International Relations

Faculty

• DAVID FORSYTHE, Charles J. Mach Distinguished Professor
  Ph.D., Princeton University, 1968.
  Fields: International Human Rights, International Law & Organization, American Foreign Policy, International Relations.
• PATRICE McMAHON, Associate Professor
  Ph.D., Columbia University, 1998.
  Fields: International Security, International Relations, Comparative Politics.
• ROSS MILLER, Associate Professor, Chair International Studies
  Ph.D. University of California, Davis, 1994
  Fields: International Conflict, American Foreign Policy, Research Methods, and Comparative Political Institutions.
• DAVID RAPKIN, Associate Professor
  Ph.D., Florida State University, 1979.
  Fields: International Politics, International Political Economy.
• ANDREW WEDEMAN, Associate Professor, Chair Asian Studies
  Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 1994.
  Fields: Comparative Politics, Corruption, Chinese Politics
  

Undergraduate Courses

POLS 160. International Relations (3 cr) [IS]
How and why states act as they do in their contemporary international relations. Continuing factors, such as power, war, ideology, and governmental organizations, and recently emerging influences, including supranational organizations, multinational corporations, and natural resource allocation analyzed. Diverse approaches and theories examined.

POLS 260. Problems in International Relations (3 cr) [IS]
Selected current or otherwise important problems in international relations. Content varies but may include such subjects as weapons and security policies, human rights, multinational corporations, ideologies, etc.

POLS 261. Conflict and Conflict Resolution (ANTH, PSYC, SOCI 261) (3 cr) [ES]
Core course for minors in conflict and conflict resolution. Introduction to the study of the biological, economic, political-historical, and cultural bases of war and group conflict.

POLS 263. Causes of War and Peace (3 cr) [ES]
Leading theories on war and peace, highlighting the causes and consequences of WWI, WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Gulf War.

POLS 268. Threats to World Order (3 cr)
Variety of global crises and challenges that pose threats to world order. Population growth; scarcities of food, energy, and non-fuel minerals; vulnerability of industrial states to resource scarcities; nuclear proliferation; arms racing; and terrorism.

POLS 281. Challenges to the State (3 cr) [ES] [IS]
Challenges to the state related to human rights and gender issues. How growth of non-state actors affects individuals and groups and their rights. Gendered notions of the state, national security, women’s rights and humanitarian intervention.

POLS 360. Understanding World Politics (3 cr)
Advanced concepts and theories central to understanding world politics, including dependency, hegemony, geopolitics, regional integration, multilateralism, transnationalism, nationalism, and ethnic conflict.

POLS 361. The United Nations and World Politics (3 cr)
Analysis of the role and influence of the United Nations in international relations. Comparison of the UN with the League of Nations and with regional international organizations such as the Organization of American States and NATO. Attention to UN programs concerning security, human rights, economic development, and environmental protection.

POLS 363. United States Foreign Policy (3 cr) [IS]
Major domestic factors affecting how US foreign policy is made and the resulting patterns of policy. US foreign policy in four issue-areas: security, human rights, economics and ecology.

POLS 365. The United States and Latin America (3 cr)
Critical analysis of the relations between the United States and Latin America as a whole, as well as the individual nations of the region.

POLS 450. United States Foreign Policy (3 cr) [IS]
Major domestic factors affecting how US foreign policy is made and the resulting patterns of policy. US foreign policy in four issue-areas: security, human rights, economics, and ecology.

POLS 459. International Political Economy (3 cr) [IS]
Interface of politics and economics in the international arena. Political dimension of international economic issues emphasized. Includes: liberal, mercantile, and radical approaches; theories of imperialism; dependency and interdependency; distribution of the global product; the global division of labor; the political aspects of markets; the politics of trade, aid, investment, multinational corporations, food, and energy.

POLS 462. Security in the Post-Cold War Era (3 cr) [IS]
Emerging trends in security studies. The claim or hope that military force is no longer important in the post-Cold War era. The continued utility and effectiveness of war as evidenced throughout the world. New threats, environmental problems, population growth, and non-governmental organizations, as threats to the international system.

POLS 464. Political Economy of the Asia-Pacific (3 cr)
International relations of the Asia-Pacific. Security, economics, and interaction between China, Japan, the United States, and other regional powers.

POLS 465. The United States and Latin America (3 cr)
Critical analysis of the relations between the United States and Latin America as a whole, as well as the individual nations of the region.

POLS 466. Pro-seminar in International Relations I (AECN *467; ANTH, HIST 479; ECON, SOCI 466; GEOG 448 (3 cr)
Open to students with an interest in international relations. Topics vary. Prereq: Senior standing and permission.

POLS 467. Pro-seminar in International Relations II (ECON 467) (3 cr)
Open to students with an interest in international relations. in international relations. Topics vary. Prereq: Senior standing and permission.

POLS 468. Organizing World Order (3-6 cr)
Structures and forces relevant to creation of order in world politics. Topics include but are not limited to: trends within the United Nations system; transnational economic integration; patterns in arms control and disarmament; prospects for a United States of Europe; human rights and international violence; the United States' response to terrorism and guerrilla warfare; the management of conflict; economic development and world order. This course may be taken twice assuming the specific topic covered is not the same.

POLS 469. International Law (3 cr)
Rules and principles accepted by the members of the community of nations as defining their rights and duties, and the procedure employed in protecting their rights and performing their duties.

POLS 470. International Human Rights (3 cr)
Development of international norms on human rights and attempts to implement those standards. Emphasis on political process, with attention to law, philosophy, economics, and culture. Coverage of the United Nations, regional organizations, private agencies, and national foreign policies.

POLS 473. Problems in International Law and Organization (3 cr)
Selected issues in international law and organization. Topics include but are not limited to: : US Senate's treatment of treaties, use of customary law by US courts, current cases before the World Court, and leading legal issues handled by the UN Security Council and General Assembly. Prereq: PS 361 or 469 highly recommended.

POLS 476/876. Ethnic Conflict and Identity (JUDS 476) (3 cr) [IS]
Theories of nationalism and ethnic conflicts. Case studies of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The post-Cold War era as multi-polar and multi-civilizational. The states and different cultures that compete for influence and authority to dominate the ”New World order.” The division of the world along ethnic, religious, and class lines rather than by ideology. The future of international politics and the reassessment of the causes of “conflicts of culture” and their containment.