Description: Introduction of the course syllabus, course outline, teaching methodology and learning outcomes. Explanation of assignments and course expectations, scheduling and grading. What is theory? What is it composed of? Why does it matter anyway? How do I know one when I see one? What to look for in International Relations literature? Building on courses such as Introduction to International Relations and Social Science Research Methods, this class wraps up and pin-points the general characteristics of theories, their purpose for writing analyses, their contents and application.

Description (lecture + book club): End of the Cold War came about abruptly without warning. It wasn’t too long before (not only) International Relations scholars begun to explain, predict and speculate on what does this mean for us and the near future in international politics.

Description (mini-lecture + book club): The sudden end of the Cold War – a latent conflict which defined the structure of international politics for forty years – caught many scholars by surprise. For scholars of the 1990s it was “the thing” to explain and understand; it meant a blow to traditional theoretical explanations leading to a new era in IR scholarship.

Description (mini-lecture + book club): The end of the Cold War ushered in a new era of international politics: expansion of the Western institutions, rise in global economic exchange and few doubted that liberal internationalism isn’t the way to be. The West – victors of the Cold War –lead by the United States of America who stood as the “lone superpower”, the new “liberal hegemon” who finally had a chance to finish its project of Pax Americana…

Description: Often in lecture + book club sessions there is not enough time to have a proper in-depth discussion about what we’ve just read and witnessed. A seminar at the end of a “topical bloc” is thus a good time to return to the book club readings, to remind ourselves about specific theoretical arguments, similarities and differences among authors, as well as what you think about it all. Each week, I’ll be posting on NEO a few new questions related to the book club readings (these questions will also be on the final exam). This is a chance to set them straight.

Description (mini-lecture + book club): Globalization, with its emphasis on economy, corporations, multilateral and intergovernmental institutions and a plethora of actors, challenges the traditional International Relations perspectives which are predominantly state-oriented.

Description (mini-lecture + book club): September 11 has been the defining moment of the new millennium. An unprecedented attack with thousands of casualties set in motion a thorough change in how we perceive and perform security and foreign policy today. Reactions to this event involved a re-appraisal of values – liberal or neoliberal – and for many the downfall of American post-Cold War hegemony started.

Description (mini-lecture + book club): Decline in inter-state conflict and redefinition of security to include until-then domestic problems such as terrorism brought about concerns for new security actors – individuals – on both sides of the conflict. Who needs protection? Who is the terrorist? And to intervene or not to intervene?

Description: Often in lecture + book club sessions there is not enough time to have a proper in-depth discussion about what we’ve just read and witnessed. A seminar at the end of a “topical bloc” is thus a good time to return to the book club readings, to remind ourselves about specific theoretical arguments, similarities and differences among authors, as well as what you think about it all. Each week, I’ll be posting on NEO a few new questions related to the book club readings (these questions will also be on the final exam). This is a chance to set them straight.

Description (mini-lecture + book club): If we indeed accept the premise that there is an ongoing shift in the current international order, necessarily we need to ask: what kind of shift are we dealing with? Will the current order weather the storm? Who are the competitors? ..and what comes next?

Description (mini-lecture + book club): Age of the Anthropocene is here! Climate change and threats going beyond the means (and borders) of traditional IR actors – states – represent a new development in the discipline. How do IR scholars react to this very real-life challenge?

Description (mini-lecture + book club): Looking back on international relations scholarship of the past century, one cannot help but notice it originates primarily in the West. It is somewhat of a paradox that this discipline with a truly global scope ignored voices from the non-West for so long. In the twenty-first century, the tables are turning, and in this session, we’ll discuss what these authors have to say. Keep your minds open!

Description: Often in lecture + book club sessions there is not enough time to have a proper in-depth discussion about what we’ve just read and witnessed. A seminar at the end of a “topical bloc” is thus a good time to return to the book club readings, to remind ourselves about specific theoretical arguments, similarities and differences among authors, as well as what you think about it all. Each week, I’ll be posting on NEO a few new questions related to the book club readings (these questions will also be on the final exam). This is a chance to set them straight.

Description: Final exam based on the readings we covered throughout the semester in the book club. See assignment description below for details.