INTS 100-01, Introduction to International Relations, Spring 2008

Abstract

This course provides an introduction to the study of international relations. As an academic subject, international relations is comprised of two major sub-fields: international relations (which involves studying the nature of relationships between nation-states, particularly with regard to conflict and cooperation) and international political economy (which focuses on global economic relations). The goal for the course is to improve your abilities to analyze and understand past, contemporary, and future world politics. We will pay particular attention to historical, theoretical and institutional foundations and also discuss contemporary issues. Since events absorbing our attention today may be well forgotten tomorrow, concepts that are useful in probing a broad range of international political activity will be emphasized.