Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2026 - POL 840 G100

Issues in International Relations, Foreign Policy, and Security (5)

Class Number: 2004

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 11 – Aug 10, 2026: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

The objective of this course is to survey specific issues in international relations, foreign policy, and security so that students can both expand and develop their knowledge of this subfield.

COURSE DETAILS:

This advanced-level, cross-listed seminar course focuses on grand strategy, the highest form of strategy for great powers. Grand strategy has attracted academic interests from political scientists and diplomatic historians, which in turn has generated various debates. We will first study selected chapters of The Oxford Handbook of Grand Strategy, followed by the national security strategy documents of key Western powers. By the end of the course, successful students will have acquired a solid academic framework to comprehend, analyze, and assess various grand strategies.

The course is combined with POL 432.

Grading

  • Participation (attendance, discussion, and presentation) 30%
  • Minor writing assignments 20%
  • Major research paper 50%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

T. Balzacq and R. Krebs, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Grand Strategy (Oxford University Press, 2021) [Electronic version via the SFU library: Oxford Scholarship Online: https://academic-oup-com.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/edited-volume/35431].

Other reading materials will be accessible via Canvas.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.