Centre for International Relations International Relations BA Study Abroad Program Course List - 2017/2018 Faculty of Humanities, Department of International Relations and Political Sciences Tuition-fee/credit: 105 USD Full list of Study Abroad courses in International Relations BA: Course title Semester Credits (ECTS) Introduction to sociology I-II Fall 6 Introduction to political science Fall 6 World history in the 20th century Fall 6 Information technology in social sciences Fall 2 Political geography (Processes of creating a modern state) Fall 3 Regionalism and governance Fall 3 Comparative Politics Fall 6 The history and institutions of European integration Fall 6 Introduction to International Relations Fall 3 The issue of European Integration and Nation Fall 3 Social Philosophy Spring 3 The Hungarian political system the 20th century Spring 9 Statistical analysis Spring 2 Introduction to social communication Spring 3 Introduction to migration policy Spring 3 The history of International Relations Spring 6 Introduction to Security Policy Spring 3 Introduction to International Theories Spring 3 Introduction to Diplomacy Spring 3 International Civil Society Spring 3 Hungarian Foreign Policy in the 20th century Spring 3 Introduction to Political Culture Spring 3
Detailed information about the courses: Teaching period: Fall Semester Form/method of teaching: lecture Credits (ECTS): 6 Course title: Introduction to sociology I-II Course aims: Sociology plays an important role in the life of modern society as well as in social science. This course is designed to introduce students to the science of sociology through a few social phenomena. The topics were compiled to ensure that students get a picture of the components that shape and explain social processes and changes. Learning outcomes: In addition to international trends and theories, the topics address domestic social processes through which the processes taking place in different countries and the explanation for them can be compared. The course is designed to develop the students ability to do comparative analysis. It will lend a more interdisciplinary nature to their knowledge. Course title: Social Philosophy Form/method of teaching : lecture Course aims: Body of knowledge: This approach to social philosophy focuses on political culture. In general, we can work with comparative contrasts (although not exclusively) if we want to make our investigations applicable to some extent. A particular political culture may be compliant or non-compliant, nationalist or cosmopolitan, mechanical or organic, democratic or authoritarian, conflict-seeking or cooperative, driven by individual or community principles, inclined to accept rationality or be driven by emotions, etc., but it may also be characterised by the internal structure of religion or the long mental processes of history. Without being exhaustive, the lectures are designed to explore this set of concepts and combine theoretical criteria (on the basis of the classical thinkers of the history of political ideas) with practical aspects, viewing political culture as a dynamic process of creating
identity. Our examples will heavily rely on Hungarian and Romanian comparative analyses, based on our own experience, and international empirical studies on value. Learning outcomes: To provide students of international relations with an analytic tool which they can use to explore societies, political habits, institutions and behaviours that are different from their own. Equipped with the acquired knowledge, they will be able to read and decode other cultural code systems on the basis of their foreign language proficiency and own experience Course title: Introduction to political science Teaching period: Fall Semester Form/method of teaching: lecture Credits (ECTS): 6 Course aims: Subject s description: a concise but informative description of the body of knowledge to be acquired and the competences to be created: Body of knowledge: This course will introduce students to the concept of political science, its place among the various disciplines, the fundamental notions of political science, the system of political institutions and its operation. It will also address the basic categories of political science: power, rule, legitimacy, state and its organisations; - explores the political subsystem and its environment, the evolution and functions of political parties; - analyses dictatorial and democratic political structures and their special types; - provides an introduction to the interpretation of political socialisation, culture and communication. By presenting the special Hungarian features, this course will provide a more extensive study of the Hungarian political system. Learning outcomes: The course will enable students to recognise and analyse the processes taking place in the Hungarian political system, compare the Hungarian and the international political systems, draw conclusions from the differences and similarities and prepare an expert opinion.
