CREDITS 6 ECTS - 64 Contact Hours
The course starts with the introduction to the evolution of International Relations as a separate field of study. The first part of the course introduces students to academic research and writing in international relations. It is followed by an analysis of the most relevant IR theoretical schools – Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, Economic structuralism, Feminism, Poststructuralism, and Normative IR theories. The course also looks at concepts such as the balance of power, security, and foreign policy. Lectures are followed by discussions based on an analysis of current events. At the end of the course, students present their research papers.
- Teacher: Sintija Broka
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
The course provides the students with an all-encompassing overview of what the diplomatic sphere has been and what are the differences with what it is now. In order to provide this comparison a step by step analysis is taken of the diplomatic procedure, embassy responsibilities, Vienna convention and other important aspects of the diplomat’s daily duties.
- Teacher: Gints Jegermanis
- Teacher: Didzis Kļaviņš
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
The aim of this course is to discuss key concepts of Political Science and scholarly debates about them and to help building an academic understanding about the functioning of the society, the role and importance of politics in the life of the society as well as about making and implementation of political decisions by studying the basic concepts and mainstream theoretical approaches and by establishing causal relationships through considering examples and case studies.- Teacher: Jānis Ikstens
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
The course covers the historical reasons and motivations for situations and problematic issues that the modern policy makers are coping with. The course is structured to cover the most important political and economic aspects and controversies in Europe, Americas, Africa, China, Middle East and Central Asia. With the emphasis on topics and international relations problematic this course addresses the history from the explanatory perspective. Regions and countries, and their specific cultural, economic and political heritage will be discussed during interactive lectures, allowing the students to engage in an active exchange of ideas, and provide alternative perspectives on historic developments.- Teacher: Mārtiņš Hiršs
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
The aim of this course is to introduce students with the core theories, concepts and approaches to comparative politics. The course covers four main themes: (i) comparative methodology and key concepts; (ii) political regimes; (iii) the behavioural school in comparative politics; (iv) the new institutionalism school in comparative politics. The core textbook is: Rod Hague & Martin Harrop (2019), Comparative Government & Politics. 11th edition. This, and the other texts listed in the lecture plan are available in the course compendium. In writing the research paper, students should follow the paper guidelines that will be available in the course profile. The midterm test will assess the first half of the course's themes and will consist of either multiplechoice questions or a short written response format. The final exam for the Comparative Politics course will include four open-ended questions that cover key themes discussed after the midterm. Additionally, there will be one comprehensive question that requires integration of concepts and themes from both the pre- and post-midterm material. This format is designed to evaluate students' in-depth understanding of recent topics as well as their ability to connect broader course content. The lectures and seminars will be given by Malvīne Stučka. Students must attend a minimum of 75% of classes (lectures and seminars) in order to pass the course.
- Teacher: Malvīne Strazdiņa
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
The main goal of this course is to give students an understanding of the most important aspects and dynamics in conflict and crisis management in international politics as one of the central problems of international security in the 21st century. During this course, we will address debates on issues such as traditional and non-traditional threats, tools and strategies of conflict resolution, the effectiveness of deterrence, the impact of international organisations on conflict management, and others. This course will cover major theories of international relations and boost students’ ability to apply theoretical concepts in integrated empirical analysis.
- Teacher: Gunda Reire
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
This course covers theoretical, practical and interdisciplinary approaches to one of the major sub-fields in international relations: international security. During this course students will learn various tools for analysing security and organised violence from individual, national, regional and global perspectives. In practical exercises students will learn to implement these tools and improve their analytical skills.
- Teacher: Mārtiņš Hiršs
- Teacher: Katrīna Marija Sitniece
CREDITS 6 ECTS - 64 Contact Hours
What is foreign policy and why study it? How are foreign policy decisions made and how are they implemented? To what extent are psychological influences important in foreign policy decision-making? Are states driven by values or interests? Do economic incentives work? Are negative economic sanctions effective? To what extent is foreign policy driven or at least constrained by mass media and public opinion? To what extent can states rely on cyber instruments in foreign policy? This course attempts to answer these important questions and to provide a systematic overview of theories dealing with foreign policy-making and implementation processes.
