Теория международных отношений

Бакалавриат 2023/2024

Статус: Курс обязательный (Реклама и связи с общественностью)

Направление: 42.03.01. Реклама и связи с общественностью

Кто читает: Департамент международных отношений

Где читается: Факультет креативных индустрий

Когда читается: 4-й курс, 3 модуль

Формат изучения: с онлайн-курсом

Онлайн-часы: 24

Охват аудитории: для своего кампуса

Преподаватели: Баскаков Илья Александрович, Марчуков Александр Николаевич

Язык: английский

Кредиты: 3

Контактные часы: 18

Full Syllabus

Abstract

This course aims to familiarize students with the basic theories, history, and philosophy of international relations. This course deals with the leading theories of international relations such as realism, liberalism, marxism, and constructivism and covers such historical topics as World War I, World War II, the Cold War. Students will have the opportunity to assess the main stages in developing the international relations, theoretical approaches, and concepts of international relations prevailing at each historical stage and examine the major historical events from different theoretical perspectives. This course will be held in a blended format, including two offline lectures, the online-course "Understanding International Relations Theory", seven seminar classes, group project and final exam in a form of take-home essay.

Learning Objectives

The course aims to initiate a systematic and holistic view on the basic theoretical approaches to international relations as a discipline, their historical evolution and influence as well as to form a systemic view on the specificity of key global political and economic processes through the prism of IR theory.

Expected Learning Outcomes

By reading Thucydides, Morgenthau and other realist scholars students would have a fairly good idea as to how realists understand the world and what lessons they are trying to teach the world
Students will be able to develop a comprehensive view on democracy and liberal values from different IR theories perspective.
Students will be able to discuss the great power rivalry though the prism of main IR theories.
Students will be exposed to Marx’s idea of communism and make a judgment as to what would be our best economic system.
Students will have a basic understanding of Copenhagen school of IR, namely securitizations theory, as well as security communities theory of Karl Deutsch
Students will have a basic understanding of realism, liberalism, marxism, constructivism, and neo theories as major theoretical paradigms of international relations in the US and the West: By studying historical cases such as WWI, WWII, the Cold War, etc., students will develop an interest in history. By combining theory, history, and philosophy, students will develop analytical and debating skills that will enable them to succeed in whatever they do
Students will have a basic understanding of such burning issues in IR theory as anarchic politics, ethical questions, and International Politics, three views of the role of morality.

Course Contents

1. An Overview of the course.
2. Birth of the science and classical tradition
3. Origins of liberalism
4. The beginning: the World Wars and genesis of the IR science
5. Kenneth Waltz and structural theory
6. Neoliberalism: the liberal paradigm after the WWII
7. Marxism and neo-marxism
8. Critical IR theories (constructivism, postmodernism, feminism)
9. Actors in International Relations
10. Power in International Relations
11. Global governance
12. Back to classics: the realist paradigm in the XXI century
13. Russia as a realist power

Assessment Elements

Class participation
Students are expected to take an active part in discussions, showing a high level of preparedness prior to class. Moreover, they can prepare presentations on selected topics.
Group project
The class will be divided by the instructor into about 4 groups (5-7 students in each group). Each group will receive a project topic, which will be presented to the audience at the last seminar in the form of a presentation.
Final exam (take-home essay)
Deadline is 15 March 2024. Essays received after the deadline will not be accepted. The final exam will be in the form of an essay. Students are invited to write a short essay (1500-1800 words) on a topic "From your point of view, which school of international relations theory (realism, neoliberalism or neo-Marxism) should the political leadership of modern Russia rely on?” The student must choose one of the schools and provide some logical arguments in the essay in support of his/her version. In addition, they must explain why the schools of international relations that they have not chosen cannot be the basis for the implementation of Russia's foreign policy.

Interim Assessment

2023/2024 3rd module
0.25 * Class participation + 0.5 * Final exam (take-home essay) + 0.25 * Group project

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Cristol, J. (2009). Morgenthau vs. Morgenthau? “The Six Principles of Political Realism” in Context. American Foreign Policy Interests, 31(4), 238–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803920903136247
Hamilton, J. B., & Fukuyama, F. (2018). The End of History and the Last Man. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.FFDEB7F0
Hamnett, C. (2018). A world turned upside down: the rise of China and the relative economic decline of the West. Area Development & Policy, 3(2), 223–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/23792949.2018.1439392
Lieber, K. A. (2007). The New History of World War I and What It Means for International Relations Theory. International Security, 32(2), 155–191. https://doi.org/10.1162/isec.2007.32.2.155
Sutter, R. (2010). Assessing China’s Rise and US Leadership in Asia—growing maturity and balance. Journal of Contemporary China, 19(65), 591–604. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670561003666186

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Jeffrey Haynes. (2019). From Huntington to Trump : Thirty Years of the Clash of Civilizations. Lexington Books.
Korab-Karpowicz, W. J. (2006). How International Relations Theorists Can Benefit by Reading Thucydides. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.B0893F4B
Kupchan, C. A., & Kupchan, C. A. (1995). The promise of collective security. International Security, 20(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.2307/2539215
Painter, D. (2006). A Partial History of the Cold War. Cold War History, 6(4), 527. https://doi.org/10.1080/14682740600979295
Zubok, V. M. (2002). Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War: Perspectives on History and Personality. Cold War History, 2(2), 61. https://doi.org/10.1080/713999954

Course Syllabus