Global Politics (Coursera)

The course explains why international studies originating from the West are currently evolving towards a planetary approach to World politics, with a particular focus on global order and local disorders. Thinking globally helps explain new linkages between changes in the natural environment (demography, climate) and transformations of institutional designs.

Will societies and peoples find a way to get along together in the long run despite intractable conflicts and divergence of social and national interests? Will States delegate enough sovereignty to universal organizations, breaking definitely with Hobbes’ constant (no transfer of power beyond national borders)? Will the World ever be governed, and more democratically governed?

To answer this series of central questions, global politics draws on anthropology, history, sociology, economics and psychology. A mix of paradigms comforts this mix of disciplines, since no single approach may suffice to explain global issues. Combining various ways of thinking is conducive to a fuller account of the myriads of transactions that make the planet evolve towards a more complex equilibrium.

Syllabus

Introduction to Global Politics

Module 1

This module presents an initial first exploration of the field of “Global Politics”. You will be introduced to global politics and the epistemological foundation of international studies, and you will understand the nature and components of the current international order, and the challenges relating to war, peace, and the steps towards the institutionalization of the world.

Society of States, of the Peoples, and Military Hegemony

Module 2

This module presents the transition from a Society of States to a Society of the People. You will be introduced to the mechanisms which ensure the coexistence of incompatible political regimes, and learn more about how – and who – maintain order, exploring the main elements of military hegemony.

New global challenges, organizations, governance

Module 3

This module explores the main new global challenges. You will learn about the reorganization and disorganization of the nation-State, and about the rise of disorder and its impact on states. You will then navigate the different global goods and the relative global harms, by analyzing the most basic features of interstate cooperation and the emergence of international non-governmental organizations.

Towards a brave new world

Module 4

This module presents the main characteristics of intergovernmental organizations, and opens to scenarios in global politics. You will learn about the expansion and collaboration of Ios, as well as the most important characteristic of a network. Therefore, the module explores the conditions for an institutionalization of the world and the key elements of cosmopolitism.