Programme

This course consists of in-depth study of fundamental dynamics in international politics. It is in three parts. Its first part engages the students in a discussion of the main theories of international relations: realism, institutionalism, liberalism, constructivism, English school and Copenhagen school, critical theory, feminism, post-structuralism and post-colonialism. The second part moves from theory to practice by employing key concepts which are important when analyzing international politics, including cooperation, conflict, dialogue, and narratives. It also inquires into the gap between theory, practice, and the games played by real actors in international politics. The third part explores key topics in international politics, including new dynamics in the international system, questions of war and peace, new security challenges, as well as ethical issues. Students are directly engaged in all three parts through presentations, participations in debates, as well as a field trip. Students will learn how to criticize existing research paradigms and how political science concepts evolve in a changing international context.

This course is taught in English.

Core Documentation

Required textbooks:
• Textbook 1: Dunne, Tim, Milya Kurki, and Steve Smith (eds), International Relations Theories. Discipline and Diversity. Oxford: Oxford University Press (2nd edition, 2009)
• Textbook 2: Carlsnaes, Walter, Risse, Thomas, and Simmons, Beth, eds. Sage Handbook of International Relations (2002)

Reference Bibliography

SCHEDULE 1. Introduction I THEORY 2. History of IR: the four great debates and key concepts in the modern state system (power, anarchy etc) Brian C. Schmidt, ‘On the History and Historiography of International Relations’ Silviya Lechner, ‘Anarchy in International Relations’, https://oxfordre.com/internationalstudies/abstract/10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.001.0001/acrefore-9780190846626-e-79 Michael Barnett and Raymond Duvall, ‘Power in International Politics’ International Organization, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Winter, 2005), pp. 39-75. 3. How to study IR: levels of analysis, rational actor/normative actor, and agency-structure J. David Singer, “The Level-of-Analysis Problem in International Relations,” World Politics 14, no. 1 (October 1961): 77–92, https://doi.org/10.2307/2009557. Alexander E. Wendt, “The Agent-Structure Problem in International Relations Theory,” International Organization 41, no. 3 (1987): 335–70. 4. Classical realism Political Realism in International Relations in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/realism-intl-relations/ Richard Ned Lebow, ‘Classical Realism’, in Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki, and Steve Smith (eds.) International Relations Theories Discipline and Diversity (Oxford: Oxford UP: 2013), 59-76. 5. Neorealism John J. Mearsheimer, ‘Structural Realism’, in Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki, and Steve Smith (eds.) International Relations Theories Discipline and Diversity (Oxford: Oxford UP: 2013), 77-94. Kenneth N. Waltz, ‘Structural Realism after the Cold War’, International Security, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Summer 2000), pp. 5–41 6. Constructivism Molly Cochran, ‘Constructivism’, in Christian Reus-Smit and Duncan Snidal (eds.), The Oxford Handbook Of International Relations (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008), 298-317. Alexander Wendt, "Anarchy is What States Make of It: the Social Construction of Power Politics" in International Organization, Vol. 46, No. 2 (Spring, 1992), pp. 391-425 James Fearon and Alexander Wendt, ‘Rationalism v. Constructivism: A Skeptical View’, in Walter Carlsnaes, Thomas Risse, Beth A Simmons (eds.), Handbook of International Relations (London: Sage Publications, 2002). 7. Institutionalism Robert O. Keohane and Lisa L. Martin, ‘The Promise of Institutionalist Theory’, International Security, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Summer, 1995), pp. 39-51. Stephen D. Krasner, ‘Structural causes and regime consequences: regimes as intervening variables’, International Organization, 1982, vol. 36, issue 02, 185-205. 