Course title: World history in the 20th century Teaching period (s) (Fall, Spring Semester): Fall Semester and seminar Credits (ECTS): 6 Course aims: Subject s description: a concise but informative description of the body of knowledge to be acquired and the competences to be created: Body of knowledge: This subject will introduce students to the main events of the period, their consequences and connections (the world wars and the peace systems; the system of international relations; the main features of the history of the US, Western, Eastern and Southern Europe, the Soviet Union and Japan; the evolution of the bipolar world during the Cold War, its most important events and collapse; the history of European integration; the global problems of mankind at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century). The various courses will also discuss, in addition to political history, economic, social, cultural issues as well as the connections of military history. Learning outcomes: By studying this subject, students will develop a willingness to respect different opinions and an ability to be more open to professional further training and selfeducation. Course title: The Hungarian political system the 20th century Form/method of teaching : lecture Credits (ECTS): 9 Course aims: Subject s description: a concise but informative description of the body of knowledge to be acquired and the competences to be created: Body of knowledge: This subject is designed to present the history of Hungary between 1918 and 2010 from a special aspect: the analysis of the political system which is influenced by external forces. With the courses building on one another, the subject will provide a detailed analysis of the following: - the development of the Hungarian parliament and party system, - the relationship between the legislative and the executive powers, - the different features of political transition in the carious countries,
- the changes in the social structures influenced by the political system. Learning outcomes: Students will get an understanding of the special features of our historical development, be able to explore the processes in a more subtle way and be more open to the acceptance of different values. Faculty: Faculty of Humanities Department: International Relations and Political Sciences Course title: Statistical analysis Form/method of teaching : seminar Credits (ECTS): 2 Course aims: The goal of the course is to provide students with a sound basis for finding their way in the different areas of statistics and among the various analytical tools. After reviewing the structure of databases and the types of variables, they will learn about the basic statistical tools. Starting with the study of the mean, variance and distribution of variables we will look at the frequency row, its modified rows and the histogram, followed by a general study of the analysis of relationships. We discuss in detail association, mixed and correlations relations followed by statistical estimates and verifying hypotheses as part of deductive statistics. Finally, we will discuss linear regression as a modelling statistics. Learning outcomes: After completing the course, students will be able to understand the function of statistical tools and even carry out some basic calculations on their own. Assessment methods: in class activity/ analysis Course title: Information technology in social sciences Teaching period: Fall Semester Form/method of teaching: seminar Credits (ECTS): 2 Course aims: Subject s description: a concise but informative description of the body of knowledge to be acquired and the competences to be created: Body of knowledge: Students will be introduced to the operation and use of word-processing and database management softwares, the tools of modern typography and handling colours,
the formal requirements for well-structured presentations as well as the methods of Internet searches and the use of sources. Learning outcomes: Students will be able to use the Internet for scientific purposes. They will be able to search for and critically analyse materials that they need. They will be able to better exploit the opportunities provided by the Internet, thereby becoming responsible Internet users. Assessment methods: in class activity/ essay evaluation Course title: Introduction to social communication Form/method of teaching: lecture Course aims: Subject s description: a concise but informative description of the body of knowledge to be acquired and the competences to be created: Body of knowledge: The subject is designed to present the most important institutions and the basic rules of social communication. The course provides a detailed analysis of the phenomena of social relations and the changing role of communication in the 20th century partly through Hungarian, partly through international examples. Learning outcomes: After competing the course, students will have a thorough knowledge of the most important agents and institutions of social communication. Course title: Political geography (Processes of creating a modern state) Teaching period: Fall Semester Form/method of teaching : lecture Course aims: The basic category of modern political geography is the state. The change in the number, function and mutual relationships of states had a crucial impact on the development of regions in the long term. The course will review the processes of the evolution of states from the French bourgeois revolution. The number of globally recognised states was constantly debated during the time of modernisation (recognition was always tied to interests), and even today, there are several floating states, state-like structures within
Europe too. Let s just take Kosovo as an example with its ambiguous recognition even among the EU member states. Learning outcomes: Student will get an understanding of the changing category of the state, improve their ability to interpret interests and use the theories related to the state. Course title: Regionalism and governance Teaching period : Fall Semester Form/method of teaching: lecture Course aims: The course will examine the principles, history, main models, international trends and the Hungarian features of the regional division of power. On the other hand, it will address the connections between regional policy as one of the most important public policies of the European Union and Hungary and regional local governments and administration. Student will get an insight into the typical trends of regionalization, the consequences of accession in this area and the Hungarian regional public administration processes of the last 20 years. Learning outcomes: After completing the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of the basic constitutional regulations that apply to local governments and the terminology of international documents in this context; they will be able to compare national and international solutions and evaluate the effect of EU s regional policy on the regional administrative reforms. Course title: Introduction to migration policy Form/method of teaching: seminar Course aims: This course will discuss the history of migration in the 20th century and the current trends of migration. It will provide a special insight into the factors that trigger migration, the main destinations, the sources of dangers, its economic and social effects; it will provide a detailed analysis of the migration trends of Africa, Asia and North America, the
historical events that occurred during migration as well as the system of institutions that are concerned with immigration. It will also address issues that may emerge as a serious problem for Europe, especially for Western Europe, due to future religious, ethnic and cultural differences. Learning outcomes: Students will learn about and understand the causes that drive migration as well as the migration trends. They will be able to analyse the pro and con consequences of migration and coexistence and see through the processes taking place in the world and especially in Europe. They will be able to objectively assess the consequences of migration processes and be more open to understanding and analysing the coexistence of different cultures without prejudices. Assessment methods: in class activity/ essay evaluation Course title: Comparative Politics Teaching period: Fall Semester Form/method of teaching : lecture Credits (ECTS): 6 Course aims: Democratic political systems are organised into different structures due to historical and social reasons. This has an influence on their societies as well as their international relations. Comparative political science is designed to explore these issues. The goal of the courses is to introduce the political structure of states that are important for our country. Students will get an understanding of the political structure and system of political institutions of countries like the US, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and the Scandinavian states as well as Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The courses will analyse the government system, the parliamentary features, the election system and the party system of particular countries. Learning outcomes: The subject will facilitate the understanding of political systems and increase knowledge. Students will get acquainted with the tools of comparative analysis and critical thinking and understand the complexity of the differences between various structures. Course title: The history and institutions of European integration Teaching period (s) (Fall, Spring Semester): Fall Semester
Credits (ECTS): 6 Course aims: The European Union is a system of cooperation that has an inevitable influence on Hungary. The goal of the subject is to familiarise students with the history and special features of this integration. They will be given an overview of the international system of relations that influence European integration, the history of relations between the member states and their development through crises with special attention to the enlargement process. The courses will explore the creation, structure, operation and relations of the integration institutions - the European Parliament, the Commission, the Council, the Court - and the opportunities for the enforcement of supranational, intergovernmental and subnational agreements with the help of advisory organisations. They will put a great emphasis on the struggle of Hungary to achieve full membership and its role in the Union. Learning outcomes: Students will have sufficient knowledge to understand the development of integration, be able to assess the role of member state interests, analyse the special transformation of the Union and interpret the different standpoints coherently. This knowledge will contribute to the evolution of European identity. Course title: The history of International Relations Teaching period (s) (Fall, Spring Semester): Spring Semester Credits (ECTS): 6 Course aims: This subject will span two semesters and discuss international relations after the Second World War, that is, the history of the Cold War, broken down into