200 to 400 Level Courses
Please note: The syllabi available for viewing on this website are intended for general informational purposes only. The actual syllabi used in class will change from semester to semester; additionally, professors often make minor changes to assignments over the course of the semester. Students should use the syllabi distributed in class as a guide for course assignments and book purchases and should not rely on the syllabi posted here, unless directed to do so by their instructor.
JUMP TO MIDDLE – - | – - JUMP TO END
CAS IR 230 Fundamentals of International Politics
Satisfies CAS social sciences divisional studies requirement. Introduction to basic concepts of international politics: the state system and types of states, modern ideologies, legal frameworks of international transactions, and political regions. Also raises key issues such as population, the environment, war, and international law. Chehabi.
CAS IR 242 (SO 242) Sociology of Developing Countries
Globalization and world poverty; how and why over 80% of the world remains poor and inequality increases despite economic modernization and democratization. Addresses urbanization, immigration, religion, politics, development politics, foreign aid, women, drugs, environment, food security. Special attention to Latin American, African, and Asian experiences. Eckstein
CAS IR 250 Europe and International Relations
Provides an overview of the challenges and problems of West European cooperation and integration since 1945. Fundamental events, data, and political systems of the European Unification process. Berger
CAS IR 271 (PO 271) Introduction to International Relations
Undergraduate required principal course. Satisfies CAS social sciences divisional studies requirement. Study of basic factors in international relations, Western state systems, the concept of balance of power, nationalism, and imperialism. Primarily for concentrators. Berger / Corgan
CAS IR 275 (PO 365) The Pacific Challenge
The dynamic growth of Pacific Rim countries poses an impressive array of challenges for the U.S. and the world. Analyzes Japanese trade and defense policies, the rise of the “mini-dragons” (Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore) and “new mini-dragons” (Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia), “Confucian Capitalism,” democratization (and its failure in China), and legacies of the Indochina war. Fewsmith / Ye
CAS IR 292 Fundamentals of International Economics
Undergraduate required principal course. Prereq: CAS EC 101 and EC 102. Basic issues of international finance. Topics include the balance of payment adjustment, theories of exchange rate determination, and case studies in international economic policy. Geared for international relations students; does not count toward economics requirements for economics concentrators. Gallagher / Sue Wing
CAS IR 303 (UNI ID303) Universal History
Surveys the birth and the rise of the human race; the flourishing of a variety of civilizations; and the triumph of modernism. Focus on political history and public affairs with some reference to cultural, scientific, and intellectual issues. Fromkin
CAS IR 304 (GE 304) Environmentally Sustainable Development
Traces the emergence of sustainable development as the defining environmental challenge of our times. Surveys and evaluates policies for balancing ecological sustainability and economic development in various parts of the world and at the global level. Gallagher
CAS IR 310 The Sea and International Relations
Covers the world’s seas in areas of resource exploitation, use of commercial transport, the deployment of maritime power, environmental issues, possible use by terrorists, and the associated body of international law. Corgan
CAS IR 318 (RN 318) Religion and American Foreign Policy
Introduction to the historical roots and contemporary relevance of religion for American foreign policy. Uses conventional chronological approaches to explore key themes that illustrate the role of religion as input and object of American foreign policy. Prodromou
CAS IR 320 The American Military Experience
Introduction to American military history from the colonial period to the role of military force in contemporary U.S. statecraft. Examines the character of the armed services, the American style of waging war, and the relationship between the military and society. Bacevich
CAS IR 325 (HI 344) The Great Powers and the Eastern Mediterranean
Looks at the Eastern Mediterranean as a center of Great Power confrontation, and considers its impact on wider international relations; the domestic political results; the role of sea power; and the origins, conduct, and resolution of wars. Goldstein
CAS IR 328 (HI 398) Turko-Persia in the Twentieth Century
The twentieth century history of the non-Arab Muslim Middle East, i.e., Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Analysis of the constitutional revolutions in Turkey and Iran, Kemalism, the Islamic revolution in Iran, and communism in the Soviet Union and Afghanistan. Chehabi
CAS IR 330 Diplomatic Practice
Introduces the practice of diplomacy as management of a country’s foreign relations with a view to secure or restore peace. The nation state in diplomatic relations; foreign ministries, diplomatic missions, embassies, and consulates; the peacekeeping role of international law and international government organizations. Haqqani
CAS IR 341 (HI 341, UNI SS 341) Central Europe
Intellectual, cultural, political, diplomatic, and military history of the region between Germany and Russia from the Middle Ages to the present. Lukes
CAS IR 345 The Role of Force in International Relations
Explains the forceful tools of statecraft: coercive diplomacy, economic pressures, various forms of subversion, as well as the pursuit of national goals through war.
