Seminar Post structural approaches to International Politics and Globalisation

The aim of the seminar is to introduce students to the theory and practice of post-structuralist discourse theory, thereby providing a new perspective on International Relations and International Political Economy. Within these fields of research, post-structural approaches constitute the most vibrant, vivid and at the same time controversial theoretical developments. Besides unconventional empirical studies, post-structural approaches act as a kind of corrective to traditional political theories: they critically engage with concepts and basic theoretical assumptions. Post-structuralist approaches highlight the importance of discourses for the construction of political reality and of political actors. The pre-discursive existence of entities such as institutions, subjects of policymaking, and political identities is denied. Introducing discourse theory means questioning essentialist assumptions in international relations. Accordingly, the -truth- of an event is the outcome of struggles among competing discourses that transform -what is out there- into a socially and politically relevant concept. A post-structuralist theorising puts emphasis on power struggles and resulting contingencies. It takes into account contingent events as constitutive of political processes and developments. In our seminar, we will critically engage with theories of the state, theories of power, and theories of International Political Economy. In this way, we will touch upon issues of finance, terrorism, global resistance, and others. Requirements: The course is taught in English. Accordingly, Good knowledge of the English language in oral and written form is essential. Every week, students will prepare a max. 15-minute oral presentation (supported by a power point presentation), including a 2-page handout (due one day before class). Additionally, students have to write a term-paper. The term-paper can be written in German as well. The course reader can be purchased at the copy shop ‘Copy Shop’ Holländische Str. 17. FB 05 Gesellschaftswissenschaften Uni Kassel SoSe 2012 Global Political Economy Dr. Wullweber Joscha