Pre-Term Curriculum - Summer

The Pre-Term Curriculum is offered in summer before the start of the first academic year. It serves the purpose of enforcing language proficiency, mathematics relevant to economics, quantitative reasoning and fundamental skills, including writing, effective communication, team building and motivation.

Analytical and Statistical Skills

This pre-term course covers basic data management and statistical skills needed to determine the  accuracy of reported data, understand research methods, evaluate appropriate techniques, and engage in an informed dialogue on quantitative measurements. Required skills include the ability to: interpret mathematical models (formulas, graphs, tables); represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, numerically and verbally; and use arithmetical, algebraic, geometric and statistical methods to solve problems and check answers in order to attain optimal results. This course is required for all students.

Advanced English

Reinforces ability to communicate effectively in English, with special focus on development of writing skills. 

Academic Writing

The aim of this course is to help you develop as a writer within the English speaking academic community. The course introduces you to critical reading as a process of evaluating the context and purpose of written texts, and enables you to apply the insights gained from this process to the production of a written critique as an example of such a text. It, then, deals with some of the basic academic skills you need for your studies, such as how to deal with heavy reading loads, or oral presentations. Finally, you will develop an awareness of features of the genre of research-based academic writing. You will become familiar with the conventions of using the work of other authors in English academic discourse, and reflect on how these influence the development of your own voice.

Skills and Values

ADA fosters a culture built on moral responsibility and ethics, and participation. This pre-term session will consider fundemantal ethical issues, good behavior, and the ADA’s own honor code. Students will, then, be trained to develop practical skills in such areas as effective communication, presentation techniques, and team management. The session will end with an introduction to Career Strategies.

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Core Curriculum - First Year

International Relations and History

International Relations: Theory and Practice

This course focuses on key theoretical debates in the field of international relations and introduces students to the practice of diplomacy. The course provides students with a brief historical background on the theory of international relations and examines the mainstream theoretical arguments about the nature of the field and its evolution. Students will study how various IR theories are applied in practice to analyze critical issues such as sovereignity, nationalism, international security, the global economy, environment, international trade, and development. The course is designed to enable students studying international affairs to use acquired theoretical knowledge and practical analytical tools to address complex issues facing contemporary policymakers. This course is taken during the first semester of the program.

Comparative Political Systems

This course deals with the fundamentals of political science, calling on the classic works of the founders of western political philosophy and of analogies current elsewhere. Students will be introduced to theories of democracy, authoritarianism, and totalitarianism,  study the role of political parties and interest groups, electoral systems, political campaigning and marketing, and media. The course will analyze the nature of political power and behavior, political opposition, propaganda, populism, corruption and other threats to democracy, as well as the role of military and of domestic security. 

Comparative Foreign Policy Analysis

The course will compare the attributes of various actors in international politics and will form an understanding of the sources and outcomes of foreign policy-making. Students will be introduced to the principal theories on the sources of foreign policy, ranging from the psychology and decision making of individual policymakers to domestic and international constraints. It will then examine the foreign policies of the South Caucasus states and their immediate neigbors (i.e. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russia and Turkey). Particular focus will be placed on analyzing the role of external and internal factors in the foreign policy making processes. The course reviews the region through the prisms of culture (including religion), development, and conflict. It explores the origins and dynamics of wars and unresolved regional conflicts, and examines potential new sources of violence in the region. It also analyses the challenges of economic development and the linkages between development, culture, and security. The course also explores the dynamics of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, nationalism, and secularism, as they develop in the region. Special attention is given to the role played by the international community and such issues as energy politics and euro-atlantic integration process.

International Economics

Microeconomics

This course first develops simple graphical and mathematical models of decision-making by individual economic agents: consumers, workers, and businesses. The students will then analyze interactions between these agents in product and factor markets using concepts of market demand, supply, and equilibrium. Finally, students will consider the efficiency of competitive markets, describe the conditions under which that efficiency may arise, and examine market failures that occur when those conditions are not present. This course also covers opportunity cost, marginal analysis, production, cost and supply, value and distribution, including the theory of consumer choice, the theory of the firm, the impact on allocation of resources by different market structures ranging from competition to monopoly, game theory, and general equilibrium analyses. By emphasizing the development of analytic tools, the concepts of this course gain in their operational relevance.

