The course introduces students to the major concepts and approaches in the study of international politics. It will first discuss the various theoretical approaches used in study of the field, as well as the assumptions and consequences involved in the use of such approaches. The course will rely on examples from different areas of the world and from different moments in history. In the second part of the courses, we will focus on specific issues that are of interest to the study of international politics such as military conflict, the global economy, the environment, and human rights. This course is an option in the "Societal and Cultural Knowledge" section of the core curriculum.

The course investigates the problems that we often associate with "globalization." How we can deal with such global problems without a global government? Are states, intergovernmental organizations, or non-state actors best suited to deal with such problems? These are the principal questions that the recent "global governance" literature is asking. We will investigate this literature and look at how states and empires have dealt with global problems in the past. We will also discuss how other actors such as multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations and international scientific communities are shaping global governance today.