CAS IR 349 (HI 349) History of International Relations, 1900 to 1945
Undergraduate required principal course. The causes and consequences of the First World War; the search for postwar reconstruction and stability during the twenties; economic collapse, revolutionary nationalism, and fascism during the 1930’s; the Second World War and the advent of the bipolar world. Keylor
CAS IR 350 (HI 350) History of International Relations since 1945
Undergraduate required principal course. The causes and consequences of the Soviet-American Cold War from its origins in Europe to its extension to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The rise of the multipolar international system, the emergence of the nonaligned blocs, and inter- and intra-alliance conflicts. Keylor
JUMP TO TOP – - | – - JUMP TO END
CAS IR 360 (PO 372) Making Sense of the World: The Conceptual Foundations of International Relations
Introduction to various analytical approaches for understanding the dynamics of global interaction. Explores the variety of “worlds” made visible through the lens of theory. Fosters critical thinking about how conceptual tools shape our understanding of the world and attempted solutions to global problems. Jackson
CAS IR 363 (PO 363) Soviet Politics 1917-1991
Analysis of the structure of major political institutions – government bureaucracy, Communist Party, and others – and policy-society relations during the seventy-four years of the USSR’s existence. Prime focus is institutional rather than historical, and deals with the Soviet politics “game” as it was played. Connor
CAS IR 364 (PO 364) The Politics of Post-Communist Russia
Analysis of the emergent political forces, institutions, and alliances in the post-Soviet Russian Federation, against the background of the unresolved economic, ethnic, and social problems that are the USSR’s legacy to the “new Russia.” Prospects for stabilization are assessed in the context of the multiple crises facing Russia today. Connor
CAS IR 365 (PO 374) Rise of China
Focuses on China’s political, economic, and strategic development since 1949. It examines three questions: In what ways is China rising? How did it happen? What are the impacts of China’s rise on the U.S. and the global system? Ye
CAS IR 367 (PO 367) Introduction to Latin American Politics and International Relations
Introduction to the patterns and complexities of Latin American politics and international relations. Focuses on the distinctive Latin American political experience and alternative explanations for it, including colonization, the international economy, and human and material resource capacity and utilization. Palmer / Blanco
CAS IR 368 (EC 368) Contemporary East Asian Economics
Prereq: CAS EC 101, EC 102, OR EC 111, EC 112. An introduction to the economics of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Topics include Japanese firms, labor markets, finance, monetary and fiscal policies, industrial policies, and Taiwanese and Korean post-1960 economic development. Grimes
CAS IR 369 Southeast Asia in World Politics
Prereq: CAS IR 271 or CAS PO 251. Examines Southeast Asia as an important emerging political, economic, and security region in world politics. Background materials, including the region’s history, cultural diversity, and geo-strategic position are given weight in the course. Grimes
CAS IR 370 (PO 370) China: From Revolution to Reform
Introduction to modern Chinese politics including the development of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the political development of the PRC since its founding in 1949. Focus is on the party’s official policy and its changing relationships with the people of China. Fewsmith
CAS IR 373 Global Governance and International Organization
Provides an overview of major theoretical perspectives on the creation and function of international organizations, comparative case studies of selected organizations, and an examination of present and future roles of international organizations in selected issue areas. Selin
CAS IR 374 Introduction to Security Studies
Satisfies CAS social sciences divisional studies requirement. Analysis of the factors determining national and international security. Examines the historical relationship between military power and politics. Topics include causes of war, conduct of war, prevention of war.
