POL 103 - Introduction to International Relations

To enable students to better understand the different ways in which international relations are conducted

This course provides an introduction to International Relations as a sub-field of the discipline of Political Science. International Relations describes how different kinds of actors act and interact in our global world. While the state arguably remains key to the conduct of contemporary International Relations, non-state actors can also have great weight in the increasingly inter-related international sphere. These actors can include international organizations like the United Nations, multinational corporations, and non-governmental organizations. In this course, we will first examine core arguments in the field—an introduction to the theories of International Relations. These theories are viewpoints to explain how our international system functions and what motivates state behavior in defending the peace and making war. Throughout the course, a series of major events and developments since the Second World War such as global governance, humanitarian intervention, globalization, and terrorism will be explored.