Syllabus for Introduction to International Relations

Course description

Instructor

Julia Sachseder, PhD

Visiting Professor and Research Fellow

Department of International Relations

Central European University
SachsederJ@ceu.edu

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts, theories, and practices of
international relations. The course will examine the historical, political, economic, and social forces
that shape the international system and explore the various actors and institutions that operate
within it. Students will develop critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as an understanding of
the complexities and challenges of international relations in the contemporary world.

Course Objectives:
 To understand the historical and theoretical foundations of International Relations
 To examine the actors and institutions that operate in the international system
 To analyze the political, economic, and social forces that shape international relations
 To develop critical thinking and analytical skills in evaluating international events and
policies
 To gain an understanding of the complexities and challenges of international relations in the
contemporary world

Assessment and assignments

 Text presentation (35%)

Students will present one text of their choice from the assigned readings to class in a 5-10
minutes presentation. Depending on the size of the class, these will be individual presentations or
group presentations with 1-2 other students. The assignment includes the submission of a
handout for the class (1 page) which outlines the core arguments, theories, methods, and data, as
well as (at least) two discussion points/questions for further discussion in class. The
handout will be submitted 24h before the respective course unit by uploading on moodle.

 Essay (50%)

Students will be writing a final paper on a subject related to the course of 2500-3000 words to be
submitted after the end of the semester. The task is to formulate an overarching research question
and draw on a minimum of three readings from the course to discuss/answer it. The inclusion of
additional literature is encouraged. This prepares students for the formulation of independent
research questions and implementation in their theses as well as in their own research projects later
in their studies. Input on ‘how-to’ will be given in week 6 and students will be supported in
formulating the overarching question. Feedback will be given via moodle with the grading.
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  Participation (15%)

Active participation in class is encouraged, taking on active roles in discussion and group assignments.
However, nobody is forced to speak up in case of discomfort.

For a positive evaluation, ALL individual assignments must be completed!

Attendance Guidelines

In line with the Attendance Guidelines for IR students, absences are only justified for medical or
other important reasons. If you are unable to attend one of the sessions, please contact the course
instructor in advance who will determine if and how the absence is to be compensated
for. Unjustified absence may lead to a deduction from your overall grade for the course.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs both when the words of another are reproduced without acknowledgment and
when the ideas or arguments of another are paraphrased in such a way as to lead the reader to
believe that they originated with the writer. Please consult the CEU policy regarding poor scholarship
and plagiarism:

https://documents.ceu.edu/documents/p-1405-1.

Grades for plagiarised submissions/poor scholarship will be reduced accordingly, including the
possibility of receiving 0 on an assignment deemed as plagiarised. Plagiarism detection software will
be used and scores of 30% and higher will be manually investigated, excluding references and any
direct quotation

‘Collaboration with AI composition software is not permitted in this course.’

Useful links:

Reading in the Social Sciences – Learning Center (unc.edu)

Critical reading techniques | Help Centre | The Open University

Reading-Tips.pdf (uvic.ca)

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 Schedule

Week 1: Introduction of course themes, schedule, requirements; brainstorming/mind mapping of

course themes and topics

The first class draws heavily on joint brainstorming and mind-mapping exercises to provide an entry
point to the complex field of International Relations.
Asking the basic question of ‘What is IR and how can it help us understand world politics, we will
explore prior experiences, knowledges, and understandings of the main concepts and their links. This
provides a shared basis from which to venture into the thematic classes that follow.
By the end of the class, we will have compiled a visualization of the different concepts of IR that
students are already aware of and how they intersect with different concepts and sites of the global
political economy (broad/narrow, institutions, power relations, policies, practices, etc.).
To document the learning process and have a ‘take-home’ output from the course, we will come back
to this chart by the end of the class, locate the different approaches we are learning about within it,
or amend and change it, if needed.
Week 2: The origins of the discipline: Realism and Idealism

 Carr, Edward H. 1994. “Realism and Idealism”, in Richard K. Betts (ed.), Conflict after the Cold
War: Arguments on Causes of War and Peace. Allyn and Bacon, 82-99.

Week 3: Neoliberalism, Neomarxism, Neorealism

 Fukuyama, Francis. 1989. “The End of History?” The National Interest, no. 16, pp. 3–18.
 Wallerstein, Immanuel. 2004. “The Modern World-System as a Capitalist World-Economy”, in
Immanuel Wallerstein, World Systems Analysis: An Introduction. Duke University Press, 23-
41.
Week 4: Positivism vs. Post-positivism
 Hopf, Ted. 1998. “The Promise of Constructivism in International Relations Theory.”
International Security, 23(1): 171–200.

Week 5: International Political Economy

 David Balaam, Bradford Dillman (2013). What Is International Political Economy?,

Chapter 1, What Is International Political Economy? | 8 | v6 | Introduction to In

(taylorfrancis.com)
 Keohane, Robert O., and Joseph S. Nye. 2000. “Globalization: What’s New? What’s Not? (And
So What?).” Foreign Policy, no. 118, pp. 104–19.

Week 6: (Critical) Security Studies

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 c.a.s.e collective (2006): Critical Approaches to Security in Europe: A Networked

Manifesto, Security Dialogue 37(4), 443-487.

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Mid-term evaluation, feedback and input:

 takes stock of the contents and organization of the course so far and which adjustments
might be needed to better achieve learning goals and create a more productive and inclusive
learning environment. Students will be asked to fill in a short, anonymous questionnaire in
preparation
 provides space for follow-up discussions

Week 7: Global Governance: International Law and Human Rights

 Robert Knox, “Civilizing Interventions? Race, War and International Law,” Cambridge,
Review of International Affairs, 2013, 26(1)

Additional reading:

Hafner-Burton, Emilie M, and Kiyoteru Tsutsui. "Justice Lost! The Failure of

International Human Rights Law To Matter Where Needed Most." Journal of Peace
Research 44.4 (2007): 407-25.

Week 8: Peace and conflict

 Waltz, Kenneth N. 2001. Man, The State, and War. Columbia University Press. Chapter 1:
Introduction & Chapter 6: The Third Image.
 Cohn, Carol. "Sex and Death in the Rational World of Defense Intellectuals." Signs 12.4
(1987): 687-718

Week 9: Ecological crisis and environmental politics

 Aykut, Stefan C. (2016): Taking a wider view on climate governance: moving beyond the
‘ice-berg,’ the ‘elephant,’ and the ‘forest’, in: WIREs Climate Change 7, S. 318–328.
 Vogler, John (2018): International Relations theory and the environment, in: KÜTTING, Ga-
briela/HERMAN, Kyle (Hg.): Global Environmental Politics. Concepts, Theories and Case
Studies. Second Edition, London: Routledge, S. 9-27
Week 10: Feminist Approaches to IR
 J. A. Tickner, “What is Your Research Program? Some Feminist Answers to International
Relations Methodological Questions,” International Studies Quarterly 49 (2005), pp. 1-21.
 Cynthia Enloe, “Gender Makes the World Go Round,” in Bananas, Beaches, and Bases:
Making Feminist Sense of International Politics, Chapter 1 (36)

Week 11: Race and coloniality in International Relations

 Barkawi, Tarak, and Mark Laffey. 2006. “The Postcolonial Moment in Security Studies.”
Review of International Studies, 32(2): 329–52.
 Henderson Errol A. (2014): Hidden in plain sight. Racism in international relations theory,
in: ANIEVAS, Alexander/MANCHANDA, Nivi/SHILLIAM, Robbie (Hg.): Race and Racism in
International Relations. Confronting the global color line; London/New York: Routledge, S.
19-43

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Week 12: Group presentations of essay (research questions and designs)

Conference simulation
Students will present and discuss their essay ideas/topics to class in a 5-10 mins presentation.
Depending on the size of the class, these will be individual presentations or groups
presentations with 1-2 other students.
The assignment includes the submission of a handout for the class (1 page) which outlines the
core arguments, theories, methods, and data, as well as (at least) two discussion
points/questions for further discussion in class. The handout will be submitted 24h before
the respective course unit by uploading on moodle.

Recap and consultations

In the first half of the unit, we are holding a panel discussion with one leading international
scholar on International Relations and/or practitioners who are working with IR broadly
defined. This will provide insights into the real-world challenges and enable conversations
about the relations, but also gaps between academic scholarship and application in the
political process.

In the second half, we will evaluate contents, activities, and learning outcomes of the course,
looking back at the objectives formulated in the beginning of the semester and the mid-
term evaluation. We will reflect on the subject areas covered during the semester and
address potential gaps that have remained open. If there is demand, we will have extra
time for individual feedback and consultations, particularly for any questions related to the
final essay.

What have you learned from the module?

 Prepare some notes or a sketch before the session and then compare in small groups
together during the session
 Let’s talk together about study skills: what skills have you developed from the module?
What skills do you still need to develop and work on, and how will you do this in future?
 What might be the key questions and issues for future gender theory and research, and
how they might be tackled?
 Start by thinking about what ‘big questions’ remain for you about theorising IR and work
outwards from there.