The seminar looks at war and other forms of large-scale political violence from a normative point of view. In the first part of the seminar we will discuss standard just war theory and its main opponents (pacifism, realism). In the second part of the seminar, we will learn about more recent developments in just war thinking, including attempts to extend the reach of the normative framework to non-paradigmatic contexts such as terrorism or to technology-driven changes in the nature of warfare.

Preparatory Reading

Orend, Brian (2016): War. In: Zalta, Edward N. (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2016). https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2016/entries/war/

Assignments and Credits

6 CP (TP 1, GS): term paper (15-20 pp.) or oral exam (30 min.)
3 CP (TP 2, GS): presentation (15 min.) with written elaboration (5 pp.) or short term paper (8-10 pp.)

Mental health is a central concern of contemporary health care systems and the wider welfare state, but both the coverage of services and the generosity of public benefits vary considerably among jurisdictions. Mental health policies have been completely transformed in Western Europe and North America since the end of the Second World War through the transition from institutional to community-based care. This course deals with the politics of mental health policy in comparative perspective. Its main aim is to enable participants to critically analyse the economic, scientific, and ideological drivers of mental health policies, and their political feedback effects.

Political parties are central actors in democracies. In recent decades, established party systems have been re-shaped by the effects of globalisation, de-industrialisation and demographic change, and by the actions of political parties both old and new. This seminar deals with the origins and development of parties and party systems in democracies, as well as changes over time. We discuss connections between parties and citizens, changing lines of conflict, and dynamics of political competition. The aim is to deepen understanding of the role and behaviour of political parties, and enable participants to compare parties and party systems among countries and over time.

Literatur zur Vorbereitung [preparatory literature]:
Carter N, Keith D, Sindre GM, & Vasilopoulou S (eds). The Routledge Handbook of Political Parties. Routledge, 2023 (1st edition). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429263859.

Credits and assignments:
6 CP: 15-20 page term paper or 30-minute oral exam
3 CP: 8-10 page term paper or 15-minute oral exam

In most parts of the world, political dynamics can no longer be understood as being domestic. To different degrees, political conflict, political forms, and also policy-making is co-determined by transnational dynamics and international actors. This colloquium is a forum for the discussion of such phenomena from different research fields: conflict studies, global social policy, state formation, global political sociology. The colloquium is also intended to bring BA and MA students into contact with PhD candidates and post-doc scholars working on related subjects.

In this block seminar you will learn to use the statistical software R to produce customisable, publication-quality maps and other data visualisations. No prior knowledge of R is required. Participants are encouraged to use data from their own research projects, but test datasets will also be provided.

In order to participate in the seminar in a meaningful way, basic knowledge of R is required. If you have not worked with R before, please check out one of the many available online tutorials (e.g. the free Datacamp introductory course in R: https://campus.datacamp.com/courses/free-introduction-to-r) and familiarize yourself with the basic functions of R and the R development environment Rstudio.
For working with large language models we will also use Python.

https://www.uni-bremen.de/fb8/international/internationales-modul
3 CP/ECTS for this course, +3 CP/ECTS extra credit
Introduction to the political economy of carbon trading, with particular reference to the voluntary carbon market as it operates in tropical countries, with special reference to Sub-Saharan Africa and the East African Community.
1. Locating 'nature-based solutions' to climate change within key global crises, including global warming, agriculture and land-use changes and deforestation; population pressure on natural resources and other drivers of climate change.
2. General overview of carbon and biodiversity markets in relation to climate change and mitigation efforts across the tropics (S America, Africa, Asia), with special reference to forests and deforestation.
3. Controversies in carbon markets and trading: (1) conceptual; (2) operational; and (3)practical.
4. The Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) as part of the global carbon trading architecture: evolution 1997 to the present and its current key direction characteristics.
5. Carbon credit/offset projects in relation to: (1) forestry/reforestation; (2) clean energy; and (3) other sectors
6. Research findings on key aspects of the VCM, especially REDD+ and energysaving projects across three continents. Additionality, leakages, impact, measurement.
7. The political economy of key players in carbon trading: the World Bank/donor agencies/INGOs, carbon traders and verifiers, project implementers, governments, and vulnerable communities.