TYPE OF COURSE UNIT	Elective Course
LEVEL OF COURSE UNIT	Bachelor's Degree
YEAR OF STUDY	-
SEMESTER	-
NUMBER OF ECTS CREDITS ALLOCATED	5
NAME OF LECTURER(S)	Professor Hasan Ünal Assistant Professor Cihan Dizdaroğlu
LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE COURSE UNIT	At the end of this course, the students; 1) learn how to discuss the concepts and events that shape the contemporary world politics. 2) learn how to reach the generalizable knowledge instead of speculations, conspiracy theories and political propaganda. 3) compare and evaluate theoretical and historical bases of international relations, and current developments in international relations.
MODE OF DELIVERY	Face to face
PRE-REQUISITES OF THE COURSE	No
RECOMMENDED OPTIONAL PROGRAMME COMPONENT	No recommended optional programme components.
COURSE DEFINITION	This course deals with current affairs across the globe and its content gets altered in accordance with events likely to have a major impact on regional or global balance of power. This term we kick off with an outline of global order evolving into multi-polarity with major aspects. Having discussed the transition from unipolarity into multipolarity at some length we will move on to some events that accelerated this transition. We will look into the war in Ukraine and the two other wars that it triggered off, that is, the war in the media and the social media as well as the war between those actors trying to turn the globe into multipolarity and those, namely the US and its allies, endeavouring to preserve the US-led unipolar world order. Following the war in Ukraine, we will look at the potential conflict between China and Taiwan with unpredictable consequences. We shall then focus on a regional dispute in Southern Caucasus between Azerbaijan and Armenia with the latest Azerbaijani operations by which Baku liberated all its territories under Armenian occupation. We shall then turn to the Eastern Mediterranean where there was until recently much tension over the exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves, delimitation of Exclusive Economic Zones and etc. The course will end with a general review of all subjects in question.
COURSE CONTENTS	WEEK TOPICS 1st Week Debate on the evolution of world order from unipolarity into multipolarity. Historical perspective, causes and etc. 2nd Week Debate on multipolarity: what is multipolarity likely to bring in? 3rd Week The war in Ukraine: causes and respective arguments 4th Week The war in Ukraine: likely outcome in the actual war, media war and beyond 5th Week Tension between Russia and the West: what is it likely to lead to? 6th Week China-Taiwan conflict: causes and respective arguments 7th Week Tension between China and the West 8th Week Mid-Term 9th Week Azerbaijan-Armenia dispute over Karabakh 10th Week Azerbaijan?s successful war of liberation 11th Week Potential for a rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia and Azerbaijan and Armenia 12th Week Eastern Mediterranean Dispute: hydrocarbons, geopolitical configuration etc. 13th Week Latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean 14th Week Revision 15th Week 16th Week
RECOMENDED OR REQUIRED READING	Kitaplar ve Makaleler: Zorunlu bir kitap bulunmamaktadır. Bunun yerine öğrencilerin Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the National Interest, Perceptions, Baku Dialogues gibi belli başlı dergileri takip etmeleri beklenmektedir. Öğrencilere ayrıca belirli makaleler, op-ed'ler vb. verilecektir.
PLANNED LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS	Lecture,Discussion,Case Study,Questions/Answers
ASSESSMENT METHODS AND CRITERIA	Quantity Percentage(%) Mid-term 1 40 Total(%) 40 Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%) 40 Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%) 60 Total(%) 100
ECTS WORKLOAD	Activities Number Hours Workload Midterm exam 1 1,5 1,5 Preparation for Quiz Individual or group work 14 2 28 Preparation for Final exam 1 30 30 Course hours 14 3 42 Preparation for Midterm exam 1 25 25 Laboratory (including preparation) Final exam 1 1,5 1,5 Homework 1 24 24 Total Workload 152 Total Workload / 30 5,06 ECTS Credits of the Course 5
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION	English
WORK PLACEMENT(S)	No