Contemporary International Relations

Description

Overview: This course introduces students to the literature and research agendas related to conflict and cooperation in international relations studies. We will cover a wide array of approaches that relate to interstate and intrastate conflict, cooperation and other contemporary security topics such as peacekeeping operations, terrorism, and human rights violations. By the end of this course, students should be able to answer questions such as why international (intrastate) conflicts occur, when cooperation between countries emerges, whether peacekeeping missions are effective in reducing violence against civilians and promoting post-conflict peace, how terrorist groups emerge, why some governments torture their citizens and how international institutions might prevent human rights violation. While we will not have time to comprehensively cover all the important relevant work, we will sample a spectrum of the work from foundational studies to state-of-the-art approaches. Syllabus: Students will develop an awareness of a range of analytical tools which will allow them to explore various research questions and conduct their own research in the field of international relations. In doing so, they will develop an understanding of the strengths and limitations of different approaches. Class discussions, a written project and an end of class examination, will facilitate both oral and written articulation of arguments and evidence. Learning Outcomes: Learning Outcomes: Substantive Knowledge Students will acquire theoretical framework to explore why and when conflict such as international war, civil war and terrorism occur, as well as various aspects of international cooperation and international political economy. Students will also gain a broader understanding of contemporary topics of international relations such as an occurrence and duration of civil war, peacekeeping missions, human rights violations, international and domestic terrorism and post-conflict peacemaking and democratization. Various theories and empirical methods are introduced to help students better understand central issues we face in contemporary international relations. Assessment: For students taking the class as an option: assessment is on the basis of a research proposal (details below): this will constitute 90% of the final mark. For students taking this class as a core class: For students taking the class as a core, assessment will be by an essay and a two-hour examination at the end of the semester on a date yet to be announced. This examination will constitute forty per cent of your final mark. The essay of around 4,000 words will constitute the other fifty percent of the final mark. For students taking the class as an option, assessment will be by one 4,000 word essay only. For all students, you are expected to complete all readings and participate in discussions class participation will be 10% of your final mark.