Macroeconomics

This course provides an introduction to macroeconomics. The first part of the course explores how GDP, inflation, unemployment, and other macroeconomic aggregates are measured in practice. The second part develops analytical models of long-term macroeconomic performance and growth. The third part focuses on short-run (business-cycle) fluctuations and fiscal and monetary policies. This course also covers the measurement of output and prices, theory of economic growth, business cycle theory, fiscal policy, and monetary policy.

International Trade and Finance

The course introduces students to the fundamentals of international trade and finance. Students will study causes and gains of international trade, regional and international trade policies, arguments in favor of free trade versus protectionism, as well as the evolution and role of those financial institutions that manage world trade. Globalization and integration will be focus of discussions. Basic economic principles to be studied include the balance of payments, the international monetary system, exchange rate determination, and international capital flows. Stabilization policies under different exchange rate regimes will be examined. The course develops basic research, communication and negotiation skills relevant to commerce and diplomacy.

International Law and Organizations

International Law and Legal Order

This course deals with structural aspects of the international legal system, covering the history, and evolution of international law. It introduces students to cultural and philosophical aspects of international law, including customary international law; the law of treaties; the subjects and limits of international law; the law of war; and the linkages between the international legal system and domestic legal systems. Students will learn about the relationship between law, morality and power, and study the concepts of the use of force, self-defense, pre-emption, prevention and intervention. In addition, the class will examine the reach of state power, including questioning jurisdiction, the act of state doctrine, immunities of foreign states, human rights, and arms control and disarmament

International Organizations

This course is designed to provide a framework for understanding public international law and the work of international organizations. It will cover such topics as the historical and conceptual questions of international organization; the structural characteristics and operations of the League of Nations and the U.N. system; the analysis of the political and judicial role of the U. N. system in such functional areas as peace and security, international criminal tribunals, technical and humanitarian assistance, economic development and human rights. In addition to the U.N. system, students will also examine the role of the European Union and other regional organizations (i.e. GUAM, OSCE, NATO, SCO) in a regional and international context.

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Specialization- Second Year

International Security and Conflict Resolution

Advanced Seminar in International Security

The course will introduce some of the major theoretic and policy-oriented debates in international security. Students will be familiarised with different theoretical approaches to the concept of security strategic studies, critical security studies, Copenhagen School, human security. Theoretic and practical approaches to military and non-military factors that influence human, national, regional and world security will be discussed. The course allows students to think critically about traditional and emerging threats, including demographic, health, environment and resource-related security issues. Students are required to write a research paper and present the findings of their research. The course will be held as a combination of lectures and seminars and students are required to write an in depth research essay.

Conflict Analysis and Resolution

The course will examine conflict analysis and resolution as a field of theoretical inquiry, research and practice and provide students with a broad overview of the field. The course will explore the history and theory of the field as well as contemporary debates. The students will learn to explore the role of crucial factors such as tradition, culture, race, gender, religion, geopolitics and many others in analyzing the different type of conflicts. By the end of the term, the students will develop their own approach to conflict resolution and peacemaking based on the analysis and interpretation of work by various scholars in the field and on the recognition of their own social location, life experiences and values.

International Negotiation

The course aims to equip students with an in-depth knowledge of the literature on the history and practice of international negotiations. The course examines contending approaches to international negotiations and provides a detailed overview of negotiation techniques and their usefulness and limits in the management of deeply rooted conflicts. It analyzes international negotiation processes in diverse conflict settings, including crisis negotiation, international business negotiation, diplomatic negotiations) and social conflict situations (e.g., protracted ethnic-based conflicts). The course features role plays, simulations, case studies, films, and guest speakers.

Conflict, Violence and War

This course will survey and critically examine theoretical and empirical scholarship on the causes and conditions of war, violence, and conflict and on the possible solutions to these problems. The main purposes of the course are: to present and critique central theories that have been used to analyze various types of social and political conflicts; to evaluate the usefulness of these theories by applying them to specific case studies; and to encourage and assist students to develop their own perspectives and to construct useful theories for conflict analysis and conflict resolution.

