Political Risk: Analysis and Management

This course is designed to theoretically explain and examine operational conception of political risk. Political risk may be considered as operational practices which are final, generative, and applicable to all locus regardless of context. 

 

Risk is a classical concept that has been long examined by experts of various disciplines. From a social, managerial, or other technical perspective of risk. The idea of risk has emerged as a key for studies that focus on interdisciplinary themes such as disaster and its natural, social, environmental aspect or even a disaster with multidimensional characteristics such as pandemics.

 

You will learn about political risk as a management model of public space that considers content, context, and process. Students are expected to uphold ethical values, encourage inclusiveness and teamwork; able to apply theories and concepts to political risk; and, able to produce works that mark the ability to think critically, creatively, innovatively and adaptively about methods and analyzing cases pertaining to political risk of public governance management.

Quantitative Social Methods Research

Quantitative Research Method is a faculty mandatory course designed to provide general knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of principles, variations, paradigms, concepts, and essential theories on research methods. Additionally, this course specifically facilitates practical expertise to apply quantitative research methods to social and political analysis.

 

This course aims to simultaneously achieve three goals. First, this course aims to provide a general understanding of social research, specifically political research. Second, this course aims to provide understanding and expertise in quantitative research methods. Third, this course aims to develop the necessary expertise to apply quantitative research, enabling analysis of social phenomena and political problems by involving students in practical quantitative research.

 

You will learn to be competent in their mastery of scientific method, theoretical and analytical ability, and practical skills that align with democracy and humanity. Through general knowledge and understanding of concepts, theory and essential principles of quantitative research, students are expected to be able to understand the variety of approaches and essential methods of social research, specifically political research; able to discuss and operate approaches to and methods of quantitative research; and, able to experiment and practice quantitative research methods in order to analyze political and governmental phenomena.

Religion and Politics

Religion and Political Order designed to understand the intricate relations between religion and politics from historical period to contemporary periods. Students will learn about the intricate relations and discourse surrounding secularism, freedom of faith, freedom to practice religion, policy pertaining to religious minorities, and other topics. This course aims to challenge the hypothesis of religion becoming irrelevant in the modern era. Furthermore, this course will also analyze the consequence of these relations to society. This course highlights three important issues: the role and consequence of religion towards politics, society, and culture; agents or institutions of religious politics; and public policy pertaining to religion.

 

Through examining religion and political order, students will understand the intricate relations and discourse surrounding secularism, freedom of faith, freedom to practice religion, policy pertaining to religious minorities, and other topics. Moreover, students are expected to be able to theoretically explain, critically analyze cases or policies pertaining to politics of religion and apply it into governmental studies.

 

The expected learning outcomes for students are able to demonstrate a collaborative attitude and manners in discussion during both lectures and independent studies; and, able to coherently explain and elaborate the intricate relations between religion and political order and analyze public policies pertaining to religion.

Urban Politics

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of how power works in specific contexts, in urban areas, characterized with a high economic growth, rapid urbanization, and their environmental consequences. The growth of cities impacts their inhabitants, some benefits while others suffer drawbacks causing social and economic inequality. How did this emerge? To answer this, students will be equipped with the analytic tool of urban political ecology.

 

Urban political studies are multidisciplinary in nature. Architects, urban planners, economists, sociologists, political scientists, and historians have produced various works in this field. This multidisciplinary characteristic has produced interesting, however confusing works due to the variety of analytical lenses available to be employed to examine urban issues. This course will focus on how power operates while employing other perspective complementarity to present a clearer picture. Aligning with the Department of Politics and Government’s vision statement, this course is expected to develop students’ ability to analyze political phenomena and employ analytical tools in real-life cases, specifically in urban issues.

Students are expected to demonstrate respect for diversity of opinion and encourage collaboration with other students during lecture; be able to describe characteristics of power in urban areas, strategic issues in cities, and analyze them; and, be able to thoroughly explain how power operates in urban areas.

