Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Explores causes and consequences of international political conflict, including war, terrorism, protectionism, nationalism, economic disparity, migration, and humanitarian crises. Evaluates how states and non-state actors navigate and influence these conflicts and the role of international law, diplomacy, and organizational cooperation. Analyzes worldviews on war, peace, human rights, and world order. Students who have taken POL 241 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Social Sciences.

COURSE DETAILS:

To say the world is complex is a bit of an understatement these days. Though it may not always seem like it, the prevalence of war has been in decline for more than 30 years. Nevertheless, war and violence are still very much a part of the international system as illustrated by events such as the 9/11 attacks against the United States; the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan; civil wars in Libya, Syria, and Yemen; Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine; the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria (and elsewhere); the sabre rattling on the Korean Peninsula, and the increased hostility of the People’s Republic of China. International politics is about far more than violence, however. In recent years, the world has experienced a massive global recession with far-reaching consequences, non-state actors continue to gain greater attention, and issues such as climate change and the spread of certain global diseases frequently require international cooperation. And this is only the beginning.

This introductory course provides a broad exploration of the field of international relations (IR). It seeks to provide students with the factual knowledge about the study of international relations (terminology, classifications, methods, trends), introduce fundamental principles, generalizations and theories of international relations in order to better understand the contemporary international system. The course is organized around two parts, Concepts and Theories of International Relations, and Contemporary Issues in International Relations, and divided into three modules. In Module 1, we examine the international security. In Module 2, we look at the economic interactions of states and in Module 3 we assess the human factors that affect the quality of life of individuals from the environment to human rights. Most weeks in the course, we will explore one big topic. Each topic will include a lecture and a tutorial that involves discussions, educational activities, and IR simulation.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

REQUIRED READING NOTES: