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PNNP syllabus 2022-2023.pdf | PNNP Syllabus Winter Semester 2022 | doc. PhDr. Michal Smetana, Ph.D. |
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Poslední úprava: doc. PhDr. Michal Smetana, Ph.D. (09.09.2022)
Zoom link (only for students who signed up for the online module!) https://cuni-cz.zoom.us/j/94176788115?pwd=Q05JY1Yvc0RzZy9JYnRreWxvUURWZz09 Meeting ID: 941 7678 8115 Passcode: 941548 |
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Poslední úprava: doc. PhDr. Michal Smetana, Ph.D. (25.08.2022)
As you are becoming experts on international relations, you simply cannot avoid the issue of nuclear weapons in the world politics of the 20th and 21st centuries. Whether you think that nuclear weapons represent the ultimate evil or they are the guardians of a long great-power peace, the spread of nuclear weapons is frequently placed among the top international security threats humanity is facing today. In this course, we will discuss the contemporary discords in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty regime; unpack new disarmament initiatives; elaborate on the current problems with nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea; assess the risk of nuclear weapon use in the Russo-Ukrainian war; and try to solve the big puzzles that keep nuclear scholars awake at nights – such as why countries develop nuclear weapons in the first place, what are the consequences of nuclear weapons spread, and why they have not been used in a military conflict since the Second World War. |
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Poslední úprava: doc. PhDr. Michal Smetana, Ph.D. (25.08.2022)
Most classes in this course are a lecture-seminar hybrid; while I try to share with you some basic overview of the current developments in the field and relevant academic concepts and theories, your own input and ideas are critically important for joint learning process. There will be some special lectures delivered by practitioners and other guests. Attendance in classes is compulsory, with up to three abstentions allowed (for whatever reason – no prior excuse is needed). For each class, I will ask you only for a brief preparation: usually reading a short policy article or document or watching a video. |
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Poslední úprava: doc. PhDr. Michal Smetana, Ph.D. (25.08.2022)
After each class, I will ask you to follow up on what we’ve learned and read, on average, two scholarly articles that will elaborate on our problem in more detail. There is good evidence that from a learning perspective, this approach works much better than the traditional “read first – attend the lecture second” approach. Readings for each class will be available for you in the Moodle. After you read the articles, you will have time until Monday on the following week to provide me (and others in the class) with a brief reflection (approx. 250 words) on the readings in the Moodle forum: did it make sense? What is still unclear? How else can we approach the problem? What are some other possible applications of the concept/theory? Note that in order to pass the course, you need to read all the assigned readings and provide reflections for all of them – you can be late with your reflections up to three times during the semester but not more than that. During this semester, you will also record your own video-podcast episode. You can either work alone or in a pair – your choice. The episode should have 40–50 minutes, half of it will be your discussion of the selected topic and the other half your interview with a foreign scholar or expert of your choice. I will provide you with a list of possible topics, but you are welcome to come up with your own: we will discuss them regularly on Moodle. Each of you should have a topic and an interviewee selected by week 5. You will submit the podcast outline/script by week 10 and the final podcast by January 15th. In addition to your own work, you will also provide feedback on the podcast outline of your classmates by week 11 (at least two detailed feedbacks!). We will upload the final podcast episodes on YouTube, to be publicly accessed by anyone. The exam part of this course will probably be slightly different than you are used to. Whether you end up as an academic or a diplomat representing your country, you will often find yourself debating others on different issues, and this is exactly what you are going to do here as well. We will set up a debate in which you will be defending an assigned position against others, using everything you have learned during the semester. The point is not to “win” the debate and “defeat” your opponent but to demonstrate your ability to use what you have learned during the course actively. I will set at least three available dates for these debates in January. |
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Poslední úprava: doc. PhDr. Michal Smetana, Ph.D. (10.08.2021)
See Moodle for literature assigned for individual sessions. In addition, below find the list of recommended articles that may be useful for you to go through.
Adler, Emanuel (1992) ‘The emergence of cooperation: national epistemic communities and the international evolution of the idea of nuclear arms control’, International Organization 46(1): 101–145. Hymans, Jacques E.C. (2006) ‘Theories of Nuclear Proliferation: The State of the Field’, Nonproliferation Review 13(3): 455–465. Müller, Harald (2010) ‘Between Power and Justice: Current Problems and Perspectives of the NPT Regime’, Strategic Analysis 34(2): 189–201. Paul, T. V. (2010) ‘Taboo or tradition? The non-use of nuclear weapons in world politics’, Review of International Studies 36(4): 853–863 Sagan, Scott D. (1996) ‘Why Do States Build Nuclear Weapons? Three Models in Search of a Bomb’, International Security 21(3): 54–86. Sagan, Scott D. (2011) ‘The Causes of Nuclear Weapons Proliferation’, Annual Review of Political Science 14(1): 225–244. Smetana, Michal (2016) ‘Stuck on disarmament: The European Union and the 2015 NPT Review Conference’, International Affairs 92(1): 137–152. Tannenwald, Nina (2005) ‘Stigmatizing the Bomb: Origins of the Nuclear Taboo’, International Security 29(4): 5–49. Tannenwald, Nina (2013) ‘Justice and Fairness in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime’, Ethics & International Affairs 27(3): 299–317. Walker, William (2000) ‘Nuclear Order and Disorder’, International Affairs 76(4): 703–724. Waltz, Kenneth N. (2012) ‘Why Iran Should Get the Bomb Nuclear Balancing Would Mean Stability’, Foreign Affairs 91(4): 1–5. |
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Poslední úprava: doc. PhDr. Michal Smetana, Ph.D. (09.09.2022)
In all my courses, including this new one, we observe a strict no-laptop / no-tablet / no-phone policy; in other words, the students and lecturers are not allowed to use electronic devices during class. Please note that the motivation for this rule is not to discipline the students or to make it harder for you in any way – on the contrary. Using laptops for note-taking during class has, according to the latest studies in neuroscience and pedagogics, very high cognitive costs; it is a constant distraction for your brain, which is unable to focus on the lecture itself fully. This ‘no electronic devices’ policy has been tested at many renowned universities abroad, and the results are extremely positive. I encourage you to just listen to the lectures, pose questions whenever something is unclear or worth further elaboration, actively engage in the in-class debates, and just make a short note on paper when you feel it is something you would like to follow up on at home. Students in the online module can access the class via this Zoom link: Join Zoom Meeting |
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Poslední úprava: doc. PhDr. Michal Smetana, Ph.D. (25.08.2022)
Evaluation is performed in accordance with the Dean’s Provision.
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Poslední úprava: doc. PhDr. Michal Smetana, Ph.D. (25.08.2022)
· Introduction: The Problem of Nuclear Proliferation in World Politics · Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Birth of Nuclear Order · Banning the Bomb: Politics of Nuclear Disarmament · Why Do States Build Nuclear Weapons? Causes of Nuclear Proliferation · Nuclear Taboo or the Tradition of Non-Use? · Curbing the Arms Race: The Practice of Nuclear Arms Control · Threat of Nuclear Escalation in the Russo-Ukrainian War · Technology of Nuclear (Non-)Proliferation · Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Advocacy · Monitoring and Verifying Nuclear Non-Proliferation · Topic of Your Choice (make a suggestion in the forum before December 13)
Visit our Moodle page for more details on the course schedule. |