Political Research Seminar (395-0-20)
Topic
The Politics of Warfare in a Changing Internationa
Instructors
William S Reno
847/467-1574
601 University Pl #106
Meeting Info
Scott Hall 201 Ripton Room: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
POLI SCI 395: The politics of Warfare in a Changing International System
The raim of this course is to understand the role of war in the context of the rapid changes in the organization of the innternational system in the past several years. This course is organized around the proposition that the internationsl system has reached a critical juncture in the terms of power and its distribution.
The course will begin with an examination of the major theories explaining the role of war -- including interstate war and civil wars -- in relations between states. The seconnd part of the course traces how patterns of warfare reflect changes in the definition and distribution of power in the international system. In the third part of the course we will consider similarities and differences between warfare during the Cold War, during three decades of US global dominance that is coming to a close, and the critical juncture in interstate relations today. The fourth and final part of the course will focus more squarely on the character of contemporary conflicts and their places in an increasingly competitive internationasl environment. Throughout the course we will discuss how this examination of historical and contemporary patterns of warfare can be used to generate concrete policy recommendations for how US political leaders can meet challenge of competition in the 21st century.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
• Have the capacity to distinguish among different roles of war and other armed conflict in the analysis of international politics.
• Evaluate the relative efficacy of actors' strategic uses of warfare in the pursuits of their interests and understand why various actors in conflicts adopt specific strategies.
• Understand and explain why actors in some conflicts use violence in particular ways and outcomes of those uses of violence.
• Understand and explain the role official policies and strategic planning (i.e., The US Nationnal Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy) play in contemporary conflicts.
• Make informed judgements about efficacy of policies and tradeoffs policy choices entail.
• Think about and discuss plausible directions in which US military strategy might evolve to address new challenges.
• Critically evaluate how social science theories can inform the public and government officials about the nature of warfighting generally and about specific contemporary conflicts.
In addition, this course is designed to enable students to:
• Set and evaluate academic goals
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
• Study effectively
• Think critically
• Understand and meet Northwestern's standards of academic integrity
• Know when and how to ask for help
Teaching Method
Informal lecture, discussion, group work.
Evaluation Method
Midterm exam, 20%
Online group discussion (weekly), 40%
Participation, 10%
Final essay, 30%
Class Materials (Required)
Old and New Battlespaces: Society, Military Powe 978-1626379961r, and War, Buddhika Jayamaha & Jahara Matisek, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2022, ISBN:
Class Attributes
Advanced Expression