Fall 2025

Basic concepts of world affairs for non-majors. Development ofcompetency to understand and critically evaluate global relationsand international events, stressing empirical approaches. Not available for major credit.

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.

Introduction to historical research methods with an emphasis on historical texts and modes of discourse.

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.

Examines the strategies for managing global issues in the post Cold War period. Explores ways that international institutions, national governments and non-state actors work separately and together to provide order and control over complex international issues areas. Issues that will receive attention could include financial and monetary relations, trade and foreign investment, preservation of the environment, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, population and migration, terrori

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

An examination of the role women have played in world politics focusing on issues of war and peace, the environment and the global economy.

Origins and evolution of violent conflict among humans; modern efforts to end conflict; recent research in archaeology, anthropology, biology, economics, political science and psychology.

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.

Political implications of interactions between different types of multinational enterprises and all levels of U.S. government, other industrial nations, and less-developed countries.

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 threats to global security, state sovereignty and population health posed by infectious diseases, natural disasters, war and civil conflict.

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.

Causes and effects of use and spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons; responses to WMD, including deterrence, preventive war, and non-proliferation policies and negotiations.

The main economic development themes and strategies in Latin America over the past century. The interplay between domestic and international variables, and the resulting dynamic changes.

Key concepts in international security studies; historical evolution of international warfare and diplomacy; contemporary international security issues.

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)

The contribution of the United Nations to world order,focusing on its history, principal organs, relationships with global actors, andprospects for reform.

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

Introduction to statistical computing and data visualization in R. Focus on visualization of descriptive statistics; create publication-ready figures for actual faculty research projects.

Factors determining the feasibility, desirability and limits of economic globalization; the dynamics triggered by the Global Financial Crisis and the backlash against Globalization.

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.

An examination of the economic, political and cultural forces operating in a number of Middle Eastern cities.

Provides a critical introduction to scholarship on international political economy (IPR), the interaction of states and markets in a global context.

Survey of autocracy, the world's most common form of government: its political economy, the role of elections, parties, repression, propaganda and civil resistance.

Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.

Preparation and oral defense of senior honors thesis before supervising faculty and fellow honors students. Senior status and acceptance to program required. Recommended preparation: IR 311.

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