Aims of the course
On this course we will analyse and evaluate contemporary global geopolitical issues in the context of land and sea geopolitics, resource geopolitics, human geopolitics, outer space geopolitics and AI geopolitics. We will examine how new geopolitical orders are being formed, particularly within the context of great power-rising power encounters and political contestations between the Global North and the Global South, especially in the age of environmental deterioration and technological innovation.
Learning objectives
- To be able to understand contemporary geopolitical issues.
- To gain the ability to evaluate academic debates on geopolitics.
- To gain the ability to situate contemporary geopolitical flashpoints within a security context.
- To achieve critical rigour in geopolitical analysis.
Target audience
This online course will examine current geopolitical threats and dynamics, and is suitable for professionals from diverse backgrounds such as politics, government, civil service, economics, and media, as well as those who have a keen interest in enhancing their knowledge on rising/emerging powers politics and the ensuing global geopolitical implications.
Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)
Orientation Week: 7-13 April 2025
Teaching Weeks: 14 April-18 May 2025
Feedback Week: 19-25 May 2025
Teaching Week 1 - Introduction to Geopolitics
Learning objectives:
- To provide an understanding of the core debates, both ‘conventional’ and ‘critical’ on geopolitics.
- To acquire an understanding of the major geopolitical thinkers and their approaches towards the interrelationship between the territorial ‘space’ and ‘power’.
- To recognise historical and contemporary statecraft of land.
Teaching Week 2 - Maritime Geopolitics and Resource Geopolitics
Learning objectives:
- To gain the ability to locate contemporary debates on maritime access and ownership of resources as situated within the international law.
- To understand the importance of transboundary rivers in delimiting territorial space and the centrality of geopolitical thinking in the politics of natural resources.
- To understand the link between geopolitical practices and policies.
Teaching Week 3 - Human Geopolitics and Outer-Space Geopolitics
Learning objectives:
- To provide an understanding of an emergence of diaspora institutions and strategic competition over migrants and human rights.
- To gain the ability to evaluate how the space race has affected great power competition with implications for the outer space assets and outer space domain control.
- To gain the ability to recognise and evaluate the emerging ‘grey areas’ in the study of geopolitics.
Teaching Week 4 - Cyber Geopolitics and AI Geopolitics
Learning objectives:
- To understand the niche areas of the 5th dimension of cyberspace and its impact on contemporary geopolitical strategies.
- To be able to critically question the impact of generative AI on contemporary geopolitics.
- To gain the ability to recognise and evaluate the emerging ‘grey areas’ in the study of geopolitics.
Teaching Week 5 - Geoeconomics and What is Next in Geopolitics
Learning objectives:
- To gain a clear understanding of the relationship between ‘geoeconomics’ and ‘geopolitics’.
- To be able to identity how states control and influence economic power to produce beneficial geopolitical results.
- To appreciate the emerging dimensions of the study in geopolitics and future horizons due to technological innovations.
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Virtual Learning Environment
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).
Certificate of participation
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.
