Committee on International Relations

INRE 30000. Perspectives on International Relations. 000 Units.

This required, non-credit course is designed to introduce students to the craft of research in International Relations. For the first half of Autumn quarter, the full cohort will meet for lectures on two central themes: (i) the fundamental aspects of conducting research in the social sciences, and, specifically, in International Relations; and (ii) preparation of the MA thesis proposal. Then, the three preceptor student groups will meet for workshops over the latter half of the quarter. The purpose of the workshops is to give each student the opportunity to present his or her proposal draft.

Instructor(s): Paul Staniland     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): Open only to CIR students.

INRE 30005. Graduate Practicum in the Social Sciences. 100 Units.

Students interested in gaining additional applied experience or writing an alternative or public facing thesis should consider taking the Graduate Practicum in the Social Sciences course. The practicum is a hands-on experiential course designed to enable students to apply and expand their knowledge in a career pathway based on their unique interests and improve their technical and applied writing skills, all while providing a useful service to a Chicago-based community partner. During the course, students work individually or in small teams to research a career pathway and identify and address issues/needs faced by a local community partner of their choice. Each student or team receives guidance from their instructor and community partner throughout the project. The experience culminates in a final project (report and formal presentation to the community partner and/or class).

Instructor(s): Robinson, Shelly     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): MAPS 30005, MACS 30005

INRE 30600. Constructing a Society of Human Rights: A Psychological Framework. 100 Units.

This course is designed to discuss the ways that cultural and social psychology contribute to understandings about human rights conceptually, and how human rights issues emerge from social dynamics. Over the course of the quarter, students will learn about theories on intergroup conflict and prejudice, how an individual's beliefs emerge from social contexts and shape their relationships with others, how obedience to authority is created and abused, and how social positioning and narratives influence conceptions of self and other. We will also discuss the relevance and impact of psychological study and data on human rights issues.

Equivalent Course(s): CHDV 25220, PBPL 25220, HMRT 25220

INRE 30960. Geopolitical Forecasting. 100 Units.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the practices entailed in high-performance geopolitical event forecasting, with an eye to both intellectual and professional applications. It will survey a number of cornerstone academic works drawn from the fields of psychology, political science, economics, and decision science in pursuit of a rigorous understanding of the difficulties entailed in accurately predicting important geopolitical events. It will also allow students to gain hands-on experience in making effective forecasts themselves.

Instructor(s): Reese, Michael J     Terms Offered: Spring

INRE 31602. Human Rights: Philosophical Foundations. 100 Units.

In this class we explore the philosophical foundations of human rights, investigating theories of how our shared humanity in the context of an interdependent world gives rise to obligations of justice. Webegin by asking what rights are, how they are distinguished from other part of morality, and what role they play in our social and political life. But rights come in many varieties, and we are interested in human rights in particular. In later weeks, we will ask what makes something a human right, and how are human rights different from other kinds of rights. We will consider a number of contemporary philosophers (and one historian) who attempt to answer this question, including James Griffin, Joseph Raz, John Rawls, John Tasioulas, Samuel Moyn, Jiewuh Song, and Martha Nussbaum. Throughout we will be asking questions such as, "What makes something a human right?" "What role does human dignity play in grounding our human rights?" "Are human rights historical?" "What role does the nation and the individual play in our account of human rights?" "When can one nation legitimately intervene in the affairs of another nation?" "How can we respect the demands of justice while also respecting cultural difference?" "How do human rights relate to global inequality and markets?" (A) (I)

Instructor(s): Ben Laurence, Pozen Center for Human Rights Instructional Professor     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 31002, DEMS 21002, HMRT 21002, MAPH 42002, PHIL 21002, HIST 39319, HIST 29319, PHIL 31002

INRE 31700. Human Rights: History and Theory. 100 Units.

This course is concerned with the theory and the historical evolution of the modern human rights regime. It discusses the emergence of a modern "human rights" culture as a product of the formation and expansion of the system of nation-states and the concurrent rise of value-driven social mobilizations. It proceeds to discuss human rights in two prevailing modalities. First, it explores rights as protection of the body and personhood and the modern, Western notion of individualism. Second, it inquires into rights as they affect groups (e.g., ethnicities and, potentially, transnational corporations) or states.

Instructor(s): Savitri Kunze, Pozen Center for Human Rights Social Science Teaching Fellow     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 20200, HIST 39302, CRES 29302, HIST 29302, HMRT 30200

INRE 32002. Hacking for Defense. 100 Units.

