Courses 2024 -2

PPGIR-UFU will offer four courses in the second semester of 2024

Classroom: Block 1J ROOM 238

Read the course syllabi below:

Monday (Morning) - -Research Methodology Applied to International Relations - In-Person

Prof. Dr. Flávio Pedroso Mendes

The "Research Methodology Applied to International Relations" course will address the specifics of scientific knowledge and the practice of science, aiming to identify its implications for theoretical and empirical research in the field of International Relations. Key topics include:

(i) the debate on the demarcation between science and pseudoscience in 20th-century Philosophy of Science, focusing on major epistemological currents such as logical positivism, Popperian falsificationism, Thomas Kuhn's sociological paradigmatism, epistemological anarchism, and sophisticated methodological falsificationism, which leads to Imre Lakatos's Methodology of Scientific Research Programs; and

(ii) the most important quantitative and qualitative methods for scientific research in International Relations.

Monday (Afternoon)- - -Strategic Studies and International Security - In-Person 

Prof. Dr. Edson Jose Neves Junior

This course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the role of force in international relations. It begins with the essential foundations of Strategic Studies – the scientific study of the use of force, whether actual or potential, for political purposes – and then explores themes and issues specific to international security. The goal is to develop students' analytical and critical skills, enabling them to appreciate the various uses of force in logistical, tactical, and strategic dimensions to achieve political results in international relations. The course aims to equip students with theoretical-analytical tools for navigating the field, as conceptualized by Colin Gray as the Strategic History of international politics.

Wednesday (Afternoon)- - -Institutions and Foreign Policy in the United States - In-Person

Prof. Dr. Débora Figueiredo Mendonça do Prado

This course will focus on understanding U.S. foreign policy by examining the involvement of federal entities beyond the executive branch. It will analyze the international participation of U.S. states and its impact on national foreign policy. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify the participation of various actors in U.S. foreign policy and understand the domestic and international consequences of this involvement. The course will explore the Dual Federalism model, which allows states to participate in international politics, tracing its roots from the Federal Constitution of 1787 to its impact on U.S. international dynamics. It will cover the international activities of states from the 18th to the 21st centuries, focusing on how these activities influence U.S. foreign policy on issues like immigration, foreign trade, human rights, and terrorism.

Thursday (Afternoon)- - -Transformations in the Liberal International Order - In-Person

Prof. Dr. Filipe Almeida do Prado Mendonça

This course aims to analyze recent changes in the international liberal order from the perspective of International Political Economy. It will explore major debates and theories that explain global economic dynamics and their implications for the international system. The course is divided into three parts:

1. "Introduction and Main Theoretical Perspectives" – presenting the convergence and divergence between International Political Economy and International Relations Theories, highlighting classical theoretical frameworks and their recent developments.

2. "Transformations in the Global Economy and Their Implications for the International System" – addressing contributions related to power centers in the International System, their interactions with peripheries, and implications for international economic relations, including globalization, economic crises, emerging power poles, and global inequality.

3. "International Economic Regimes and the Role of States" – discussing the relationship between domestic regulations and international agreements, the role of states in globalization, and the dynamics of economic competition among world powers.