Annotation

This course is an introduction to International Relations (IR), which is a branch of Political Science that studies the political and social consequences of the division of the world into separate territorially-based political units. It is also typically extended to include international organisations and non-state actors, and it focuses on issues broadly conceived of as having global—rather than limitedly domestic or local—significance.

The course is divided into four parts. In part one, students will be provided with background knowledge of the historical evolution of the state system. Building on that, students will then explore the central explanatory concepts of IR—power, interest, and identity—and their IR theory counterparts—Realism, Liberalism, and Constructivism. In the second part, students will engage with and learn the methods of a compelling alternative theoretical approach to IR: the Strategic Perspective. It both challenges and differs significantly from traditional theories of IR by arguing that the preferences of leaders and their constituents—rather than national interests or the state system—are the primary drivers of foreign policy. In the final sections, students will use this Strategic Perspective and the logic of strategic interaction to explain major characteristics of, events, and trends in global politics. The focus of the fourth part will be warfare and conflict; specifically, the use of military force, military alliances, nuclear deterrence, terrorism and military intervention. The fifth part will examine significant aspects of peace, governance and world order, namely, international organisations, climate change, human rights and international law.

Aim of the Course

The course will introduce students to the academic study of International Relations (IR), and give an overview of the major concepts, traditional theories and pressing issues in contemporary global politics. The primary aims of the course are to provide students with (i) a perspective of international relations as being predominately driven by individually-motivated strategies that shape war, peace, and world order; (ii) an understanding of the strategic calculations underlying the actions of the leaders of nations, international organisations and non-governmental interest groups; and (iii) the tools to understand empirical regularities by using strategic theory approaches.

Learning outcomes

• Compare and contrast the primary concepts and traditional theoretical approaches to the study of international politics.
• Explain the the Strategic Perspective’s response to traditional theories of IR.
• Analyse case studies of international relations and foreign policies according to the methods of strategic theory, selectorate theory, and game theory.
• Model causes of war, brinkmanship, the security dilemma, bargaining, deterrence and compellence processes.
• Explain the rationale behind the formation of alliances; apply the concept of alliance portfolio to the analysis of the preferences of national leaders.
• Analyse the logic of terrorism and attendant issues of credibility.
• Assess the empirical evidence supporting democratic peace theory.
• Explain the purposes and formations of several international organisations and assess the extent to which common problems constrain their effectiveness and level of cooperation.
• Analyse climate change agreements as collective action problems.
• Critically assess the constructivist and strategic approaches to the formation of international law, norms and human rights.

Course description

Futures Thinking is a multidisciplinary method for thinking constructively and creatively about the future, starting from the assumption that the future is not something that will happen to us tomorrow but is being created by us today. Students will be introduced to the major changes that will occur in the next 10, 20 or more years, including global warming, inequality, global health, the future of work, among others. In each area, students will undertand how experts have created scenarios to cope with uncertainty, identify dynamics, develop policy choices, assess alternatives, and ultimately, make decisions. Students will be immersed in Futures Thinking through discussing and debating influential reports – for example, by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the OECD, the World Health Organisation, and McKinsey Global Institute. Students will then work collaboratively to assess the potential local impact of these global trends and evaluate local examples of Futures Thinking.