Who holds power in Aotearoa New Zealand? What forces influence our national politics? What role do citizens, iwi, media, politicians and other groups play in shaping political processes and outcomes? This course explores Māori and colonial influences...

Politics is the activity of answering the question ‘how should we live?’ This course offers an introduction to some of the various ways political thinkers have tried to answer this question, by (re)defining fundamental political ideals like justice, ...

This course is an introduction to the principal concepts, issues and theoretical debates within the field of International Relations. Topics covered include: power, diplomacy, the United Nations, arms control, terrorism, developmental politics, civil...

What can we learn by comparing the politics and government of different countries? This course examines competing explanations for democratic and authoritarian regimes including economic, cultural and institutional theories of state development. Thes...

Why do countries sometimes fear for their safety or survival? Are other states or non-state actors the main problems? Are all security problems about violence? And how do policymakers analyse security issues? In posing these and other questions this ...

The aim of this course is to introduce students the major political, social and economic challenges and dilemmas facing the modern Middle East. Each week, we will discuss a key issue and concept, such as colonial legacies, state-society relations, th...

This course introduces students to political change in modern East Asian states: China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. It examines how different types of state have emerged out of the traditional East Asian political order, and how this outcome ha...

This course explores how world order has been understood and contested in IR, including the roots of the contemporary international system, debates about how it currently functions and critical accounts of the marginalisation and injustice it produce...

This course introduces students to the diverse institutions that shape politics, society and economics in a number of European countries. It seeks to explain why political, social and economic diversity exists in Europe and why it matters. In doing s...

This course focuses on political parties and major policy debates in New Zealand. Topics vary from the ideologies and action principles of the main parties to changes in inequality and the welfare state. Other topics that will be covered include stat...

An introduction to American politics, with a particular focus on the continued development of America's system of government. The course examines major political themes in US politics against the background of the relationships between different bran...

This course will examine constitutional issues and broader political change in a number of Southeast Asian states. Students have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of political institutions and wider political trends in countries with ver...

This course introduces students to the nature and varieties of modern dictatorship and non-democracy, the causes of their emergence, and the processes that lead to their collapse and transformation. Our focus will be on developing concepts and tools ...

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the major political, social and economic challenges and dilemmas facing the modern Middle East. Each week, we will discuss a key issue and concept, such as colonial legacies, state-society relations,...

This course introduces the study of Chinese politics and international relations. It provides an introduction to China, its major foreign policy initiatives, key international relationships and orientation toward the rules-based international order. ...

This course focuses on the role of nationalism in both global and domestic politics. Is nationalism a regressive or progressive ideology? When is nationalism connected to patriotism and when to racism? The first part of the course will investigate th...

This course examines the nature of power in world politics and international security. Students will learn about theories and frameworks for conceptualising power in international relations. The course also examines how our understanding of power has...

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In their quest for security how do states and non-state groups get other political actors to do things they would not otherwise do? How much can and should they rely on military power as opposed to economic power and the power of ideas? And what are ...

This course examines theories of political representation in parliamentary democracies and how these play out in a range of political institutions. Using New Zealand and the United Kingdom as our primary case studies, we explore interactions between ...

Political theory creates fundamentally new ways of seeing the world which, when they catch and spread, powerfully shape our world in material and political terms. This course will examine foundational texts from ancient Greece to the present, explori...

This course focuses on the political roles, functions and effects of the media in New Zealand. Topics studied will include: media and elections (including voting behaviour); news management and production; the role of public relations in political lo...

This course examines methods of governing societies divided by deep ethnic, religious, or linguistic cleavages. Drawing on cases including South Africa, Northern Ireland, Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Malaysia and Fiji, we analyse forms of power sharing,...

This course explores how public opinion is constructed and how it affects voting choices in combination with other factors such as socio-demographics, group identifications, institutions, media exposure, and party campaigns. Countries covered follow ...

This course introduces the study of Chinese politics and international relations. It provides an introduction to the People’s Republic of China, its major foreign policy initiatives, key international relationships and orientation toward the rules-ba...

This course examines how New Zealand engages the world through its foreign and defence policies. It employs different conceptual frameworks to critically analyse key factors that shape these, including relations with major powers, multilateral organi...

This course introduces and explores the notion of foreign policy, which is traditionally considered one of the most important bridges between 'domestic' and 'international' politics. Here the spotlight is kept on the sources, instruments, agents, pro...

This course looks at the global, international and domestic politics of the world economy. It looks at the ways in which economic processes shape politics and the ways in which political processes shape economics. We look at international trade, fina...

This course is an introduction to the study of conflict and security. It examines how and why conflict emerges in the international system and explores different approaches to its mitigation and resolution, using both traditional materialist theories...

This course will focus on three areas: (1) understanding the nature and dynamics of cyberspace as a domain of international relations; (2) understanding the features of states and non-state actors acting as cyber powers; and (3) contemporary issues o...