8. International society/English School Tim Dunne, The English School (Chapter 7 in Text Book 1) Andrew Linklater, ‘The English School Conception of International Society: Reflections on Western and non-Western Perspectives’, Ritsumeikan Annual Review of International Studies, 2010, Vol. 9, pp. 1-13, http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/acd/cg/ir/college/bulletin/e-vol.9/01Andrew%20Linklater.pdf 9. Liberalism Bruce Russet, Liberalism (Chapter 5 in Textbook 1) Andrew Moravcsik, “Taking Preferences Seriously: A Liberal Theory of International Politics,” International Organization 51, no. 4 (ed 1997): 513–53, https://doi.org/10.1162/002081897550447. 10. Copenhagen school / Securitization Ole Wæver, “Securitization and Desecuritization.” In On Security. Edited by Ronnie Lipschutz, 46–86. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995. Michael C. Williams, ‘Words, Images, Enemies: Securitization and International Politics’, International Studies Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 4 (Dec., 2003), pp. 511-531 11. Critical theory and feminist approaches Steven C. Roach, Critical Theory (Chapter 9 in Textbook 1) Ann Tickner and Laura Sjoberg, Feminism (in Chapter 11 in Textbook 1) 12. Poststructuralism and postcolonial theory in IR David Campbell, Poststructuralism (Chapter 12 in Textbook 1) Siba N. Grovogui, Postcolonialism (Chapter 13 in Textbook 1) II FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE 13. ****DEBATE NOW*** Competition and cooperation in world politics Charles Glaser, Rational Theory of International Politics – The Logic of Cooperation and Competition (Princeton: Princeton UP, 2010), Introduction and Conclusions. 14. Intercultural dialogue: the case of Euro-Mediterranean relations Thomas Risse, “‘Let’s Argue!’: Communicative Action in World Politics,” International Organization 54, no. 1 (2000): 1–39. Raffaella A. Del Sarto, “Normative Empire Europe: The European Union, Its Borderlands, and the ‘Arab Spring,’” JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies 54, no. 2 (March 1, 2016): 215–32, https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12282. 15. MIDTERM PAPER SUBMISSION 16. Conference at RomaTre 17. The theory – practice gap Alexander L. George, “The Two Cultures of Academia and Policy-Making: Bridging the Gap,” Political Psychology 15, no. 1 (1994): 143–72, https://doi.org/10.2307/3791443. Nye, Joseph. 2008. “International Relations: The Relevance of Theory to Practice.” The Oxford Handbook of International Relations, August. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199219322.003.0037. 18. Games real actors play: the Iranian nuclear file Fearon, James, “Domestic Political Audiences and the Escalation of International Disputes”, American Political Science Review, Vol. 88 (3), 1994, pp. 577-592. Putnam, Robert. “Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The logic of Two-Level Games”, International Organization, Vol. 42 (1), 1988, pp. 15-32. III KEY TOPICS IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS Dynamics in the international system 19. The EU role in Global Security from Maastricht to Brexit Hugo Meijer & Marco Wyss, The Oxford Handbook of European Armed Forces and Defense Policies (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2018), Introduction, chapter 50 & 51. 20. The transatlantic relationship and NATO Stratfor Assessments, NATO: the Evolution of the Alliance, the Current State of Play, and the Future of the Alliance (September 2019). 21. From US unipolarity to multipolarity: Balance of Power and the Return of Great Powers’ Competition AAVV., Understanding the Emerging Era of International Competition Theoretical and Historical Perspectives (Santa Monica: RAND, 2018). T.V. Paul, Restraining Great Powers Soft Balancing from Empires to the Global Era (New Haven: Yale UP, 2018), Chapter 1&2. War and Peace 22. The case of the Middle East Conflict Jack S. Levy, “Interstate War and Peace”, in Textbook 2 Introduction in: Neil Caplan, The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Contested Histories (John Wiley & Sons, 2011). Introduction in: Michael Barnett, Dialogues in Arab Politics (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998). 23. The United Nations in peace-making and peace-keeping Stephen Ryan, “United Nations Peacekeeping: A Matter of Principles?,” International Peacekeeping 7, no. 1 (March 1, 2000): 27–47, https://doi.org/10.1080/13533310008413817. Introduction in: Karim Makdisi and Vijay Prashad, Land of Blue Helmets. The United Nations and the Arab World, 2016, https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520286948/land-of-blue-helmets. Jones Bruce, “The Security Council and the Arab-Israeli Wars: ‘Responsibility Without Power,’” in The United Nations Security Council and War: The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945, ed. Vaughan Lowe et al. (OUP Oxford, 2010), 298–323. 