Crises in International Relations

Instructor: Marzenna James

This practicum will deal with the critical challenges to the international order in the 20th and 21st centuries. Given that Europe and the world have experienced many crises, we will use examples of research about European and transatlantic politics, but students can focus on a key development in international relations anywhere in the world. 

The introduction will encourage students to explore causal questions in many possible contexts, for example, in research about the mechanisms and problems of multilateral cooperation between the United States and Europe, and between countries within Europe; the impact of the war in Ukraine, such as the impact on the viability of the European Union as an economic and political unit in international relations; or the causes and effects of international economic sanctions, such as the influence of Iran sanctions on international non-proliferation efforts.

The goal of the practicum is to initiate the students into the process of independent research in the field of international relations (as opposed to the field of political theory) and to understand its underlying structural logic. The main emphasis will be on the basic methodological foundations upon which students will design their own research projects.