International Relations (IR)

The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed. For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.

100g The United States and World Affairs (4, Fa) The changing character of contemporary international political issues and U.S. foreign policy options for the future; exploration of competing perspectives.

101g Introduction to International Relations (4, Sp) Basic concepts of world affairs for non-majors. Development of competency to understand and critically evaluate global relations and international events, stressing empirical approaches. (Duplicates credit in former IR 200.)

210g International Relations: Introductory Analysis (4, FaSp) 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 and minors.)

211 International Relations: Approaches to Research (4, Sp) Introduction to theoretically oriented research approaches and designs, emphasizing the logics of argumentation involved. (Required for all IR majors.) Prerequisite: IR 210.

302 International Relations of the Great Powers in the Late 19th and 20th Centuries (4, Irregular) Introductory analysis of the interactions of the great powers during the period; initial focus on Europe, with expansion to include global relations.

306 International Organizations (4, Fa) The emergence of international organizations as a permanent feature in world politics; role of the United Nations organization as well as regional international organizations.

307 Contemporary International Politics (4, Irregular) Recent events, forces, and conditions in the international political system. Basic organizing concepts used in the analysis of the data of international politics.

310 Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies (4, Sp) (Enroll in MDA 310)

315 Ethnicity and Nationalism in World Politics (4, Sp) Ethnic identity and nation formation in the global society of states; nation-states; conflict and political accommodation within multinational states; impact of dispersed nations on interstate relations.

316 Women and Global Issues (4, Sp) An examination of the role women have played in world politics focusing on issues of war and peace, the environment and the global economy.

318 Conflict Resolution and Peace Research (4, Fa) Processes of conflict, violence, change, integration, stability, and peace in world society, analyzed primarily through the literature of the peace research movement.

323 Politics of Global Environment (4, Sp) Examines the politics of managing the global environment. The nature of ecosystems, common problems, population and resource utilization problems along with biodiversity and global governance are emphasized. (Duplicates credit in former IR 423.)

324 Multinational Enterprises and World Politics (4, Sp) Political implications of interactions between different types of multinational enterprises and all levels of U.S. government, other industrial nations, and less-developed countries. (Duplicates credit in former IR 424.)

325 Rich and Poor States in the World Political Economy (4, Sp) Dynamic inequality in relations between rich and poor; contending views on causes; legacies of imperialism; ameliorative strategies of poor states; responses of richer states. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

326 U.S. Foreign Ecomomic Policy (4, Irregular) 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. (Duplicates credit in former IR 426.)

330 Politics of the World Economy (4, Fa) Introduction to the relationship between political and economic development and ideas concerning the origins and behavior of capitalism and its impact on international relations.

341 Foreign Policy Analysis (4, Irregular) Basic concepts and analytical approaches in the study of decision-making at the international level. This is a case-based class, requiring participation of students in interactive discussions of decision forcing and retrospective foreign policy cases.

343 U.S. Foreign Policy since World War II (4, Irregular) 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.

344 Developing Countries in World Politics (4, Sp) Origin, concepts, realities, and ideals of the non-aligned movement, focusing on the United States' role in the developing world.

345 Russian and Soviet Foreign Policy (4, Sp) 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. (Duplicates credit in former IR 445.)

360 International Relations of the Pacific Rim (4, Irregular) Political, economic, military, and territorial issues in East Asia and the Pacific and the role of the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

361 Southeast and South Asia in International Relations (4, Sp) Political, economic, and philosophical elements in the foreign policies of Southeast and South Asia. Indian and ASEAN relations with the United States are stressed.

362 The International Relations of the Contemporary Middle East (4, Fa) Introduction to problems and issues in the Middle East today: religio-ethnic rivalries, conflicting nationalisms and ideologies, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Middle East oil.

363 Middle East Political Economy (4, Sp) Examination of general economic development issues: population, agriculture, industrialization, trade, oil, etc. Several Mideast case study countries are then explored in depth. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

364 International Relations of the Middle East: 1914-1950 (4, Fa) Role of the great powers in the Middle East since 1914; impact of the world wars; the mandate system; the Palestine question. (Duplicates credit in former IR 463.)

365 U.S. Responses to Revolutionary Change in Latin America and the Caribbean (4, Fa) Examines diverse U.S. responses to revolutionary change in Latin America and the Caribbean during the 20th century, exploring various explanations for the nature of U.S. policies. Analyzes the roles of interest groups, ideology, domestic politics, bureaucratic processes, perceptions and analogical reasoning.

