PDF for print Find calendar

Transnational Disruptions (Current Global and Development Challenges and Solutions)

Title
Transnational Disruptions (Current Global and Development Challenges and Solutions)
Semester
E2022
Master programme in
Global Studies * / International Development Studies * / Global and Development Studies / European Master in Global Studies
Type of activity

Course

Teaching language
English
Study regulation
REGISTRATION AND STUDY ADMINISTRATIVE
Registration

Sign up for study activities at STADS Online Student Service within the announced registration period, as you can see on the Study administration homepage. When signing up for study activities, please be aware of potential conflicts between study activities or exam dates.

The planning of activities at Roskilde University is based on the recommended study programs which do not overlap. However, if you choose optional courses and/or study plans that goes beyond the recommended study programs, an overlap of lectures or exam dates may occur depending on which courses you choose.

Number of participants
ECTS
10
Responsible for the activity
Michael Friederich Kluth (kluth@ruc.dk)
Head of study
Teachers
Study administration
ISE Studyadministration (ise-studyadministration@ruc.dk)
Exam code(s)
U60371
ACADEMIC CONTENT
Overall objective

A specialisation course aims to allow students to immerse themselves in the theories/theory lines and empirical issues pertaining to a particular subject area. The course equips students to competently select and argue for the applicability and relevance of a theory/theory line to given issues. The courses offered are based on the Institute's research in the field and knowledge of the highest international standard. The specific subject area of the courses will be described in the activity description.

Current Global and Development Challenges and Solutions addresses various global and development challenges, such as conflicts, questions of justice, inequality, sustainability, and effects for instance on states, markets and civil society.

Detailed description of content

Transnational disruptions can be global, regional or bilateral and affect social systems, economic structures and political orders. Transnational disruptions are recurrent phenomena and can entail accumulation of great wealth, empowerment and successful polities. But they can also bring about poverty, suppression and political collapse.

Disruptions can be driven by a wide range of forces including environmental changes (e.g. climate), technological innovation (e.g. industrialization), social change (e.g. migration period) or ideas (e.g. liberalism). Often these drivers combine, e.g.: industrialization<->urbanization (migration)<->liberalism<->climate change. Since the second world war, profound transnational disruptions have included de-colonization (~60 years ago), the end of the Cold War (~30 years ago) and the demise of the Western Liberal order (~12 years ago). At a regional level, the latter is mirrored in Brexit and member state contestation of the European Union.

In this course, emphasis will be on political instances of contemporary transnational disruptions. These include the return of great power rivalry, the revival of nationalism and secessionist currents, alliance tensions and hostile incursions, climate governance disruptions and political implications of global health crises.

Course material and Reading list

Readings include articles from top journals supplemented by working papers and public reports and policy assessments. A sample is listed below:

C. Alden & Aran (2017) Foreign Policy Analysis. New Approaches, Routledge, 19-44.

J. Ikenberry (2018) "The End og the Liberal International Order?" International Affairs, 94:1, 7-23.

J. Ikenberry & Daniel H. Nexon (2019) Hegemony Studies 3.0: The Dynamics of Hegemonic Orders, Security Studies 28(3), 395-421

J. Ikenberry and Amitai Etzioni (2011) Point of Order: Is China More Westphalian Than the West? Foreign Affairs , Nov/Dec 2011, Vol. 90, No. 6, 172-176

John M. Hobson (2009) Provincializing Westphalia: The Eastern origins of sovereignty, International Politics Vol. 46, No. 6, 671–690

Ryan D. Griffiths (2016) States, Nations, and Territorial Stability: Why Chinese Hegemony Would Be Better for International Order, Security Studies, Vol. 25, No. 3, 519-545

R. Foot & A. King (2021) "China's world view in the Xi Jinping Era: Where do Japan, Russia and the USA fit?" The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 23:2, 210-227.

J. Weiss & J.L. Wallace (2021) "Domestic Politics, China's Rise and the Future of the Liberal International Order", International Organization, Spring, 635-664.

Zhao (2019) "Is a new cold war inevitable? Chinese Perspectives on US-China Strategic Competition", The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 371-394.

Götz & Merlen (2019) "Russia and the question of world power", European Politics and Society, 20:2, 133-153.

V. Keating & Kaczmarska (2019) "Conservative soft power: liberal soft power bias and the 'hidden' attraction of Russia", Journal of International Relations and Development, 22, 1-27.

Mariam O. Fofana (2021) Decolonising global health in the time of COVID-19, Global Public Health, 16:8-9, 1155-1166,

M. Mastanduno (2019) "Liberal hegemony, international order and US foreign policy: A reconsideration", The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 21: 1, 47-54.

