Кто читает:: Департамент политической науки

Статус:: Курс обязательный

Когда читается:: 3-й курс, 3, 4 модуль

Преподаватели

Лукьянов Григорий Валерьевич

Миронюк Михаил Григорьевич

Full Syllabus

Abstract

Course prerequisites: students starting this course are expected to have a good knowledge of Political History of Russia and Foreign Countries, Economics, History of Political Ideas, and Political Theory. This course is an introduction to the study of world politics and international relations. It combines a focus on major theoretical and methodological approaches with foreign policy for- mation and pressing issues of world politics. The course is organized around four main goals. The first is to introduce students to the study of international relations (IR) as a sub-discipline of political science. The second goal is to introduce students to major concepts, ideas, and issues in IR that shape its field. We will explore the essential problems and puzzles in the study of world politics and international relations: Why do states go to war? Under what conditions do they choose to settle disputes without fighting? What is the role of international institutions in world politics? How can institutions and norms shape behavior of a state? Under what conditions do politicians take into account the preferences of groups or the general public when foreign policy decisions are made? Why do leaders decide to start trade wars? The third goal is to invite students to critically reflect on the relationship be- tween theory and history in the study of world politics. The fourth goal is to stimulate students to critically read and understand academic texts and political statements. This course is not about Russia, the United States, China, the EU. This course is not about retelling the news and criticizing particular leaders or countries. Students will learn theo- ries, concepts, models, and ideas that can be used to analyze the choices available to leaders and to understand the rationale behind their choices. We will discuss foreign policies of particular countries, or what is shown in the news in order to assess how theories and concepts explain the choices seemingly available to leaders. We will not be making judgements on moral or partisan grounds. Our approach is mostly evidence-based. The working language of the course is English.

Learning Objectives

master theoretical approaches to the analysis of international and transnational interactions and foreign policy analysis tools
gain knowledge of the characteristics of major actors in world politics
understand how the contemporary international system was formed
familiarize with the pressing issues of world politics

Expected Learning Outcomes

Have knowledge of major concepts, ideas, and theories of IR
Be able to apply tools of IR research and foreign policy analysis to analyze problem sit ations in the sphere of international relations and world politics
Analyze critically the political statements and the news on world politics issues
Be able to identify complex relationship between national, international, and transnational politics

