Intro to International Relations POLT 12800 Spring 22 offerings

By Patricia Rodriguez, November 19, 2021

Want to learn about the main issues facing the US and other countries in the global arena? Enroll in POLT 12800 Intro to International Relations, Tu/Th 9:25 and 10:40

Course description

Wars and insurgencies. Pandemics. Trade wars. Nationalism. Ethnic and religious conflicts. Global warming. The rise of China. Russian influence in Europe.

These are some of the topics you hear about in the news, and that we’ll be studying over the course of the semester.

One of the interesting things about international politics is that different people see it very differently. We’ll be working to understand that diversity of views by looking at different conceptions of justice, conflicting views of human nature, competing visions of politics.

We'll also explore some specific issues related to the international: the changing nature of warfare and terrorism; the international economy, processes of globalization of trade and investment that challenge the traditional understanding of the nation-state and have direct impacts on local communities in every part of the world, including the US; and the effect of culture -- ethnic, national, religious -- on international relations.

No prerequisites.

If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Chip Gagnon, vgagnon@ithaca.edu