LFU:online

Students will learn about an array of “hot topics” confronting Western democracies amid growing authoritarian movements. Specifically, students will:

• demonstrate fundamental knowledge about current “front burner” issues in U.S. and European politics, including (but not limited to) immigration, health care, poverty/affordability, taxation, NATO/Ukraine/Russia, and Israel/Gaza — and how leading political figures propose to address these topics.

• learn about methods used by various forces (political parties, media, unions, corporations, special-interest groups, lobbyists and other influencers) to shape public policy regarding those issues — and how elected policymakers respond to those attempts;

• develop competency in formulating arguments in support of and in opposition to policy proposals, both in oral and written form; and

• provide examples and analysis of the complexity of current “front burner” political issues, particularly in the context of rising authoritarian movements in Western democracies.

This course will offer an examination of the current issues and problems of national and international politics, and will cover current "hot topics" in American and European politics.

The University of New Orleans International Summer School program has a mandatory class attendance policy. All students are required to attend class for all morning classes and any required afternoon and/or weekend fields trips and lectures. No unexcused absences are allowed. However, LFU students who have to miss a UNO class due to LFU examinations in the first two weeks of our program, can receive one excused absence for this. Any further unexcused absences will result in an academic penalty. Each faculty member determines the penalty for missed classes. Most professors deduct a letter grade for each additional missed class day. For details, please refer to your course syllabi, which will be distributed on the first day of class. The listed ECTS credits are a recommendation by the University of New Orleans Innsbruck Summer School, based on contact hours, anticipated out-of-classroom requirements such as field trips, and projected workload for readings, assignments, and exam preparation. Mail: Center-New-Orleans@uibk.ac.at