POL S 203 A: Introduction to International Relations

This course introduces students to the major theoretical approaches to international
relations—Realism, Liberalism, and Marxism—and uses these approaches to address a variety of issues. For example, we will discuss the rise of the modern state system, the origins of World War I, the Cold War, the Gulf and Iraq Wars, genocide in Rwanda, free trade, globalization, North-South relations, the environment, and human rights. The primary aims of the course are to demonstrate how theory influences our explanations, to familiarize students with some important issues in international politics, and, most importantly, to help students evaluate contemporary issues in international politics.