Lectures introduce students to the main foreign policy theories and approaches. Levels of foreign policy analysis and the interplay between domestic and internal sources of foreign policy are also discussed. Seminars are mostly organized around case studies such as the Cuban missile crisis, Yom Kippur War, Bay of Pigs, the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, nuclear proliferation on the Korean Peninsula, Western economic sanctions on Russia, Sweden’s feminist foreign policy etc. Some case studies are explicitly related to theories of foreign policy decision making and implementation, while some cases are discussed in their own right. The aim of the seminar classes is to discuss foreign policy cases combining empirical and theoretical aspects of case studies.
- Teacher: Sintija Broka
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
This course will introduce students to the basics of diplomatic protocol, its importance and impact on foreign relations. Students will gain insight into the history and development of diplomatic protocol; will gain an understanding of the personnel composition of the diplomatic corps, visit protocol and special elements of diplomatic correspondence. This course will promote understanding of the common and different aspects of diplomatic protocol and business etiquette and will develop practical skills.
- Teacher: Sintija Stipre
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
The debate on public diplomacy now dominates research agendas in diplomatic studies. (Jan Melissen, “Beyond the New Public Diplomacy”, 2011)
Public diplomacy – along with the affiliated concepts of “soft power” and “smart power” - has become a conspicuous aspect of foreign affairs in the 21st century. The course examines the history, utilization, means and morality of public diplomacy worldwide: from the EU countries to the United States to China.
- Teacher: Vita Matīss
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
This course explores the multi-faceted field of economic diplomacy. It is divided into two parts: the first part deals with traditional economic diplomacy, the second part with science & technology diplomacy — a genus of economic diplomacy that is becoming ever-more important in international relations.
Economic diplomacy can be defined as the use of economic tools and policies by a country to achieve its international diplomatic objectives. This involves the “strategic” use of economic resources, such as trade, investment, and financial aid, to achieve foreign policy goals. It encompasses negotiations, agreements, and collaborations that promote economic interests and strengthen international relationships. The distinct difference in the way in which EU member states and a non-EU member states conduct economic diplomacy lies in the degree of independence (or autonomy), collective coordination and influence they can wield in international economic affairs.
Science & technology diplomacy is a genus of economic diplomacy that entails the use of scientific and technological collaboration to achieve international diplomatic objectives. Here too, there is a distinct difference between how EU member states and non-EU states conduct this form of diplomacy. EU member states benefit from a unified, coordinated approach by means of EU policies and funding programmes which facilitate collaboration within and outside of the EU — an example of which is Horizon Europe. Non-EU member states operate independently, relying on bilateral or multilateral agreements, national policies, and their own funding resources.
Tjaco Theo van den Hout studied law at Leiden University and economics as an extracurricular at Harvard. A former ambassador, he has been active in the field of economic diplomacy for most of his diplomatic career either at the bilateral or multilateral level.
- Teacher: Tjaco Theo van den Hout
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
The aim of the course is to introduce students with the core theories, concepts and approaches to negotiation strategies and tactics. The course is aimed at developing analytical and communication skills that are necessary for achieving results during negotiations. The study course is divided into two parts: theoretical approaches and concepts and simulations of the multilateral negotiations. The course will focus on theory and practice of the negotiations; students will be engaged in negotiation simulations, trainings, group discussions and creative tasks. Topics include basic negotiation strategies and tactics, argumentation, negotiation styles, cross-cultural negotiations, negotiating in teams. Students will also learn about the impact of power, perception, argumentation on negotiations. Students will acquire knowledge and skills of a systematic negotiation strategy and the ability to apply it across a wide range of transactions. The course is aimed at developing analytical and communication skills for negotiations in preparation, negotiating and post-negotiations phases.
- Teacher: Marika Laizāne-Jurkāne
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
The course contents are based on methodological approach to the process of analysis. This includes the critical thinking, its advantages and challenges in the analytical process. During the course students will obtain the overview of Russian history, culture and strategies which have direct and indirect impact on today’s politics, economy, social life and foreign policy.
