Double Master s Degree Program in International Relations between The University of Haifa and The University of Warsaw Beginning in October 2015, students at the University of Haifa will have an opportunity to receive a double degree in International Relations; one degree from the University of Haifa, School of Political Sciences and one degree from the University of Warsaw, The Institute of International Relations. Students will further be able to specialize in either Diplomacy or National Security Studies. To obtain the double degree, students will study for two years and write a master s thesis under joint supervision of the University of Haifa and the University of Warsaw. During the first year, students will take 6 courses in Haifa (see below) and during the second year students will write their thesis while participating in seminars offered by the University of Warsaw. The University of Warsaw is a leading European university and we are pleased to offer this exciting opportunity to our students. For more details please contact: Prof. Zach Levey, Chair, Division of International Relations, The School of Political Science, The University of Haifa: zachl@poli.haifa.ac.il. Academic Details All students registered in the double degree program, who would like to obtain a Master's degree in International Relations from the University of Warsaw and the University of Haifa, must complete the following requirements: 1. All students must complete 24 semester hours (6 courses) at the University of Haifa. a. For the Diplomacy track (descriptions in Appendix 1) i. Cultural Diplomacy: Norms, Images, and Discourse in International Relations and Crisis Management ii. The New Diplomacy: Structure, Technology And Processes iii. Human Rights, Ethics and Diplomacy iv. Diplomatic Simulation: Workshop v. Geography, Diplomacy, and Foreign Policy Making vi. Diplomacy in International Crisis Management: Theory and Policy
b. For the National Security track i. Approaches to Political Science ii. The National Security of Israel iii. Economics and National Security iv. National Security: The Practioners' Perspective v. Human Rights, Ethics and Diplomacy vi. Intelligence and National Security 2. All students must complete 10 courses (30 ECTS) at the University of Warsaw and 2 MA seminar (30 ECTS). These courses are listed in appendix 3. 3. All students must write a master s thesis under joint supervision (2 supervisors one from the University of Warsaw and one from the University of Haifa, selected according to the regulations of each university) and with joint review (one reviewer from the University of Warsaw and one from the University of Haifa). Admission Requirements The Double Degree Program will admit candidates who have completed a B.A. degree in Political Science or International Relations at a recognized academic institution in Israel or abroad, and whose minimum of 3.0 GPA, 80% (Israeli system) or equivalent. TOEFL scores (if native language is not English or candidates have not previously studied at an institution of higher education where the language of instruction is English). A minimum of 570 (paper-based test); 230 (computer-based test) or 89 (internet-based test) Curriculum Vitae/Résumé Two recommendations from relevant academic faculty members Target Students The Double Degree Program in intended for students as well as practitioners who are employed in a variety of international, transnational and multilateral organizations (both public and private), future diplomats, and interested academics abroad and in Israel. The interdisciplinary faculty includes disciplines such as Political Sciences, Sociology, Education, Law, Economics and philosophy, and offers a broad perspective of national security. The program combines theoretical discussions and actual Israeli experiences. The faculty consists of experts in the fields of intelligence, military, economics and policy.
Course Descriptions, Diplomacy (each course is 4 hours) Cultural Diplomacy: Norms, Images, and Discourse in International Relations and Crisis Management The purpose of this seminar is to examine the effect of culture on diplomacy. In the last few decades a growing number of scholars have come to recognize the significant role of ideational factors such as culture, norms, images and discourse in international relations. In today s world it is of vital importance for both students and practitioners of IR to understand the effect of cultural differences on diplomatic negotiations, conflict resolution, and crisis management. The seminar will examine how cultural differences, language barriers, and a lack of shared norms can hinder the success of diplomatic efforts. How do we negotiate across cultures? What is the role of verbal and nonverbal communication in conflict resolution? Why is cultural awareness necessary in crisis management? Moreover, diplomacy is not only influenced by culture, it can also be used to spread the culture and norms of a nation to other societies in order to gain the support of foreign publics. Thus, this course will also look at the use of public diplomacy in the battle over the hearts and minds of societies. Understanding the effect of culture on diplomacy can improve cross-culture interactions and contribute to the formulation of more efficient policies. During the course of the seminar we will examine several cases in which culture influenced, complicated, and even hindered diplomatic negotiations and conflict resolution, including the peace process in the Middle East, the arms control talks between the superpowers during the Cold War, and crisis management in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine. The New Diplomacy: Structure, Technology and Processes The course will address the various patterns of diplomacy, including unilateral, bilateral and multilateral, summit, backchannel, and diplomacy of sticks and carrots. It will distinguish between various diplomatic styles and approaches, which are inherent in different cultural, political and ideological frameworks (i.e. "linear diplomacy" vs. "circular diplomacy, " "lowcontext diplomacy" vs. "high context diplomacy"). Diplomatic Simulation - Crisis Management and Conflict Resolution in the Middle East: Workshop This simulation will illustrate and demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages for decision makers, inherent in the highly tense dynamics of having to manage crises under stress and severe time pressure. The simulation will experiment with such emotion-laden crisis situations, and will focus on crucial phases in the course of their evolution, and in the context of the Middle East, both in connection with crisis management and with conflict resolution. Human Rights, Ethics and Diplomacy Should ethics and human rights be a central component of diplomacy in a democratic country? Or, should democratic nations simply look out for their own economic and political
