Basic concepts of world affairs for non-majors. Development of competency to understand and critically evaluate global relations and international events, stressing empirical approaches. Not available for major credit.
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.
Note: Register for lecture, one discussion, lab and one section of WRIT 140 listed below (unless you have already satisfied the Writing Requirement)
Comprehensive introduction to contending theoretical and analytical approaches; development of critical, evaluative, cognitive, and analytical competencies regarding historical and contemporary issues. (Required for all IR majors.)
Economic concepts necessary to understand modern global economy. Topics include transition economies, global inequality, environmental issues, international political economy, trade and the international financial system.
The role of leaders, diplomatic leadership and creativity in statecraft, providing a deep understanding of the theoretical and practical dimensions of diplomacy.
Examines the strategies for managing global issues in the post Cold War period. Explores ways that international institutions, national governments and non-state actors work separately and together to provide order and control over complex international issues areas. Issues that will receive attention could include financial and monetary relations, trade and foreign investment, preservation of the environment, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, population and migration, terrorism and ethnic strife.
The emergence of international organizations as a permanent feature in world politics; role of the United Nations Organization as well as regional international organizations.
Recent events, forces, and conditions in the international political system. Basic organizing concepts used in the analysis of the data of international politics.
People, money, things, information, and ideas flow across national borders. How can we understand globalization, its consequences, and how to manage it? Multimedia training is involved.
Interdisciplinary study of the pursuit of peace, including causes of wars, arms races, conflict resolution, peace movements, domestic violence, nonviolent resistance, and peace with justice.
Political implications of interactions between different types of multinational enterprises and all levels of U.S. government, other industrial nations, and less-developed countries.
Dynamic inequality in relations between rich and poor; contending views on causes; legacies of imperialism; ameliorative strategies of poor states; responses of richer states.
The U.S. economy and political-economic institutions in comparative perspective; economic diplomacy and policy; role of trade barriers, exchange rates, foreign aid, energy, foreign investment.
Introduction to the relationship between political and economic development and ideas concerning the origins and behavior of capitalism and its impact on international relations.
Analysis of U.S. foreign policy since 1945 as a basis for understanding significant new trends. Explanation of contemporary issues in U.S. relations with other nations.
Overview of Soviet and Russian foreign policy in the 20th century. Review of the diplomatic history of the period and introduction to models of foreign policy used to analyze Soviet and Russian behavior.
The cultural, political, economic, and social aspects of the Asia-Pacific's rise to prominence in world affairs. Reasons for the "successes" of many Asian economies and the environmental and social problems accompanying their rapid transformation. The difficulties of interaction in complex cultural situations illustrated by participation in a computer-assisted simulation.
The historical, cultural, and political reasons for Asia's dramatic transformation into a powerful engine of world economic growth. The secondary consequences of economic growth for environmental protection, gender relations, ethnicity, and military tension.
Examination of general economic development issues: population, agriculture, industrialization, trade, oil, etc. Several Mideast case study countries are then explored in depth.
The main economic development themes and strategies in Latin America over the past century. The interplay between domestic and international variables, and the resulting dynamic changes.
Introduction to historical, thematic perspectives of French foreign policy since 1945 including review of external and internal constraints influencing foreign policy.
Transnational activists and non-governmental organizations in world politics. How they affect humanity and the development of liberal and social democracy.
Alternative conceptions of security; evolution of nuclear strategy; efforts to control the development and spread of nuclear and conventional weapons; current security issues.
Examination of the nexus of terrorist threat and governmental response. Specifically, the class analyzes both terrorism's effectiveness as a means to achieve political change and the challenges faced by the liberal democratic state in responding to international terrorist campaigns.
Interaction of politics and economics in the former Soviet Union and its component republics; the historical planned economy, the politics of reform and political economy of former Soviet foreign relations.
Why the world is organized into sovereign nation-states. The challenges to nation-states in the 21st century from globalization, democratization, revolution, technology, and new forms of cultural identity.
Policies and programs aimed at stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Presentations by executive/legislative officials involved in formulation and implementation of non-proliferation. Junior or senior standing required.
Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Junior, Senior
Preparation and oral defense of senior honors thesis before supervising faculty and fellow honors students. Senior status and acceptance to program required. Must achieve B+ to obtain honors.
Against the background of the 20th century history this course introduces the major literatures on the causes, strategy, practice, and future possibilities of war and peace.
Investigation of international relations through the lens of diplomatic theories, considering the limits and potential of diplomacy and how thinking about diplomacy has evolved.
Survey of principal theoretical and empirical approaches to foreign policy analysis; bureaucratic politics, cybernetics, game theory and options analysis, comparison, design theory, simulation.
Security politics of China, Japan, ASEAN states, and southwest pacific nations; their strategic relations with the superpowers; regional security initiatives: nuclear-free zone politics, ZOPEAN, and indigenous military capacities.
Advanced introduction to how religion has emerged as a powerful force in politics. Conflict resolution, fundamentalism, terrorism, war, American foreign policy and global civil society.
Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Master Student, Doctoral Student
Study of contemporary institutions in selected regions of the world. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department.
