The Transnational Politics of Knowledge and Expertise 

Whose knowledge counts in transnational politics, and how does it come to be recognised as legitimate? This course explores how knowledge and expertise shape contemporary transnational politics. It explores how certain forms of knowledge come to be recognised as authoritative, scientific, or evidence-based, and how experts shape policy-making within international organisations, governments, NGOs, and transnational networks. Students will analyse how knowledge circulates across borders, how established hierarchies (North/South, scientific/belief, etc.) influence what is considered legitimate knowledge, and how competing forms of expertise and knowledge generate controversy and conflict in fields such as development, security, health, technology, and environmental governance.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand the role of knowledge and expertise in shaping transnational politics and global governance.
• Examine how knowledge is produced, circulated, and mobilised across national borders by international organisations, experts, NGOs, and other transnational actors.
• Analyse how claims to expertise shape political authority, legitimacy, and decision-making beyond the state.
• Critically assess the power relations embedded in the construction of “valid” knowledge, and identify tensions and conflicts between expert, local, experiential, and indigenous forms of knowledge.

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

 

Lectures, debates, and students' presentations.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

 

Course notes

• Université virtuelle

Additional information

 

Contacts

Pr. Elisa Lopez Lucia: elisa.lopez.lucia@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• written examination
• Continuous assessment
• Oral presentation
• Group work

written examination

Continuous assessment

Oral presentation

Group work

Group work and presentation on one of the themes of the lectures (40%).

Final exam: open questions on all course material (lectures and students presentation) (60%).

This course evaluation modality is a continuous evaluation : students are required to do the group work to be able to pass the final exam. The group work cannot be retaken.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

 

Language(s) of evaluation

• english