Year Two at LSE

At the LSE, students are offered a curriculum specifically designed around the theme of culture and conflict in a global Europe. They can choose among courses focused on multidisciplinary study of Europe, with an emphasis on political science, international relations, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, public policy, and media studies.

Students will take the following courses:

Paper 1: take two (half-unit) semi-compulsory courses,

Papers 2 and 3: choose courses to the value of two units, from a wide range of options,

Paper 4: choose between two options for their final project:

  1. writing a 10,000-word dissertation based on original research on European politics, economies, societies, and cultures (EU499); or
  2. participating in an applied policy project on a current policy issue and writing a 3,000-word policy brief and a 7,000-word policy study (EU495).

In addition, students will take the following research method and professional development courses and attend the Columbia-LSE workshop (unassessed):

  • EU410 Interdisciplinary Research Methods and Design to prepare for the dissertation,
  • EU450 Engaging with Europe: Professional Skills, a program designed for professional development which offers additional training sessions, and thematic workshops throughout the year,
  • EU4A9 Joint Columbia-LSE European workshop.

Paper 1

Students will take two courses from the list below of semi-compulsory courses to the value of 1 unit total:

EU447 Democracy, Ideology and the European State (0.5 unit)
Investigates various ways in which the State's authority to act has been underpinned in Europe, both ideologically and institutionally, in the modern period.

EU457 Culture and Security in Global Politics (0.5 unit)
Considers problems and practices of ethnic diversity in a world of nation-states, including the rights of minorities and migrants, self-determination, ethnic cleansing and genocide, humanitarian intervention, and the role of the media in (de)constructing narratives of difference.

EU478 The Culture of European Politics (0.5 unit)
Explores the dynamic relationship between culture and politics in the modern period, as well as of the landmark efforts by thinkers as diverse as Kant, Marx, Habermas and Fukuyama to theorise this relationship.

EU4A2 Globalisation, Conflict and Post-Conflict Reconstruction (0.5 unit)
Offers a theoretically informed account of the challenges faced by countries transitioning from conflict to peace in the era of globalisation, and examines them empirically in reference to examples from the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East.

EU4A3 The Americas and Europe (0.5 unit)
By making use of both European and American perspectives, this course examines the role played by the idea of the Americas in the European imaginary and examines ‘Europe’ from the American context, critically engaging dichotomies such as settler/settled, coloniser/colonised, domination/subjugation, and self/other, to better understand the Americas and Europe.

Papers 2 and 3

Students will take courses to the value of two units from a range of options.

Paper 2 courses will be chosen on the CCGE MSc’s list of courses in 4 fields: Culture & Society, Conflict Studies, Politics & Policy, International Migration.

Paper 3 courses will be chosen on the CCGE MSc’s list of optional courses in 3 fields: identity & culture, conflict in world politics, methodology.

Please see the list of optional courses on the webpage of the MSc in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe.

For the most up-to-date list of optional courses please visit the relevant School Calendar page. 

Paper 4

Students can choose between two options for their final project to the value of one unit:

(1) writing a 10,000-word dissertation based on original research on European politics, economies, societies, and cultures (EU499); or

(2) participating in an applied policy project on a current policy issue and writing a 3,000-word policy brief and a 7,000-word policy study (EU495).

Students who choose the applied policy project option will take part in a workshop that will focus on the theories and practice of policy-making as well as overview the different styles and types of policy analysis writings and dissemination. Students will work on an applied research project related to a public policy problem. This policy problem can be situated at the international, European, national, or sub-national level. Thematically, it can be related to a wide range of policy fields (e.g., international trade, social policy, environmental policy, or justice and home affairs and migration).

Research method and professional development courses

EU410 Interdisciplinary Research Methods and Design (unassessed)
This series of workshops and lectures offers an introduction to research methods and design, discussing methods in the social sciences and in the humanities; common problems of research design; advice on critical reading and interpretation of texts; the logic of comparative case-studies; comparative research; and an introduction to quantitative methods and data sources.

EU450 Engaging with Europe: Professional Skills (unassessed)
This programme of guest lectures from distinguished outside speakers is exclusive to European Institute students, and includes sessions from business leaders and policy-makers designed for professional development.

EU4A9 Joint Columbia-LSE European workshop (unassessed)

Led jointly by faculty from the two universities, the workshop convenes twice a month during the fall and spring semesters and explores developments in modern and contemporary Europe.

 

Please note that while care has been taken to ensure that this information is up to date and correct, a change of circumstances since publication may cause the School to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees that apply to it. Please also note that places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements. Please visit the School’s Calendar, or contact the relevant academic department, for information on the availability and/or content of courses and programs of study. Certain substantive changes will be listed on the updated graduate course and programme information page.