Curriculum

This course aims to give students a foundational basis in international law. The course covers the sources of international law, the terrain of international law institutions, principle doctrines of international law, and scope and argumentative operation of international law in selected contemporary and topical issue areas.

For more information, see the Course Catalogue.

This course gives students a theory-driven introduction to global politics, focusing on how states approach governance problems that they cannot solve alone, and on the international institutions created to provide public goods. The guiding theme is the contestation of global authority and governance structures.

For more information, see the Course Catalogue.

Economics I provides an intensive introduction to a wide range of topics, models and theories. It is suitable for students without a background in economics, but students with prior training will also benefit. The course focuses on core topics in economics, such as supply and demand analysis, the role of markets and prices, welfare analysis, competition and monopolistic pricing, asymmetric information, externalities and government intervention, game theory and uncertainty, trade, the labour market, and political economy. The course is taught as a lecture and complemented by a lab, in which students have the chance to discuss and further elaborate on the topics examined in the lecture. Students with a strong economics background can apply for a waiver.

You can find more information in the course catalogue:

• Economics I Intro
• Advanced economics: Concepts and policy applications
  (For students with a background in Economics, who are granted a waiver)

This course offers an introduction to quantitative research methods for public policy. Students will be acquainted with quantitative methods conducive to empirical policy research. No prior knowledge of statistics is assumed, and concepts are addressed both empirically and theoretically. The course is taught as a lecture, complemented by a weekly lab session in which concepts are reinforced through hands-on application using the R statistical programming language or other statistical software tools. Students with a strong background in quantitative methods can apply for a waiver.

You can find more information in the course catalogue:

• Statistics I
• Statistics II
  (For students with a background in Statistics, who are granted a waiver)

During the first semester, students decide on a concentration. Based on the concentration, students attend one of the following courses:

1. EU Law and Governance
This course examines the legal foundations of the EU and their relation to EU policy-making. The course will introduce the most pressing questions currently facing the EU legal order such as the following: primacy and the relation to national legal orders; powers and competence control; the rule of law; the single market; Economic and Monetary Union; fundamental rights; and EU citizenship. It will also focus on regulatory questions: how does the EU regulate using different legal and non-legal mechanisms? The course does not assume any prior EU law knowledge but will build on knowledge gained in the core international law course.

By the end of the course, students will have acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and analyse the EU’s legal foundations, the relationship between the EU and national legal orders, and the key legal and regulatory challenges facing policymakers in the EU’s multi-level system today.

For more information, see the Course Catalogue.

2. Human Rights and Global Governance: Key challenges
This course surveys the role of human rights norms and institutions in global governance, including how actors in global governance affect human rights. The course covers theoretical perspectives for understanding the interfaces between global governance and human rights, examining both how global governance actors seek to foster human rights protection, and how they may violate and undermine human rights. This general foundation in international relations sets the scene for a critical appraisal of human rights and global governance across a selection of key issue areas, such as migration, trade, investment and finance, climate crisis, global health governance, and the accountability of international organisations and multinational corporations.

By the end of the course, students will possess a broad understanding of how human rights in global governance are conceptualised; they will be familiar with a range of cases in which human rights norms and international institutions are embedded, managed, or resisted by a variety of stakeholders across different issue areas; and they will be able to effectively apply analytical skills to evaluate reforms and solutions to complex problems in global governance.

For more information, see the Course Catalogue.

3. War, Peace & Strategy
This course gives students an introduction to the formulation and implementation of grand strategy—a state’s plan to achieve its objectives to protect and promote its national interests in peace and war. The course will assess how leaders have conceived and implemented Grand Strategy over time.

By the end of the course, students will have learned what ideas and interests have influenced state decisions on the following topics: (1) which areas of the world are of strategic importance; (2) what types of tools ought to be used to protect/influence these areas; (3) how and when it is considered necessary to fight in those regions; (4) how and why states have achieved domestic consensus on these questions; and (5) how the domestic implementation process of grand strategy unfolds.

For more information, see the Course Catalogue.

During the first semester, students decide on a concentration. Based on the concentration, students will attend one of the following courses:

1. The European Union, Globalisaton and the State
This course asks why, how and with what consequences EU membership and economic globalisation are transforming the state as we know it. The course introduces the concepts of Europeanisation, globalisation and statehood, familiarises students with the comparative method, and discusses different theoretical explanations for state transformation before analysing the impact of EU and global pressures on selected national institutions as well as on domestic politics and policy-making. Throughout, students will engage with current political and normative questions, and learn to use comparative methodology.

By the end of the course, students will have acquired the empirical knowledge, theoretical understanding and comparative research skills to do the following: analyse why European and global pressures change (and challenge) established national institutions, politics, policies and democracies; explain why different states change differently and to different degrees; and evaluate the consequences for democratic legitimacy.

For more information, see the Course Catalogue.

2. Global Ethics
This course introduces students to the major theoretical and applied debates as well as moral puzzles and challenges in the field of global ethics. The course will cover moral challenges along two fronts: the emergence of global ethical questions and the globalisation of ethics itself. It will then offer approaches to major selected global ethical questions of our times, such as humanitarian intervention, climate justice, global poverty, global distributive justice, and democracy beyond the state.

By the end of the course, students will understand theories and approaches to global ethics and the globalisation of ethics, and have gained the capacity to identify and appraise issues and dilemmas related to normative orders and global ethics.

For more information, see the Course Catalogue.

3.  Conflict and Violence
This course introduces major themes and debates in the contemporary study of political conflict and violence. Key questions addressed are related to the determinants, dynamics, and consequences of armed organised violence, such as intrastate warfare, violence against civilians (including genocide), forced migration, repression, and the domestic consequences of military intervention. To systematically engage with these topics, the course will draw on a set of essential theoretical frameworks. Overall, the course aims to provide the conceptual and analytical tools necessary for evidence-based policy-making in the realm of international security and apply them to specific instances as exemplified above.

By the end of the course, students will have received an overview of the key issues related to political and organised violence and acquired a set of conceptual tools that can be used for analysing the causes of violent conflict, the sources of domestic and regional stability and instability, and the mechanisms of conflict management and conflict resolution. In addition, students will be familiar with the main issues confronting contemporary policy-makers in the field of conflict and violence and be equipped to communicate these.

For more information, see the Course Catalogue.

This course introduces students to techniques of argumentation, negotiation and conflict resolution. The course is tailored to the MIA’s three areas of concentration:

• The Council of the European Union introduces European Governance students to the practice of deliberation and bargaining between the EU’s member states. Students will simulate the negotiation of an ongoing piece of legislation or an international crisis, each taking on the role as a member state or a supranational actor. The course allows students to experience the challenges of intergovernmental problem-solving first-hand, to apply concepts and arguments to a topical issue in a real-world setting, and to learn, employ and refine their negotiation skills.
• International Conflict Management introduces International Security students to the practice of conflict management with a focus on international political, economic, and social conflicts facing many decision-makers around the world. The course allows students to tackle the demands of real-world conflict, to test the practical relevance of academic concepts and policy analysis tools, and to learn, employ and refine their negotiation skills.
• International Diplomacy introduces Human Rights & Global Governance students to the practice of international treaty negotiations and multilateral conferencing, with a focus on global challenges and regimes. In addition to introducing key concepts and controversies of international negotiation, the class will run a simulation exercise on an issue currently or recently under negotiation.

For more information, see the Course Catalogue.

All MIA students choose between Economics II or Statistics II. Students who choose to expand their foundations in economics select Economics II. Building on Economics I, this course allows students to deepen their knowledge of economic concepts, and to apply economic tools and theories to relevant policy problems. Students are also exposed to more advanced analytical and empirical approaches.  Topics covered in Economics II can include, but are not limited to, a general introduction to GDP, economic growth and development, monetary policy and central banks, and inequality. Students choose between a variety of themed Economics II courses. Each Economics II course offers a policy focus, including topics such as international economics, trade, and international monetary policy; long-term economic growth, development, and social welfare; environmental economics, natural resources and climate change; the economics of politics and political economy; and the economics of health and education. Each course is taught as a lecture and is complemented by a lab, in which students have the chance to discuss and further elaborate the topics introduced in the lecture. Please note that available Economics II courses vary by semester.

For examples of Economics II courses offered in recent semesters, see the Course Catalogue.

​​​​​All MIA students choose between Economics II or Statistics II. Students who choose to expand their foundations in quantitative research methods select Statistics II. This intermediate-level statistics course introduces students to an array of frequently used statistical techniques with a focus on causal identification strategies and a strong emphasis on application. This course begins with a review of OLS regression under a framework of causal inference, before covering common causal designs including, among others, instrumental variables, difference-in-differences, and regression discontinuity. Causal policy evaluation is a key skill for policy analysis. By the end of the course, students shall be equipped with both a theoretical understanding of and the technical competences for elementary causal policy analysis. Each course is taught as a lecture and is complemented by a lab, in which students have the chance to discuss and further elaborate the topics introduced in the lecture. 

For more information, see Course Catalogue.

Students attend three concentration electives in the second year of study, to refine and deepen their empirical knowledge, theoretical understanding and analytical skills in their chosen area of concentration. Concentration courses build on the foundations gained in the concentration core courses in the second semester. 

European Governance concentration electives deepen understanding of the European Union and its member states, including:

• EU law, politics and institutions
• EU policies, regulation and external relations
• The European Union and its member states

For examples of electives that have been on offer in recent semesters, see the Course Catalogue.

Human Rights & Global Governance concentration electives deepen understanding of key global challenges, including:

• Global governance and international public policy
• Global norms and advocacy
• Human rights, international law and international institutions

For examples of electives that have been on offer in recent semesters, see the Course Catalogue.

International Security concentration electives deepen understanding of today’s security challenges and debates, including:

• Interstate and civil war, state-building and political development
• New security challenges
• War, peace, strategy and institutions

For examples of electives that have been on offer in recent semesters, see the Course Catalogue.

Please note that available concentration electives vary by semester.

MIA students choose three additional electives that allow them to either further specialise in their chosen area of concentration, extend their portfolio across the other MIA areas of concentration, or broaden their understanding to a different field of public policy, governance or analytical tools. Portfolio electives can be selected from the entire catalogue of electives, provided that spots are still available in the requested course. Courses are offered in a variety of fields, including:

• Data science
• Digitalisation and digital governance
• Economics and economic policies
• European affairs
• International affairs
• Normative foundations of (global) governance
• Public management and organisation
• Sustainability
• Tools of policy analysis
• Welfare

For examples of electives that have been on offer in recent semesters, see the Course Catalogue.