Terrorism and Counterterrorism

This course examines the origins and evolution of modern terrorism, challenges posed by terrorist groups to states and to the international system, and strategies employed to confront and combat terrorism. The course will assess a wide variety of terrorist organizations, and explore the psychological, socioeconomic, political, and religious causes of terrorist violence past and present. The course will also focus on the responses to terrorism by governments, particularly in the area of policy and decision-making. The students will understand strengths and weaknesses of various counterterrorism strategies, from the point of view of efficacy as well as ethics, and look into ways in which the new threat of global terrorism might impact the healthy functioning of democratic states. The course will also include case studies of successes and failures, including the use of military force, public diplomacy, economic aid, covert and intelligence action, and information and influence operations.

Middle Eastern Politics and Security

This course provides an insight into the political systems of the Middle East with a specific focus on security issues. Over the course of semester the students will examine the political development of Middle Eastern states from the period of European colonization to today, the phenomenon of Arab nationalism, Islamism, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, democratization, oil and economic development and regional security. The course assumes no previous study of the Middle East.

Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict

The course provides students with a conceptual framework for understanding and analyzing ethnic conflicts. The first part of the course provides a general overview for understanding ethnic and nationalist conflict. The second part of the course analyzes the causes of ethnic conflict and civil war, including psychological, historical, political, ethnic, ideological, religious and economic factors. The third part of the course examines domestic strategies for dealing with ethnic and political differences, including accommodation, domination, co-optation, assimilation, secession and genocide. The fourth and final part of the course examines international responses to ethnic and nationalist conflict, including the use of policy instruments such as economic measures, mediation and military force. A wide selection of cases studies are used illustrate theoretical arguments.

International Law and Use of Force

This course explores both the rules consulted before resorting to use of force and the rules applicable in an armed conflict. The first part of the course will make students aware of the fundamental principles regulating use of force in international law. Current issues such Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia will be discussed in detail. Conflicts of self-determination and solutions to them in the form of international autonomy will be paid credit, too. The second part of the course will familiarize with the content and practical significance of international legal regulation of humanitarian problems resulting from international and non-international armed conflicts. Students will discuss victim protection and assistance, as well as the application of international humanitarian law in civil wars. The course will also give an overview of the institutional framework of international criminal justice. This course is instructed through lectures, discussions, assigned readings, case studies and, where appropriate, audio-visual materials.

Peacekeeping and Post-war reconstruction

The course will track and analyse the evolution of the character and nature of peacekeeping and the politics of the use of force for humanitarian purposes. It focuses on the theory and practice of peacekeeping and peace operations. At the same time the course will introduce basic concepts in developmental economics and peace through commerce as well as increase the overall awareness of how business can be a force for good in society, particularly in war-torn areas. The students of this course will investigate the activities of local and/or international businesses in a war-torn region and the positive/negative impact of those business activities. They will also go deeper into the specific political, cultural, economic, and business challenges of a specific war-torn country.

Caspian Basin Studies

Threat Analysis in the Caucasus

In this course the student will analyzes potential and actualized regional threats to national security of the states in Caucasus, specifically, the most volatile threat areas and high-risk military flashpoints. It includes Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Chechen conflicts; Iranian nuclear ambitions and its impact on security; terrorism and political violence in Caucasus; environmental threats and others. The course will also introduce students to the concepts and theories of the national security as well as go deeper on security issues of the Caucasian region. It will survey the factors that form the context for making policy decisions and addresses alternative perspectives on the choices facing policy-makers today.

Caspian Energy and Environment

The objective of this course is to give participants relevant experience in both areas of energy and environment. Development and current status of energy sources, technologies, consumption patterns, conservation, and energy policies of the Caspian states are the primary focus of the course. The course is designed with lectures/seminars and site visit along with group exercise. Lectures will be given by a variety of experts in the respective field and present the essential elements of a particular topic and also provide a framework for further in-depth study via a group project. Field trips include visiting Sangachal terminal; Oil Rocks; oil and gas refineries; oil museum and other important sites.

Comparative Economics of the Caspian Region

This course will examine the theories and practices of economic development in the Caspian region. This region is of strategic global importance and provides a context for which to study such issues as the role of the state in the economy; transition from socialist system to capitalist one; impact of oil resources on economy and problems of “resource curse”; internal migration and brain drains; banking systems and socio-economic development of the region. The objective of the course is to give you a strong background in the historical, institutional and social issues that have shaped the current economic climate in the region.

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