Contemporary Challenges in International Relations
This course explores contemporary international relations through four thematic blocks, integrating theoretical frameworks with case studies and practical challenges relevant to today's world. Students will engage with pressing global issues through lectures, discussions, simulations, and analytical exercises.
Additionally, the course will include a visit to a museum in Barcelona to view an exhibition related to the course content.
Important Notice on Course Suitability and Activities:
Some Summer School courses are designed for students with prior academic background in a specific discipline and may be unsuitable for participants without that preparation.
In addition, certain courses include discipline-standard practical activities (for example, laboratory work with biological specimens, dissections, use of clinical or forensic material, field sampling, or other hands-on procedures) that may be unfamiliar or unsettling for some participants.
Students are responsible for reading the course descriptor carefully and ensuring (i) that they meet any stated academic expectations or prerequisites, and (ii) that they are comfortable participating in the methods and activities described.
If you are unsure about suitability, please contact the course lecturer(s) before enrolling.
| Contents | Teaching / learning activities |
|---|---|
| International Relations and Contemporary Challenges |
Day 1: Introduction to the International System Today - Power Transitions Day 2: Non-Traditional Security Perspectives: how do we understand the world? Different approaches to IR |
|
Global and Regional Dynamics |
Northeast Asia Regional Dynamics Day 3: Regional asymmetries (China’s rise, Japan’s economic miracle, South Korea’s soft power, regionalism gap). Day 4: The North Korea Nuclear Question Day 5: Post-colonialism approach, Japan’s colonial past as an impediment to multilateralism in the region (Identities and nationalism). The European Union in the Current Geopolitical Context Day 6: The European Union Day 7: Visit to Exhibition in Barcelona (TBD) |
|
The Human Security Dimension |
Forced Migration and Global Governance Day 8: Forced migration as a global issue. Concepts, figures and trends. Day 9: The fortification and externalisation of borders. Is this a trend in the Global North? Day 10: Building a model. The case of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum. Authoritarianisms, Militarisation and Armed Conflicts Day 11: The Rise of Authoritarianism: Democratic backsliding globally, digital authoritarianism and surveillance states and Civil society shrinking space Day 12: Contemporary Armed Conflicts and Humanitarian Crisis Day 13: Contemporary Armed Conflicts and Humanitarian Crisis II |
|
Final Day – Conclusions and Wrap-up |
Day 14: The Future of International Order - Synthesis and Looking Ahead |
From Monday to Friday (July 24 is a local holiday)
From 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Assessment is continuous through daily participation, written assignments, and collaborative projects that build toward a final capstone presentation synthesizing cross-cutting global issues.
Only two justified absences are permitted.
Participation in class: 10%
Submissions 1: 30%
Submissions 2: 30%
Submissions 3: 30%
Choi, J.K. & Moon, C.I (2010) “Understanding Northeast Asian regional dynamics: inventory checking and new discourses on power, interest, and identity”, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Vol. 10, pp. 343-372
Lavenex, S. (2020). “The UN Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees: A Case for Experimentalist Governance?” Global Governance, 26(4), 673–696.
Lee, M. (2022). The externalization of border control in the global South: The cases of Malaysia and Indonesia. Theoretical Criminology, 26(4), 537–556
Nah, L.T. (2013) “Explaining North Korean Nuclear Weapons Motivations: Constructivism, Liberalism, and Realism”, North Korean Review, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 61-82
Ould Moctar, H; (Octubre 2024) The EU-Maritania partnership: whose priorities. ECRE Working Paper
Shibata, R. (2018) “Identity, Nationalism and threats to Northeast Asia Peace”, Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 86-100
Roach, Steven (Ed.). (2020). Handbook of Critical International Relations, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Blanca Camps-Febrer: PhD in Politics, Policies and International Relations. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations, Security, and Development. She teaches International Relations at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Her research focuses on issues of political economy in armed conflict and post-armed conflict contexts and feminist approaches. She has authored and co-authored high-quality analyses and policy evaluations, developing operational policy recommendations on aid and security policies.
- E-mail: blanca.camps@uab.cat
Patricia Aguado. Holds a Master’s degree in International Relations, Security, and Development from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She currently works as a substitute professor of International Relations at the UAB while completing her PhD at Ewha Womans University in South Korea. Her research interests include international relations theories, international relations in East Asia, security in the Korean peninsula, and identity issues in international relations.
- E-mail: patricia.aguado@uab.cat
Estel·la Pareja Morte is a political scientist specialising in International Relations. Her areas of expertise are forced migration and human rights. She has spent most of her professional career working for non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
- E-mail: Estela.pareja@uab.cat
Claudia Rives Casanova holds a PhD in International Relations from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). She completed a Master of Arts in International Relations, Security and Development at the UAB. She has worked as project manager in different organizations in the third sector in Spain and Belgium, and she has previously worked as research assistant in Spain, Belgium and Sweden. She teaches International Relations Theory and EU Foreign Policy at the Open University of Catalonia and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
- E-mail: Claudia.rives@uab.cat