24. New Wars and areas of limited statehood Mary Kaldor, “Old Wars, Cold Wars, New Wars, and the War on Terror,” International Politics 42, no. 4 (December 1, 2005): 491–98, https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ip.8800126. Introduction: Thomas Risse, Governance Without a State?: Policies and Politics in Areas of Limited Statehood (Columbia University Press, 2011). Introduction in: Nader Hashemi and Danny Postel, Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East, 1 edition (Oxford ; New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2017). Security issues 25. Is the War on Terror still going on? Daniel Byman, ‘Eighteen Years On: The War on Terror Comes of Age’, CTC Sentinel 12/8 (2019). Wesley Morgan, ‘Behind the secret US war in Africa’, Politico March 7 2018 Council on Foreign Relations, ‘The Risks of Reducing U.S. Special Operations in Africa’, September, 13, 2018 26. Technology and International Affairs: Diffusion and Competition Stefan Fritsch, ‘Technology and Global Affairs’, International Studies Perspectives (2011) 12, 27–45. Helen Milner, and Sondre U. Solstad. “Technology Diffusion and the International System”, Princeton University Working Papers December 3 2018 Michael C. Horowitz, ‘Artificial Intelligence, International Competition, and the Balance of Power’, Texas National Security Review: Volume 1, Issue 3 (May 2018). 27. Power and Conflict in Cyberspace Joseph Nye, Cyber Power (Cambdrige: Belfer Center for International Affairs, 2018). Michael P. Fischerkeller, Persistent Engagement, Agreed Competition, Cyberspace Interaction Dynamics, and Escalation (Alexandria: Institute for Defense Analyses, 2018). Ethic issues in current international politics 28. **** DEBATE NOW **** Humanitarian intervention and R2P Nathalie Tocci, “On Power and Norms: Libya, Syria and the Responsibility to Protect,” Global Responsibility to Protect 8, no. 1 (February 29, 2016): 51–75, https://doi.org/10.1163/1875984X-00801004. 29. International politics of human rights and democracy promotion Hans Peter Schmitz and Kathryn Sikkink, International Human Rights, in Textbook 2 Finnemore, Martha and Kathryn Sikkink, ‘International Norm Dynamics and Political Change’, International Organization, 52, 4 (1998) 30. The dominant international development model and its critiques Sylvia Maxfield, International Development, in Textbook 2 Introduction in: Laura Guazzone and Daniela Pioppi, The Arab State and Neo-Liberal Globalization: The Restructuring of State Power in the Middle East, Reprint edizione (Ithaca, 2012). 31. Conclusions 32. Field trip to Médecins Sans Frontières in Rome

Type of delivery of the course

Classes will consist of joint discussions and analysis of the topics of the course. Discussions will focus on the analysis of key theoretical paradigms in international relations and on their application to selected case studies. Students will be expected to do required readings, keep up to date on current affairs, participate in class and the debates. Students who have taken this course will have: • a detailed knowledge of the main theoretical and conceptual approaches to the study of international relations; • a knowledge of current developments in world politics; • a critical understanding of the diversity of political ideas in the study of international relations and of the political and social issues that such diversity raises; • an ability to locate, analyze, and evaluate new information and knowledge from a variety of textual sources; • an ability to communicate their knowledge.

Attendance

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance is mandatory for all classes, including field studies. If a student misses more than three classesin this course, two percentage points will be deducted from the final grade for every additional absence. Any exams, tests,presentations, or other work missed due to student absences can only be rescheduled in cases of documented medical emergencies or family emergencies. The Faculty Committee will only consider extreme emergency cases and will strictly adhere to this policy.

Type of evaluation

Assessment for the course will be based upon: a) class participation that will count for 10% of the final grade b) a mid-term paper that will count for 25% of the final grade b) two in-class debates that will count 20% each b) a final oral examination that will count for the remaining 25% of the grade.