John Mearsheimer (2018) 'The Impossible Dream' in Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities, pp. 1-13

Muller, J. W. (2019). False flags: The myth of the nationalist resurgence. Foreign Aff., 98, 35-41.

Jakub Wondreys & Cas Mudde (2020) Victims of the Pandemic? European Far-Right Parties and COVID-19, Nationalities Papers, 1–18

Canovan, M. (1999). Trust the people! populism and the two faces of democracy. Political Studies, 47(1), 2–16

Rajesh Basrur & Frederick Kliem (2021) Covid-19 and international cooperation: IR paradigms at odds, SN Social Sciences volume 1(7)

Thomas Christiansen (2020) The EU's New Normal Consolidating European Integration in an Era of Populism and Geo-Economics, Journal of Common Market Studies, 58(S1) 13-27Fil

Witraud Schelkle (2021) Fiscal Integration in an Experimental Union - Journal of Common Market Studies 59(Sept. 5 online)

D.A. Lake et al. (2021) "Challenges to the Liberal order: reflections on 'International Organization'", International Organization, 75, Spring, 225-257.

Rauch, C. (2018) Chapter 5: Realism and Power Transition Theory: Different Branches of the Power Tree in Orsi, D., Avgustin, R.R. & Nurnus, Max (eds.) Realism in Practice: An Appraisal, E-International Relations Publishing, Bristol, UK. Pp. 53-71

M. David & R. Deyermond (2020) "Russia in the liberal world order", 405-416.

L. Jones (2020) "Does China's Belt and Road Initiative Challenge the LIberal, Rules-Based order?", Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 13, 113-133.

J. Howorth (2021) Europe and Biden: Towards a new transatlantic pact? Wilfred Martens Center for European Studies, Brussels.

J. Peterson (2018) "Stucture, agency and transatlantic relations in the Trump era", Journal of European Integration, 40:5, 637-652.

M. Riddervold &. A. Newsome (2018) "Transatlantic relations in a time of uncertainty: crisis and EU-US relations", Journal of European Integration, 40:5, 505-521.

P. Müller, K. Pomorska & B. Tonra (2021) "The domestic challenge to EU foreign policy-making: From Europeanization to de-Europeanization? Journal of European Integration, 43: 5, 519-534.

R.S. Oliveira & H. Verhoeven (2018) "Taming Interventions: Sovereignty, Statehood and Political order in Africa", Survival. Global Politics and Strategy, 60:2, 7-32.

M.Parizek & D. Stephen (2020) "The long march through the institutions: Emerging powers and the staffing of international organizations", Cooperation & Conflict, 1-20.

M. Brosig (2017) "Rentier peacekeeping in neo-patrimonial systems: The example of Burundi and Kenya", Contemporary Security Policy, 38:1, 109-128.

E. Hanonou & G. Rye Olsen (2020) "Niger - Europe's border guard? Limits to the externalization of the European Union's migration policy", Journal of European Integration, 1-15.

P.K.Lee & L-H Chan (2016) "China's and India's persepctives on military intervention: why Africa but not Syria? Australian Journal of International Affairs, 70:1, 179-214.

C. Nyere (2020) "NATO's 2011 invasion of Libya: Colonialism repackaged? in: E. Benyera (ed.) Reimagining Justice, Human Rights and Leadership in Africa, Springer, 123-156.

A. Addis & Z. Zuping (2018) "Criticism of neo-colonialism: clarification of Sino-African cooperation and its implications for the West", Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, 16:3, 357-373.

Sterio, M. (2018). Self-determination: historical underpinnings. In Secession in International Law (pp. 9–28). Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.

Dalle Mulle, E., & Serrano, I. (2019). Between a principled and a consequentialist logic: theory and practice of secession in Catalonia and Scotland. Nations and Nationalism, 25(2), 630–651. https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12412

Cetrà, D., & Harvey, M. (2019). Explaining accommodation and resistance to demands for independence referendums in the UK and Spain. Nations and Nationalism, 25(2), 607–629. https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12417

Massetti, E. (2021). The European Union and the challenge of ‘independence in Europe’: Straddling between (formal) neutrality and (actual) support for member-states’ territorial integrity, Regional & Federal Studies, 1-24, DOI: 10.1080/13597566.2021.1967326

Closa, C. (2019). A critique of the theory of democratic secession. In Between Democracy and Law (pp. 49-61). Routledge.

Overall plan and expected work effort

Classes:

The course consist of lectures but students are expected to actively participate by asking questions and contribute to class discussions

Preparation:

As part of the course, the student is expected to prepare for classes by reading assigned texts for the given session. Teachers in turn pledge to make use of the students' preparation in the teaching.

The course is 10 ECTS, so approximately total 275 hours. Weekly estimated workload is approximately 17 hours (2 hours of presence and 15 hours preparation) for the 13 weeks of classes (17*13=221 hours).

