Addis Ababa University

College of Social Sciences

Department of Political Science and International Relations
Course Title: Global Trends
Course Code: GlTr 1012 Credit and Contact Hrs. 02 (ETCS 4)
Semester I, year I (Academic year: 2023/24)
Regular UG program (AAU, Collage of Health Science)
Class Schedule: Sec I (Monday 3&4); Sec II (Tuesday 1&2); Sec III (Monday 1&2); Sec IV
(Tuesday 1&2)
Course Description:
The course global trends deal with extensive and yet complex occurrences that often spawn
seismic effects almost in every context of human life. The course is fairly comprehensive in its
coverage, markedly broader in its contents and multidisciplinary in its thematic range. Despite
sounds as if it covers nearly all realms of the collective human interactions, in its academic drive
the course rather sensibly stresses on the international relations (hereafter IR), the international
political economy, global regimes and the foremost challenges and perspectives of globalization.
As a comprehensive and interdisciplinary subject, the study of global trends thus permits you to
delve into wide range of issues, concepts, theories, approaches and debates, which many of them
have supposed commanding in making sense of the contemporary political, economic and socio-
cultural interchanges by actors constituting the international system.

Essentially the course is designed to acquaint you with the nature and dynamics of IR, major
trajectories in global politics, and the rising interpenetration among the states and other actors
of constituting the global system. Nonetheless, in the effort to make the course fairly
manageable, it is designed to explore very strategic themes such as the national interest,
instruments of foreign policy, diplomatic bargaining, the use of power and emerging issues.
With the intention of contextualizing the theoretical aspects with actual practical engagements
and disengagements of various actors at global level, the course also encourages you to immerse
in quite practical debates and enormously applicable theoretical perspectives and approaches to
the study of International relations, which among others, you are required to make exhaustive
historical analysis of the interwar period, the Cold War eras, and conduct rigorous analysis on
the political dynamics at different levels, globalization, newfound global challenges and
implications all these have on the state and global institutions.

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Course Objectives:
Relying on fairly practical theoretical perspectives of the IR and other disciplines, this course
looks at contemporary theories, scholarly debates and the real world empirical findings on
global issues. In so doing, the course aims to: (a) assist you comprehending the underlining
concepts of international relations, international politics, international community, global
institutions of governance and international regime; (b) acquaint you with the theoretical
perspectives and contemporary issues in IR; (c) retrace the various analytical tools as well as
conceptual frames both in making sense of the fundamental themes such as national interest,
foreign policy, diplomacy and Ethiopian foreign policy under successive regimes; (d) assist you
mapping out the fundamental debates, competing issues and exceptional trends in the
international political economy, and (e) familiarize you with newfound trends, contemporary
debates on the nexus of regionalism and globalization, and permissive factors for spanking new
global challenges.
Learning outcomes: On successful completion of this course, you will:

• Retrace the historical evolution of the study of IR, and thereby decipher the core
concepts of IR and its co-relations with global politics and international regime;
• Making sense of the very concepts such like national interest, foreign policy and
diplomacy;
• Acquire profound commands on the fundamental conceptualizations, operational logics
and key premises of contemporary theories of IR;
• Explicate the nature, underlying debates and perspectives of international political
economy;
• Internalize the cross-cutting issues among different theoretical perspectives of the IR;
• Making sense of the very kernel of states and non-state actors, and the influence and
mutual influence of these actors in shaping the global order;
[

• Draw on the explanatory approach in the effort to assess the overriding foreign policy
guidelines of Ethiopia across different periods in history; and
• Appreciate the worth of studying various notions, perspectives and theories of IR in both
to overcome global crisis as constructively as possible, building vibrant institutions of
helping to create sustainable global peace.

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Modes of Lesson Delivery:
Averagely ELEVEN sessions are designed to be conducted within two or more months, and yet
you are required to take part in the teaching-learning process. Lectures, group work, classroom
activities, learners’ presentations, writing term paper are among other methods of the course
delivery. You are supposed to do group and individual tasks, organize class presentation and
participate in discussions. Interactive teaching and learning will cover 40% of the time,
independent /self-learning will be allotted 40% of the total time and collaborative learning will
get for about 20% of the course hours.

Detailed Syllabus Components

Session #1, 2&3(Chap. I): Understanding International Relations
Underlying themes include: Conceptualizing Nationalism, Nations and States ; Understanding
International Relations[Individual Task I: Reflection]; The Nature and Evolution of IR; Actors in
the IR(state and None-state actors); Levels of Analysis in IR(Individual, group, state, and system
level), Structure of the International System; Theories of IR (Idealism/ liberalism, realism,
structuralism (Marxism), Constructivism and Critical theories).
Session #4 &5(Chap. II) Understanding Foreign Policy and Diplomacy
Primary themes include: Defining National Interest; Understanding Foreign Policy and Foreign
Policy Behaviors (Defining features, Foreign Policy (objectives, behaviors, patterns, and
dimensions); Foreign Policy Instruments; Overview of Foreign Policy of Ethiopia (Foreign Policy
during Tewodros II (1855-1868), Yohannes IV (1872-1889), Menelik II (1889-93), Emperor Haile
Selassie I (1916-1974), Marxist Regime (1974—1991), and in Post-1991[Group Task].

Session #6, 7&8(Chap. III): International Political Economy (IPE)

Principal themes include: Meaning and Nature of International Political Economy; Theoretical
Perspectives of International Political Economy; Survey of the Most Influential National
Political Economic Systems in the world (The American System of Market-Oriented Capitalism,
The Japanese System of Developmental Capitalism, The German System of Social Market
Capitalism, Differences among National Political Economy Systems [Individual Task I]; Core
Issues, Governing institutions and Governance of International Political Economy (International

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Trade and WATO, International Investment and the WB, International Finance and the IMF);
Exchange Rates and the Exchange-Rate System.
Session #9&10(Chap. IV): Globalization and Regionalism

Principal themes include: Defining Features and Debates on globalization (The Hyper-
globalists, the skeptics and The Transformationalist); [Globalization: on the pros and cons,
Globalization: on impacts in Africa, and Ethiopia in a Globalized World[ Individual Task II],
Defining Regionalism and Regional Integration (The Old and New Regionalism); Major
Theories of Regional Integrations (Functionalism and Neo-Functionalism]; Regionalization
versus Globalization and State; Regionalization nexus Globalization (Convergence, Divergence
and Overlapping process); and Regionalization, Globalization and the State
Session #11(Chap. V): Major Contemporary Global Issues

Major Contemporary Global Issues: Survey of Major Contemporary Global Issues (Security,
Environmental, Socio-economic and Cultural Issues

Modes of Assessment and Evaluation

Each task that you are expected to do will have own values. Grade set to be determined
by means of continuous assessment platform as per the following series activities
(Aggregate 100%):
 Individual Task I: Short essay question(s): 7%; [ Submission date: 9 June, 2024];

 Individual Task II: Short essay question(s): 8% ; [ Submission date: 21 June, 2024];

 Group Task: Term paper (10%) & Presentation (5%): 15%) [ Submission date: 26
May, 2024];
 Short quiz (midterm exam): 15%; and
 Final exam: 50%

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