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War and Change in International Politics (383-0-20)

Instructors

William Reno
847/467-1574
601 University Pl #106

Meeting Info

Parkes Hall 214: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

Is war among the major powers inevitable? For much of modern history, the major powers have fought numerous wars for territorial and economic gains, to settle grievances and past wrongs, or to advance their status. By contrast, the post WW II era marks the longest period in which no major power war has occurred. How was that possible? And will this "long Peace" last?

The course will take both a contemporary as well as a historical look at how states have constructed rules of the game to facilitate trade, foster peace, and engage in cultural interaction. We will first look at various explanations of why major power wars occurred, and then turn to different perspectives of how international systems and international societies can be managed. We will consequently study Western as well as non-Western systems.

In the first part of the course, we will read various theories regarding the likelihood of major power war or high level of armed conflict. After that you will have the option of choosing between various modules that focus on a given regional area or topic. Some of the modules take a historical approach that might reveal a variety of modes of how stable orders might be created. For example you could examine how the Chinese tributary system maintained stable relations with some states for centuries without much conflict. Or you could analyze how international relations might be understood in the Islamic world. More broadly one might study whether different conceptions of international relations can be reconciled. Overall the objective of the course if for you to develop your own perspectives and expectations regarding how the international system might evolve in the future and to think about topics that dovetail with your specific interests for the final essay.

Registration Requirements

Recommended: POLI_SCI 240-0 Introduction to International Relations

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 National 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

Lectures, in-class discussion

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for Political Science students until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisites.