Theories of international relations

The course introduces students to theorizing about international politics in the academic (sub-) discipline of International Relations (IR). While both practices of ‘international relations’ and the conscious reflection about them ‘in theory’ are much older, IR as a separate academic field of knowledge has been formally institutionalized only in the interwar period, spreading and gaining further traction after 1945. Ever since, the discipline has struggled over its historical origins, its subject matter, and the stakes and dynamics of international politics. The course presents major theories of IR by revisiting the shifting fault lines of the discipline by tracing major schools and disputes from realism, liberalism, and Marxism to critical theory, constructivism, feminism, and postcolonialism. In so doing, it explores a variety of topics in international politics, including great power competition, war, and deterrence, cooperation, international organizations, and democratic peace, the making of friends and enemies, and the mechanisms of marginalizing and misrepresenting ‘others’. The course also highlights how theories of IR do not simply reflect actual ‘practices’ of international politics, but actually form and enable particular practices, rather than others, by shaping what seems necessary, possible, and desirable ‘in theory’.

Course Outline

1. I. Defining the Theories of International Relations
   
   
   1. The concepts of International Relations Theories
   
   

Compulsory readings:

Carr, E.H. 1946 [1939]. The Twenty Years’ Crisis, 1919-1939: An Introduction to the Study of International Relations, London: MacMillan & Co, second edition, chapter 1 (‘The Beginnings of a Science’), 1-10.

Kaviani, Reza, “The Concept of Power in International Relations”, International Journal of Political Science, Vol. 7, number 2, 2007, pp. 29-36.

1. An overview of the epistemology of the Theories International Relations

Compulsory readings:

Jeffrey, Renée, “Tradition as Invention: The “Tradition’s Tradition” and the History of Ideas in International Relations”, Millenium, 34 (1), aug 2005, pp. 57-84.

Neuman, Iver, “International Relations as a Social Science”, Milennium, 43 (1) september 2014, pp. 330-350.

1. Theories of International Relations in debate
   
   
   1. Realist and Constructivist approaches to Theories of International Relations
   
   

Compulsory readings:

Morgenthau, Hans J. 1965 [1948]. Politics Among Nations. The Struggle for Power and Peace, 3rd edition, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, chapter 1 (‘A Realist Theory of International Politics’), 3-15.

Wendt, Alexander. 1992. ‘Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics’ International Organization 46(2): 391-425.

1. English Schooll and Marxist approaches to Theories of International Relations

Compulsory readings:

Bull, Hedley. 1977. The Anarchical Society. A Study of Order in World Politics, 4th edition, London: Palgrave Macmillan, chapter 1 (‘The Concept of Order in World Politics’), 3-21.

Wallerstein, Immanuel. 1974. ‘The Rise and Future Demise of the World Capitalist System: Concepts for Comparative Analysis’ Comparative Studies in Society and History 16(4): 387-415.

1. III. The traditional fields of application of the Theories International Relations
   
   
   1. War and Peace, Security and Diplomacy in International Relations Debates
   
   

Compulsory Readings:

Chan, Steve, “ Insearch of Democratic Peace. Problems and Promises”, Mershon International Studies Review, may 1997, pp. 59-92.

Wolfers, A