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Module M111 „Classical Social and Political Theory“ “What is the good order?” is one of the perennial questions that inspired social and political theory from Aristotle via Locke and Rousseau to Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. The module gives insights into recurrent themes, highlighting such fundamental questions as justice, equality, freedom, peace, power, legitimacy, sovereignty, citizenship and democracy. Students acquire the ability to theorize about contemporary problems in light of groundbreaking questions that have already been raised in earlier times. Classical writings are considered in light of the social and political circumstances that shaped their insights and in terms of their enduring relevance for contemporary theory. To transmit these insights and skills the selection of writings as well as the focus on the prevalent themes in social or political theory can vary. Module M112 „Contemporary Social and Political Theory“ The module illuminates new themes pursued in contemporary theory. Students are familiarized with various epistemological approaches and schools of thought such as structuralism, (neo)functionalism, behavioralism, critical rationalism, (neo)institutionalism or constructivism. They learn about such basic concepts as functional differentiation, (post)modernization, autopoiesis, open society, civil society, risk society, network society, multiple modernities, reflexive modernity, deliberative democracy. The key qualification provided in this module is the ability to theorize about social and political problems using various concepts prominent in contemporary theory. To provide this qualification the selection of writings as well as the focus on specific approaches and concepts can vary. Methods Besides basic theoretical ideas and concepts, the foundation of the social sciences consists of methods. Methods provide the practical tools necessary to conduct theory-driven research. Because methods become ever more sophisticated it is of critical importance that students acquire a sound understanding of methods. The two methods modules widen this understanding and improve the students’ technical mastery of various practices. Thus, students acquire highly relevant skills that apply to all fields of professional activities involving analytical tasks. Module M121 „Advanced Quantitative Methods” The module aims at improving the mastery of quantitative methods, that is, research techniques in which measurement, numbers, and statistics play a crucial role. A handling of quantitative methods becomes ever more critical in an era in which the advance of information technology leads to an unprecedented expansion of sociometrics and manifold forms of quantification. Thus, students are familiarized with the logics of large-N comparison, standardized survey methods, coding and scaling construction, quantitative content analysis, time-series analyses, multivariate analyses, multi-level analyses. The selection of methods as well as the focus on particular techniques can vary as long as students obtain an overview of the variety of approaches. Module M122 „Advanced Qualitative Methods” Both qualitative and quantitative methods gain insights from empirical material. The scientific procedure differs insofar as qualitative methods use textual or visual information rather than numerical data. The module familiarizes students with the logics and handling of qualitative methods, covering such topics as the logic of small-N comparison, purposive sampling and research design, qualitative interviewing, observation, coding of texts and visuals, content analysis, image analysis, discourse analysis, typologies, or hermeneutics. The combination of topics can vary as long as an overview of the diversity in the field is provided. Specific Thematic Area (M3) Module M231 „Economic History” Is economic globalization a new phenomena? Are the current trends of economic integration irreversible? By answering these and other questions, the economic history module highlights the temporal dimension of economic integration and disintegration in the rich context of world history. Students will acquire an understanding of important episodes of economic globalization and the factors that brought them to an end. They will learn that, from a historical perspective, globalization is by no means a stable process. Crucial for the understanding of the current globalization era and its international organizations and regional developments is the experience of the Atlantic economy with integration and disintegration in the 19th and 20th centuries: the dynamic development of the Atlantic economy in the long 19th century, the return to protectionist policies before 1914, two world wars, and the Great Depression. Development countries’ experience with the global economy in modern history include colonialism, independence, import-substitution policies, and more recently, attempts at integration in the world economy (“Washington Consensus”). The contemporary history of development is characterized by a stark divide between dramatic decline, for example in sub-Saharan Africa, and enormous dynamics in countries like Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea in the 1980s and China and India at the beginning of the 21st century. Regardless of what examples are chosen to familiarize students with economic integration and disintegration in world history, the guiding questions addressed in this module are: (1) How have different forms of trans-border activities – trade, capital flows, labor migration, and the transfer of knowledge and ideas – developed over time? (2) What were the driving forces of these activities? (3) What were the welfare implications of globalization and how did it influence the balance of power between different groups within nations such as capital, labor and the state? (4) What were the most important political, social, ideological, cultural and