- Teacher: Ivars Indāns
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
Migration of people is as old as human civilisation itself, however, despite its long history, being a social phenomenon with vast both economic, legal, and political consequences, migration represents one of the most controversial issues debated in Europe and around the world. Judgments of the merits of migration, hence, its moral appraisals substantially diverge across and within countries, resulting in a multitude of policy approaches. The course will begin with the examination of historical and modern trends of migration. The legal part will deal with the conceptual categories of migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, according to international and EU law. The political part of the course will look at the political causes and consequences of people’s migration. The economic perspective of both sending and receiving countries will be analysed in detail, as well as the developments and problems in the EU stemming from the intra-European migration and immigration from third countries. At last, but not least important, the acculturation strategies of immigrants and the approaches to diaspora engagement will also be addressed in this study course. In overall, this course aims to destigmatize the topic and demonstrate how a dialogue between supporters of open- and close-door approaches to migration can be fostered.
- Teacher: Aldis Austers
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
This course introduces students to the concept of geo-economics and the field of economic statecraft. It will explore how changes in the international environment have affected foreign policy decisions and the ways in which States increasingly practice power politics by economic means. Seven economic tools are considered suitable to geostrategic application: trade policy, investment policy, economic and financial sanctions, cyber, aid, financial and monetary policy, and energy and commodities. Each carries its own leading cast of countries and institutions and its own levers of state control and determinants of success. All will be covered in this course. Some academics consider geo-economics to be a genus of geopolitics. Others see the former more as an evolutionary transformation of the latter — a position that will be challenged In this course. Teaching is based on (a modern law school version of) the Socratic method. As a consequence the course is highly interactive — blurring the strict distinctions between “lecture” and “seminar”.
Tjaco Theo van den Hout studied law at Leiden University and economics as an extracurricular at Harvard. A former ambassador, he temporarily left the diplomatic service mid-career to take the helm for almost ten years of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. After retiring from diplomatic service in 2011, he moved to Riga to be with his family and, in the academic year of 2012-2013, joined RGSL as a member of its visiting faculty.
- Teacher: Tjaco Theo van den Hout
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
The first of a set of two courses covering the main countries of Asia, this course focuses on China and its multi-dimensional impact on the countries of Southeast Asia. It starts by explaining China’s fixation on returning their country to its former greatness, restoring the Chinese version of its place in the world as they had always known it It consequently explores how China currently strives to occupy “its rightful place as a great power”. To that end, President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) had been launched promising to spend over one trillion dollars for new ports, railways, fibre-optic cables, power plants, and other connections -- touching more than one hundred and thirty countries and expanding even into the Arctic, cyberspace, and outer space. Southeast Asia stands uniquely exposed to this waxing power of the new China. Three of its nations border China and five are directly impacted by its claims over the South China Sea. Using frameworks from the fields of international relations and comparative politics the course explains how domestic politics in these eight Asian nations are shaping their varying external responses and behaviours.Teaching is based on the modern (American law school) version of the “Socratic method” — blurring the distinction between lectures and seminars. As a consequence it is highly interactive with ample opportunity for classroom discussion and stimulating critical thinking.
- Teacher: Tjaco Theo van den Hout
CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours
This course is the second of a set of two courses covering Asia. Its geographical focus is on India, Japan, the Korean Peninsula and, to Pakistan and Afghanistan. With regard to the latter it will include a discussion of the geopolitical implications of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan The course will, in large part, rely on publications, mostly scholarly articles, that have recently appeared in prestigious journals. Students will cover a multi-disciplinary plane: moving from the geo-political field to foreign and domestic policy, economics and demographics.
The course trains analytical skills and critical thinking. Teaching is based on the modern (American law school) version of the “Socratic method” — blurring the distinction between lectures and seminars. As a consequence it is highly interactive with ample opportunity for classroom discussion and stimulating critical thinking.
- Teacher: Tjaco Theo van den Hout