The innovation toolkit (lean startup, human-centered design, prototyping) was developed to create new value under conditions of intense uncertainty. Typically, courses on innovation focus that effort on new venture creation, but our large institutions--both public and private--wield tremendous influence and power. We believe those organizations should be more responsive to changing conditions and that they deserve commitment from the best and brightest when it comes to the application of innovation. All institutions within the Department of Defense and Intelligence Communities (DoD/IC) are large, complex, and as impactful on society as any that one can identify. They face intense pressure to adapt their missions to changing constituencies, evolving geopolitical demands, technology revolutions, social norms, and complex regulations. This course aims to train students in how to apply the innovation toolkit to such organizations and their challenges.

Equivalent Course(s): PPHA 33830

INRE 32100. Civil-Military Relations and the Politics of Militaries. 100 Units.

How do we define a military? What is a military's purpose? How have militaries around the world embedded themselves into the social and institutional fabric of the state? How do military leaders act compared to their civilian counterparts when placed in similar political roles? This seminar will help students answer the aforementioned questions by introducing them to the literature on civil-military relations. The general structure of the class readings will focus on two primary themes. The first half of the course will introduce students to long-standing debates over the role of politicization in military organizations and whether such trends are desirable or not. The latter half of the class will focus on research that analyzes the militarization of politics and how such trends might subvert traditional notions of the military profession. This course is intended for CIR students and all course assignments will be structured around helping students complete the writing of their MA theses. Non-CIR students should contact the instructor directly about taking the class.

Instructor(s): Kevin Weng     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): CIR students only.

INRE 33000. Ethics in International Relations. 100 Units.

Ethical questions pervade international politics. Do affluent states have an obligation to make economic sacrifices to mitigate the progression of global warming? Are human rights universal? Should states waive the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies to enable global access to vaccines? Can military intervention be justified despite its breach of sovereignty? Despite the frequent invocation of normative language in global politics, scholars of international relations have only recently started to turn their attention toward studying ethics as an important political phenomenon. This marks a shift away from considering ethics as epiphenomena to interests and power. This seminar explores the role of ethics in international relations, both in theory and in practice. It draws on readings from normative international relations theory and political philosophy to take up ethical dilemmas encountered in world affairs in the context of debates about the environment, humanitarian intervention, nuclear weapons, development, and global health.

Instructor(s): Turco, Linnea     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): Open to undergraduates with instructor consent
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 33002, PLSC 23002

INRE 33005. Peace in International Relations. 100 Units.

How has peace been theorized in the study of global politics? In this graduate elective, we take up the concept of 'peace' and explore the many ways it has been defined by scholars and pursued by policymakers and practitioners in the world. We consider questions like: Is peace the mere absence of war? How is peace experienced by individuals living in the aftermath of violent conflict? What are some of the markers of successful peace agreements? Who are agents of peace? How do states pursue peace? What is the relationship between peace and violence? Throughout the course, we will examine peace through multiple levels of analysis, including everyday individuals, elite policymakers, the State as actors, and international cooperative efforts. We will also explore various approaches to peacebuilding, including grassroots and top-down efforts, and pay careful attention to perspectives on peace and peacebuilding beyond Western, Eurocentric lenses. A key emphasis in this course will be connecting academic research to real-world applications of peace practices. As such, we will learn from both peace scholars and peace practitioners and will reflect throughout on the role of academia in understanding and building peace in the world.

Instructor(s): Hooser, Kara     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): Undergraduate students must seek instructor consent prior to enrollment
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 33005, PLSC 23005

INRE 34506. The Rights of Immigrants and Refugees in Practice. 100 Units.

This course employs an interdisciplinary approach to examine the work of social justice advocacy for and by non-citizens in the U.S. including asylum seekers, immigrant workers, women as migrants, migrant children, and the undocumented. Our readings will place selected case studies in their local, national, and international context. We will draw on sources from law, history, sociology, political science, and the arts. Texts, films, and guest speakers will address the history of immigrants' rights advocacy in the Chicago and the U.S., with selected global examples. Topics will include the rights of asylum seekers, the problems of migrant workers (guest-workers and the undocumented), women and children as migrants, and the impact of the global pandemic on migration in general. The case studies will illuminate the role of immigrants as leaders and the relationship between impacted communities and the state. We will meet with journalists, elected officials, organizers, academics, artists, lawyers, and immigrant community leaders to discuss distinct approaches to migrants' rights advocacy.

Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 26813, GLST 24506, SOSC 24506, LLSO 24506, CHST 24506

INRE 34600. Case Study Methods. 100 Units.

How do social scientists utilize case studies as a method for identifying causal relationships? What are the epistemological assumptions that underlie the use of case studies? How similar or different are these assumptions from those of large-N and other quantitative methodologies? What are some of the limitations of case study research? This seminar will help students address the aforementioned questions by introducing them to ongoing methodological debates within the social sciences surrounding the use of single and comparative case studies. The course is organized according to a "snowball method" of first cementing a baseline understanding of certain individual lessons (e.g. single case selection) before gradually proceeding to larger themes (e.g. comparative case studies) that incorporate and reinforce the lessons learned from previous weeks.

Instructor(s): Kevin Weng     Terms Offered: Spring Winter
Note(s): CIR students only!

INRE 34700. Academic Presentation in International Relations & Thesis Preparation. 100 Units.

This class will provide instruction in the norms of publicly presenting one's research in front of an academic audience. Using examples drawn from the literature on International Relations and Comparative Politics, students will learn about the typical practices of structuring a research project for academic consumption. Specific topics will include: addressing alternative hypotheses, formulating a literature review, addressing missing data issues and selection bias, formulating an empirical puzzle, tenets of constructive criticism, etc. At certain intervals in the course, students will present their own work-in-progress research to the class body where they will be expected to utilize the lessons from previous sessions.

Instructor(s): K. Weng     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): This course is intended for CIR students in the final stages of writing their Master's Thesis. Non-CIR students should contact the instructor if they wish to attend the class.

INRE 34800. Historical Processes of State Formation. 100 Units.

How did states come into being? How do we assess "state-ness" or the "strength" of state institutions? Why did nation-states become the primary actor in the international system instead of alternative forms of political organization such as empires, city-states, or city-leagues? What explains variations in the institutional makeups of states? This course helps students formulate an initial set of answers to the previous set of questions by providing an overview of the state-formation literature. Specifically, the class will cover theories that address how states come into being, organize their societies, extract resources, and structure their political institutions. Course readings will initially start with an introduction to varying conceptualizations of the state before moving onto a discussion of how to operationalize and measure degrees of "state-ness". The remaining course readings will explore themes surrounding war, colonialism, civil society, taxation, economic development, & (ultimately) state breakdown.

Instructor(s): K. Weng     Terms Offered: Winter

INRE 34900. Comparative State Formation. 100 Units.

The course introduces students to the seminal arguments and ideas on the origins and long-term evolution of nation-states around the world. The syllabus is organized around the most salient debates in the literature. For example, wars and state-building, domestic conflict and institutions, integration to world capitalism, the natural resource curse, social resistance, nationalism, etc. Throughout these topics, the readings allow inter-region and within-region comparisons. Students will discuss seminal publications that provide the basis for contemporary debates on state formation, without privileging any particular research approach or community of scholars. The syllabus draws from major publications across the social sciences, especially political science, economics, and sociology. In this way, the course provides an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to discuss and collectively dissect arguments based on different theoretical perspectives, cultivating critical thinking skills.

Instructor(s): Cabal, Manuel      Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 24910

INRE 34950. Latin American Political Development. 100 Units.

The course introduces students to classic and recent theories on the evolution of political institutions in Latin American countries. Why did Latin American countries build weaker states than Europe and the US? What countries of the region are more developed and why? Why is Latin America the most unequal region in the world? Why have the democracies of the region been historically so vulnerable and ephemeral? Where and why did ethnic conflict appeared in the past decades? We will understand, evaluate, and discuss the seminal arguments and ideas on the origins and long-term evolution of Latin American nations. The course is of interest to students focused on economic development and international security, as the "state" and its capabilities have major consequences for the economic trajectory of nations and for the ability to guarantee peace within their territories. The syllabus is organized around major topics on comparative politics, such as colonial legacies, trade-led state-building, federalism, party systems, revolutions, industrialization, democratization, and ethnicity and citizenship. Through these topics, the students will learn about the political institutions of a variety of countries in the region from a historical perspective. Students will also be able to compare different theoretical approaches across the social sciences, especially political science, sociology, and political economy. The course is specially designed to practice academic skills for master-level

Instructor(s): Cabal, Manuel     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): LACS 34950, PLSC 24950

INRE 36001. Society, Politics and Security in Israel. 100 Units.