367 Africa in International Affairs (4, Fa) General overview of main historical, political, and economic issues as they affect Africa, focussing on nationalism, development, and superpower competition in Africa.

368 French Foreign Policy: 1945 to the Present (4, Irregular) Introduction to historical, thematic perspectives of French foreign policy since 1945 including review of external and internal constraints influencing foreign policy.

369 Contemporary European International Relations (4, Fa) European interstate conflict and cooperation since 1945; history of Western European integration during the Cold War; the European Union in post-Cold War Europe.

381 Introduction to International Security (4, Fa) Alternative conceptions of security; evolution of nuclear strategy; efforts to control the development and spread of nuclear and conventional weapons; current security issues.

382 Order and Disorder in Global Affairs (4, Fa) Modern and post-modern perspectives on changes in the inter-state system, relations among cultures and civilizations, the conditions of ecologically sustainable human development. Junior standing required.

383 Third World Negotiations (4, Sp) Origins, intensity, management and/or resolution of regional conflicts in developing countries and the role and intervention of great powers.

384 Introduction to Asian Security (4, Irregular) Introduction to key security trends in Asia-Pacific, emphasizing strategic competition between U.S., Russia, and China; regional military capabilities; rise of neutrality politics.

385 European Foreign Policy and Security Issues (4, Irregular) Western European foreign policy and defense issues; consensus and trends underscoring political and strategic change and policy alternatives in postwar European alliances. Course will rely heavily on case teaching approach.

390 Special Problems (1-4) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.

400 International Relations Theory (4, Irregular) Detailed investigation of theoretical developments in international relations. Prerequisite: IR 210.

402 Theories of War (4, Irregular) Theories of war tested in historical cases; the obsolescence of war as a rational choice, and problems that still result in war. Prerequisite: IR 210.

405 International Bargaining and Decision Theory (4, Sp) Role of negotiation in the resolution of international conflict; history of formal diplomatic interactions; models of bilateral, group, and large scale international negotiations.

414 Quantitative Techniques for International Studies (4) Introduction to the creation, processing, and computer-aided analysis of quantified international studies data. Prerequisite: IR 210.

422 Ecological Security and Global Politics (4, Irregular) Should environmental issues be treated as threats to security? Survey of recent literature explores global environmental politics using a security framework. Prerequisite: IR 210 and/or environmental studies course work.

425 Science, Technology and Global Politics (4, Fa) Examination of the role of science and technology in national security, the international economy and world environment and as an engine of change in the international system.

427 Seminar on Economics and Security (4, Sp) Introduction to important economic issue areas that are understood as security-related in the contemporary world: food, trade, debt, etc. (Duplicates credit in IR 538.)

439 Political Economy of Russia and Eurasia (4, Sp) Interaction of politics and economics in the former Soviet Union and its component republics; the historical planned economy, the politics of reform and the political economy of former Soviet foreign relations.

441 Comparative Analysis of Foreign Policy (4, Sp) Comparative analysis of foreign policy determinants and decision-making; empirical emphasis.

442 Japanese Foreign Policy (4, Fa) Economic, political, territorial, and security issues; foreign policy decision-making; relations with major powers and neighboring states.

443 Formulation of U.S. Foreign Policy (4, Sp) Critical discussion of alternative approaches explaining the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy: domestic politics, organizational processes, group dynamics, individual personality and perception.

464 U.S. Policy towards the Middle East: 1950 to the Present (4, Fa) The role of the United States in Middle Eastern affairs after the creation of the state of Israel.

465 Contemporary Issues in United States-Latin America Relations (4, Sp) Examines major issues in the relationship between the United States and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, including trade and financial questions, security, immigration, the environment, narcotics, etc. Major bilateral relations (especially with Mexico, Brazil, and the Caribbean Basin countries) are emphasized, as are regional and multilateral relationships.

467 Problems in African International Politics (4, Sp) Case studies in depth on Africa and East-West competition; questions involving Regionalism-Globalism; Nationalism; superpowers in Angola; transnationals and South Africa; Namibian independence.

468 European Integration (4, Sp) Research on the European Union's role in European international relations; internal EU developments since 1985 as an actor in the world economy. Prerequisite: IR 210, IR 211 and IR 369.

483 War and Diplomacy: The U.S. in World Affairs (4, Irregular) Perspective on recent American foreign policy; a case study of conflicting literature on the origins, development and legacy of the Cold War.

490x Directed Research (2-8, max 8, FaSpSm) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

491x Field Study (1-8, max 8, FaSpSm) Local, national, and international internships. Not available for graduate credit.

