Spring 2021

Exploration of the major social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical disagreements that exist between scholars, leaders, and citizens concerning today's most serious environmental issues and problems. Not available for credit to environmental studies majors and minors.

Comprehensive introduction to contending theoretical and analytical approaches; development of critical, evaluative, cognitive, and analytical competencies regarding historical and contemporary issues.

Introduction to theoretically oriented research approaches and designs; emphasis on the logic of argumentation.

Economic and political concepts necessary to the understanding of the modern global economy. Topics include international trade, foreign investment and migration.

The focus is intelligence to improve the making of policy, with attention to collection; overt and covert, operations; domestic intelligence; and oversight in democracies.

Analysis of recent events, forces, and conditions in the international political system.

Interdisciplinary study of the pursuit of peace, including causes of wars, arms races, conflict resolution, peace movements, nonviolent resistance, and peace with justice.

Impact of technological advances to global security and development. Focus on surveillance and cyber conflict; nuclear weaponry, aviation and UAVs missiles and BMD; submarines and ASW.

Examines the role of investment in Mexican economic development focusing on both traditional sources of loans, grants and investment as well as less traditional modes of finance.

Examines the politics of managing the global environment. The nature of ecosystems, commons problems, population and resource utilization problems along with biodiversity and global governance are emphasized.

The U.S. economy and political-economic institutions in comparative perspective; economic diplomacy and policy; role of trade barriers, exchange rates, foreign aid, energy, foreign investment.

The international financial and monetary regime, its evolution and the problems facing it today

Exploration of questions and concepts in international economics and politics, especially as they relate to flows of trade, capital, people, and problems across borders.

Examination of key ideas from economics, demography and technology. Guest lecturers illuminate possible conditions of the Global Economy in 2040.

Introduction to the relationship between economics, security, and U.S. foreign policy. Topics covered: U.S. grand strategy, Chinas rise, energy security, resource competition, and the resource curse.

Sources, consequences, challenges to China's economic growth, including rural and urban economies, entrepreneurship, central and local governments, inequality, trade, investment, finance, demographics, and the environment.

Basic concepts and analytical approaches in the study of decision-making at the international level. This is a case-based class, requiring participation of students in interactive discussions of decision forcing and retrospective foreign policy cases.

Origin, concepts, realities and ideals of the non-aligned movement, focusing on the role of the United States in the developing world.

Analysis of communism and post-communism in East-Central Europe, including economic transitions, nationalism, inter- and intra-state conflict, NATO and EU enlargement.

Introduction to problems and issues in the Middle East today: religio-ethnic rivalries, conflicting nationalisms and ideologies, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Middle East oil.

Examines Latin America's experience with democracy emphasizing events since the 1980s. Analyzes the roles of interest groups, ideology, domestic politics, bureaucratic processes, perceptions and analogical reasoning.

Examination of diplomatic and moral relationships between sovereign states and transnational non-state actors, both benevolent (humanitarian groups and philanthropies) and malevolent (mercenaries, pirates and terrorists).

Modern and post-modern perspectives on changes in the inter-state system, relations among cultures and civilizations, the conditions of ecologically sustainable human development.

Introduction to key security trends in the Asia-Pacific region, emphasizing strategic competition between U.S., Russia, and China; regional military capabilities; rise of neutrality politics.

Intensive internship experience in international relations professional areas with academic research component (may be repeated for credit different semesters)

Causes of war; means of prevention and consequences of war.

Introduction to key environmental and political challenges facing the contemporary Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Intermediate statistical computing and data visualization in R. Focus the on graphical presentation of complex statistical relationships. Students create publication-ready figures for actual faculty research projects.

Examines displacement, politics and violent conflict in the international system. Students engage academic debates on forced migration and volunteer with an LA-based organization serving refugees.

Introduction to important economic issue areas that are understood as security-related in the contemporary world: population, food, trade, debt, etc.

Economic approaches and political processes are used to explain observed international trade policy choices. Topics covered include globalization, regionalism, labor standards, the environment and sanctions. Recommended preparation: Micro- and Macroeconomics.

Economic, political, territorial, and security issues; foreign policy decision-making; relations with major powers and neighboring states.

Critical discussion of alternative approaches explaining the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy: domestic politics, organizational processes, group dynamics, individual personality and perception.

Analysis of the factors that lead to different forms of regional arrangements in different parts of the world (e.g, NAFTA, FU, ASEAN). Prerequisite: IR 210.

Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.

Selected topics in various special areas within international relations, which may vary from semester to semester or within semesters.