Teaching
International Politics
This course is an introduction to major theories and issues in international politics. The course is divided into four parts: 1) Concepts and Theories; 2) War and Security; 3) The Global Economy; and 4) Emerging Issues. The goals of the course are to introduce students to the broad contours of the field of international relations; to help students develop the analytical skills necessary for thinking critically about international politics; and to teach students how to write clear and convincing written arguments. Students are also encouraged to use this class as a way of improving their oral communication skills. More»
--- top ---East Asian International Relations
This course has three goals: (1) to introduce students to salient issues in East Asian international politics; (2) to situate current events within a historical context, and (3) to provide students with analytic tools to analyze contemporary issues. We begin with an examination of the regional balance of power: what is power, who has it, and how is the balance of power shifting? We then focus on the military relations between key countries, assessing the conventional and nuclear balance of power, and the prospects for stable deterrence. We next move to the realm of ideas, where we explore how history and national identities affect the security strategies of states, and how they affect regional relations. We will then consider the prospects for a “liberal peace” in the region, made possible through increasing economic interdependence and through democratization. The course ends with a discussion of future American strategy toward the East Asian region. More»
--- top ---Memory and Justice After War
From Israel to the Balkans, from Germany to Japan, at the core of a group or state's identity are the heroes and villains, mistakes and triumphs that it chooses to commemorate. These memories are often incompatible with or antagonistic toward the way others remember similar events. Scholars argue that remembrance of past violence affects domestic political stability and democratization. They also argue that memory is a potentially powerful cause of wars. This course examines the politics of memory within and between several different countries, including South Africa, the Balkans, Japan, Germany, Israel, France, and the United States. More»
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