Expect around 49 hours of preparation for the exam

See inspiration to activity forms here and ETCS declaration here

Format
Evaluation and feedback

The activity are evaluated regularly regarding the study board evaluation procedure. The activity responsible will be orientated about a potential evaluation of the activity at semesterstart. Se link to the study board evaluation praxis here https://intra.ruc.dk/nc/for-ansatte/organisering/raadnaevn- og-udvalg/oversigt-over-studienaevn/studienaevn-for-internationale-studier/arbejdet-medkvalitet- i-uddannelserne/

Programme

Sessions (provisional):

1) Theories and core concepts on Transnational Order and Disruption (Michael Kluth)

2) Foreign policy analysis and the disruption/break down of the liberal international order (Gorm Rye Olsen)

3) EU and the disruption of the liberal international order and disruptive nationalist backlash (Michael Kluth)

4) The US and Europe - The transatlantic alliance: disruption and realignment (Gorm Rye Olsen)

5) The illiberal regimes and liberal governments (I.e. China/Russia versus EU & US) (Gorm Rye Olsen)

6) Undisruptable? The Global triumph of Westphalia (Michael Kluth)

7) National Interest and the Disruption of Global Climate Governance

8) Border disruptions – Incursions, Invasions and Refugee crises (Michael Kluth)

9) Pandemics, Power Politics and Panicking Publics (Michael Kluth)

10) AMR: confronting a looming global Health catastrophe (Olivier Rubin)

11) Colonialism, the Global South and the challenge to the Western Order (Gorm Rye Olsen)

12) Nationalism & Secessionist currents in Western Europe (Mathias Holst Nicolaisen/Angela Bourne)

13) Structural, Institutional & Domestic disruptions – the daunting prospects for the Middle East (Gorm Rye Olsen)

ASSESSMENT
Overall learning outcomes

  • Be able to explain and evaluate, using relevant terminology, the advantages and disadvantages of various theories/theory lines within the aspect of a subject area that is dealt with in the specialisation course

  • Be able to confidently and independently evaluate, select and apply relevant theories in relation to an issue

  • Be able to reflect critically on the relevance of the topic to the subject matter of the course

  • Carry out analyses on a scientific basis and deal in a creative and solution-oriented manner with central issues within the course theme

  • Communicate knowledge in language that is technically precise, well-structured and well-argued.

Form of examination
Individual oral exam with time for preparation.

Time for preparation including time to pick a question by drawing lots: 25 minutes.
Time allowed for exam including time used for assessment: 25 minutes.

Permitted support and preparation materials: All (only notes written during the preparation may be brought into the exam).

Assessment: 7-point grading scale.
Moderation: Internal co-assessor.
Form of Re-examination
Samme som ordinær eksamen / same form as ordinary exam
Type of examination in special cases
Examination and assessment criteria

Explain core terminology and theories from international politics on transnational disruptions ​

Describe ongoing and recent shifts in international orders globally and regionally and relate them to core terminology and theories from international politics.

Analyze the political dynamics of contemporary cross-border challenges such as e.g. secessionist movements, health crisis,​​ climate change and great power rivalry.​

Demonstrate ability to apply theories from international politics on the dynamics of contemporary cross-border challenges.​

Exam code(s)
Exam code(s) : U60371
Last changed 27/05/2022

lecture list:

Show lessons for Subclass: 1 Find calendar (1) PDF for print (1)

Wednesday 07-09-2022 08:15 - 07-09-2022 10:00 in week 36
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 14-09-2022 08:15 - 14-09-2022 10:00 in week 37
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 21-09-2022 08:15 - 21-09-2022 10:00 in week 38
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 28-09-2022 08:15 - 28-09-2022 10:00 in week 39
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 05-10-2022 08:15 - 05-10-2022 10:00 in week 40
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 12-10-2022 08:15 - 12-10-2022 10:00 in week 41
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 26-10-2022 08:15 - 26-10-2022 10:00 in week 43
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 02-11-2022 08:15 - 02-11-2022 10:00 in week 44
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 09-11-2022 08:15 - 09-11-2022 10:00 in week 45
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 16-11-2022 08:15 - 16-11-2022 10:00 in week 46
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 30-11-2022 08:15 - 30-11-2022 10:00 in week 48
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 07-12-2022 08:15 - 07-12-2022 10:00 in week 49
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Wednesday 14-12-2022 08:15 - 14-12-2022 10:00 in week 50
Transnational Disruptions (GDS, EMGS)

Thursday 12-01-2023 08:00 - Monday 16-01-2023 18:00 in week 02 and week 03
Transnational Disruptions - Exam

Tuesday 14-02-2023 08:00 - 14-02-2023 18:00 in week 07
Transnational Disruptions - Reexam