COURSE DESCRIPTION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION

Course Name Code Semester T+A+L (hour/week) Type (C / O) Local Credit ECTS
Current Debates in International Relations Theories IR 612 Spring 03+00+00 Elective 3 7.5
Academic Unit: International relations
Mode of Delivery: Face to face
Prerequisites: None
Language of Instruction: English
Level of Course Unit: Doctorate
Course Coordinator: Mustafa Aydın
Course Lecturer(s): Mustafa Aydın
Course Objectives: This is an advanced theory course in International Relations designed for IR Ph.D students. The course will take a historical multi-paradigm approach, investigating some of the earlier literatures that have influenced the various theoretical traditions in the discipline of International Relations. Although each week is identified as presenting different approaches or paradigms, where possible, multiple approaches and debates between them will be integrated into each week?s assignments. The course will also include some readings on how knowledge is constructed in a variety of epistemological traditions.
Course Contents: Epistemology and ontology in IR, methodology, the philosophical foundations of IR theory, Realism, Neorealism, Liberalism and neoliberal institutionalism, Marxism and critical theories, The English school, constructivism, poststructuralism, feminism, postcolonialism etc
Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit (LO):
  • 1- Sensitize students to differences in the nature of knowledge claims (epistemology), fundamental assumptions about social/international reality (ontology), procedures of investigation (methodology) as well as political and ethical implications of different theoretical approaches in IR.
  • 2- Familiarize students with differences among explanatory, constitutive and critical approaches in IR
  • 3- Give students a solid understanding of the assumptions, substantive claims, and scope of individual IR theories.
Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods: Two hour lecture and 1 hour class discussion. Students are required to read the assigned texts prior to class meetings.Also students are required to prepare a short critical review paper on the assigned readings every week.


WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATIONS

WeekSubjectsRelated Preperation
1 Why Theory? What Theory? Steve Smith (2007), ‘Introduction: Diversity and Disciplinarity in IR Theory’, in Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki and Steve Smith (eds.) International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity, (Oxford: Oxford University Press): 1-13 [henceforth: Dunne et al.] Milija Kurki and Colin Wight (2007), ‘International Relations and Social Science’, in Dunne et al., 14-35
2 Why Theory? What Theory? (cont.) Kahler, Miles (1997) “Inventing International Relations,” in Michael Doyle and John Ikenberry, (eds.), New Thinking in International Relations (Boulder: Westview Press): 20-53 Katzenstein, Peter, Robert Keohane, and Stephen Krasner (1998) “International Organization and the Study of World Politics,” International Organization, Vol. 52, No. 4: 645-685. Schmidt, Brian C (2002), “On The History and H
3 Political Realism Morgenthau, Hans (1948) Politics Among Nations (New York: Knopf), ch. 1-2 Mearsheimer, John J. Tragedy of Great Power Politics (New York: W. W. Norton, 2001): 1-54. Wagner, R. Harrison. “What Was Bipolarity?,” International Organization, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Winter 1993): 77–106 Lake, David. “Anarchy, Hierarchy, and the Variety Of International Relations,” International Organization Vol. 50, No. 1 (Win
4 Political Realism (cont.) Lebow, Richard Ned “The Long Peace, the End of the Cold War, and the Failure of Realism”, International Organization, 48, 2, (Sping) 1994, σελ. 249-277 Wohlforth, William, ‘Realism and the End of the Cold War’, International Security, 19, Winter 1994/95, σελ. 91-129 Ashley, Richard, “The Poverty of Neo-realism”, International Organization, 38(2), Spring 1984, σελ. 225-86. Gilpin, Robert (1988) “Th
5 Liberalism Panke, Diana and Thomas Risse (2007) “Liberalism,” in Dunne et al., ch. 5. Doyle, Michael (1986) “Liberalism and World Politics,” American Political Science Review, 80(4): 1151-1169. Deudney, Daniel and G. John Ikenberry (1999) “The Nature and Sources of Liberal International Order,” Review of International Studies, 25(2): 179-196. Keohane, Robert O. After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the
6 Liberalism (cont.) Jervis, Robert. “Cooperation under the Security Dilemma,” World Politics, Vol. 30, No. 2 (January 1978): 167-214 Owen, John M. “How Liberalism Produces Democratic Peace,” International Security, Vol. 19, No. 2 (Autumn 1994): 87-125 Layne, Christopher. “Kant or Cant: The Myth of the Democratic Peace,” International Security Vol. 19, No. 2 (Autumn 1994): 5- 49 Martin, Lisa L. (2007) “Neoliberalism,”
7 Marxism Rupert, Mark (2007) “Marxism and Critical Theory,” in Dunne et al., ch. 8. Rosenberg, Justin (1994) “The Empire of Civil Society,” in The Empire of Civil Society: A Critique of the Realist Theory of International Relations, London: Verso, ch. 5. Hoffman, Mark, ‘Critical Theory and the Inter-paradigm Debate’, Millenium: Journal of International Studies, 16(2), 1987, σελ. 231-49
8 Critical Theories Cox, Robert (1981) “Social Forces, States and World Orders: Beyond International Relations Theory,” Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 10(2): 126-155. Linklater, Andrew (1992) “The Question of the Next Stage in International Relations Theory: A Critical-Theoretical Point of View,” Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 21(1): 77-98. George, Jim and Campbell, David, ‘Patterns of D
9 Constructivism Wendt, Alexander (1992) “Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics,” International Organization, 46(2): 391-425. Ruggie, John Gerard (1998) “What Makes the World Hang Together? Neo-utilitarianism and the Social Constructivist Challenge,” International Organization, 52(4): 855-885. Ted Hopf (1998) “The Promise of Constructivism in International Relations Theory”,
10 The English School Dunne, Tim (2007) “The English School,” in Dunne et al. (eds.), ch. 7. Bull, Hedley (1966) “Society and Anarchy in International Relations,” in Herbert Butterfield and Martin Wight (eds.) Diplomatic Investigations: Essays in the Theory of International Relations, London: Allen and Unwin, ch. 2. Bull, Hedley, ‘International Theory: The case for a Classical Approach’, World Politics, 18(3), 1966, σε
11 Poststructuralism Campbell, David (2007) “Poststructuralism,” in Dunne et al., ch. 11. Gregory, Donna U. (1989) “Foreword,” in James Der Derian and Michael Shapiro (eds.), International/Intertextual Relations: Postmodern Readings of World Politics, New York: Lexington Books, pp. xiii-xxi. Der Derian, James (1989) The Boundaries of Knowledge and Power in International Relations,” in James Der Derian and Michael Shap
12 Feminism Tickner, J. Ann and Laura Sjoberg (2007) “Feminism,” in Dunne et al., ch. 10. Cohn, Carol (1987) “Sex and Death in the Rational World of Defense Intellectuals,” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 12 (4): 687-718. Enloe, Cynthia (1989) Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics, Berkeley: University of California Press, chs. 1 and 9. Tickner, J. Ann (19
13 Postcolonialism Grovogui, Siba N. (2007) “Postcolonialism,” in Dunne et al., ch. 12. Said, Edward W. (1978), “Introduction,” in Orientalism, New York: Vintage Books, pp. 1-28. Sanjay Seth (2011) “Postcolonial Theory and Critique of International Relations”, Millennium, 40(1): 167-183. Chowdhry, Geeta and Sheila Nair (2002) “Introduction: Power in a Postcolonial World: Race, Gender, and Class in International Rela
14 IR Theory and Globalization Hay, Colin (2007) “International Relations Theory and Globalization”, in Dunne et al., ch. 14. Rosenberg, Justin (2005) “Globalization Theory: A Post Mortem”, International Politics, 42: 2-74 Rosenberg, Justin (2007) “International Relations – The ‘Higher Bullshit’: A Reply to the Globalization Theory Debate”, International Politics, 44: 450-82


REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED READING

Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki and Steve Smith (eds.) (2007) International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity, (Oxford: Oxford University Press). [henceforth: Dunne et al.]
Patrick Thaddeus Jackson, (2011) The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations, (Routledge).
Kanneth Waltz (1979) Theory of International Politics, (McGraw-Hill)


OTHER COURSE RESOURCES

http://conversations.berkeley.edu


ASSESSMENT METHODS AND CRITERIA

Semester RequirementsNumberPercentage of Grade (%)
Attendance / Participation 14 20
Practice / Exercise 14 -
Homework Assignments 3 45
Other Practices (seminar, studio critics, workshop etc.) 14 -
Final Exam 1 35
Total: 46 100


WORKLOAD

EventsCountDuration (Hours)Total Workload (hour)
Course Hours14342
Homework Assigments3618
Extra-Class Activities (reading,individiual work, etc.)148112
Final Exam115.515.5
Total Workload (hour):187.5


THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (LO) AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS (PQ)

# PQ1 PQ2 PQ3 PQ4 PQ5 PQ6 PQ7 PQ8 PQ9 PQ10 PQ11
LO1 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 3 2 2 1
LO2 3 3 3 1 1 2 3 2 3 2 1
LO3 3 3 3 1 1 2 3 32 3 3 1