Actualités et agenda
Nos formations
Présentation
Assignments and grades
(1) TDs (50% of the course grade), including, apart from mandatory participation:
a) Presentation (20%) of 15-20 minutes by two (or three) students: the presentation should present on the topic of the session and draw on the additional reading assigned for this purpose. Specific details will be discussed in the TDs. A 1-page outline of the presentation should be sent to your TD lecturer two days before the presentation.
b) Research paper (30%) of 1,500 – 2,000 words: the research paper aims to use two chosen IR theories to analyze a concrete case of the student’s choice and compare the explanatory power of the two theories. Details about the methodology and the submission deadline will be provided in the TDs.
(2) Final exam (50%) based on the compulsory class readings and the lecture.
The course introduces students to theories of international politics in the academic (sub-)discipline of International Relations (IR). While both practices and theories of ‘international relations’ are older, IR as a separate academic field of knowledge has been formally institutionalized in the interwar period, spreading and gaining further traction after World War II. Ever since, it has been a discipline in conflict over interpretations of world politics, over the status of theory between tradition, science, and critique, and over the links between knowledge, power, and society. The course presents major theories of IR, from realism, liberalism, and Marxism to critical theory, constructivism, feminism, and postcolonialism. In so doing, it taps into debates over the prospects for peace between power politics and multilateral institutions, questions of enmity, friendship, and change, and critiques of structures of exploitation, difference, and (mis)representation. As a field divided by many perspectives, IR reflects the stakes of thinking about world politics. It its theories, we always find both, different ways of interpreting the world and different models for acting in it.
Modalités
Readings
The lecture course is based on mandatory readings listed below, which you find on the course page on ‘iCampus’. Reading them carefully is important for succeeding in the tutorial exercises as well as in the final exam. If in doubt about a particular theoretical perspective, you are encouraged to consult one of these manuals (the relevant chapters are indicated under the respective sessions):
Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki, and Steve Smith (eds.). 2020. International Relations theories: Discipline and diversity, 5th edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press (abbreviated below as DKS), or other edition.
Cynthia Weber. 2020. International Relations theory: A critical introduction. London: Routledge.
Note: Be advised that reading chapters of the manuals is optional, not compulsory, nor are the textbook chapters a replacement for the main texts assigned for each session. In particular, the final exam is exclusively based on the compulsory readings and the lecture itself, and not the textbooks.
1. What are International Relations (IR)? An Introduction
No readings.
2. Crisis and Critique: IR in the Interwar Period
Compulsory reading:
Angell, Norman. 1911. The great illusion. A study of the relation of military power in nations to their economic and social advantage, 3rd edition, New York: Putnam’s Sons, chapter 3 (‘The great illusion’), 29-48.
Carr, E.H. 1946. The Twenty Years’ Crisis, 1919-1939: An introduction to the study of international relations, London: MacMillan & Co, second edition, chapter 5 (‘The realist critique’), 63-88.
3. Lineages of Power Politics: ‘Classical’ Realism
Compulsory readings:
Morgenthau, Hans J. 1965 [1948/1953]. 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, and chapter 2 (‘The science of international politics’), 16-23.
Optional: For an overview, see Richard N. Lebow, chapter 3 (‘Classical realism’) in DKS.
4. Anarchy and the Search for Security: Structural Realism
Compulsory reading:
Waltz, Kenneth N. 1979. Theory of international politics, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, chapter 6 (‘Anarchic orders and balances of power’), 102-128.
Optional: For an overview, see John J. Mearsheimer, chapter 4 (‘Structural realism’) in DKS.
5. Interests and Cooperation: Liberal Institutionalism
Compulsory readings:
Keohane, Robert O. and Joseph S. Nye. 1989 [1977]. Power and interdependence, New York: Harper Collins, second edition, chapter 2 (‘Realism and complex interdependence’), 23-37.
Optional: For an overview, see Jennifer Sterling-Folker, chapter 6 (‘Neoliberalism’) in DKS.
6. Shared Norms and Values: The International Society of the English School
Compulsory reading:
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.
Optional: For an overview, see Tim Dunne, chapter 7 (‘The English School’) in DKS.
7. Globalized Exploitation: Marxist Perspectives on the International Order
Compulsory reading:
Wallers