Power in crisis: Politics in the 21st Century

We live in an era that is frequently referred to as a ‘perma-crisis’, from climate change to Covid-19, conflict to conspiracy theories. Alongside these crises, there is a persistent perception that this is a time of political crisis. Public opinion often reveals that many feel ‘politics-as-normal’ is not working, and new solutions are required to address new challenges. These new approaches to politics, from populist leaders to Extinction Rebellion protests, challenge traditional conceptions of power, epitomising the crisis in contemporary politics.

This course seeks to explore these crises and our understandings of power. We will explore these crises and challenges to power by investigating and analysing three key topics that we consider to epitomise these contemporary political crises: Climate Change, Migration and Terrorism.

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