|
Instructors: Dr. Maren Hofius
Event type:
Follow-up seminar
Displayed in timetable as:
VM: Practice Turn
Hours per week:
2
Credits:
6,0
Language of instruction:
English
Min. | Max. participants:
10 | 24
Registration group: einsemestrige Vertiefungsseminare
Comments/contents:
The study and theorisation of practices in world politics is gaining ever-greater traction among International Relations (IR) scholars, leading to a progressive research agenda of the so-called "practice turn”. But what exactly does it mean to turn towards practices as a unit of analysis? Doing practice-based research in IR means looking down on the mundane practices of practitioners to understand the 'big picture' of world politics. Accordingly, major IR themes such as war and peace, state behaviour and diplomacy, but also power, identity and norms come to be a matter of everyday practice, in which practical knowledge and the performative aspect of politics are foregrounded.
The course first offers an overview of the main premises of the practice turn. Students then learn about the different approaches towards conceptualising practices, including Bourdieusian practice theory, Foucault’s concept of the discipline, the Communities of Practice approach, as well as Actor-Network Theory. Given this broad church of practice approaches, students critically investigate the promises and pitfalls of each through applied case studies. Finally, students are introduced to a select number of research strategies and methods to develop their own practice-based perspectives of contemporary phenomena of global politics.
Learning objectives:
- Basic understanding of the concept of practice in social theory and IR
- Knowledge of and ability to differentiate among various practice-theoretical approaches in IR
- Ability to critically assess the value added of practice theory for the study of world politics
- Ability to apply a particular practice approach to a case of the student’s own choosing
Didactic concept:
As for its content, the course is structured into two parts. The first part examines the disciplinary emergence of practice approaches, looks at possible precursors in social theory as well as main contenders in the IR field to eventually identify central tenets and commitments. In the second part, small groups of students survey key approaches to practice, specify suitable research strategies and techniques, and apply these to a specific research puzzle of their choice.
Given the current circumstances of remote teaching, this online course will make use of different online tools and alternates between synchronous and asynchronous teaching phases. The platforms used to facilitate interaction are Zoom, OpenOLAT, as well as STiNE for registration.
In the initial phase of the course, asynchronous teaching, in which the course convenor provides short input presentations and/or videos, alternates with synchronous teaching phases, in which leading questions on texts, but also problems and questions submitted by students are discussed. Breakout rooms will be provided, where suitable. As the course progresses, students are expected to work in small teams both off- and online when working on one of the central approaches in international practice theorizing. These small teams will be formed at the beginning of the semester.
STiNE: STiNE is used for registration.
Zoom: Zoom will be used for synchronous teaching phases, including text-based discussions and presentations (participants will receive the link by email to the UHH-email account). Office hours are held via Zoom (individual links provided).
OpenOLAT: This platform will serve as the main platform for communication. Here, all course material will be uploaded. Course participants will be encouraged to use some of OpenOLAT's collaborative tools, such as 'Forum' or 'Dateidiskussion' to work on individual or group assignments. These form part of the study requirements/'Studienleistungen'.
Further issues managed via OpenOLAT:
- The formation of small groups and their designated topic,
- the creation and submission of the course assignment ('Prüfungsleistung'),
- office hours.
Literature:
- Adler, E. & Pouliot, V. (eds.) (2011) International Practices. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Bourbeau P (2017) The Practice Approach in Global Politics. Journal of Global Security Studies 2 (2), 170-182.
- Bueger, C. & Gadinger, F. (2018) International Practice Theory, 2nd edition. Palgrave Macmillan, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire.
- Cornut, J. (2017, November 30). The Practice Turn in International Relations Theory. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies. Retrieved 25 Jan. 2021, from https://oxfordre.com/internationalstudies/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.001.0001/acrefore-9780190846626-e-113/version/0
- Hansen, L. (2006) Security as Practice: Discourse Analysis and the Bosnian War. Routledge, Abingdon & New York.
- Neumann, I. B. (2002) Returning Practice to the Linguistic Turn: The Case of Diplomacy. Millennium - Journal of International Studies 31 (3), 627-651.
- Nicolini, D. (2012) Practice Theory, Work, and Organization: An Introduction, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
- Pouliot, V. (2008) The Logic of Practicality: A Theory of Practice of Security Communities. International Organization 62 (2), 257-288.
- Pouliot, V. (2010) International Security in Practice: The Politics of NATO-Russia Diplomacy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Schatzki, T. R., Knorr-Cetina, K. & Savigny, E. v. (eds.) (2001) The Practice Turn in Contemporary Theory. Routledge, London.
- Wille, T. (2018) 'Practice Turn in International Relations', Oxford Bibliographies in International Relations.
Additional examination information:
Workload des Seminars: 6 LP
Modulteilprüfung 6 LP:
Course Assessment/Prüfungsart: Wiki/blog entry written in the course of the semester, incl. a glossary of key concepts*
Bewertungsschema: benotet (RPO)
Length/Umfang: 4000 words
Submission date/Abgabetermin: 19.07.2021
Submission/Abgabeort: TBA
*Note that the wiki/blog entry is a collaborative exercise by a small group of students; it is jointly written, but contributions are individually assessed.
Alternative: Course paper.
Study Requirements/Studienleistungen (unbenotet):
Next to active participation during zoom sessions, contributions to discussions on OpenOLAT (see also 'Vorgehen') as well as short group presentations.
Ausgabeort der bewerteten Prüfungsleistung (gegen Empfangsbestätigung nach Eingabe der Noten in STiNE): TBA
|
