The field of world politics presents us with some of humanity’s most difficult problems. Why do wars happen? Why are some countries rich and others poor? Why is it so hard to get countries to cooperate? Is change possible in world politics or is humanity doomed to repeat the same political drama over and over again? This course introduces students to the fundamentals of international relations theory and how to employ theory to analyze important topics in world politics, such as the development of international institutions, the causes of war, transnational norms, and the role of non-state actors.

CILO-1: Describe important historical events and basic concepts in international politics. CILO-2: Discuss major changes and transitions of international order from different theoretical perspectives. CILO-3: Identify and apply relevant analytical frameworks to analyze current affairs in international relations. CILO-4: Present critical causal arguments on social science topics.