This is a course in international relations theory and as such is the sort of course that political science and international relations majors have always taken as a fundamental part of their training. Sometimes courses like this are taught from a particular theoretical perspective like that of realism or international conflict analysis. By contrast, they are also frequently taught as surveys of the large number of theories that have been developed to explain international relations. This course will try to strike a balance between these approaches by presenting a few theoretical approaches in depth. It is felt that by proceeding in this way you will be able to really use these theories to interpret world events rather than just knowing them well enough to recognize answers about them on an exam.

The approaches offered by the major books in the course are realism, liberalism, neo-Marxism, and critical discourse analysis. These approaches will be set into the larger theoretical context by readings from the "Classics" reader. It is hoped that this approach will make the major readings more accessible to beginners. Course assignments will be designed as thought experiments where students can apply these theoretical perspectives to real life international politics.

Students should assume that they will be active participants in the learning process. Lectures without class participation are poor learning tools and somewhat boring. Please read the assignments before coming to class. Lectures will not duplicate the readings but rather examine them critically. Class will be highly interactive so be prepared. There will be a series of short papers assigned about once every three weeks, a group project and a final exam.

Grade weightings are as follows:
Class Participation: 10%
Short Papers: 30%
Group Project: 20%
Final Exam: 20%

Students often have special problems that emerge from work commitments, family commitments, medical emergencies, or learning disabilities. Please let me know ahead of time if you need some special accommodation. Without prior arrangements late papers will lose points and incompletes will not granted.