General provisions

The course is offered within the Master's Programme in International Humanitarian Action, 120 ECTS credits and the Master's Programme in Humanitarian Action and Conflict, 60 ECTS credits.

Entry requirements

The course on World Politics and Humanitarian Action is only available to students admitted to the Master Programme in International Humanitarian Action or the Master programme in Humanitarian Action and Conflict.

Learning outcomes

The module's aim is to provide a broad understanding of the geopolitical context for humanitarian activities. Special focus is placed on the political impact on humanitarian policies and their implementation in different cases. After completing the module successfully, students should have:

• an understanding of central geopolitical perspectives and dimensions in humanitarian disaster situations;
• an ability to use key concepts related to geopolitics for the analysis of the social and political dimensions of disaster situations;
• an ability to formulate critical questions and problems in the geopolitical analysis of disaster situations;
• justified and applied methodology and scientific methods correctly in an original piece of humanitarian research;
• a highly specialised knowledge and a critical understanding of humanitarian concepts and theories;
• an innovative expertise on a particular current theme in humanitarian action with an interdisciplinary understanding in terms of its political, legal, anthropological, public health and management aspects;
• specialised skills to conceptualise, interpret and critically analyse complex humanitarian crises and interventions on the basis of a variety of sources, generating new interdisciplinary expertise to help solve complex humanitarian problems;
• demonstrated the ability to position one's own research findings in the broader context of humanitarian action;

  developed an open attitude towards acquiring new knowledge and understanding about professional and academic developments in humanitarian action.

Content

The course gives an introduction to basic geopolitical concepts and perspectives and applies them to a concrete case. Finally it introduces some issues of relevance to on-going humanitarian action situations.

Instruction

The teaching on this campus course includes both lectures and seminars. Attendance at seminars and at least 75% of lectures is compulsory. Students who miss seminars must compensate for this absence. In general, students who miss more than 25% of lectures must also compensate. However, students who are absent for substantially more than 25% of lectures must instead take part in lectures the next time the course is provided. Participation in all lectures is highly encouraged since the lectures facilitate reading and analysis of the course literature.

The language of instruction is English.

Assessment

The course is examined through written tests as well as by oral presentations and seminar assignments.

Grades: Fail (F), Sufficient (E), Satisfactory (D), Good (C), Very Good (B) and Excellent (A).

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.

All work to be assessed must be in English.

Transitional provisions

Should the course cease to be given or change significantly, examination will be offered according to this syllabus on a further 3 occasions over 3 semesters. Under special circumstances, such an examination may also be offered later.