PLIR 1010: Introduction to International Relations

There are three primary objectives of this course:

1. To introduce students to critical issues and events in international relations (IR).
2. To introduce students to the analytical concepts employed by scholars of IR that attempt to simplify and explain a complex world.
3. To introduce students to the rigors of social science inquiry.

Together, these objectives are intended to prepare students to take more advanced courses in IR specifically and political science generally.    

Throughout this course, students will approach international political phenomena by exploring the relative strengths and weaknesses of three general approaches: those focusing on power, institutions, and ideas.  Students will learn what these approaches are, how the key concepts are usefully employed, the nature of the analytical commitments assumed by each approach, and ultimately how to choose among competing explanations of historical and current events.

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