Worldwide, we can witness passionate fights for justice, freedom and equality. People take to the streets to rage against violence, abuse and discrimination, activists stage disruptions of everyday life to challenge ignorance and complacency, leaders appeal to courage and empathy, communities form to process trauma and foster resilience.
This course examines how emotions inform and shape the ideas, images, arguments, and interactions that incite conflicts and contribute to their resolutions. It draws on the interdisciplinary work of scholars that integrate theories of political science and international relations with analytical concepts developed in psychology, the social sciences and humanities to demonstrate the often subtle, yet fundamental power of emotions in peace and conflict.
These scholars are committed to the idea that emotions are neither personal nor antithetical to rational decision-making. Instead, individual and collective emotions emerge from lived experiences, they are embedded in societies and take shape within their histories and cultures. Departing from the same premise, we will revisit and discuss crucial decisions, defining moments, and pivotal events in world politics to assess and analyse how emotions underpin the statements, strategies, and movements that contribute to aggravate or appease structural inequalities and violence.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the different disciplines and schools of thought that political science research draws on to conceptualize emotions as an analytical category
- Summarize, digest and present the contents of analytical readings on the role of emotions in international relations and global movements
- Apply these new analytical frameworks to historical and contemporary cases in international politics
- Analyse the impact of emotions on political thought, behaviour, and outcomes
- Critique dominant theories on peace and conflict in political science and international relations
Indicative Assessment
- Participation (10) [LO 1,2]
- Theory Quiz (15) [LO 1,2]
- Critical Commentary (1000 words) (20) [LO 3,4,5]
- Proposal Presentation (10) [LO 2,3]
- Final Essay (4000 words) (45) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
This course comprises some 130 hours of activity over 12 weeks, both interactive/seminar based and independent research. The course comprises a maximum of 6000 words of assessment or the equivalent. Please note this is a general guide, averaged over the semester and the final hours ultimately depend on the individual's ability in reading and writing.
Prescribed Texts
N/A
Preliminary Reading
Ben-Ze’ev, Aaron (2000). Chapter 2, “What Is an Emotion?” and Chapter 16, “Caring about our Future – Hope and Fear”, In: The Subtlety of Emotions. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press
Petersen, Roger (2017) “Emotions as the Residue of Lived Experience”, Politics Symposium, American Political Science Association, 1-4.
Crigler, Ann N., Just, Marion R. “Measuring Affect, Emotion and Mood in Political Communication.” In The SAGE Handbook of Political Communication. London, SAGE, 2019.
Hochschild, Arlie Russell (1979) Emotion Work, Feeling Rules, and Social Structure” American Journal of Sociology, 85:3, 551-575.
Mercer, J. (2005) Rationality and Psychology in International Politics. International Organization, 59:1, 77-106.
Hutchison, E., and R. Bleiker (2014) Theorizing Emotions in World Politics. International Theory 6(3), 491–514.
Crawford, Neta C. (2000) “The Passion of World Politics: Propositions on Emotion and Emotional Relationships.” International Security 24:4, 116–56.
Pearlman, W. (2013) Emotions and the Microfoundations of the Arab Uprisings. Perspectives on Politics, 11(2), 387-409.
Fierke, Karin (2021) “Self-immolation in Vietnam, 1963”, in: Political Self-Sacrifice: Agency, Body and Emotion in International Relations. Cambridge University Press, 160 -187.
Cassegård C, Thörn H. (2018) Toward a postapocalyptic environmentalism? Responses to loss and visions of the future in climate activism. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 1:4, 561-578.
Pupavac, Vanessa. “War on the Couch: The Emotionology of the New International Security Paradigm.” European Journal of Social Theory 7, no. 2 (May 2004): 149–70.
Krystalli, R. and Philipp Schulz (2022) Taking Love and Care Seriously: An Emergent Research Agenda for Remaking Worlds in the Wake of Violence, International Studies Review, 24:1.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8871 | 27 Jul 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 31 Aug 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | In Person | N/A |
| 8872 | 27 Jul 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 31 Aug 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | Online | N/A |