Course Contents

Theme 1. Introduction to class and IR as a sub-discipline of political science
Structure and idea of the course. The big puzzles in the course. Ongoing conflicts in the world. What international order is and is not today. Discussions on the liberal world order.
Theme 2. How to study IR and world politics: A very brief introduction. Levels of analysis in IR
Levels of analysis in international relations. Level-of-analysis problem. Requirements for an analytical model. Microscopic level of analysis according to Waltz: optimistic and pessimistic view. Second-image and third-image analysis. International system as a level of analysis. The national state as a level and object of analysis.
Theme 3. How was our world shaped?
The making and expansion of the territorial state, European imperialism, the World Wars, the Cold War and its consequences.
Theme 4. Actors, preferences and interests, institutions, and interactions
Interests and motivations. Categories of interests at individual and collective level. States as actors. National interest. Actors and interests in world politics. Formal and informal institutions. International institutions and cooperation in world politics. Cooperation and bargaining. Cooperation and coordination. Biased institutions. Problems of collaboration. Factors facilitating cooperation. Reversion outcome. Coercion, outside options and agenda setting.
Theme 4. Brief introduction to anarchy and cooperation in world politics: Paradigmatic approaches to understand them
Realism, neorealism. Idealism, liberalism and neoliberalism. Constructivism. History of theories and key thinkers. Evaluating a theory. Interests, institutions and interactions according to each theory. Old and new realism. Waltz’s theory. Major schools of thought in the U.S. foreign policy.
Theme 6. Why are there wars between states?
“Old” and “new” wars. Transformation of warfare. Civil wars. Approaches to definition of war. War and change in world politics. Diplomacy and violence. Criteria for analysis of wars. Information and uncertainty before outbreak and termination of war. Means of getting what you want in world politics. Political uses of force today. Nuclear proliferation. Suicide terrorism. Strategic culture. Theories aiming to explain wars. Preventive motive. Wars by misperception or mistake. Wars because of domestic interests. System-level theories. Classical realism, neorealism, defensive realism, offensive realism, and neoclassical realism. Security dilemma. Spiral model of war and peace. Deterrence model. “Balance of threat” theory. Hegemonic theories: power transition theories, long-cycle theories. Bargaining theory of war. Termination and outbreak of war.
Theme 7. Domestic politics and wars
Conflicts of interests. General and particularistic interests. Unitary actor assumption. The role of domestic institutions. Strategic advantages of domestic actors. Rally-round-the-flag effect. Socio-psychological explanations. Diversionary incentive. Risks of rally-round-the-flag effect. War outcome and leader’s staying in office. Type of political system and leader’s costs. Small-group dynamics in foreign policy. Groupthink. Group polarization hypothesis. Military and instigation of war. Organizational interests. Governmental politics model. Organizational process model. Interest groups. Small groups. Democratic peace theory. The democratic culture and norms model. The institutional constraints model. Autocratic and democratic leaders’ war costs. Minimization of war costs in democracies. Role of domestic political audiences in escalation of international disputes.
Theme 8. Status considerations in world politics
Status as an explanation of foreign policy outcomes. Types of statuses. Status-seeking behavior of states. Rogue states. Revisionist states. Superpowers.
Theme 9. International law and norms. human rights in world politics. logic of appropriateness and logic of consequentialism
International law as an institution. Two properties of international law. Dimensions of law. High-obligation and low-obligation laws. Hard and soft law. Three categories of norms. Evolution of norms. Transnational advocacy networks. Humanitarian intervention. Responsibility to protect. The trials of global norms.
Theme 11. International financial and monetary relations
Portfolio investment. Foreign direct investment. Concessional finance. Private lending to foreign governments. Use of loans. Measures to service government’s debts. Default. Foreign direct investment and foreign policy. The political economy of exchange rates. Relative interest rates. Fixed and floating exchange rate. Monetary policy.
Theme 12. What to expect from tomorrow: The future of IR and world politics
Prospects for future world order. Global trends and global risks.

Assessment Elements

Seminar attendance
Active Participation in a Simulation
Seminar participation
Quizzes written during the seminars
Tests
Exam

Interim Assessment

Interim assessment (4 module)
<div class="page" title="Page 6"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> Cumulative grade in ten-mark scale (Gcumulative) is calculated from 5 grades for Seminar Participation (Wseminars), Active Participation in a Simulation (Game) (Wgame), Active Participa- tion in Discussions (Wdiscussions), Quizzes (Wquizzes), and Tests (Wtests). Gcumulative = 0,1* Wseminars + 0,1* Wgame + 0,15* Wdiscussions + 0,25* Wquizzes + 0,4* Wtests Gfinal = 0,6* Gcumulative + 0,4* Gexam </div> </div> </div>

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Fearon, J. D. (1998). Domestic Politics, Foreign Policy, and Theories of International Relations. Annual Review of Political Science, 1(1), 289. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.1.1.289
The Oxford handbook of international relations / ed. by Christian Reus-Smit . (2008). Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford Univ. Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.253060060

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Powell, R. (2002). Bargaining Theory and International Conflict. Annual Review of Political Science, 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.5.092601.141138
Spruyt, H. (2002). The Origins, Development, and Possible Decline of the Modern State. Annual Review of Political Science, 5(1), 127. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.5.101501.145837
The Oxford handbook of transformations of the state / ed. by Stephan Leibfried . (2015). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.409903264

Бакалаврская программа «Политология»

Локальный омбудсмен

Международная аккредитация

World Politics and International Relations