Course Objectives

IR 485 surveys a variety of themes and topics. Some of the topics and movies may be new to the students, while some may be familiar with the topics and movies presented in the course. The readings, lectures, movies, and term paper endeavors to offer something fresh and creative to students at any level. In the first part of the course (Weeks 1-2), students will familiarize themselves with the course, learn about some of the major themes, topics, and analytical frameworks we will use, and begin to plan their term papers. The second part (Weeks 3-8) covers a variety of traditional themes and topics in IR. We begin with the fundamental questions about human nature and the nature of the international system and follow up with broader, structural, phenomena like wars, insurgencies, and revolutions (Weeks 3-5). Next, we shift our attention to decision-making, leadership, rationality, and the roles of bureaucracy in decision-making (Weeks 6-9). Thereafter, the third part of the course underscores contemporary and future dynamics. We investigate topics like state failure, the global illicit economy, and the refugee crisis (Weeks 10-12). The final three weeks shift our attention to the future in the form of environmental politics and the politics of the future, with a special emphasis on dystopia. We conclude the course by rethinking the role of cinema in shaping domestic and international politics by way of manufacturing consent.