EduSinglePage

How should Global Politics be understood as a social science, one that is primarily based in Political Science, but that is also highly interdisciplinary as it draws upon International Relations, Human Rights, and Peace & Conflict Studies? The course addresses this central question through four modular components, which are as follows:

Module 1: The Sovereign State and Beyond (7.5 credits)

Module 2: Transnational Policy (7.5 credits)

Module 3: Norms in Global Politics (7.5 credits)

Module 4: Gender and Power in Global Politics (7.5 credits)

The first module, ‘The Sovereign State and Beyond’, focuses on the ‘nation state’ as a political concept. Its emergence is commonly (though not uncontroversially) dated to the Treaties of Westphalia (1648), and has largely formed the basic unit of international politics for the last three centuries. However, its hegemony as a unit of governance has varied in different parts of the world. Even in its original Western context, the notion of state sovereignty is increasingly being challenged by the pressures of globalization, transnational migration and new forms of governance through international organizations. This module examines the early emergence of the sovereign state and its characteristics; discusses the effect of globalization and international governance structures on sovereignty; and concludes by critically examining these concepts in the context of the 21st century world.

The second module, ‘Transnational Policy’, focuses on phenomena such as policy convergence and policy transfer between different levels in the international system, e.g. from the local to regional or global levels, and the role of international organizations and transnational networks in their actualization. The module considers theories of cross-border policy mobility and contrasts orthodox rational-actor approaches with more critical interpretations that highlight power relations and the construction of knowledge. In addition, the course encourages students to recognise that their future careers may potentially involve a policy-influencing role (i.e. legislation, advocacy, providing expert-advice) and to think about how their current studies and knowledge operate as an ‘evidence base’ in the policy world.

The third module, ‘Norms in Global politics’, introduces students to one of the programme’s central concepts: norms. Norms are a contested element in international relations, particularly due to the absence of a clear global authority and the constant threat of violent conflicts, which renders questions of power and governance more complex and disputed. Academic debates often ask whether norms are merely instruments employed by interest-driven actors to advance their particular agendas, or whether norms themselves shape the interests that motivate actors. This module approaches the role of norms in global politics from a broad perspective, asking what is meant by ‘norms’, how they emerge, and what they bring to our analysis of global politics.

The fourth module, ’Gender and Power in Global Politics’, introduces students to the critical analysis of global politics through a gender lens, building upon epistemological questions from previous modules. It focuses on how gender intersects with power, conflict, security, and governance in contemporary global politics by engaging with feminist theoretical, conceptual, and methodological approaches. Students examine global political issues and institutions, including climate change, war and militarism, digital technologies, migration, disability, and global health. Through seminars, case studies, empirical research, and collaborative discussions, students develop critical thinking skills and learn to connect power relations with knowledge production. The module emphasizes applying feminist perspectives to analyze complex global challenges and equips students with tools for independent research and informed evaluation of gendered dimensions in IR.

Where beneficial to the programme’s aims, the modules may run concurrently.

Kursplan - här hittar du också kurslitteratur

Tidigare kursplaner

Syllabus with literature list autumn 2026

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).