This graduate course examines Israel's unique DNA through a thorough examination of its history, society, politics and security challenges. We shall explore these traits as manifested in the defining chapters of Israel's history, since the early stages of the Zionist driven immigration of Jews to the Holy Land, through the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948, until present time. Students will work with primary sources, diverse theoretical perspectives, and rich historiographical material to better understand the Israeli experience, through domestic, regional and international perspectives. Particular attention will be given to the emergence of the Israeli vibrant society and functioning democracy in the background of continuous conflict and wars. The course will explore topics such as: How Israel reconciles between the imperatives and narratives of democracy and Jewishness, between collective ethos and heterogeneous tribalism, and between protracted security challenges and resilience. We will also discuss the multifaceted aspects of the changing Israeli security doctrine and practice, in light of regional threats and international involvement.

Instructor(s): M. Elran     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PBPL 28139, JWSC 28139

INRE 37000. Latin American Political Development. 100 Units.

The course introduces students to classic and recent theories on the evolution of political institutions in Latin American countries. The syllabus is organized around major topics on comparative politics, such as colonial legacies, trade-led state-building, federalism, party systems, revolutions, industrialization, democratization, and ethnicity and citizenship. Through these topics, the students will learn about the political institutions of a variety of countries in the region from a historical perspective. Students will also be able to compare different theoretical approaches across the social sciences, especially political science, sociology, and economics. The course provides an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to discuss and collectively dissect major ideas in comparative politics, cultivate the ability to think theoretically about political phenomena, and critically assess social sciences research.

Instructor(s): Cabal, Manuel     Terms Offered: TBD

INRE 39505. Political Violence and Terrorism. 100 Units.

Terrorism as a form of political violence remains in the headlines given the spread of deadly insurgencies, the increased threat posed by lone wolf terrorists, and the violent attacks of rival militant groups competing for power and recognition. This course is designed to introduce students to important theoretical and empirical puzzles, analytical approaches, and methods in terrorism studies. As such, we will cover a wide range of topics from the causes of terrorism to the characteristics, targets, and strategies of terrorist organizations, the motivations of suicide bombers, and states' responses to terrorism. Relying on case studies and quantitative data, we will explore and try to address questions such as: Why do some terrorist groups target indiscriminately, while others are more discriminate in their attacks? Why do some terrorist groups provide social services to their constituents when others do not? Why do some terrorist groups use women operatives while others mostly recruit men? Why do some counterterrorism policies succeed while others fail, and generate more terrorism? By the end of this class, students will be familiar with the prominent debates, competing explanations, and up-to-date scholarly research on terrorism, and be able to systematically analyze empirical puzzles regarding terrorism and political violence using different theoretical and methodological approaches.

Instructor(s): Alakoc, Burcu Pinar     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Undergraduate students must seek instructor consent prior to enrollment
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 29505, PLSC 39505, INRE 29505

INRE 39550. International Migration. 100 Units.

This course examines the drivers of international migration and its consequences for international politics. Students will consider the reasons people move from one country to another, and analyze how states and international organizations facilitate, obstruct, and deter people from crossing borders. The goal of the course is to provide students with a strong foundation for understanding the key theoretical, legal, and political concepts that shape current debates over international migration. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the course covers themes such as how globalization, global capitalism, conflict, and climate change impact contemporary patterns of regular and irregular migration, how states and the international community respond to forced displacement, and the ways in which border externalization, militarization, and surveillance are proliferating throughout the globe. Students will write one op-ed advocating for a change or continuation in current approaches to managing migration, and two policy papers examining two separate case studies related to international migration. A key component of this course is editing and analyzing others' work.

Instructor(s): Tinti, Peter     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Undergraduate students must seek instructor consent prior to enrollment
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 30999

INRE 39650. Transnational Organized Crime: Contemporary Issues. 100 Units.

This course delves into global impacts of transnational organized criminal networks on political, social, and economic outcomes. Students will grapple with the successes and failures of international and state approaches to combating transnational organized crime, and will examine the ways in which international organizations, governments, and communities interact with transnational criminal groups and illicit markets. The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of contemporary issues of TOC (drug trafficking, cybercrime, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, arms trafficking, illicit trade in wildlife and non-renewable resources, etc.), and challenge them to take a forward-looking approach to analyzing criminal markets and identifying emerging trends.