CAS IR 375 (PO 375) Introduction to Russian and Post-Soviet Foreign Relations
Decisive factors in the foreign relations of Russia and the other former Soviet republics, including historical continuity and change, survival and and change of ideology, domestic politics, economic and geographical factors, military and external political considerations. The future of arms control, nuclear weapons, the economy, and relations among the former republics are also examined. Connor
CAS IR 376 American Foreign Policy
America’s tradition and heritage in foreign policy. American foreign policy during the Cold War. Conflicting approaches to the formulation of American foreign policy in the current international environment. Domestic and institutional actors in policy formulation: Congress, media, Presidency, CIA, military. Bacevich
CAS IR 378 Intelligence in a Democratic Society
The intelligence process and its role in democratic societies; the organization and functions of the U.S. intelligence community; techniques of intelligence collection, analysis, counterintelligence and covert action; assessment of problems and attempted solutions in the United States and other democracies. Hulnick
CAS IR 380 American Foreign Policy: Practice and Process
This course is about how foreign policy is made. After a historical introduction it focuses on the external, bureaucratic, societal and leadership forces that combine to shape broad policy lines and particular initiatives and that produce feedback influencing the future. Dunbar
CAS IR 382 Understanding the Middle East
Introduces the contemporary Middle East, including the Arab World, Iran, Israel, and Turkey; examines the systems of government; the role of external powers; the origins of the state system; the sources and objectives of opposition forces; the prospects for political reform, including democratization; and the prospects for future cooperation or conflict. Rollman
CAS IR 383 (PO 383) Understanding Modern North Africa
Considers political, cultural, economic, and social developments in the modern states of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya as they struggle to gain independence from colonial domination and to consolidate viable, secure, and legitimate states and prosperous national communities. Rollman
CAS IR 385 U.S. National Security: Policy and Strategy
Addresses the most probably threats to U.S. national security during the next decade. Analysis is based regionally and functionally insurgency, narcotics, and terrorism. Policy formulation and options are examined.
CAS IR 390 (PO 355) International Political Economy
Prereq: CAS EC 101 and EC 102. Emphasizes the dynamic interaction between politics and economics to understand and explain historical and contemporary issues in international political economy, including international monetary, trade, investment, financial, and environmental relations. Considers emerging challenges and structures in the international political economy. Thacker
CAS IR 395 (PO 352) North-South Relations
Employs a multidisciplinary approach to analyze the relations between the industrialized nations of the “North” and the developing nations of the “South.” Addresses historical and current issues in North-South relations, including trade, investment, migration, regional economic integration, and the environment. Thacker
CAS IR 397 (HI 397) History of Modern Iran
Geographical/historical background; social structure, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversities; Anglo-Russian interventions; consequences of tobacco concession; constitutional revolution and reform; Qajar legacy; centralization, secularization, modernization under Pahlavis; oil and Mossadeg; autocracy and revolution; liberals, communists, fundamentalists, and Islamic revolution. Chehabi
CAS IR 410 Latin America Today: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Capstone course for Latin American Studies Program concentrators. Seminar on a key issue in contemporary Latin America. Includes presentations by Latin American Studies faculty on the topic from the specific perspectives of their academic specialties. Staff
CAS IR 420 (PO 420) International Relations of the New Europe
Will Europe be more peaceful or more conflictual in the twenty-first century than in the twentieth? From the Cold War to contemporary issues: the European Union, NATO, the integration of Russia into Europe, ethnic conflict in the former Yugoslavia and Soviet Union, mass migration. Berger
CAS IR 425 (SO 420) Seminar: Women and Social Change in the Developing World
Studies women in nonindustrial countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, stressing empirical research, theory, and methodology. Comparisons between regions and with industrial countries. Focus on sex segregation, female labor force participation, migration, fertility, family roles, and women and political power. Eckstein
CAS IR 430 Africa and Globalization: Opportunities and Obstacles
Surveys political and economic trends in Sub-Saharan Africa from Independence to the present, reviews current policy recommendations for Africa’s integration into the global community, and compares Western and African policy recommendations for African development. Stith
CAS IR 436 (HI 436) The Great War and the Fragile Peace
Exploration of the military, political, social, economic, and cultural consequences of the First World War and the peace conference of 1919. Focuses on technological innovations, the expanded role of the state, and the long-range impact of the Versailles settlement. Keylor
CAS IR 452 Topics in European Politics and Culture
Prereq: junior standing and consent of instructor. Explores European politics through the lens of culture, using materials from literature, film, and the social sciences, including live sessions with European writers/artists.
CAS IR 465 (HI 465) The United States and the Cold War
Examination of American Cold War foreign policy from its origins at the end of World War II through its conduct – Marshall Plan, Détente, Cold War II – to the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. Reading seminar. Keylor
CAS IR 472 (HI 472) History of Modern War
Prereq: consent of instructor. Examines the origins, conduct, and consequences of major conflicts of the past century, beginning with the Boer War and ending with the U.S. conflict in Iraq. Bacevich
JUMP TO TOP – - | – - JUMP TO MIDDLE