Global Politics:
Contemporary World Affairs
The course provides an introduction to contemporary world affairs. The primary objective of the course is two – first, to enhance the understanding of contemporary global developments, with an attempt to comprehend the larger picture. Second, to identify trends leading forecasts on contemporary world affairs.
The Course will also invite senior scholars within and outside NIAS – also from within and outside India to provide lectures on contemporary world affairs.
Research Questions on Global Politics
The course focus on providing an explanation, and expects the scholars to increase their understanding on the following:
1. Contemporary World Order:
2. Regional Security:
3. Maritime Security:
4. Science and Security:
5. International Economy and Security:
Special Focus on South Asia
The Course aims to create an understanding from a South Asian perspective. Given the enormity of literature, primarily from an international perspective, there is a substantial gap in terms of approaching contemporary global issues from a South Asian perspective.
The course also aims to create a pool of scholars, thereby build capacity that would help the region in understanding issues of global politics, regional and international conflicts and also regional security in South Asia.
Enhancing Presentation Style & Writing Skills
A common issue facing young scholars is the challenge of effective communication. This course aims to address the same in terms of building basic skills of research presentation.
On the basic research tools side, the course aims to pick up different contemporary issues and make presentations – oral and power point, with an objective to convert the same into short writings to be published in the Course Portal
Effective Use of Social Media for Dissemination
The course will also recommend its scholars to maintain their own individual blogs and also help improving their tweets and related social media communication; the objective of this endeavour is to create awareness about making effective use of the social media for research and dissemination.
The course also aims to create a group of young scholars working on issues relating to peace and conflict and pool them together with an online identity.
Online Portal: Global Politics
The Course will also have an Online portal managed by the Course Instructor, where the writings of the scholars on contemporary world affairs will be published on a regular basis.
The Online portal of the Course will also have lectures by the international faculty uploaded.
II
Course Outline
Global Politics: Identifying Contemporary Issues
The course focuses on providing an explanation, and expects the scholars to increase their understanding on the following:
1. Contemporary World Order:
2. Regional Security:
3. Maritime Security:
4. Science and Security:
5. International Economy and Security:
III
Course Framework
For the NIAS scholars, there will be regular classes, every Wednesdays between 1000 and 1300 hrs.
Every session would involve 45 minutes of lecture, followed by 45 minutes of interactions.
The above will be followed by students’ presentations for 90 minutes
Student Presentations, followed by Short Commentaries will play a crucial role in deepening the understanding of students. Each student will be asked to make minimum two presentations and write two short commentaries every month.
The portal on Global Politics will engage the students of the course on a regular basis in following subjects on a daily basis and also prepare online databases.
Guest Lectures and International Faculty:
Since the course is also designed as an online one, this would give flexibility to invite faculty from across the world.
Academics, Think Tankers, former government officials will be requested to take guest lectures on specific subjects.
Course Alumni
She can be contacted at lakshmimenon0410@gmail.com
She can be contacted at oisheemajumdar@gmail.com
She can be reached at seethadinesh2807@gmail.com.
He can be contacted at ryanmitra17@gmail.com.
He wishes to pursue a career in International Law. He can be contacted at jerringeorg@gmail.com
He can be reached at: mahathandmangal@gmail.com
She can be reached at raakhaveeramesh@gmail.com
She can be reached at: titsala.anar@gmail.com
He can be contacted at parikshithpradeep@yahoo.com.
He can be reached at vijay.maidergi@gmail.com.
He can be contacted at lakastro@gmail.com.
She can be contacted at harinisha.vaish@gmail.com
She can be contacted at arrit33@gmail.com
Rishma Banerjee is a Research Assistant in the Science, Technology, and International Relations Programme under the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the NIAS. She works in the KAS-NIAS Europe Studies Programme under the Area Studies initiative. Her research interest is in the geopolitical developments in Eastern Europe.
Rishma has been tracing the war in Ukraine on a daily basis and has written about the French presidential elections and the heatwaves in Europe.
Course Scholars
Harini Madhusudan is a doctoral scholar with the School of Conflict and Security Studies, NIAS. Her thesis looks at Militarisation in Outer Space, which draws from a combination of disciplines of International Law, Security Studies, International Relations, and Outer Space as a domain. She is looking...
Rashmi Ramesh is currently pursuing PhD at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Rashmi completed her BA in Economics, Political Science and Sociology from Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore. She holds a Masters Degree in Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher...
Akriti Sharma is a doctoral scholar at the Science, Technology and International Relations Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies. She has completed her Bachelors in Political Science and Masters in Political Science from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. She is also the recipient of...
Apoorva Sudhakar is a Research Associate at the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Her areas of interest include ethnic conflicts, civil-military relations and political developments in Africa. Apoorva has completed her Masters degree in...
Abigail Miriam Fernandez Research Associate at the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Her areas of interest include peace and conflict in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. As a part of her research focus at 'Pakistan Reader'...
Avishka Ashok is a Research Associate with the Science, Technology and International Relations (STIR) Programme in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. In the STIR Programme, she is currently coordinating the activities of the China Reader...
Padmashree Anandhan is currently a project associate at the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore. Her research for the NIAS Europe Studies under the Area Studies initiative focuses on protest movements, conflicts, energy, economic, migration...
Ankit is a Ph.D. scholar at NIAS, his research interests lie South Asia, peace studies and oral history. His research topic is on political economy of external debt in Pakistan (1971-2021). Research activities In the STIR program, he is currently assisting in preparations of PR evening...
Anu Maria Joseph is a Research Assistant in School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. She holds masters in Political Science from Madras Christian College, Chennai. As part of NIAS Africa Studies, she looks into internal politics, external relations,...
Sethuraman Nadarajan is a Research Assistant with the Science, Technology, and International Relations (STIR) Programme in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. In the STIR Programme, he is currently coordinating the activities of the...
Aparupa Bhattacharjee is currently pursuing her PhD at the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore. Her research is focussed on Southeast Asia, primarily Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia. In particular, she studies politics, conflicts...
Sourina Bej is a doctoral candidate in the Department of South Asian Studies at the University of Bonn. She has received the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung European International Cooperation (KAS-EIZ) scholarship for her doctoral study on climate migration, sustainability, and resilience among the rural...