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»

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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»

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The Rise of China

This course explores the international strategic implications of the growth of Chinese power. We begin by studying historical periods of Chinese strength and decline, and by studying China's past relations with the United States and its neighbors. We examine China's transition from a position of weakness into one of growing wealth and power, and how this may affect its relations with the world's most powerful country, the United States. Are the United States and China doomed for superpower confrontation, or can China's rise be accommodated? Next, we explore rising China's relations and disputes with its neighbors, in particular Japan, the Koreas, and countries of Southeast Asia. This course has two primary goals: (1) to familiarize students with the international strategic issues that are salient to China's rise (in East Asia, and in U.S.-China relations); and (2) to provide students with analytic tools (theories and military analysis) useful to the study of East Asian international security affairs.

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Nationalism in War and Peace

At the root of many domestic and international policy debates are questions related to national identity. In this course we discuss the various manifestations of identity - the numerous symbols and stories that every community remembers, forgets, or invents in order to advance its goals. We explore the roots of identity and discuss the extent to which it is "primordial" versus constructed, and the extent to which it is malleable. We examine what factors (internal and external) influence the development of national identity and the character of nationalism. The class next turns to the issue of identity politics - how people within a political community struggle for control of the dominant historical narrative (in battles over school textbooks, national holidays, museums, memorials, and so forth). Next we discuss the role of identity in peace and conflict, showing how national identity has powerful effects on threat and conflict, and how resolving problems related to national identity is thus a fundamental part of peacemaking and reconciliation. As we explore these topics, this course examines the politics of identity within and between several different countries -- Austria, Germany, Israel, Japan, Serbia, South Africa, Rwanda, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

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