Course Outline For Global Affairs

Addis Ababa Science and Technology University
College of Natural and Social Science
Academic Year, Feb. 2022
Department of Social Science
Course title: global Affairs
Course code: GLAF/--
Credit hour: 2
Name of instructor: Asffaw Kasa
Office address: Block 80/office number/ground floor 04
Course Description
This course is designed to acquaint university students with the basic ideas of International
Relations hereafter (IR). It will also help them understand contemporary global challenges and
International Relations perspectives. It is also a comprehensive, broad and multidisciplinary
course that touches upon wide range of issues (concepts, theories, approaches and debates).
Therefore, this course will equip young generations with the concepts such as national interest,
foreign policy, state actors and non-state actors, globalization, international political economy
(IPE), and contemporary global issues of security, environmental problems, socio-economic
conditions, and cultural debates. Some of the IR theories that this course discusses include
realism, liberalism, Marxism, etc.
Course Objectives
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
 Understand nations, nationalism and states

 Explain the nature and historical development of IR
 Examine the extent and degree of influence of state actors and
non-state actors in the global system
 Gain the basic knowledge of the major theories of IR and
develop the ability to critically evaluate and apply such
theories
 Elucidate national interest, foreign policy and diplomacy
 Assess the overriding foreign policy guidelines of Ethiopia in
the past and present
 Clarify the nature and elements of international political
economy (IPE)
 Study the roles played by major international and regional
institutions in the world politics
 Explore Ethiopia’s role in regional, continental, and global
affairs and institutions
 Critically evaluate the contemporary global issues such as
security, environment, socio-economic conditions and cultural
issues
Course Contents
Chapter one
Understanding International Relations (IR)
Chapter objectives
Upon completion of this chapter, students will be able to:
 define the meaning and nature of nation, state, and

nationalism
 Describe the meaning and evolution of IR
 Acquaint themselves with different perspectives, approaches,
and paradigm of IR
 Identify and analyze the roles played by different actors
using the three levels of analysis
 Examine the structure of IR and the laws governing its
operation
Chapter Contents
1.1 Conceptualizing nationalism, nations and state

1.2 Understanding international relations
1.3 The nature and evolution of international relations
1.4 Actors in international relations
1.4.1 State actors
1.4.2 Non-state actors
1.5 Levels of analysis in international relations
1.5.1 The individual level
1.5.2 The group level
1.5.3 The state level
1.5.4 The system level
1.6 The structure of international system
1.7 Theories of international relations (idealism/liberalism, realism, constructivism,

Structuralism/Marxism, critical theories)
Chapter two
Understanding Foreign Policy and Diplomacy
Chapter Objectives
After successful completion of this chapter, students are expected to:
 Define national interest

 Understand different patterns of foreign policy behaviors
 Conceptualize different tactics and instrument of foreign
policy
 Analyze how power or capabilities influence foreign policy
decisions and behaviors
 Critically examine the foreign policy determinants of Ethiopia
under successive regimes
Chapter Contents
2.1 Defining national interest
2.2 Understanding foreign policy and foreign policy behaviors
2.2.1 Defining foreign policy
2.2.2 Discussion on foreign policy objectives
2.2.3 Foreign behavior: patterns and trends
2.2.4 Foreign dimensions
2.2.5 Instruments of foreign policy
2.3 Overview of foreign policy of Ethiopia
2.3.1 Ethiopia’s foreign policy during Tewodros II
2.3.2 Ethiopia’s foreign policy during Yohannes IV
2.3.3 Ethiopia’s foreign policy during Menelik II
2.3.4 Ethiopia’s foreign policy during emperor Haile Slassie I
2.2.5 Ethiopia’s foreign policy during the military government (Derg)
2.2.6 Ethiopia’s foreign policy in the post 1991
Chapter three
International Political Economy (IPE)
Chapter Objectives
At the end of this chapter, students will be expected to:
 Understand the meaning and nature of international political

economy
 Clarify theoretical perspectives of international political
economy
 Explain the most influential national political economy
systems in the world
 Analyze core issues, governing institutions and governance of
international political economy
 Understand the exchange rates and the exchange-rate systems
Chapter Contents
3.1 Meaning and nature of international political economy
3.2 Theoretical perspectives of international political economy
3.3 Survey of the most influential national political economy systems in the world
3.3.1 The American system of market-oriented capitalism
3.3.2 The Japanese system of developmental capitalism
3.3.3 The German system of social market capitalism
3.3.4 Differences among national political economy systems
3.4 Governing institutions and governance of international political economy
3.4.1 The International Trade and the WTO
3.4.2 The Intrnational Investment and the WB
3.4.3 The International Finance and the IMF
3.5 Exchange rates and the exchange-rate systems
Chapter four
Globalization and Regionalism
Chapter Objectives
After effectively completing this chapter, students will be able to:
 Conceptualize the concepts of globalization and regionalism

