Introduction to International Relations: A Critical Perspective

Instructor:  Dr. Behar Sadriu

Date/times:

January 26 - April 13, Sundays 10 AM - 12 PM US Eastern Standard Time

Main objectives:

• Prepare students to think critically about international relations with the end goal of generating ummah centric thinking that can lead to new concepts, theories and ideas more broadly
• Give students a university level understanding into the main ideas in International Relations (IR)
• Besides the main approaches like Realism, Constructivism and Liberalism, help them navigate critical and postcolonial perspectives to the study of world politics
• Provide students with practical knowledge of the main actors and institutions governing the world today  

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Articulate the main arguments and positions of central theories of international relations, especially the critical variety (constructivism, postcolonialism).
• Critically assess these debates to identify problems within prevailing arguments.
• Develop and justify their own responses to philosophical and practical issues relating to the themes of war, cooperation, international norms
• Understand the place today of different actors like the US, China, NGOs and transnational actors
  

Students will examine cases of conflict, diplomacy, and the role of non-state actors and major institutions like the UN. We will assess the different assumptions of approaches, their methods, and understanding of the units of global politics; how the approach conceptualises international institutions, and the relationship between agency and international structure. Other main concepts covered in the module include 'anarchy', 'sovereignty', 'power', 'hegemony and empire', the state and the international system.

As we progress, we will investigate the relationship between the different approaches: Are these approaches necessarily exclusionary? Do bridges and connections exist between them? What space is there for thinking about the ummah in current theories and approaches? What alternative theorising is possible?

Structure of the course:

• A one-hour lecture followed by a one-hour seminar
• In the seminar, students will discuss ideas presented in the lecture and critically assess readings
• Private reading and assignment work is also a key part of the learning students will undertake. Reading lists will be made available online via a dedicated 
• Student support will be provided via seminars/tutorials and weekly office hours

Course schedule: