerging from within the Third World, the Balkans and Eastern Europe and will invite students to reflect on the relationship between dominant theoretical approaches and on-the-ground realities in the periphery. The seminar is broadly divided into three parts, each covering one of the above-mentioned theoretical approaches. Each of these three parts has the following structure. It begins with an inquiry into the conceptual architecture of the approach. Students will be encouraged to analyze and discuss the theoretical aspects of this scholarship while taking into account the specific problems of regions that are on the periphery of the international system (Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Third World). Next, concrete empirical applications of the theories will be discussed. This part of the seminar wants to provide students with the necessary tools to evaluate the possibilities and the limits inherent in analyzing world politics from each theory's point of view. The empirical applications of the critical approaches will focus on issues pertaining to countries on the periphery or to marginalized groups.
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Students are expected to read the required reading for each seminar. The suggested reading is only for those who have special interest in the topic and is completely optional. Students are expected to submit six reviews of six respective seminar reading. Reviews typically include (1) a short summary of the main arguments and (2) comments/criticisms/questions for discussion. The ideal review would, however, contain minimum summary and maximum commentaries. Reviews should typically be around 2 pages long, though one page more or one page less is an acceptable length. Unless otherwise specified, reviews should be sent electronically to gerganadim@hotmail.com two days before the seminar at the latest. Use .doc; .rtf; .txt; or .html format. Seminar participation. This is not a course consisting of lectures. The seminar will consist of discussion involving everyone. Students will be expected to actively participate in these discussions. In-class presentations of the reviews of the seminar reading. I will usually ask students who have submitted reviews to communicate (clarify) them to the rest of the participants during the seminar. Final Paper: Around 10 pages long, on a topic relevant to the course. NOTE: Most of the texts in the required readings are above the standard degree of language difficulty. The course is therefore only suitable for students with a fair capacity for reading and comprehension in English. Seminar discussions are also in English.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
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