Overview of Course

Students will learn about major events in international affairs post-World War II and the primary schools of thought for understanding these events. Delving into these theories will help students approach, appreciate, and be conversant in this discipline, in addition to exposing them to the relevant foundational literature for understanding key issues, actors, and institutions. Students will learn how to understand complex affairs from different points of view and wrestle with the dilemmas inherent in foreign affairs. Approaching issues of international relations from both evidence-focused and policymaking perspectives will help students better understand the practice of international relations, enabling them to become more rigorous thinkers of today’s global landscape. Students will also explore possible trajectories for the future global environment they will live in, particularly examining possible futures for China, India, and the United States, and will develop their own assessments of key trends. Doing so will enable students to tie their understanding of historic trends in international relations to the different approaches they may encounter.