GOVT 1817: Introduction to International Relations
Fall Semester Course
This course introduces students to some important theoretical approaches to the analysis of international relations and applies these approaches to a number of historical and contemporary issues. The course has two main objectives: (1) to demonstrate the importance of theory for describing and explaining international relations and (2) to make students think critically. This involves (a) distinguishing among different explanations as illustrated in the readings; (b) evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of different explanations; and (c) developing one’s own analytical stance.