POL-130 International Relations

This course introduces students to the field of contemporary international relations, focusing upon the political, diplomatic, social, military, economic, and cultural interaction of state and non-state actors at the global level. By exploring a diverse array of global topics, from international diplomacy and security, to nuclear proliferation, terrorism, nationalism, pandemic disease, immigration, population growth, world trade and finance, regional economic integration, natural resource access and management, modernization, democratization, Third World poverty, human rights, and the role of the U.N. and other international organizations, this course will equip students with the knowledge necessary to understand, evaluate, and respond to a complex array of problems in the contemporary world.

Credits

3

Department

• Social Science

For more detailed course information view the Course Outline

POL 130: International Relations

Department

Social Science

Course Description

This course introduces students to the field of contemporary international relations, focusing upon the political, diplomatic, social, military, economic, and cultural interaction of state and non-state actors at the global level. By exploring a diverse array of global topics, from international diplomacy and security, to nuclear proliferation, terrorism, nationalism, pandemic disease, immigration, population growth, world trade and finance, regional economic integration, natural resource access and management, modernization, democratization, Third World poverty, human rights, and the role of the U.N. and other international organizations, this course will equip students with the knowledge necessary to understand, evaluate, and respond to a complex array of problems in the contemporary world.

Credit Hours

3

Contact Hours

Lecture	3
Lab	0
Other	0

Grading Scheme

Letter

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the major concepts, models and issues in the field of international relations, and the intricacies of geopolitical and geo-economic conflict and cooperation
2. Demonstrate knowledge of world geography and the political, diplomatic, social, military, economic, and cultural interaction of state and non-state actors at the global level. By analyzing such globally-relevant topics as the U.N. and international mechanisms for cooperation, immigration, nuclear non-proliferation, pandemic disease, natural resource access and management, Third World poverty, and human rights, students will gain some of the insights necessary to live interdependently in a diverse, sustainable global community
3. Demonstrate a knowledge of the citizen's role in international relations and how the American federal government, and its foreign policy-making apparatus, works to address a myriad of issues relevant to an American citizen, such as global campaigns for democratization and equality, global cultural exchanges, world terrorism, international trade and finance, and natural resource access/management, and thereby equip themselves with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to be involved in their own communities
4. Demonstrate the ability to comprehend, interpret, analyze and evaluate college-level primary and secondary source readings in the field of international relations
5. Identify, analyze and evaluate arguments made by some of the major authors in the field of international relations, and, in their own writing, will demonstrate well-reasoned arguments when interpreting global-related subject matter
6. Demonstrate the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, use and share information from a range of published/printed and electronic resources in the field of international relations

Topic Outline

1. 1. Introduction to international relations: theories, methodologies, and state and non-state actors in the international system
2. 2. Globalization: positive and negative implications for the human condition
3.     a. National sovereignty vs. internationalism
4. 3. Interstate relations, diplomacy, and foreign policy: international recognition, treaties, and diplomatic immunities and protections
5.     a. Role of the foreign policy establishment within the American political system
6. 4. International law and institutions
7.     a. Development of international law
8.     b. International institutions and international cooperation (peacekeeping and other collaborative enterprises)
9.     c. Tourism and global cultural and educational exchanges
10.     d. Regional economic and political integration
11. 5. Interstate and asymmetric conflict
12.     a. The concept of war as an instrument of national or state policy
13.     b. The impact of military spending on domestic agendas
14. 6. Global threats in the 21st century: pandemic disease, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and arms control
15. 7. Global demographic trends: immigration, population growth, global inequality, and Third World poverty
16. 8. International trade and finance: liberalization vs. protectionism, tariffs, currency mechanisms, global capitalism, multinational corporations, and outsourcing
17. 9. Modernization and international development: global impacts of industrialization, modernization, Americanization, technological change, resource depletion, and environmental degradation
18. 10. Human rights: diverse understandings of the human condition across the globe and the promotion of democratic, egalitarian, and humane priorities