Political Science
Introduction to International Relations
Yukari Iwanami
330 Harkness Hall
yiwanami@mail.rochester.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Course Description
This course introduces students to key concepts of international relations, theoretical approaches,
and important historical knowledge. The cental purpose of this course is to provide students with
the tools to form their own opinions in contemporary international relations. We will examine a
wide range of topics, including the workings of the international system, the causes of international
war, the roles of international institutions, and economic relations between countries. If time
permits, we will also examine current global issues such as the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction, human rights, and terrorist activities.
Required Books
• Robert J. Art and Robert Jervis, eds., International Politics: Enduring Concepts and Contemporary Issues, 9th edition (NY: Longman, 2008)
• Karen A. Mingst, Essentials of International Relations, Fourth Edition (W. W. Norton &
Company 2008)
• Jeffry A. Frieden, David A. Lake, Kenneth A. Schultz, World Politics: Interests, Interactions,
Institutions, New York: W. W. Norton, 2010.
1
Introduction
This section introduces key concepts of international relations, such as sovereignty (the Westphalian system), power, and anarchy.
• Art and Jervis, Anarchy and Its Consequences, in Art and Jervis, 1-6
• Mingst, 23-26
• Mingst, State, 99-101
• Robert J. Art, The Four Functions of Force, in Art and Jervis, 141-148
1
2
Levels of Analysis
This section introduces students to three levels of analysis: the individual level, the state level, and
the international system level.
• Mingst, Theory and the Levels of Analysis 57-59
• Mingst, International System, 81-98
• Mingst, Models of Foreign-Policy Decision making, 122–129
• Mingst, Elites, 139-151
• Robert Jervis, Perception and Misperception in International Politics, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976, 58-84
3
Theoretical Approaches
This section introduces students to traditional approaches of international approaches, such as
realism and idealism/liberalism. We examine how international politics differs from domestic
politics.
3.1 Overview
• Mingst, 59-68
3.2 Realism
• Kenneth Waltz, The Anarchic Structure of World Politics, in Art and Jervis, 29-49
• John J. Mearsheimer, Anarchy and the Struggle for Power, in Art and Jervis, 50-60
• Joseph M. Grieco, 1988, “Anarchy and the Limits of Cooperation: A Realist Critique of the
Newest Liberal Institutionalism,” International Organization 43(3) 485-507
3.3 Liberalism
• Kenneth Oye, The conditions for Cooperation in World Politics, in Art and Jervis, 69-82
• Robert O. Keohane, International Institutions, in Art and Jervis, 119-126
• Michael W. Doyle, Kant, Liberal Legacies, and Foreign Affairs, in Art and Jervis, 83-95
• John Owen, 1994, “How Liberalism Produces Democratic Peace,” International Security,
19, 87-125
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• Bruce Russett and John Oneal, 1999, “The Kantian Peace: The Pacific Benefits of Democracy, Interdependence, and International Organizations, 1885-1992,” World Politics, 52, 1-37
3.4 Constructivism
• Mingst, 72-75
• Alexander Wendt, Anarchy is What States Make of It, in Art and Jervis, 61-68
• Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations?, in Art and Jervis, 391-405
• Ted Hopf, 1998, “The Promise of Constructivism in International Relations Theory,” International Security 23 (1), 171-200
4
International Conflict
In this section, we examine the causes of war by analyzing the origins of World War I, World War
II, and the Cold War.
• Frieden, Lake, and Schultz, chapter 3
• Robert Jervis, Offense, Defense, and the Security Dilemma, in Art and Jervis, 153-173
• James Fearon, Rationalist Explanations for War, International Organization, Vol. 49, No.3,
Summer 1995: 379414
• Paul M. Kennedy, 1984, “The First World War and the International System,” International
Security, 9 (1).
• Stephen Van Evera, 1984, “The Cult of the Offensive and the Origins of the First World
War,” International Security, 9 (1)
• X, 1947, “The Sources of Soviet Conduct,” Foreign Affairs, XXV, 575-576
5
International Institutions and International Law
This section explores how international institutions mitigate the problems of anarchy and bring
about cooperation among states. We refer to the League of Nations, the United Nations, and
NATO.
• John Mearsheimer, 1994-95, “The False Promise of International Institutions,” International
Security, 19, 5-49
• Frieden, Lake, and Schultz, 62-67
• Steven R. Ratner, International Law, in Art and Jervis, 581-586
3
6
International Political Economy
In this section, we examine financial, monetary, and trade relations between countries by addressing the IMF, the World Bank, the Breton Woods system, GATT, and the WTO.
6.1 Overview
• Mingst, 249-253
• Michael J. Hiscox, The Domestic Sources of Foreign Economic Policies, in Art and Jervis,
280-289
• Robert Gilpin, Global Political Economy, Princeton University Press 2001, 234-340
6.2 International Finance
• Frieden, Lake, and Schultz, International Financial Relations, chapter 7
6.3 International Monetary Systems
• Frieden, Lake, and Schultz, International Monetary Relations, chapter 8
6.4 International Trade
• Frieden, Lake, and Schultz, International Trade, chapter 6
• Ronald Rogowski, Political Cleavages and Changing Exposure to Trade, American Political
Science Review 81, no. 4 (December 1987): pp. 1121-1137
7 Civil and Ethnic Conflicts
In this section, we focus on domestic conflicts and examine how they differ from international
conflicts.
• Robert I. Rotberg, Failed States, Collapsed States, Weak States: Causes and Indicators, in
Art and Jervis, 427-434
• Chaim Kaufmann, Possible and Impossible Solutions to Ethnic Civil Wars, in Art and Jervis,
435-456
• James D. Fearon and David D. Laitin, 2003, “Ethnicity, Insurgency, and Civil War,” American Political Science Review, 97 (1) 75-90
• James D. Fearon, 2004, “Why do Some Civil Wars Last So Much Longer Than Others?,”
Journal of Peace Research, 41 (3), 275-301
4
8
Current Issues
Finally, we address current global issues.
8.1 Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Scott D. Sagan, Nuclear Instability in South Asia, in Art and Jervis, 239-249
• Kenneth N. Waltz, Nuclear Stability in South Asia, in Art and Jervis, 250-260
8.2 Terrorism
• Robert Pape, The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism, in Art and Jervis, 221-238
• Bruce Hoffmann, What Is Terrorism?, in Art and Jervis, 198204.
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