Degree Requirements and Course Contents

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

SAMPLE CURRICULUM

Compulsory Courses

IR 501 Global Governance - 7,5 ECTS

In this course, various theoretical approaches to international relations and global governance and their interactions with the concepts of sovereignty, regionalism, justice, terrorism and international conflict and cooperation conflict related to global politics will be examined. In addition, a range of policy issues will be discussed, including international economic policy coordination, development aid, finance, climate change and human rights. The United Nations, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, Médecins Sans Frontiėres, and the Red Cross are among the institutions studied in this course.

IR 502 Research Methods and Ethics - 7,5 ECTS

This course aims to introduce students to the knowledge, methods and techniques used in political science research, as well as ethical principles. This advanced course covers basic scientific concepts, literature review, research question, theory and hypothesis formulation and testing, experimental research proposal formulation, and research and publication ethics.

Seminar Course

IR 503 Seminar - 3 ECTS

This course includes the presentation of current research by the faculty members and guest speakers. It is designed to help students develop research ideas and integrate different methods into their research and application work.

Elective Courses

IR 504 Advanced Qualitative Methods in Social Sciences - 7,5 ECTS

This course develops collaborative research methods in the social sciences, including but not limited to concept formation, causal analysis, single and comparative case study methods, case selection, qualitative interviewing, historical and ethnographic methods, and genealogy. The course introduces students to a range of research techniques, taking into account their methodological and epistemological backgrounds. The focus of the course is to enable students to become producers and ultimately consumers of knowledge by using qualitative methods.

IR 505 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences - 7,5 ECTS

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the basic statistical methods used in quantitative social research with a focus on descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, model building, regression analysis, and the identification of causal relationships. The course provides students with a basic understanding of the logic of statistical analysis and the ability to perform a basic analysis using statistical software. It also equips students to present key quantitative data and helps them develop strategies for using data to support their research.

IR 510 Global Governance - 7,5 ECTS

This course will help to understand the normative and institutional premises of governance, as well as new and emerging theories of governance, power and evidence. It will provide a critical understanding of a range of global governance issues, such as food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and healthy cities. 

IR 511 Theorizing Globalization - 7,5 ECTS

In this course, the consequences of globalization in International Relations will be evaluated by looking at international political processes and institutions, politics, economy and culture. The aim of this course is to provide you with a platform to work constructively in groups, gain leadership skills, and formulate arguments and coherent discussions in a diverse international setting.

IR 512 Global Security - 7,5 ECTS

This course analyses the changes in the global security agenda since the end of the Cold War, both empirically and theoretically. The transformation of military security threats will then be analysed by emphasizing the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and the importance of global terrorism. The course will also study the rise of non-military human security issues, including environmental change, crime, disease, poverty and disasters.

IR 513 Political Violence and Terrorism - 7,5 ECTS

This course will introduce the main debates on political violence and contemporary terrorism. The current sociological-criminological analysis of legitimate and illegitimate political violence and the contributions of major schools of thought will be examined in detail. At the same time, theoretical concepts and practical considerations in contemporary political violence and terrorism discourse will be critically explored using a series of case studies.

IR 514 Diplomacy and International Law - 7,5 ECTS

This course aims to provide students with a practical understanding of how international law informs, regulates and constrains the management of diplomacy. At the end of the course, students are expected to have knowledge of how diplomats apply and should apply international law in global affairs.

IR 515 Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution - 7,5 ECTS

This course examines many dilemmas associated with peace-making, peacebuilding, and post-conflict state-building processes. Considering the concepts of conflict, violence and peace, post-Cold War democracy and the view that a liberal market creates the best institutional environments to foster peace will be evaluated. In addition, the dynamics of peace negotiations, post-conflict reconstruction, state-building and regime-building processes will be examined.

IR 517 Global Political Economy - 7,5 ECTS

This course examines the development of international political economy from the post-World War II period to the present. The basic assumptions and propositions of the main paradigms of Classical Political Economy, the foundations of the post-war period of sustained growth and prosperity known as the "Golden Age of Capitalism", and the collapse of the post-war order and the emergence of the neoliberal order will be analysed.