493ab Senior Honors Seminar and Thesis (4-4, FaSp) a: Methodologies, techniques, and competitive theories of international relations for development of the senior honors thesis. Prerequisite: IR 210, acceptance to the IR honors program; senior status. Graded IP. b: Preparation and oral defense of senior honors thesis before supervising faculty and fellow honors students. Letter-graded after completion of a and b. Prerequisite: senior status and acceptance to program; must achieve 3.5 GPA in both semesters.

494 Honors Thesis Seminar (4, Fa) Preparation and oral defense of senior honors thesis before supervising faculty and fellow honors students. (Duplicates credit in IR 493b.) Senior status and acceptance to program required. Prerequisite: IR 210, IR 211.

495ab Model United Nations (2-2, max 8) Preparation for students who participate in the Model United Nations Simulation Exercise; research and papers on nations they represent in the MUN. Field trip to MUN conference required.

499 Special Topics (2-4, max 8) Selected topics in various special areas within international relations, which may vary from semester to semester or within semesters.

500 International Relations Theory (4, FaSp) Development of organized knowledge of international relations. Main currents of thought and varieties of current literature.

501 International Relations Theory: Advanced (4, Sp) Examines the specialized nomenclature of international relations and the varied interpretations of basic concepts of international theory; conceptual analysis and criticism.

502 War and Cooperation: Great Powers in the Pre-nuclear Age (4) Theories of war and the incidence of war in the period 1890-1945. Constructing peace settlements and the management of peace. Policy formulation and statecraft. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

503 International Politics: Power and the State System (4, Irregular) Traditional teachings about power and interest in international politics; research on the links between theory and evidence.

504 Science, Technology, and International Political Economy (4) Examination of interaction of science and technology with international political economy, especially in areas of national security, economic development, and international environmental management. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

505 International Bargaining Processes (4, Fa) International bargaining as a means of resolving problems and making decisions in the international system. Political, economic, psychological, and game theoretic approaches are emphasized.

506 Conflict Management and International Institutions (4, Sp) The doctrine of collective security, preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peace-making as instruments of conflict management. Comparative analysis of United Nations' and regional institutions' experiences.

507 Gender and International Relations (4, Irregular) An examination of gender and culture in world society. Feminist perspectives on and critiques of various approaches to international relations theories.

508 Conflict Analysis and Peace Research (4, Fa) Intensive study of problems of concept formation, research techniques, and the application of findings in peace and conflict studies.

513 Social Science and Historical Research Methods: Introduction to Research Design (2 or 4, Fa) Introduction to problems in philosophy of science, epistemology, historical and historiographical inquiry, leading to development of elementary research design capabilities.

514 Multivariate Analysis (4, Fa) Causal inference and modeling in international relations and political science; assumptions and problems of multivariate regression analysis in both cross-sectional and time series cases. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

515 Advanced Research Methods: A Practicum: Qualitative Analysis (4) Historical and historiographical inquiry. Archival research. Case study selection and preparation. Advanced research design.

517 International Policy Analysis (4, Sp) An introduction to the tools and techniques of policy analysis with applications to international relations.

521 Introduction to Foreign Policy Analysis (4, Sp) Survey of principal theoretical and empirical approaches to foreign policy analysis; bureaucratic politics, cybernetics, game theory and options analysis, comparison, design theory, simulation.

522 United States Diplomacy since 1945: Issues and Decisions (4, Sp) An analysis of United States foreign policy with emphasis on the origins and structure of the cold war, decision-making, the role of ideology, containment and imperialism, and issues of the post-bipolar era.

524 Formulation of U.S. Foreign Policy (4, Irregular) Research on foreign policy decision-making; roles, functions, and influence in the foreign policy process. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

526 National Attributes and Foreign Policy (4) Comparative analyses of culture, size, political and economic systems, power and potential on foreign policy and of attitudes of national states toward the international system. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

531 Strategy and Arms Control (4, Fa) Impact of nuclear weapons on U.S. and U.S.S.R. postwar military policies and strategies; evolution of postwar deterrence postures; development of superpower arms control since 1945.

533 Regional Conflicts (4, Sp) Analyzes and explains origins, intensity, management and/or resolution of regional conflicts in developing countries and the role and intervention of great powers. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

534 East Asian Security Issues (4) Security politics of China, Japan, ASEAN states, and Southwest Pacific nations; their strategic relations with the superpowers; regional security initiatives: nuclear-free zone politics, ZOPFAN, and indigenous military capacities. Prerequisite: IR 531 or departmental approval.

