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Theories of International Relations

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Course Description

This course is designed for juniors and seniors majoring in International Studies, Peace and Global Studies, or Politics, and other interested students who have taken Politics 17 as a prerequisite. Politics 71: Theories of International Relations focuses on a selection of classic and contemporary texts in the study of what is generally referred to as "IR". Major themes include morality and politics; debates over methods and theory; foreign policy and global conflict; and the search for peace. Class time will be devoted to lectures, exercises, and discussions. At the conclusion of the course students will demonstrate their understanding of various theories of international relations in analyzing a current problem of their choosing through the lenses of two of the theoretical perspectives discussed in class.

Course Objectives

What might "virtue" mean in international relations? Why is war so common? Are there alternatives to "states"? Why do persons perceive international relations as they do? To what extent is "international relations" a gendered concept? These are all questions that are explored in various theories of international relations. There are, concurrently, many purposes that might be served by theory. The objectives of this course include helping students to interpret and describe international relations, to study a variety of explanations for various events and non-events, and to consider various prescriptions or solutions to different kinds of problems. This course will also contain something of a "meta-objective" as well: we will have some discussions about how we interpret actors and authors in turn interpreting international relations.

Throughout the term we will also attempt to distinguish between empirical theory resting on "clear verifiable statements of the relationships between specified variables" (Bernstein, 1978: 9) and normative theory which more or less explicitly prescribes means for achieving specified goals. We may also explore some alternative conceptualizations of the ends of theory.

Finally, this course is designed to assist students in their preparation for comprehensive exams and/or graduate study in related disciplines. Several readings are included on the PAGS reading list for comps.

Required Texts

John A. Vasquez, Classics of International Relations. 3d edition. (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1996).

Subscription to World Press Review.

Reserve readings from the proceedings of the 1997 International Studies Association conference.

Reading Guidelines

In preparing for class, you may find it useful to check your comprehension of the reading against these study questions. There may be quizzes on these questions in class.

What is the author's purpose in writing this piece?

What are the author's guiding questions?

What concepts does the author emphasize? How are these concepts defined?

How are these concepts related to each other?

What are the author's conclusions? Do they seem logical given the evidence provided? Would you draw different conclusions? Why or why not?

What questions remain unanswered?

How might questions/research be framed differently?

Final Project

You may pick any current problem in international relations, something for which Lilly can provide contemporary coverage. You are encouraged to pick a problem that affects an area of the world with which you are personally familiar. Moreover, you are encouraged to take advantage of foreign language periodical coverage of the current events of interest to you.

Having selected a problem of interest to you, your task is to analyze this problem and propose solutions along lines suggested by at least TWO different authors. You should also take advantage of sources provided by references suggested in Vazquez and the Social Science Citation Index. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Perspectives from Niccolo Machiavelli and Carol Cohn on the Gulf War.

Perspectives from Karl Deutsch, Robert Keohane, and Johan Galtung on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Perspectives from Robert Jervis and Dean Pruitt on conflict in Northern Ireland.

I'll be glad to talk with you about selecting a topic. In your midterm paper, approximately five pages due March 7, you should begin to explore your issue from the perspective of authors we have already discussed in class. The final paper should be no more than twelve double-spaced typed pages, not including footnotes and bibliography. The paper should be organized along the following lines:

Part I: An evaluation/explanation of the event or issue from the perspective of your first author or group of authors. (4 pages)

Part II: An evaluation/explanation of the event or issue from the perspective of your second author or group of authors. (4 pages)

Part III: Your own response to the two previous sections. What does each perspective deal with well? Where does each fall short? Which explanation or evaluation to you believe is more credible and more useful when it comes to understanding international relations? (3 or 4 pages).