International Relations - Geopolitics & Connectivity
Winter intake start date
2027-02-01
Winter intake deadline
2026-10-15
What can we learn about how attempts to create order in the world have to do with how things are connected and disconnected?
How is it that nationalisms and identities, economic systems, ideologies, inequalities, environmental and health issues, as well as belief systems, are used to connect and disconnect people, ideas, and places creating (new) geopolitical realities?
In this track you will be introduced to a novel approach, developed and led by colleagues at Groningen, to understand geopolitics as a connectivity effect. You will learn how spaces are, and have been, the result of connecting (strategically or not), many of the issues mentioned above. Drawing on historical and contemporary case studies and issues, you will develop unique analytical skills to approach any geopolitical issue in time.
Some questions inspired by this approach are, for example, how has the United States tried to change the terms under which it connects to the world in an attempt to force a different geopolitical context? How is China resetting the terms for its global connectivity through its Belt and Road initiative(s)? How is the European Union attempting to develop an environmental agenda to connect its members and create its geopolitical projection in the world? How do actors in the global realm challenge or benefit from these geopolitical aspirations? How do certain people and regions choose, and have chosen, to geopolitically disconnect from global designs?
Methodologically, you will learn how conflicts and wars, pandemics and environmental disasters, economic and financial crises, systemic infrastructural failures, and different forms of radicalisms, alert us of failing connectivities and the emerging of new ones, and how you can use these connectivities to understand and theorize an ever-emerging world. You will learn how geopolitical designs in time have resulted from the strategic connection of complex issues and interests, and how such designs have resulted from thinking space and power creatively.
- ECTS transcript – If you are still completing your Bachelor’s degree, upload an ECTS transcript showing the subjects you have studied, your grades, and the number of credits awarded. Your Bachelor’s diploma must be uploaded later, as soon as you receive it.
- Bachelor’s diploma – If you have already graduated, upload your Bachelor’s diploma. A separate ECTS transcript is not required.
Note: Your Bachelor’s degree must be in the same or a related field as the Master’s programme you are applying for. The university will check whether you have completed enough relevant subjects and ECTS credits.
Important! View the full requirements on the university’s official website. Requirements may vary depending where you completed your bachelor education.
Applicants have to prove their English language skills either by an internationally recognized language test or upon previous studies. Usually English language skills can be proved by the following documents:
- TOEFL iBT*
- IELTS Academic
- A Cambridge English qualification
- Higher education degree completed in English
- Secondary education completed in English in a country or school qualification accepted by the university
- An English subject and grade on your secondary school leaving certificate that meet the university’s requirements
- Other
Important: Accepted methods and minimum results depend on study programme and the country where you completed your education. Check the official requirements for your chosen study programme.
*Use the Kastu promo code LTU1000102 when registering for TOEFL iBT and receive a 5% discount.
