International Relations

An examination of the basic foreign policy patterns of Germany, France, Britain, Russia, Japan, China, and the U.S.A. Different approaches and theories for understanding the formulation of foreign policy will be analyzed. Comparisons are made for the formulation of policies and the use of power. Issues of morality and public policy are also addressed.

Dramatic pressures and heightened political risks are causing important shifts in the traditional foreign policies of the nations of Latin America. This course examines the changing global forces affecting regional integration and the economic development for Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile and the domestic responses to these foreign policy changes.

How can we best conceptualize and understand relationships between culturally, philosophically, and economically different and unequal states within the international system? Power relationships, conflict and cooperation within the international system change over time. This course explores North-South relations within the context of these changes, as well as the self-conceptualization and concerns of the global South.