PLSC 103: Introduction to International Politics

(1 Unit)
Examines and evaluates competing theoretical approaches (“paradigms”) which seek to explain inter-state war, international institutions and the global economy. Explores scholarly debates about the implications of international anarchy and national sovereignty. Focuses on the causes of violent conflict, the emergence of human rights norms and international courts, the dilemmas of humanitarian intervention, and the implications of global inequality. Part I examines competing theoretical perspectives in the discipline; Part II,approaches to studying war, violence and conflict; Part III, international institutions; Part IV, issues related to the global economy and international development. Grossman, Walling.