Core Curriculum – First Year

The MADIA Core Curriculum is designed across three fundamental areas: International Relations and History, International Economics, and International Law and Organization.

• 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 sovereignty, nationalism, international security and environment. The course is designed to enable students studying international affairs to use theoretical knowledge and practical analytical tools to address complex issues facing contemporary policymakers. This course is taken during the first semester of the program. (6 ECTS)

  • Comparative Political Systems

    This course deals with the fundamentals of political science, calling on the classic works of the founders of western political philosophy. 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 the media. The course will analyze the nature of political power and behaviour, political opposition, propaganda, populism, corruption and other threats to democracy, as well as the role of military and of domestic security. (6 ECTS)

  • Research Methods for Policy Analysis

    This course introduces students to the field of research methods for policy analysis. The course includes four main components: 1) general scientific research methods; 2) theoretical research methods; 3) applied and empirical research methods; and 4) research design. The main objectives of the course is to provide students with the ability to interpret the sophisticated literature of the discipline and understand its methodology, introduce students to the fundamentals of the research methods and general principles of science and scientific research, and help the students to analyze the role and influence of interdisciplinary approaches in political science and political research. (6 ECTS)

  • Capstone

    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 neighbours (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 analyzes 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 the Euro Atlantic integration process. (6 ECTS)

• 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. (6 ECTS)

  • International Trade and Finance
• International Law and Organization
  • Public International Law
  • Law of International Organizations
    
• English for Academic and Professional Purposes (EAPP)
  • Advanced Writing

    This course is designed to help students develop their research and writing skills appropriate for the graduate level. The content of the course will include a series of small assignments and a final research paper that may be prepared based on a topic of study from one of the other MADIA courses.  This course will help to understand and implement the characteristics of good writing into one’s own writing. (4 ECTS)

• Global Perspectives

Elective Curriculum - Second Year

During the last semester of study, students have several options. Students may choose either to write a master thesis (20 ECTS) on the topic related to their interest or take elective classes. Students choosing to write a Master's Thesis must also take a capstone class.

• Study Tour
• Russia and Eurasia
• Politics of Modern Iran
• Turkey and Turkic World
• Energy and Security
• Legal Issues in the Caspian Basin

Master Thesis