Instructor(s): Tinti, Peter      Terms Offered: Spring

INRE 39900. What Was Multilateralism? 100 Units.

A foundational institution of modern international relations, multilateralism has been "in crisis" since its emergence in the 19th century. Its normative commitments - publicity, reciprocity, equality, impartiality, restraint, and community - have motivated generations of transformational agents and become imprinted in the quotidian practices of international political life. In spite of or maybe because of multilateralism's presence, its critics have enlisted the social theories of their time to critique multilateralism as unworkably idealistic or cunningly reactionary. What explains the staying power of an institution that knows few allies and many enemies? This course explores the crisis of multilateralism by taking seriously the idea that the institution has survived by ritualizing its normative content without ever cohering as an institutional form. We will explore this dynamic by reading several moments of crisis through classic and current theory. We will discover how political, economic, and social crises animate theory, and how theory, in turn, leaves its mark on what crisis actors imagine to be possible. Students are invited to write in a public-facing format: open-ended peer dialogue; syllabus plus keynote lecture; or op-ed blog post plus link annotation. After collectively assembling a theory reference guide, they will each explore a crisis phenomenon and use the theoretical resources this course provides to illuminate the crisis for their audience.

Instructor(s): Staisch, Matthias     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): Open to undergraduates with instructor consent
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 29901, PLSC 39901

INRE 40801. Seminar on the International Politics of Asia. 100 Units.

This seminar is a graduate-level survey of the contemporary cross-national politics of Asia. It centers the perspectives brought to bear on these issues by the state and society of modern India. The course covers four overarching areas of scholarship: (1) statebuilding and its associated practices of national identity construction; (2) civil-military relations; (3) intrastate conflict and contentious politics including human rights and the rule of law; (4) the political economy of development and environmental sustainability since liberalization; and (5) regional geopolitical and geoeconomic competition. This survey is offered distinctly from, but as a pre-requisite for, participation in CIR's March 2020 Asian International Relations Seminar in Mumbai and Delhi. The course emphatically welcomes all students with a substantive interest in the region's politics, regardless of their ability to join us for this subsequent trip.

Instructor(s): Michael Reese, Matthias Staisch     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Open to CIR students and all others with instructors' consent

INRE 42000. Writing about Complex Issues. 100 Units.

This course will challenge students to engage critical questions of human security in the context of three contemporary case studies that have come to represent "policy quagmires" at the international level: international stabilization efforts in the Sahel region of Africa; the US-led "War on Drugs" in Latin America and the Caribbean; and the migration "crisis" in Europe. Students will be required to think critically about existing policy approaches pursued by various actors in these settings. Drawing from a range of sources and disciplines, students will learn how to analyze these issues, write persuasively in a variety of formats, and come away better equipped to research and write about other complex international crises. In all three case studies, the prevailing development-security nexus, promoted and financed by the international community and national governments, has proved insufficient as a framework for meeting respective challenges. Meanwhile, non-state actors, including criminal networks, armed groups, civil society organizations, NGOs, and humanitarian agencies compete and collaborate with state actors and each other to shape security and governance outcomes according to their own interests and ideologies. Students will submit written assignments on each of the three case studies. A key component of this course will be editing and analyzing the work of their peers.

Instructor(s): Tinti, Peter     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): Open to undergraduates with instructor consent
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 22001

INRE 43000. Core Seminar: International Order and Security. 100 Units.

This seminar is a graduate-level course on international order and security, with a focus on the pragmatic intersections between scholarship and real-time policy-applicable forecasting. The central objective will be to help students develop the skills to relate the empirical world to the theoretical, developing skills that will contribute to useful and appropriate independent research. By the end of this part of the core sequence, students will be able to (1) formulate compelling research questions in the study of anarchic political systems; (2) center their investigations on well-specified alternative explanatory accounts drawn from a focused consideration of the existing literature; and (3) link social scientific theories of politics to their multifaceted empirical implications.

Instructor(s): Matthias Staisch     Terms Offered: Autumn Winter
Note(s): Open only to CIR students
Equivalent Course(s): INRE 23000

INRE 43100. Global Governance and Structures of International Power. 100 Units.