technological environments of the globalization process? Module M232 „Political Economy“ While major theories of international economics and international political economy put a strong focus on international forces and how they shape national agendas and policies, an in-depth understanding of the dynamic trends of the world economy at the beginning of the 21st century is only possible if they are also analyzed from the perspective of the manifold regions, states and groups within states. This module analyzes the world economy as an agglomeration of some 200 countries with vastly different characteristics. To understand the differences and interactions of nation states, students will learn characteristics of alternative institutional arrangements of capitalism and how legal, political and social institutions shape economic behavior and performance. Discussions of Corporatism and the “Varieties of Capitalism” (Hall/Soskice) and, in the political sphere, of learning from best practices in the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) of the European Union’s Lisbon Strategy are examples of the application of this comparative view on the world economy for developed countries. Development economics, on the other hand, analyzes the different approaches to capitalism for low income countries. The political economy of nation states can also be analyzed through case studies of their manifold functions like public finance, macroeconomics, and regulatory policy in the agricultural and the manufacturing sectors as well as in key service sector industries such as transport, communication, energy, banking, and knowledge-intensive services. Case studies can also focus on key challenges such as education, the environment, birth rates, women, and families. Regardless of what examples are chosen, the focus of this module is on the nation state and its various functions, and how they are changing in an ever more interconnected world. One of the key questions is how sovereignty of the nation state changes over time. Module M233 „International Political Economy“ Interactions between economic systems and political institutions are the subject of many academic fields and sub-fields. This module introduces students to the insights from two disciplines that make up the core of IPE discussions: political science and economics. Since Adam Smith, these two disciplines have developed a rich body of intimately interconnecting and sometimes contradicting theories and approaches. The main focus of international economics as a sub-field of economics is on the welfare effects of trans-border economic activities. Welfare effects are not only analyzed regarding states but also regarding individual groups within states. Other subjects of this Module include multilateral, regional and bilateral trade policies and various barriers to international trade. International economics is also concerned with labor migration, with capital movements, with exchange rates regimes and with international lending and financial crises. International political economy, as a sub-field of political science, has, in its reemergence over the last decades, developed a strong focus on political actors and institutions and on societal forces. The module provides an introduction to the seminal question of the significance of international, national, societal, market and state forces for various international economic policy issues. IPE is concerned with concepts such as liberalism, realism, hegemonic stability, neo-realism, neo-liberal institutionalism, dependency theory, Marxism, imperialism and world system theory. Through case studies, students will study specific public policy issues. International Political Economy of Natural Resources and Energy Supply A case study of enormous implications focuses on the effects of the increasing global competition for scarce resources. For instance, the economic growth of China and India has significant effects on the demand for natural resources, in particular primary fuels, and on the environment. In contrast to Europe and the U.S., China and India will have to face environmental challenges long before their economies have matured. Moreover, the economic growth of these two countries rebalances global income and wealth and thereby triggers a global shift of economic power. This case study is concerned with the causes and consequences of these phenomena and the policy and politics of international and national institutions dealing with them. Students will employ methods and ideas from institutional economics, resource economics and environmental economics, from international economics, and from political science. Optional Area (M3) This area has no predefined thematic focus. It intends to provide students an opportunity to extend their knowledge into an area of their individual choice within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, including courses in the IR program that Jacobs University Bremen and Universität Bremen run jointly. Thus, any graduate course offered within the school is eligible to cover this module (excepting the Research Colloquium). It offers also faculty an opportunity to hold courses on more specific topics in the centre of their own research. Furthermore, as part of the obligations for the Specific Thematic Area (M2), students choose a foundations seminar from one of the neighbouring programs, Comparative Politics & Sociology or International Communication. Research Area (M4) Like the theory and methods modules in area M1, the research area bridges the MA-Programs. The research area is covered by the Research Colloquium, which takes place every semester. Its purpose is to familiarize students with concrete problems in the actual practice of comparative empirical research. While the attendance of the Research Colloquium is mandatory only in the fourth semester, regular attendance throughout the first three semesters of study is strongly recommended.
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