IR 520 Migration Theories and Approaches - 7,5 ECTS

This course will look at the relationship between migration, politics and politics from a comparative and European perspective. This relationship will be studied both top-down and bottom-up. Growing conflicts between immigrants and natives over the growth of anti-immigration policies, the use of space and the distribution of wealth resources will also be examined.

IR 525 Global Human Rights Policy - 7,5 ECTS

This course aims to explore the philosophical, historical, normative, legal and political foundations of the contemporary international human rights regime and the main debates surrounding human rights theory and practice. This course will look in depth at the emergence, development and implementation of the human rights movement as well as specific issues such as humanitarian intervention, transitional and international criminal justice, etc., and how these affect human rights.

IR 526 Foreign Policy Analysis - 7,5 ECTS

The aim of this course is to analyse foreign policy practices as important areas of political agency and choice in contemporary geopolitics of international relations. This course will draw on applied classical and critical theories of international relations and geopolitical perspectives in examining foreign policy traditions, strategies and the practices of key actors and cases in global politics. The course is designed to equip those wishing to further their specialized studies in foreign policy analysis and/or employment in areas related to governance, trade, policy and diplomacy.

IR 527 Globalization, European Union and Multi-Layered Governance - 7,5 ECTS

This course examines how European politics and public administration have been shaped in the processes of globalization and regionalization. The processes in question partially empty the nation-state and shift its authority and authorities to supranational institutions on the one hand, and to both sub-national, regional and local institutions, as well as the private sector and non-governmental organizations. The aim of this course is to reveal the meaning and causes of this phenomenon, the new power relations it creates, and to explore how it is carried out in practice in specific policy sectors.

IR 528 Humanitarian Intervention - 7,5 ECTS

Humanitarian organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have recently become important areas for social scientific research in line with their influence in the management of world affairs. This course traces the rise of the humanitarian narrative and examines how humanity has become one of the organizing categories of political action and order, along with other key words such as crisis, emergency, and response. The theoretical concepts will be applied to the examples of aid and intervention in today's war in sub-Saharan Africa, Kosovo, Somalia and Syria.

IR 529 Public and Global Health Policies - 7,5 ECTS

With the acceleration of globalization, public health has shifted from state-oriented policies to a more inclusive structure, including non-governmental organizations and commercial institutions. This course will shed light on the actors, management styles, theoretical frameworks and common problems that have shaped recent global health policies. It will also examine the intricate relevance of intellectual property rights to global health and the impact of humanitarian efforts on health workers.

IR 530 Governance Food and Agriculture Systems - 7,5 ECTS

This course focuses on food security and the globalization of agricultural systems, which has become one of the most important global issues in the world. Throughout the course, different aspects of agricultural activities, food distribution and consumption, food production, production relations and trade will be covered. At the same time, problems of access to food in urban and rural areas; production relations in food agriculture, the relation between small farmers and large corporate firms and organizations; how the market works and its local, national and international implications; It examines the development strategies of major organizations such as the World Bank, IMF and FAO related to agriculture and food problem.

IR 531 Global Sustainable Development - 7,5 ECTS

Sustainable development stands at the intersection of the environment, society and economy. This course analyses the practices, indicators, measurement tools and problems of sustainable development at different geographical (local, national and international) scales, together with the approach of relevant international institutions. Case studies from various regions of the world are included in the course, and applied governance approaches are examined comparatively through political and economic processes.

IR 532 Global Environmental Governance - 7,5 ECTS

This course examines how global environmental problems are managed by international and transnational actors and how the governance mechanisms created by these actors seek solutions to different environmental problems. In addition, this course examines how global environmental regimes, each of which has a different range of actors, political dynamics and institutional structures, interact with other mainstream global regimes such as security, economy, health and trade.

IR 533 Global Middle East - 7,5 ECTS

The aim of this course is to place the contemporary Middle East region in a global context, to examine the region in depth by considering the different aspects of the region's transnational connections. The course seeks to understand today's Middle East from a global and interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on themes such as trade networks, environmental issues, ideologies and social movements, humanitarian mobility and migration.

IR 691 Thesis Proposal - 4,5 ECTS

The aim of this course is to help students write a thesis proposal. The lesson is done in groups.

IR 692-693 Thesis Study I- II - 30 ECTS – 30 ECTS

In these courses, students write their master's theses.