Global climate change, human rights violations, war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic. These are issues that do not abide by borders; they are truly global in scope. To address these challenges, create stability in global relations, and further collective interests, states and other actors construct, revise, and enforce elaborate architectures of global governance. This seminar thus explores global governance - the rules that are intended to govern the world. Rather than taking those rules as given, however, we will interrogate the ways in which governance is supported by specific structures of power, which emerge together to create something called the 'international order.' We will attempt to understand how governance and international order are related, and whether governance arrangements that are meant to solve the problems that pervade global politics distribute the benefits and costs of doing so fairly. The course proceeds in three parts. First, we examine the order and structural power that undergirds the international system. We also investigate the (evolving) architecture of global governance that upholds this order. Then we take a closer look at this architecture of global governance, which has changed dramatically from its origins, when it was dominated by large intergovernmental organizations designed by states to serve states' interests. Finally, we consider four areas of global governance: climate change, security, human rights, and global health.

Instructor(s): Turco, Linnea     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): INRE 23100

INRE 43200. Core Seminar: Global Governance, Rights, and Norms. 100 Units.

TBD

Instructor(s): Turco, Linnea     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Open only to CIR students

INRE 43300. Human and Artificial Intelligences in IR: A Research Practicum. 100 Units.

What are the relative strengths of human cognition/emotion and generative AI for research? This course is designed for MA students and advanced undergraduates who are pursuing independent research (e. g. MA thesis; Honors thesis) and who seek to craft a workflow that activates their own creative impulses while also capitalizing on the computational powers of AI. This course is structured as a practicum. This means that students will experiment with a suite of analog, digital, and generative AI tools. We will conceptualize the research process as modular and test drive diverse tools for Search and Retrieval; Scanning and Browsing; (Deep) Reading and Note-taking; Meta-analysis; (Paper) Design; Drafting and Editing; and Creativity/Discovery. In each module, students will reflect on how they prefer to integrate these tools and pay special attention to the trade-offs that arise and the conditions under which their human research skills thrive or atrophy. By the end of the quarter, students will have composed a detailed account of their own modular research workflow and positioned themselves well for proposing a thesis project later in the academic year. For the duration of the course, students will be asked to subscribe to the paid versions of a select few generative AI interfaces. The syllabus will collect readings from the interdisciplinary sciences of learning, meta-cognition, and research. Substantive examples will be pulled from International Relations.

Instructor(s): Matthias Staisch     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): INRE 23300

INRE 43305. Globalization & Labor. 100 Units.

Increased globalization-in the form of freer trade, more open immigration, the international flow of capital, and the spread of information technologies-has profoundly influenced both international and domestic politics in the present age. While some credit increased globalization with dramatic reductions in extreme poverty and rising standards of living, others see it as a new form of colonial domination driving environmental degradation and labor exploitation. In this course, we will examine these developments through the lens of labor. We will look at how workers and their unions have shaped, and been shaped by, the politics of globalization on issues ranging from tariffs to democratization and from fiscal austerity to climate change. Students will emerge with a greater understanding of the power of, and challenges to, worker solidarity.

Instructor(s): Parker, Adam     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): INRE 23305, PLSC 23306

INRE 43600. Critical Security Studies. 100 Units.

This graduate-level elective course is designed to introduce students to approaches to global politics beyond the traditional mainstream canon, surveying a range of perspectives that fall under the heading of 'critical.' The main goal is to develop an understanding of what is at stake, politically, with some of the main concepts, theories, methodological approaches, and empirical objects within the study of international relations (IR) and international security. The course is divided into two sections. First, we begin by considering what makes a critical approach critical-that is, how is it set apart from conventional approaches? In particular, we will explore how critical approaches encourage us to question our assumptions, first, about what security, power, sovereignty, and other core concepts mean in global politics, and second, about who or what (individuals, groups, nonhuman animals, states, the planet) can be agents of global politics. Some examples of approaches we cover are: theories from the Global South, approaches to human security, global feminisms, securitization theories, ontological security, emotions and affect, the visual turn, new materialisms, and post-colonial perspectives. In the second half of the course, we apply these approaches to a range of issues, including nuclear weapons, borders and immigration, drone warfare, terrorism, and climate change.

Instructor(s): Kara Ann Hooser     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 23600, GNSE 43602, INRE 23600, GNSE 23602

INRE 43605. The Politics of the Middle East. 100 Units.

