Spring 2024 | POL 3810 Section 001: Topics in International Relations and Foreign Policy -- The Global Politics of Climate Change (67713)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Repeat Credit Limit:
- 6 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person
- Class Attributes:
- Topics Course
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session01/16/2024 - 04/29/2024Mon, Wed 09:45AM - 11:00AMUMTC, West BankBlegen Hall 215
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (34 of 35 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- Topics courses delve in-depth into important issues in contemporary international politics. They aim to give students the theoretical, conceptual, and historical understanding, and/or empirical tools needed to understand the complexity of international politics today. Topics courses vary substantially from year to year as specified in the class schedule, but recent topics courses have included: 'Technology and War', International Law', 'Drones, Detention and Torture: The Laws of War', and 'The Consequences of War.'
- Class Notes:
- Climate change is the existential crisis of our time. Climate change mitigation requires strong global action, but the global community has been slow to respond. This course will ask why. We will consider various international aspects central to the causes and consequences of, and possible solutions to, the climate crisis. The course aims to provide a broad overview of the key concepts, actors, debates, and issues around the global climate crisis. It demonstrates the complexities of both the nature of the problems as well as the solutions. We will consider such questions as: - What are the political and economic challenges to creating strong and effective international agreements to address the climate crisis? - What role can and do non-state actors, including corporations, nongovernmental organizations, and even subnational entities such as cities, play in mitigating climate change? - How can global concerns over climate (in)justice be best served, and how likely is it that these concerns will be addressed? http://classinfo.umn.edu/?fazal007+POL3810+Spring2024
- Class Description:
Climate change is the existential crisis of our time. Climate change mitigation requires strong global action, but the global community has been slow to respond. This course will ask why. We will consider various international aspects central to the causes and consequences of, and possible solutions to, the climate crisis. The course aims to provide a broad overview of the key concepts, actors, debates, and issues around the global climate crisis. It demonstrates the complexities of both the nature of the problems as well as the solutions. We will consider such questions as:
- What are the political and economic challenges to creating strong and effective international agreements to address the climate crisis?
- What role can and do non-state actors, including corporations, nongovernmental organizations, and even subnational entities such as cities, play in mitigating climate change?
- How can global concerns over climate (in)justice be best served, and how likely is it that these concerns will be addressed?
- Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will have:
- Advanced their critical thinking regarding global responses to the climate crisis;
- Engaged with arguments representing a wide diversity of voices, especially from the Global South;
- Clearly identified specific political problems pertaining to the climate crisis, and worked toward potential solutions.
- Class Format:
In addition to lectures and discussion, one pillar of this course will be an ongoing simulation around climate change. Students will be assigned specific roles in specific countries or organizations. Each week, they will respond to a new set of challenges. Through lectures, discussion, written assignments, and simulation, students will take a deep dive into the global politics of climate change.- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/67713/1243
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 26 October 2023
Spring 2024 | POL 3810 Section 002: Topics in International Relations and Foreign Policy -- The Politics of Trade and Money (67189)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Repeat Credit Limit:
- 6 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person
- Class Attributes:
- Topics Course
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session01/16/2024 - 04/29/2024Mon, Wed 11:15AM - 12:30PMUMTC, East BankCarlson School of Management 2-215
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (48 of 55 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- Topics courses delve in-depth into important issues in contemporary international politics. They aim to give students the theoretical, conceptual, and historical understanding, and/or empirical tools needed to understand the complexity of international politics today. Topics courses vary substantially from year to year as specified in the class schedule, but recent topics courses have included: 'Technology and War', International Law', 'Drones, Detention and Torture: The Laws of War', and 'The Consequences of War.'
- Class Notes:
- This course introduces students to the study of political economy. After illuminating some current issues about trade and monetary affairs including debates about trade with and investment from China, we study the evolution of the world's trading and monetary systems. Then we analyze the politics of trade. We learn how trade produces skill and occupational cleavages within democratic countries and, in turn, how these cleavages produce populism and other kinds of political movements. Institutions for trade like the World Trade Organization also are studied. The effects of money flows--currency and capital--are examined next. We examine the U.S. Federal Reserve's role as an international lender of last resort and why some groups oppose (support) direct foreign investment. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank are studied in this part. In the closing weeks we take a closer look at trade and monetary issues in Asia and Africa. The claim that countries in these regions are falling into a Chinese debt trap is evaluated in this last part of the class. http://classinfo.umn.edu/?freeman+POL3810+Spring2024
- Class Description:
- Study of international political economy, in particular, the sources of trade and monetary policies. Focused study of US relations with countries in Asia and other parts of the world
- Who Should Take This Class?:
- Students interested in politics, economics and international affairs
- Learning Objectives:
- Knowledge of historical developments in world political and economic relations; knowledge of the workings of important international institutions like the World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund. Develop the ability to conduct political economic analysis of contemporary issues and developments like protectionism and the nature of and U.S. reaction to China's Belt and Road Initiative
- Grading:
- three exams, two mid term exams and a final exam. All exams will be closed book in class in format
- Exam Format:
- Combination of terms (define and explain relevance for study of international political economy) and essays
- Class Format:
- Lecture and discussion. At least one active learning exercise.
- Workload:
- Reading of approximately 50 pages per week. This reading will include 1-2 published scholarly articles on the subject of the course
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/67189/1243
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 22 October 2023
ClassInfo Links - Spring 2024 Political Science Classes
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