6 ECTS credits
150 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1021432CER for all students in the 2nd semester at a (C) Bachelor - specialised level.
This course centres around politics in these parts of the world referred to as ‘the Global South’. Taking contemporary political dynamics in the post-colony as a starting point enables us to better understand global politics of development, conflict, mobility and protest. The course introduces students to the complex and dynamic nature of politics in Southeast and East Asia, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa. Various current political developments in these regions (such as violent protest, military interventions, peace processes, democratisation) will be discussed in class. A number of scholars from different localities in the Global South will provide contemporary case-studies that will be discussed and analysed in a participatory manner. By linking these case-studies to broader theoretical debates, students learn to understand political concepts such as state-society relations, legitimacy, political authority or development from a Global South-perspective.
In the first part, we critically deconstruct the ‘Global South’ as a de-territorialised notion and a political subjectivity. The so-called ‘southern turn’ in political science will be explained, and a number of key historical processes that shaped the current contours of the Global South (colonialism, development narratives & interventions, neoliberal globalization) will be briefly introduced. These classes take place in the form of ex-cathedra lectures.
In the second part, we then zoom in on the particular translation of a number of key political concepts in different parts of the post-colonial world, their operationalization & the nature of actors involved. In collaboration with scholars in and from different localities of the Global South, a number of interactive seminars will be organised, discussing concrete case-studies. For each seminar, one group of students will be assigned to take the lead in organizing a class discussion.
Description of expected study load
General competences:
In terms of the Learning outcomes of the BSc in Social Sciences:
LO3: knows the cross-sections, the intersections and the cross-fertilisations that exist amongst the different social sciences;
LO5: knows and can explain the multilayered and complex character of global social and political facts and phenomena;
LO8: can interpret and analyse contemporary politics of the Global South and can take position, relying on contemporary theories in the domain of the social sciences and political, in debates on them;
LO12: can, with limited supervision, apply social theories and concepts to a well-delineated, socially and scientifically relevant research topic in the domain of the social sciences;
LO16: can report, independently, on his/her research in both oral and written form;
LO17: can work in team and collaborate with peers in a relationship of mutual respect.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Political Sciences