Global Trends and Current Problems

1. Global Trends and Current Problems Natalia V. Kozykina, Ksenia G. Muratshina, Ural Federal University, chair of International Relations Theory and History

2. General Information • Area: International Relations • Specialization:International Relations And Foreign Policy • Competency level: baccalaureate • Number of class hours: total 34, lectures 18, practical classes 16, independent study hours and homework 74 • Total credits: 3

3. Upon completion of the course, students are expected to have knowledge of: • the sources and factors of the development of major problems facing modern civilization; • the interrelation of global and regional factors; • approaches of the global community to problem resolution; • the mechanisms of international collaboration in resolving global issues;

4. develop competency in: • applying the theoretical foundation of international research to the analysis of specific problems and situations; • systems thinking, identifying and evaluating potential implications, risks and alternative solutions to problems or possible scenarios as a whole;

5. demonstrate skills and experience in: • application analysis within topics studied as part of the course; • developing recommendations and reasoned positions on the resolution of problems facing the global community on different levels.

6. Course sections • Topic 1. Theoretical Aspects of Studying Contemporary Global Problems • Topic 2. Political and Socio-Economic Problems in the Development of Modern Civilization • Topic 3. Environmental Issues in the Modern World

7. Topic 4. Global Ethical Issues • Topic 5. The Information Factor as a Problem for Humankind

8. Practical classes • Roundtable Discussion: “The Issue Of The Global Dissemination Of Nationalist And Extremist Ideas” • Roundtable Discussion: “Human Rights Violations in Contemporary International Conflicts” • Seminar: “Analysis of Specific Environmental Issues on the Global and Regional Levels” • Seminar: “The Problems of Building Global Environmental Awareness and Solutions to Global Environmental Problems” • Roundtable Discussion: “Ethical Issues in the Modern World: The Global Aspect” • Roundtable Discussion: “The Issues And Implications of the Development of Cutting-Edge Information Technologies and their Influence on Humanity” • Roundtable Discussion: “The Development of New Types of Weapons as a Contemporary Global Issue”

9. Suggested list of questions for final assignment • Main theoretical approaches to classifying global issues • Globalization and the information society: a new stage of development • Research techniques for global issues facing humankind • Dissemination of extremist ideas as a global problem in the modern world • Human rights violations in conflicts: the global dimension • Major economic problems of the contemporary global community on a global level • North–South relations • Migration: the global dimension, main trends • The issue of environmental security, its components and significance in the modern world • The current state of air, water and land resources and environments. Humankind’s impact on the environment • Climate change and the threats associated with attempts to manage climate • Energy conservation and energy saving technologies, renewable resources and the rational use of natural resources on the agenda of the global civilization • The problem of space pollution • Global ethical issues • Ethics in contemporary scientific research • The Information Factor as a Problem for Humankind. Cyber threats in the modern world • The problem of influence on mass consciousness • The issue of personal space and data in the global information space

10. Thank you for your attention!