International Relations and Diplomacy

This is an introductory course on international relations and diplomacy for the Class 1901 from the English Department to empower them the fundamental knowledge of global political system. The purpose of this course is to systematically study international interactions between actors with different interests and ideas. In this course the students will explore topics, encounter puzzles, examine theories, and evaluate evidence to try to gain a greater understanding of world politics. The overarching goal of the course is to understand how the contemporary global political system originated, and what historical processes and actors drove its development and change.

The course has three parts. The first part provides a historical overview of international politics and will equip you with the theoretical and conceptual tools to understand the fascinating and evolving world of international politics. We will discuss the main theories of International Relations (IR) that have been used to explain relations among states and other global actors.Here we will learn concepts such as anarchy, order, and hegemony/polarity. We will consider why the United Nations was created, how it works, and we will evaluate how effective it has been in providing global security.

The second part of the course focuses on the causes and consequences of armed conflict. Violence and war continue to plague many parts of the world and our quest to provide human security and freedom from fear requires a deep understanding of some of the most important conflicts of our time. We will analyze fateful episodes from the last one hundred years and we will discuss such topics as great power wars, terrorism,civil conflict, and humanitarian intervention.

The third part of this course deals with the economic side of international relations. Here you will learn about free trade, global finance, and economic development. We will consider the costs and benefits of global capital movements in the light of the recent financial crisis and discuss the impact of global capitalism on the environment. We will also discuss the inevitable role those international institutions play in domestic economic outcomes and how you can affect international investments.

Each part you will also learn how to associate the international relations with China’s own developmental achievements, such as comprehensive elimination of poverty, China’s 50th restoration to the United Nation, President Xi’s diplomacy thought, etc.