LFU:online

Topic may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated once for credit.

This course introduces students to the main concepts, practices, and problems of international politics in a global context. The course pays special attention to theoretical attempts as how to understand concepts and phenomena of international relations, the current international system, and its institutions and organizations. Moreover, the course addresses current and future global political trends and challenges. The course sets out with the foundational historical context and theoretical approaches of international relations. After introducing current theoretical approaches of international relations, the course examines several main concepts such as agency, structure, the state, power, security, war, and global governance. Once seemingly domestic political issues and problems such as matters of identity and human dignity have long since began to affect global politics. This is in particular the case for concepts of illiberal democracies or rightwing populism in Europe and the United States. The course, therefore, also addresses in more detail some of today’s most pressing global political problems such as the ones related to identity politics and human rights. Despite its theoretical and conceptual focus, the course often relies on current events and examples, mainly drawn from the US and European context.

The field trip to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial site is required for students in this course.

The University of New Orleans International Summer School program has a mandatory class attendance policy. All students are required to attend class for all morning classes and any required afternoon and/or weekend fields trips and lectures. No unexcused absences are allowed. However, LFU students who have to miss a UNO class due to LFU examinations in the first two weeks of our program, can receive one excused absence for this. Any further unexcused absences will result in an academic penalty. Each faculty member determines the penalty for missed classes. Most professors deduct a letter grade for each additional missed class day. For details, please refer to your course syllabi, which will be distributed on the first day of class. The listed ECTS credits are a recommendation by the University of New Orleans Innsbruck Summer School, based on contact hours, anticipated out-of-classroom requirements such as field trips, and projected workload for readings, assignments, and exam preparation. Mail: Center-New-Orleans@uibk.ac.at