 Acquaint themselves with the contemporary debates on the
essence and directions of globalization
 Understand the essence and effects of globalization
 Analyze the impacts of globalization on Africa, Ethiopia and
the developing world
 Explain the theoretical caveats and practices of regionalism
and regional integration
 Explicate the mutual interaction between regionalism and
globalization
Chapter Contents
4.1 Defining Globalization
4.2 The globalization debates
4.2.1 The hyper-globalists
4.2.2 The skeptics
4.2.3 The transformationalist
4.3 Globalization and its impacts
4.4 Ethiopia in a globalized world
4.5 Prose and cones of globalization
4.6 Defining regionalism and regional integration
4.6.1 The old regionalism
4.6.2 New regionalism
4.7 Major theories of regional integrations
4.7.1 Functionalism
4.7.2 Neo-functionalism
4.8 Selected cases of regional integration

4.9 Regionalization versus globalization and state
4.10 the relations between regionalization and globalization
A. Regionalization as a component of globalization: Convergence
B. Regionalization as a challenge or a response to globalization: Divergence
C. Regionalization and globalization as a parallel processes: overlap
4.11 Regionalization, globalization and state
Chapter five
Major Contemporary Global Issues
Chapter Objectives
After successfully completing this chapter, students will be expected to:
 Identify major global issues and challenges facing humanity in

the 21st century
 Pinpoint factors/reasons for the various contemporary problems
of our world
 Understand the role global citizens should play in offsetting
the contemporary global challenges
Chapter Contents
5.1 Survey of major contemporary global issues
5.1.1 Global security issues
5.1.2 Global environmental issues
5.1.3 Global socio-economic issues
5.1.4 Global cultural issues
Course Assessment and Modes of Ee
Evaluation
1. Attendance is mandatory
2. Group assignment
3. Tests and quiz
The class assessment will weight 50% of students gfinal grade.
References
1. Common Course Teaching Module
2. International Relations: The Key Concepts featuring Entries by Martin Griffiths and Terry
O’Callaghan, first published in 2002
3. International Relations Theory, edited by Stephen Mcglinchey, Rosie Walters and Christian
Scheinpflug (2017)
4. Introduction to International Relations by M. Cox with R. Campanaro (IR1011/2016)
5. Globalization: Yesterday, Today, and tomorrow
Edited by Jim Sheffield, Andrey Korotayev, Leoni d Grinin (2013)

Course Outline For Global Affairs

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Course Outline For Global Affairs

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Addis Ababa Science and Technology University

College of Natural and Social Science

Academic Year, Feb. 2022

Department of Social Science

Course title: global Affairs

Course code: GLAF/--

Name of instructor: Asffaw Kasa

Office address: Block 80/office number/ground floor 04

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

 Understand nations, nationalism and states

Understanding International Relations (IR)

Upon completion of this chapter, students will be able to:

 define the meaning and nature of nation, state, and

1.1 Conceptualizing nationalism, nations and state

1.3 The nature and evolution of international relations

1.4 Actors in international relations

1.4.1 State actors

1.4.2 Non-state actors

1.5 Levels of analysis in international relations

1.5.1 The individual level

1.5.2 The group level

1.5.3 The state level

1.5.4 The system level

1.6 The structure of international system

1.7 Theories of international relations (idealism/liberalism, realism, constructivism,

Understanding Foreign Policy and Diplomacy

After successful completion of this chapter, students are expected to:

 Define national interest

2.1 Defining national interest

2.2 Understanding foreign policy and foreign policy behaviors

2.2.1 Defining foreign policy

2.2.2 Discussion on foreign policy objectives

2.2.3 Foreign behavior: patterns and trends

2.2.4 Foreign dimensions

2.2.5 Instruments of foreign policy

2.3 Overview of foreign policy of Ethiopia

2.3.1 Ethiopia’s foreign policy during Tewodros II

2.3.2 Ethiopia’s foreign policy during Yohannes IV

2.3.3 Ethiopia’s foreign policy during Menelik II

2.3.4 Ethiopia’s foreign policy during emperor Haile Slassie I

2.2.5 Ethiopia’s foreign policy during the military government (Derg)

2.2.6 Ethiopia’s foreign policy in the post 1991

International Political Economy (IPE)

At the end of this chapter, students will be expected to:

 Understand the meaning and nature of international political

3.1 Meaning and nature of international political economy

3.2 Theoretical perspectives of international political economy

3.3.1 The American system of market-oriented capitalism

3.3.2 The Japanese system of developmental capitalism

3.3.3 The German system of social market capitalism

3.3.4 Differences among national political economy systems

3.4 Governing institutions and governance of international political economy

3.4.1 The International Trade and the WTO

3.4.2 The Intrnational Investment and the WB

3.4.3 The International Finance and the IMF

3.5 Exchange rates and the exchange-rate systems

Globalization and Regionalism

After effectively completing this chapter, students will be able to:

 Conceptualize the concepts of globalization and regionalism

4.1 Defining Globalization

4.2 The globalization debates

4.2.1 The hyper-globalists