Summer 2020 | POL 3835 Section 001: International Relations (82934)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- Completely Online
- Class Attributes:
- UMNTC Liberal Education RequirementOnline Course
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session06/08/2020 - 07/31/2020Mon, Wed 09:00AM - 11:30AMOff CampusVirtual Rooms ONLINEONLY
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (19 of 25 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- Why do countries go to war? Are individuals, organizations, and states driven by their interests or their ideas? What role does power play in international relations and is there any role for justice in global politics? Do international laws and transnational advocacy groups matter in a world dominated by powerful states? Whose interests are served by a globalizing world economy? These questions are central to the study of international relations, yet different theoretical approaches have been developed in an attempt to answer them. Often these approaches disagree with one another, leading to markedly different policy prescriptions and predictions for future events. This course provides the conceptual and theoretical means for analyzing these issues, processes, and events in international politics. By the end of this class, you will be able to understand the assumptions, the logics, and the implications of major theories and concepts of international relations. These include realism and neorealism, liberalism and liberal institutionalism, constructivism, feminism, Marxism, and critical theory. A special effort is made to relate the course material to world events, developments, or conflicts in the past decade or so.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?sanch417+POL3835+Summer2020
- Class Description:
Why do countries go to war? Are individuals, organizations, and states driven by their interests or their ideas?
What role does power play in international relations and is there any role for justice in global politics? Do international laws and transnational advocacy groups matter in a world dominated by powerful states? Whose interests are served by a globalizing world economy? These questions are central to the study of international relations, yet different theoretical approaches have been developed in an attempt to answer them. Often these approaches disagree with one another, leading to markedly different policy prescriptions and predictions for future events.This course provides the conceptual and theoretical means for analyzing these issues, processes, and events in international politics. By the end of this class, you will be able to understand the assumptions, the logics, and the implications of major theories and concepts of international relations. These include realism and neorealism, liberalism and liberal institutionalism, constructivism, feminism, Marxism, and critical theory. A special effort will be made to relate the course material to current political developments.
Specific topics covered will include: great power politics in an age of populism and economic rivalries; international law and institutions; human rights and humanitarian intervention; the politics of nuclear weapons; transnational activism and environmental politics; and the roles of a diverse range of state, substate, and supranational actors in world politics.
- Learning Objectives:
- This course will equip students with the necessary theoretical knowledge to interpret the causes and consequences of political developments across a variety of issue areas that impact the daily lives of people throughout the globe. Expertise in international political issues is a sought-after skill set across a range of career paths, and is beneficial for all students seeking to engage with the world around them as informed citizens. This course will prepare students to identify credible sources of information, analyze peer-reviewed research studies, and engage in articulate written and oral discussions of international politics.
- Grading:
- Graded assignments for this class include: attendance, in-class discussion participation, 3 short response papers, a midterm exam, and a final exam.
- Exam Format:
- The midterm exam will be based on identification and short answer questions. The final exam will be essay-based. Exams will be cumulative.
- Class Format:
- This course will be lecture-based, but include a significant discussion component. Each class period will include small group as well as class-wide discussion.
- Workload:
- Due to the short duration of the summer session, expect the weekly reading workload to exceed the typical workload for a class of this level during the academic year.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/82934/1205
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 4 March 2020
ClassInfo Links - Summer 2020 Political Science Classes
- To link directly to this ClassInfo page from your website or to save it as a bookmark, use:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=3835&term=1205
- To see a URL-only list for use in the Faculty Center URL fields, use:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=3835&term=1205&url=1
- To see this page output as XML, use:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=3835&term=1205&xml=1
- To see this page output as JSON, use:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=3835&term=1205&json=1
- To see this page output as CSV, use:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=3835&term=1205&csv=1
ClassInfo created and maintained by the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
If you have questions about specific courses, we strongly encourage you to contact the department where the course resides.