different topics. This kind of approach which is otherwise not common presupposes that each of the topics to be discussed is taken as a coherent whole: we will refer to the beginnings in some cases going back to the 19th century, contemporary facts, events and development, which we will then analyse against the international reality of our age (e.g. the notion of crimes against humanity was introduced during the Nuremberg trials but it was used for several massacres which occurred in the 1990s, e.g. in Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, etc.) The first semester will focus on the evolution of antagonistic military and political blocs, the great international crises of the Cold War as well as the issues of detente and disarmament. The second semester will be devoted to the inner disintegration of these blocs, issues discussed at the Helsinki Conference, and then the analysis of the problems stemming from the dissolution of the Soviet Union and its consequences. Next, we will turn our attention to a special region struck by crises, the Middle East, starting with the establishment of the state of Israel, going on to
the discussion of the division of the Arab world, the fall of the Pan-Arab idea and the expansion the Islam, and finally closing semester with the Gulf War. Learning outcomes: By getting an understanding of the basic processes, facts and logic of international relations constituted in a bipolar world, students will be able to comprehend the seemingly transparent but extremely complex structures of the Cold War. They will develop, in a natural way, the ability to view states as political structures with traditional ideological representations (East-West, Communism-liberalism) and their own special interests, which formed real alliances and at the same time stretched the limits of these federations. All this will help them develop a methodological approach that is necessary for the understanding of these international relations laden with contradictions. Course title: Introduction to International Relations Teaching period (s) (Fall, Spring Semester): Fall Semester Course aims: This one-semester course will discuss the fundamental categories and the changing, narrow and broad structures of international relations that have developed historically over time. The discussion will begin with the narrow or inter-etatist approach, presenting its constitutive elements, the place of the state in the international system and examining the difference between the states and the consequences following from them. The broader system, transnational international relations, presents the role of actors such as multinational companies, non-governmental organisations, etc. In this context, the role of international law, the transformation of the state in the international system, the internal relations of public organisations, the foreign policy of states and the natural history of conflicts will be highlighted. Learning outcomes: By learning about the basic conceptual network of international relations and getting an understanding of the historical essence of the network, students will be able to understand the courses using and detailing these concepts, while the paradigms of international and transnational relations will become naturally imbedded in their
Course title: Introduction to Security Policy Teaching period (s) (Fall, Spring Semester): Spring Semester Course aims: This course will provide a thematic overview of current issues of international and - in passing - Hungarian security policy. Special attention will be given to the clarification of concepts (e.g. security, sources of danger), civil military relations, defence economy, disarmament and the key theories of security. The lecture will separately present the most important security institutions of our times (e.g. NATO, UN) and devote particular attention to the causes and consequences of the revival of terrorism. The course will conclude by looking at some current issues of Hungarian security policy. Learning outcomes: This course will help students carry out independent analyses in international security policy, understand the past and present security processes and work out security policy forecasts on such bases and be able to prepare policy decisions. The training will also enable students to participate in professional-scientific debates by enhancing their creativity and the ability to form an independent expert opinion. Course title: Introduction to International Theories Teaching period (s) (Fall, Spring Semester): Spring Semester Course aims: The course will discuss how the theory of international relations was born, including its conceptual traditions and theoretical paradigms: the idealist-normativist trend (Hugo Grotius, Immanuel Kant, Woodrov Wilson), the realist paradigm (Edward Hallett Carr, Hans Joachim Morgenthau), the structuralist-neorealist approach (Arnold Wolfers, Hedley Bull, Kenneth Waltz and the trends in the theory of international relations at the turn of the millennium. It will analyse new regionalism and integration: the strategic alliance of the European Union and Latin America, and the social Darwinist and geostrategic approach of geopoliticalschools. Learning outcomes: The goal of the subject is to provide systematic and analytical knowledge on the theory, drivers, trends, actors, structures and processes of international policy and geopolicy. Equipped with this knowledge, students will be able to develop the competences necessary to independently analyse and understand international relations.
