COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: CURRENT ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
PIR 409	A	1	3	0	0	3	7.5

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	NA
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	Assoc.Prof.Dr. Lisen Bashkurti lbashkurti@epoka.edu.al , Thursday 10:00-12:30 hours
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Compulsory
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered)	Master of Science in Political Science and International Relations
Classroom and Meeting Time:	E 310
Code of Ethics:	Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement:	N/A
Course Description:	This is a master level course providing in-depth analysis and information on the international politics problems of the current world. This course will help students to understand the broader context of international life and global interconnection; to introduce topical conflicts and their roots as well as consequences; to understand both the enduring and the evolving challenges involved in achieving and maintaining international peace and prosperity; and it will encourage students to think about how to manage the challenges we face in the 21stcentury. By the end of the course students will be equipped with critical reading and analytical skills that will help them to understand and participate intelligently in ongoing public debates about the major issues of global politics.
Course Objectives:	The aim of this course is to discuss the main debates of International Relations in a comprehensive and accessible way. First it introduces the students to the most important theoretical developments of IR literature and then considers applications of such approaches to efforts at understanding contemporary issues in world politics.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE

1

N/A

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Defining International Relations
2	International Relations Theories
3	International Politics: Globalization
4	International Regions, Regimes, and Political Tendencies
5	International Security
6	War and Terrorism
7	Just War Theory and Humanitarian Interventions
8	International Economy
9	International Environmental Issue
10	International Development
11	Media and International Relations
12	Culture in International Conflict
13	International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
14	Conclusion

Prerequisite(s):	N/A
Textbook(s):	Zbigniew Brzezinski (1997), “The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives, Basic Boards”, ISBN: 0-465-02725-3. Zbigniew Brzezinski (2004),” The Choice: Globalization or Global Leadership”, ISBN: 978-0-465-00800-1. Henry Kissinger (1994), “Diplomacy”, ISBN: 0-671-65991. Lisen Bashkurti (2008), “Krizat Nderkombetare”, ADSH/ Tirane, ISBN: 978-99956-2247-3. Lisen Bashkurti (2016), “Grumbled Bridges of the Balkans”, Peter and Associated Publishing House, USA. ISBN: 9781365489365.
Additional Literature:	N/A
Laboratory Work:	N/A
Computer Usage:	N/A
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	At the end of the course, students must have gained knowledge and understanding of the key issues within the subject International Relations;
2	Students must have gained knowledge and understanding of the principal theoretical perspectives within the subject;
3	Students must have gained knowledge and understanding of the key development features within contemporary international relations
4	Students must have gained knowledge and understanding of how political, social and economic processes affect one another in world politics.

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Master of Science in Political Science and International Relations Program
1	Having and using advanced knowledge and comprehension supported by textbooks including actual knowledge in political sciences and international relations literature, materials and the other scientific resources.	5
2	Analyzing data, ideas and concepts of current political issues and international relations, determining complex events and topics, making discussions and developing new suggestions in accordance with researches.	5
3	Having knowledge and thought about actual topics and problems together with their historical, social and cultural aspects.	5
4	Introducing those who are interested in politics and international events with the topics of Political Science and IR and teaching clearly the problems and the types of solutions.	5
5	Improving skills of working together with the main social science disciplines and other disciplines which are related to Political Science and International Relations.	5
6	Improving critical thinking and skills in making research independently.	4
7	Developing solutions about the problems and conflicts which are common in national and international arena.	5
8	Improving skills for leadership and research and analyze capacity of those who is responsible with national and international ones.	5
9	Knowing any foreign language enough to communicate with colleagues and understand actual researches and articles.	3
10	Gaining IT skills to use computer and technology) in order to reach actual knowledge.	1
11	Gaining skills to follow societal, scientific and ethic values during collecting, interpreting, conducting of data related to social and political developments.	3
12	Having consciousness about human rights and environment.	5
13	Gaining the skills to follow actual developments and pursue long-life learning.	4

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Midterm Exam(s)	1	40
Final Exam	1	50
Attendance		10
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	3	48
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	16	2	32
Mid-terms	1	50	50
Assignments			0
Final examination	1	57.5	57.5
Other			0
Total Work Load:			187.5
Total Work Load/25(h):			7.5
ECTS Credit of the Course:			7.5

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER

by the end of term.