interests while generally neglecting ethics and human rights in other nations? To address this question, we will review two reigning paradigms: a realist tradition that emphasizes sovereignty, territory and reason of state; and a liberal tradition highlighting the important role of ethics and international law in international diplomacy. We will then consider a range of case studies that emphasize various aspects of this debate. This includes amoral diplomacy in places like Chile and the Shah-era Iran; persuasive diplomacy and its use of economic aid by organizations like USAID to encourage nations to promote and safeguard human rights and coercive diplomacy that sees Western nations using economic sanctions to punish human rights violators in countries like South Africa, Myanmar and China. All of these cases reflect diplomacy during peace time. In war time, we also see examples of persuasive diplomacy as nations intervene to win the hearts and minds of the local population by guaranteeing human security. Coercive diplomacy in the name of human rights occurs as nations intervene militarily to overthrow repressive regimes. Finally, we will consider the diplomatic role of just war as we consider Israel s diplomatic difficulties following Operation Cast Lead. Geography, Diplomacy and Foreign Policy Making This course will examine the impact of geographic factors on foreign policy outcomes, as well as geographic factors and resources on conflict and peace in the Middle East. Among the factors that will be studied are location, lack of access to the sea, topography, climate, transportation, population density, and natural resources such as energy and water. The course will include analysis of case studies on the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, and Turkey and the Caucasus region. Diplomacy in International Crisis Management: Theory and Policy The growing importance of public diplomacy has been recognized in the last decades, with the emergence of new communication technologies, together with the growing need to reach out to foreign audiences, and trying to create better understanding and support of a state's image, character, values and political positions. The course will examine Israel s unique experience in this area mainly through the analysis of case studies. Among the issues that will be explored: the attempts to bridge between 'what will the Jews do' and 'what will the Gentiles say'; the need to market peace initiatives both domestically and to international players; the attempts to reach out to Arab and Muslim audiences in the region; the use of diplomatic spin as part of the diplomatic exchange; the role of new players in the field such as NGO's and Jewish public diplomacy, and the search for 'branding' or 'positioning' Israel.
Course Descriptions, National Security (each course is 4 hours) Approaches to Political Science This course will explore the role of intelligence as a concept, a system and a foundation of national security. Intelligence communities have played a key role in national security decision making, in issuing warnings about threats and other key issues in national security. This course will also study the relationship between intelligence, leadership and the public. The National Security of Israel This course will introduce the students to the history, evolution and present state of thinking about Israel s national security. It will discuss the major challenges facing Israel in an unstable and inhospitable regional environment and mostly unfriendly international environment. It will explain the dilemmas facing Israel in its search for appropriate responses to the ever mutating threats in each given historical period, considering a wide variety of constraints on these responses - domestic, regional and international. Economics and National Security This course will explore the economic foundations of national security, including such issues as defense spending versus other social needs, economic difficulties as an obstacle for national security, economic threats to security and international economic security warfare, including sanctions, financial means of waging war and boycotts. National Security: The Practitioners Perspective This course will present the practitioners perspective of Israel s national security challenges and responses, by introducing the students to high ranking Israeli officials (and possibly decision makers) who dealt with these challenges in their time and to their written testimony on these events. Some practitioners will describe their conduct at the time and present their insights, as well as engage with the lecturer and the students in a discussion that will allow for questioning of the assumptions underlying their evaluations and decisions. Human Rights, Ethics and Diplomacy Human rights have become a pillar of liberal global expectations, domestic and international practices and fantasies in various countries around the world, propelled through a new sense of globalism that has emerged especially after the end of the Cold War and amid the expansion of the democratic model. This course is aimed to offer historical, theoretical and analytical capabilities to comprehend and conceptualize human rights in their various forms and to see the repercussions on international diplomacy and political ethics. On the one hand, the course invites the students to use various perspectives on human rights. On the other hand, the course
is offering various insights on how the discourse of human rights affects nation-states, NGOs, civil societies, international and transnational relations and social forces. Intelligence and National Security The Intelligence Community is an integral part of national security. The main objectives of Intelligence are to provide effective, timely early warning before any threat to the interests of the country may emerge, and to supply the best possible information to support Government Agencies in their operations. The Intelligence Community is comprised of various agencies (both civilian and military) that operate in close coordination in order to carry out its mission. To do so it utilizes the synergies of different units. These include a large unit for national intelligence analysis and several units for collection, as SIGINT, HUMINT, VISINT and OSINT.
Course descriptions, University of Warsaw, Year 2. Year 2. Modules ECTS credits Form / type of class Type of examination No. of teaching hours Type of course Term 1 International Trade system -WTO 2 International Political Economy 3 Multinational Corporations 4 Foreign, Security and Defence Policy of EU 5 India and China Foreign Policy 3 Seminar Exam 30 Obligatory 3 3 Seminar Exam 30 Obligatory 3 3 Lecture Graded 6 Diploma Seminar 8 Seminar Graded 7 General elective course 3 Lecture Graded 30 Obligatory 3 30 Obligatory 3 30 Obligatory 3 Restricted choice 3 min. 20 General elective 3 8 US Foreign Policy 3 Seminar 9 EU Economic Law 3 Seminar 1 0 Foreign Policy of Central and Eastern European Countries 1 1 Cultural and Economic aspects of International Management 1 2 Diploma Seminar MA Thesis writing Graded Graded 22 Seminar Graded In order to complete Year 2, 60 ECTS needed: 27 ECTS obligatory modules 03 ECTS general elective modules 30 ECTS restricted choice modules 30 Obligatory 4 30 Obligatory 4 30 Obligatory 4 20 Obligatory 4 30 Restricted choice 4