Learning Outcomes

Graduates in World Politics and International Relations who have successfully participated in all their core courses are able to:

- analyze and explain contemporary international phenomena, including identifying and assessing the positions and interests of key international subjects, drawing on theoretical insights from more than one discipline;

- identify important historical continuities and changes in international relations and in the machinery of diplomacy;

- recognize and interpret key aspects of governmental institutions and processes, such as political participation and elections, presidential vs. parliamentary rule, federalism and the nation-building process, and their possible effects on foreign policy;

- analyze, evaluate, and discuss different international, European and domestic legal frameworks and apply them critically to specific international phenomena such as migration and human rights violations;

- formulate and communicate rigorous arguments, whether explanatory (social scientific) or prescriptive (ethical or legal), applied to a global or international context;

- engage in negotiations in an international context, including preparing files for international negotiators and contributing to efficient teamwork.

Classes involve activities aimed at integrating academic study with the promotion of skills that students can put to use in their future careers:

- Many lessons involve group work and presentations, allowing students to improve their abilities in public speaking;

- Many lessons involve discussion and argumentation over texts or case studies;

- Students improve their writing skills through assessed essays with feedback before embarking on their thesis project;

- Through a special applied course, students improve their negotiating abilities and their familiarity with the workings of international organizations;

- Students earn credits for work placements (undertaken on students’ own initiative), as well as for courses in languages other than English and other training courses when available.

Further opportunities are provided through extracurricular activities. In the past these have included:

- a visit to The Hague to take part in public hearings and presentations of the activities of the international Courts (at students’ own expense);

- participation in video seminars on diplomacy;

- film discussions on ethics and international relations.