Course Description
This course introduces students to the study of international relations as a broad sphere of international human interaction with subcategories of international organizations, politics, law, economics, security affairs, and development. Emphasis will be placed on an understanding of power, legitimacy, morality, and welfare through a study of contemporary theory and practice in international relations.
Prerequisite(s)
Appropriate assessment score or ENGL 1422 with a grade of C or better - Must be taken either prior to or at the same time as this course.
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Describe (knowledge-based) and analyze (analysis-based) the various approaches to the study of international relations by breaking down these approaches into theory, practice, and policy.
- Analyze (analysis-based) his/her role in the international arena by developing (application-based) a political position through which to evaluate (evaluation-based) opposing arguments in a way that utilizes (application-based) critical thinking skills through role-playing, researching, and writing.
- Understand (comprehension-based) the historical, political, and geographic factors that have affected and continue to affect international relations.
- Describe (knowledge-based) and analyze (analysis-based) the effect of the international formal institutions and actors by correlating specificevents with the institutions and actors that played a role in creating those events.
- Discern (analysis-based) the role of international law, power, diplomacy, and deterrence by adapting (synthesis-based) different perspectives to address international problems.
- Develop (application-based) a scholarly perspective on globalization, political economy, development, human rights, and environmental issues through writing a research paper.
- Analyze (analysis-based) and evaluate (evaluation-based) the theories of conflict, coercion, bargaining, war, and peace by diagramming the relationships between these conceptual theories and/or appraising the value of these theories.
- Describe (knowledge-based) the foreign policy process from various perspectives.
- Discern (analysis-based) the key concepts of legitimacy, morality, order, and security through anticipating (synthesis-based) future international problems.
- Develop (application-based) skills to be an active, critically-thinking "consumer" of the ever changing world of international relations by participating in class discussion.