Village Governance

Village governance is a department elective course for students of the Department of Politics and Government. This course is offered on an odd semester with 3 credits. This course is designed to give a comprehensive understanding regarding village politics and governance. Within the span of Indonesia’s history, villages have been an important unit and arena for both political and economic contestation of multiple actors, whether it be the state, capital, local and national elites. This came to no surprise as villages are an epicentrum of economic, social, and political resources making it of utmost benefit to any actors capable of controlling it.

 

The urgency to discuss village politics and governance also came from the sociological reality that the majority of Indonesians still rely their livelihood upon villages. Villages even gave a significant influence upon the creation of economic, political, cultural, and sociological behaviors for most Indonesians. Another urgency lies from the diverse characteristics of Indonesian villages from a geographical, economic, and socio-cultural point which allows regional variations of political management and governance across Indonesia.

 

Students are expected to appreciate the diversity of views, opinion, or findings of other students within group discussions; understand thoroughly key theories and concepts of village politics and governance as well as policies relating to villages; and, apply key concepts and theories of village governance and politics to analyze roles, position, policy, and governance of villages in Indonesia.

Representative Politics

This course has the main objective of introducing and exploring the concepts and practices of political representation as an arena for citizens in accessing and controlling public affairs.

 

The discussion in this lecture tries to accommodate various mechanisms, procedures and ways of representation by citizens to oversee public issues, both through several formal and informal channels, where these channels may overlap or combine: Formal political channels (Legislatives branch, political parties); Civil society track (NGOs and mass organization); Informal political channels (Religious/Society Figures, “Local Bosses”, Patrons); Cultural channel (Art, poetry, murals, film, etc.); and, Media channels (mass media and social media).

 

This course will discuss the pattern of relations between actors and the arena of representation above, as well as the context that influences its development and significance.

 

Students are expected to be able to explain the differences, intersections and complexities between the five paths of representation; able to conduct case analysis of various lines of representation in the political situation in Indonesia; demonstrate a collaborative attitude and discussion ethics in learning meetings in class and during independent study; and, produce scientific studies on the politics of representation in the form of scientific papers, policy briefs, podcasts or short videos.

Social Empowerment Management

This course introduces the concept of empowerment which holds a crucial position within the current studies of politics and government. Specifically, students learn a concept of community empowerment which utilizes a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down approach, a concept that places the community in a grassroot level as a central subject, and alternative strategies towards the paradigm of mainstream development which often rely upon position and state resources or markets. Students also learn the managerial and process aspects of community empowerment which includes, program managements, funding, accountability reports, and evaluation. Hence, students also gained practical skills in designing proposals for community empowerment programs in addition to knowledge and competence in understanding empowerment issues. 

 

As a consequence of the Covid 19 pandemic, online activism had become a new habit facilitated by the internet. Online activities most likely will persist after the pandemic. This course attempts to adapt to this shift by giving a chance for students to develop online empowerment programs. 

 

Students are expected to possess basic understanding on concepts of social empowerment and scientific debates surrounding the issue; able to analyze social situations on a grass-root level; able to construct social empowerment program that is both logical and capable of responding to the public’s needs; and, reflect collaborative character and discussion ethics during lectures in class, group works, and assisted groups.

Community Governance

This course is an elective course from an interest in community studies with a load of 3 credits. This course is designed for students to explore community management and criticism of community management, models of community management, policies in community management.

 

This course is designed for students to achieve several objectives such as examine various issues and problems faced by the community in various fields such as in the fields of politics, economics and culture; understand the various approaches taken by Civil Society Organizations, the government and the private sector in empowering communities; initiate a more in-depth study using theoretical perspectives from the discipline of political science and also think about community governance; understand and criticize the advocacy approach and the problems that then arise in the relationship between the community and the state and the market after advocacy is carried out; and, interested in conducting studies on community governance.

 

Students are expected to have knowledge of several theoretical frameworks about communities, community institutions/organizations and self-governing communities, which is reflected in the diversity of perspectives in defining community governance; demonstrate a collaborative attitude and discussion ethics in classroom learning meetings and independent study; able to explain and demonstrate theoretical ideas and concepts about community management politics; and, able to explain and describe the workings of community management politics.

Local Politics and Regional Autonomy

The rise of Indonesia’s local politics is inseparable from the enactment of the decentralization and regional autonomy policy which became an important concept in Indonesia’s government management. Local politics here is generally defined as a contestation between multiple political actors and institutions in materializing their interest in provincial or district level governance. The implementation of decentralization and regional autonomy significantly strengthen the dynamic of Indonesia’s local politics. 

 

Therefore understanding the basic concept, history of development, along with the dynamics of decentralization and regional autonomy became key in understanding Indonesia’s political dynamic. Understanding the scope, issue, actors, and dynamics within local politics became important for students because within the setting of  decentralization and regional autonomy, political dynamics is incredibly intertwined with public interest and the lives of the general public. In conclusion, student’s sensitivity and ability in interpreting politics through a more contextual and humanic approach is cultivated through this course. 

 

The expected learning outcomes for students are expected to explain key concepts within literature of decentralization and regional autonomy which is reflected in argumentations bult within class discussions nor individual and group assignments; and, mapping main factors which influence the dynamics of local politics in Indonesia and applying theories and perspective accurately when analyzing the dynamics of local politics in Indonesia.

Introductory Government Sciences

This course aims to introduce students to the main concepts of state governance, including the meaning of government & governance, types of state organization & government and the role of bureaucracy. Through this course, students are expected not only to understand the theories, but also be able to map out various research topics within the theme of state and governance both for academic and practical use. The combination of the two can hopefully provide students with a career/role idea they can pursue after finishing their study.

 

The materials are categorized into 3 main blocks. The first block consists of understanding the concepts of governance study, including: 1) the meaning of government & governance; 2) types of states and government systems; 3) bureaucracy. The second block consists of independent study reflecting the course’s materials published by the Publication division of the Department of Politics and Government. The materials will focus on 4 main themes: a) Democracy and Citizenship; b) Electoral Governance; c) Natural Resources Management; d) Development and Government. The third block consists of sharing sessions of the students’ independent study results. This course will be closed with a wrap up session consisting of all the materials that have been taught.

 

Students are expected to be able to understand and explain the theories, scope of the study and the implementation of governance study such as demonstrate a collaborative attitude and ethical discussion during the class as well as when studying independently; able to explain and elaborate the main concepts of governance study, including types of states, types of government and the role of bureaucracy; and, able to map out various research topics within the theme of state and governance both for academic and practical use.

Indonesian Social and Political System

This course is designed to give students methodological and theoretical knowledge, and the skills to analyze phenomena that take place within the framework of the Indonesian socio-political system. Today’s pattern of Indonesian socio-political life cannot be separated from the national identity and history. The complexity of Indonesia’s socio-political reality is undeniably influenced by the plurality of nations that have experienced a period of colonization over a long period of time. Likewise, the nation’s journey that has moved beyond the confines of tradition to modern life has also had an impact on it.

 

This course is generally designed to help students understand some of the problems regarding the socio-political system in general, specifically the Indonesian socio-political system. Therefore, there are some aspects that will be explored: (1) the understanding and perspective used to understand the socio-political system; (2) the relation of political culture to the political system; (3) Political infrastructure; (4) the development of the Indonesian political system; and (5) the dynamics of the contemporary Indonesian political system.

 

Students are expected to demonstrate a collaborative attitude and discussion ethics in classroom learning meetings and independent study; able to  explain and demonstrate theoretical ideas and concepts about Indonesia’s socio-political system; and, able to explain and describe the mechanism of the Indonesian socio-political system.

Electoral Governance

Electoral Governance is an elective course for Politics and Government students. In the previous semesters, students have learned about elections, political parties, and legislatives. In this course, students will be encouraged to use their theoretical and practical knowledge that they have gained from previous courses to map out election stakeholders and their interests. The purpose of this activity is to understand how elections work based on the governance perspective. Using this perspective, students will have the ability to explain the multi-directional patterns of relations between election stakeholders. 

 

The aim of this course is for students to gain understanding and ability to use theoretical and practical knowledge taught in the course of Electoral Governance. Project-based and problem-based learning will be used to paint a big, but detailed picture regarding the theoretical and practical aspects in the study of governance.

 

The expected learning outcomes for students are able to apply theories and concepts of politics and government in organizing governance through a collaborative attitude and ethical discussion during the class as well as when studying independently; and, able to explain and elaborate the multi-directional relations between election stakeholders.

Border and Politics

Border Politics is subject to many debates and it is also interpreted in a multi-faceted perspective. This study is closely related to the conception of the sovereignty of a nation state. Within the framework of sovereignty, Border Politics refers to territories as an element that shapes a country. This framework resulted in two main debates in the study of Border Politics: 1) the tendency of nation-states to build ‘walls’ or borders (Brown, 2010) and 2) the global economy-politics structure that are erasing borders and nation-states’ central role (Williams, 2009). Between these two paradoxical discussions, the study of Border Politics holds a significant role

 

The study of Border Politics shifts from a geo-political point of view to a bio-political perspective. By understanding the two paradigms, students will develop a strong conceptual foundation in understanding ‘borders’. This course is specifically designed to respond to the dynamics of Border Politics’ practices that are closely related with government activities. Students are also encouraged to take a step further and understand the transformation of sovereignty that has implications on how ‘borders’ are perceived and constructed.

 

Throughout this class, students are expected to be able to explain and elaborate the basic concepts of Border Politics and their political characteristics through discussions and assignments in class; and, able to apply the basic concepts of Border Politics to do empirical analysis that are presented through class assignments.

Introductory Social Sciences

This course is designed to give understanding that political and governmental phenomena are connected with interactions and dynamics of various actors. Students will understand fundamental principles of social science and its development. Therefore, students can see how different actors influence each other and dominate decision-making to distribute resources according to their respective interests. Actions and interactions of an actor are formed by a variety of things, such as culture, social structure and system, control over capital, geographical condition, welfare, knowledge, psychological factors, and other things. Thus students are expected to see how power formed, distributed, and challenged.

 

Furthermore, this course encourages students to think critically using the philosophical foundation of the development of social science and knowledge. Why does the variation of science appear? What kind of philosophical roots give rise to variations in how to approach phenomena? How social science in general helped the development of political science and government? These questions will be the main theme discussions at the Basic of Social Sciences course. 

 

Students are expected to be able to identify key foundation concepts of social science and its development; able to explain and discuss the philosophy of social science and its development; able to demonstrate and question various main approaches in social science that are used in analyzing political science and government; and, students can analyze the problems related to political science and government that root itself from the development of philosophy, method, and approach that developed in the realm of social science.

Academic Writing

This course is designed to help students understand the basics of writing an academic/scientific paper. This course also aims to improve students’ academic works and encourage students to apply the principles of academic writing in a broader context. Therefore, the knowledge gained through this course is still applicable for students who are interested in a non-academic career path.

 

This course will focus on two aspects: comprehension and skills. In the first aspect, students will discuss kinds of academic, non-academic writings and writings that are in between. In the second aspect, students will practice the principles of academic writing in exploring topics, constructing arguments, writing paragraphs and other writing skills. 

 

This course will also dissect the anatomy of academic writing in two main dimensions: substance and technicality. These two dimensions are necessary to create quality writings. In the context of substance, an academic writing will be evaluated through its arguments, analysis and uniqueness of the point of view. In the context of technicality, academic writing is evaluated through the sentences and paragraphs’ structure, grammar, citations and references.

 

Students are expected to be able to demonstrate and implement knowledge about basic essay structure: introduction, main content, conclusion and references; able to demonstrate the principles of effective writing: sentence structures and effective paragraphs; and, able to create writings that follows the principles of academic writings and avoid plagiarism.