537 Domestic-International Interaction in Security Affairs (4) Historical development of theorizing about interaction between domestic and international political factors; applicability of these theories to international security issues.

538 Economics and Security in the Developing World (4, Sp) Examination of literatures on both traditional and broadened definitions of security. Application of these concepts to economic issue areas in developing countries. (Duplicates credit in IR 427.)

541 Politics of the World Economy (4) Survey of approaches to international political economy. Intellectual roots; the management of collective goods; North-South relations are examined.

542 Foreign Economic Policies of Industrial Capitalist States (4, Fa) Seminar comparing policies of Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States; evaluation of alternative research methods and theories; design and execution of an original project. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

543 Politics of International Monetary and Trade Relations (4, Fa) Political analysis of international monetary and trade relations; emphasis on interactions among industrialized nations. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

544 Transnational Enterprises and World Politics (4) Impact of resource, manufacturing, and service corporations on nations, government policy-making, and the international economic system; political risk techniques.

545 The Political Economy of Development (4, Irregular) The political aspects of economic growth, efficiency and distribution are explored for underdeveloped nations in an international relations context.

547 Political Economy of Global Space and Environment (4, Fa) Regimes in an anarchic world will be examined to assess ways oceans, atmosphere, outerspace, and other unowned spaces or resources are and can be used. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

549 Political Economy of Russia and Eastern Europe (4) Examination of the interaction of politics and economics in the former Soviet Union, its component republics and Eastern Europe; the historical planned economy and the politics of reform and transition. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

550 Economic Bargaining Theory and Practice (4, Irregular) Development of analytical skills and strategies for negotiations over economic and political problems, through study of recent cases and participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

552 International Political Economy Issues in Europe (4, Fa) Development of complex interdependence conditions in Europe; patterns of integrative institutionalization emphasizing the European Communities; East-West economic relations.

553 Political Economy of Global Telecommunication and Information (4, Sp) (Enroll in COMM 553)

555 International Relations of Latin America (4, Irregular) Research concerning recurring processes in Latin American involvement in international affairs.

556 Latin America and U.S. Foreign Policy (4, Fa) Latin American challenges to U.S. policymakers; U.S. success in achieving its goals; alternative explanations of U.S. behavior.

557 Africa and U.S. Foreign Policy (4) Research problems on international issues arising from the emergence of Africa.

561 Japanese Foreign Policy and International Relations of East and Southeast Asia (4) Research problems in political, economic, and security issues in East and Southeast Asia, with special emphasis on the role of Japan.

563 Chinese Foreign Policy (4) Research problems in political, economic, military, and ideological issues.

570 Russian Foreign Policy (4) Research problems in the international relations of the former Soviet Union and Russia.

580 Reason and Force in the Post Cold War World (4, Fa) Examines New Security Agendas concerning human security, cooperative security, communal conflicts, identity conflicts and environmental threats. Explores preventive diplomacy, unilateral and multilateral intervention issues.

581 International Relations of the Middle East: Regional Conflicts (4, Fa) The Arab-Israeli conflict, Lebanon, and the Gulf wars are explored in the framework of various theoretical approaches to war and conflict.

582 Transnational Relations in the Middle East and North Africa (4, Irregular) Examination of nongovernmental transnational linkages in the Middle East and North Africa area and their influence on foreign policy making and international interactions. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

583 International Relations of the Middle East in the 20th Century (4, Fa) Examination of the role of the major powers in the Middle East from 1914-1956; politics, strategy and ideologies. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

590 Directed Research (1-12, FaSpSm) Research leading to the master's degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

591 Field Study (1-12, FaSpSm) 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.

594abz Master's Thesis (2-2-0, FaSpSm) Credit on acceptance of thesis. Graded IP/CR/NC.

599 Special Topics (2-4, max 8) Subjects specifically relevant to an international relations field, sometimes conducted as intensive short-courses. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

601 Research Seminar in International Politics (4) Application of advanced research capabilities to specific topics in preparation for dissertation writing.

641 Advanced Seminar in International Political Economy (4, max 8) Evaluation of research on political-economic topics. Design and execution of an original project.

790 Research (1-12, FaSpSm) Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

791 Advanced Studies (2-4, max 12) Subjects specifically relevant to an international relations field; conducted for Ph.D. students, sometimes conducted as intensive short courses. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

794abcdz Doctoral Dissertation (2-2-2-2-0, FaSp) Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

 

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