Course title: Introduction to Diplomacy Form/method of teaching (lecture, seminar): seminar Course aims: The goal of the course is to introduce students to fundamentals of diplomacy, which is important even in the globalising 21st century, the rules that regulate the relations, behaviour and communication of transnational actors In this course, students will have an opportunity to conduct a dialogue with practising and former diplomats and experts working in diplomacy in Hungary and abroad. As the main feature of a practice-oriented approach, students will be able to get an insight into the everyday reality of diplomatic bodies: the role and tasks of diplomacy, the institutions, tools and features of diplomacy as well as the rules and characteristics of behaviour and communication (work) in diplomacy. Learning outcomes: Students will be introduced to the most important characteristic features of diplomacy. They will learn how to use the different elements of the culture of behaviour in diplomacy and be able to behave in accordance with diplomatic protocol and etiquette. The will also learn about the procedures in use and the typical situations. Students - especially those preparing to work in diplomacy or foreign affairs - will acquire professional knowledge that will enable them to become successful in diplomacy. Course title: International Civil Society Course aims: In a broad sense, the civil society is the realm of freedom and democracy, where citizens choose their own identity, rights and obligations in a given political and legal setting. So, the idea of civil society is based on an autonomous, initiative personality, including all initiatives of citizens in which they participate on a voluntary basis to represent and defend their interests and values, and which initiatives work autonomously, separated from the state. The goal of this course is to present the theories, structures and importance of civil society in the operation of modern democracies. It will address questions like how NGOs respond to
political, economic and social challenges, what are the objectives they are created to accomplish and how they function in a given society. Learning outcomes: The primary goal of the course is to make students self-confident in using the set of notions that characterise civil society. It will enable them to apply the theory of modern global movements and organisations and place this theory in the context of international theories of science. Course title: Hungarian Foreign Policy in the 20th century Form/method of teaching: seminar Course aims: This course is designed to give an overview of one century of Hungarian foreign policy. It will address the diplomacy of civil democracy and the Communist dictatorship that evolved after the dissolution of the Monarchy and the Trianon Peace treaty that determined foreign policy strategy in 1920 1938. Students will learn about the main stages of regional revisionism and the attempts to pull out of the 2nd World War. After 1945 the relocations and the exchange of people after the war created a special foreign policy situation. The course will discuss the quasi diplomacy of the Rákosi regime, especially the international background of 1956. It will examine how the diplomatic opening of the Kádár regime helped the political transition and the development of the new trend in foreign policy. The issues related to the diplomatic relations of Hungary and the neighbouring countries after the Euro-Atlantic accession will also be scrutinised. Learning outcomes: Students will understand the concept of determinism in foreign policy and its limitations and they will be able to assess what determined the country s steps in a comprehensive way and to analyse the situations on the basis of documents. Assessment methods: in class activity/ essay evaluation Course title: Introduction to Political Culture
Course aims: The primary goal of this subject is to familiarise students with the softercomponents of the functioning of the political system ranging from socialisation through political culture to political communication. It is designed to provide an overview of the basic concepts and phenomena related to political culture in their complex context in the globalising world of the 21st century. This topic will be discussed on the basis of an approach used in political science which focuses on democracy, the process of democratisation and the place and role of civil society. There will be a detailed presentation of political socialisation, the medium, actors and models of political communication. Special attention will be devoted to political language and certain aspects of political argumentation. E-government and campaign communication on the Internet as technological achievements of globalisation will also be addressed. Special attention will be devoted to the historical traditions of Hungarian political culture and the political culture of today s Hungarian elite. At the same time, the course will also deal with the political culture of Latin America, North America, Africa and other East-Central European regions in a comparative context. Learning outcomes: Students will get an understanding of the basic concepts and related aspects of political socialisation and political culture. They will be able to compare the political culture of particular states using these concepts, while they will also learn about the fundamentals, heritage and traditions of Hungarian political culture. At the same time, they will know more about the culture-specific aspects of political communication. Course title: The issue of European Integration and Nations Teaching period: Fall Semester Course aims: European integration and the nation states are important categories in our region. The categories of state - nation - sovereignty generate hot debates which flare up now and again. This subject will look at the relationship between these categories. We will examine the relationship between the member states and European integration since their accession and the constant changes of the Europe policies of the national elite. Using the tools of comparative political science, we will examine the possibilities and the role of the national parliaments in influencing integration, the cooperation between supranational and government organisations and the systems used in the members states for the supervision of the integration processes. Special attention will be devoted to member state models in the European
Community, the problems in regard to the legitimacy of institutions concerned with integration and to democracy deficit as well as the situation of Hungary. Learning outcomes: Categories of knowledge and their different interpretations, skills to use the methods of comparative analysis, ability to recognise the relative nature of sub- and superordinate relations. Students will become able to study and analyse the differences between the systems.