This course will provide an analytical overview of the politics, regimes, and institutions of one of the most geopolitically important and exciting regions of the world: the Middle East. Blending literatures from international security, human rights, and comparative politics, we will cover a wide range of political, economic, and social issues as well as contemporary debates pertaining to the region. Some of these topics will include civil resistance and compliance under different types of authoritarianism, domestic conflict and proxy wars, the legacies of military coups and third-party interventions, the status and agency of women, political governance and participation in oil-monarchies, and the political repercussions of the Syrian civil war and ensuing refugee crisis. Where possible, we will situate these topics against the backdrop of cooperative and conflictual regional dynamics, engage contemporary debates and recent developments, and draw on multiple country profiles and case studies as illustrative examples. By the end of this class, you will be able to analyze the complex, modern-day politics of the Middle East, identifying the key players, issues and challenges, and also gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of intra and interstate relationships that shape the region.

Instructor(s): Alakoc, Burcu Pinar     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): INRE 23605, PLSC 23605, PLSC 43605

INRE 43800. Core Seminar: International Political Economy. 100 Units.

This seminar is a graduate-level survey of international political economy (IPE) which introduces students to the key issues and debates in the field. This course will investigate the interacting effects of the economic and political factors that govern three international flows: those of goods and services (trade), those of people (migration), and those of capital (monetary policy and FDI). It will also look at the effects that these flows have on the people and countries involved in them. The course will consider explanations at both the domestic and international levels and cases from around the world. Upon completing this course, students will be able to a) articulate competing explanations of international flows, b) match these theories to empirical cases and explain areas of congruence and contradiction, and c) craft persuasive verbal and written arguments about the best explanations for important outcomes in the international economy. Students will further gain an understanding of the appropriate use of research methods in the field of IPE.

Instructor(s): Matthias Staisch     Terms Offered: Autumn Winter
Note(s): Open only to CIR students
Equivalent Course(s): INRE 23800

INRE 43801. Seminar on the International Politics of Asia. 100 Units.

This seminar is a graduate-level survey of the contemporary cross-national politics of Asia. It centers the perspectives brought to bear on these issues by the state and society of modern India. The course covers four overarching areas of scholarship: (1) statebuilding and its associated practices of national identity construction; (2) civil-military relations; (3) intrastate conflict and contentious politics including human rights and the rule of law; (4) the political economy of development and environmental sustainability since liberalization; and (5) regional geopolitical and geoeconomic competition. This survey is offered distinctly from, but as a pre-requisite for, participation in CIR's March 2020 Asian International Relations Seminar in Mumbai and Delhi. The course emphatically welcomes all students with a substantive interest in the region's politics, regardless of their ability to join us for this subsequent trip.

Instructor(s): M. Reese, M. Staisch     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Open to CIR students and all others with instructors' consent

INRE 44805. The Political Economy of Technological Change. 100 Units.

This course is a graduate-level survey of the political economy of technological change. The course begins by investigating the nature of technology and technological change, paying particular attention to the socially constructed nature of technologies. Then, in three sections, it investigates 1) where technological innovations come from, 2) how new technologies spread, and 3) the economic, political, and cultural impacts of new technologies. Throughout the course, students will be asked to interrogate the values and assumptions encoded in technologies and how technologies impact marginalized peoples and communities. Students will emerge with a greater understanding of the complex social, political, and economic forces implicated in technological change.

Instructor(s): Parker, Adam     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): Undergraduate students must seek instructor consent prior to enrollment
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 44805, PLSC 24806

INRE 46500. MA Thesis Workshop. 000 Units.

This required, non-credit course is designed to continue the preceptor-group collaboration established in Autumn's Perspectives (INRE 30000). The purpose of the workshop is to give each student the opportunity to present his or her thesis research as it develops during their first year in the CIR program. Must be taken in each of Winter and Spring quarters.

Terms Offered: Spring

INRE 46505. BA/MA Thesis Workshop. 100 Units.

This course helps BA/MA students meet their undergraduate major requirements for writing a single BA/MA thesis paper.

Instructor(s): Paul Staniland     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): This course is open to CIR BA/MA students only
Equivalent Course(s): INRE 26505, GLST 29998

INRE 49700. Reading/Research: International Relations. 100 Units.

This course allows students the opportunity to receive course-credit for their thesis research. It may only be taken once.

Instructor(s): P. Staniland     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter
Prerequisite(s): Open only to 1st year CIR students