Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences · Political Science and International Relations (English) · Undergraduate
Course Objective
How did the world order change after the First and Second War Worlds? What relations existed between the Western superpowers and countries formerly under their colonial domination? The course introduces students to the transformation of the multipolar system of empires to a bipolar order based on the division of first, second and third world states. However, the bipolarity was replaced with unipolarity after the collapse of Soviet communism and the Gulf War.
Course Content
Students will examine the consolidation of a state system centred on North America and Western Europe and the contests within this order through the decolonisation of Africa and Asia, the Vietnam Wars, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the rise of transnational Islamism. The shifts from multipolarity to bipolarity to unipolarity illustrate the decline of empires and the consolidation of nation-states that itself has been challenged by subnational and transnational actors.
Required Resources
Gordon Martel (ed.), A Companion to International History, 1900-2001. Blackwell Publishing, 2007.
Course Learning Outcomes
- Students will have a working knowledge of basic elements of modern international system.
- Students will learn how and why colonialism and nationalism led to two world wars.
- Students will be familiar with major events in the twentieth century political history such as the Russian Revolution, Cold War, Cuban missile Crisis, Islamic Revolution of Iran, the perestroika in the USSR and so on.
Core Area Distribution
Teaching Methods
Assessment & Evaluation
ECTS / Workload
| Activity | Quantity | Duration (h) | Total Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Duration (Including Exam Week) | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Out of Class Study Period | 14 | 6 | 84 |
| Midterm | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Quiz | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Assignment | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Practice | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Final | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Course Schedule
| Week | Subject | Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | World War One | |
| 2 | The Rise of Japan in East Asia | |
| 3 | The path to European war | |
| 4 | World War Two | |
| 5 | The 'First' Cold War | |
| 6 | The Vietnam Wars | |
| 7 | The Third World | |
| 8 | Mid-Term Exam | |
| 9 | The United States and Latin America | |
| 10 | Decolonising Africa | |
| 11 | Arab-Israeli Conflict | |
| 12 | End of the Cold War and the New World Order | |
| 13 | The War on Terror | |
| 14 | Final Exam Revision Lecture |