POLSCI 160 introduces students to the study of international politics. No prior background in international relations is assumed. The goal is to help students acquire the basic analytic tools necessary to understand and explain a variety of international phenomena including war (interstate and civil), terrorism, international economic cooperation, environmental cooperation, and human rights practices. The course prepares students for more advanced classes in international relations and helps them to think critically and analytically about current events. Students will become more informed citizens of the world having been introduced to the “science” of international politics. 

Course Requirements:

A new tool adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic is InQuizitive, which essentially makes the textbook interactive and provides an accountability mechanism to ensure students have carefully completed the required reading prior to class. Instead of exams, students can try as many times as necessary to pass the interactive quiz for each chapter.  As a result, less time will be devoted lecturing baseline concepts and more time on additional applications, discussion, and team projects.

Intended Audience:

Primarily for first and second year students

Class Format:

Given we will meet in the new CCCB Round classroom, 3-4 major team projects will complement the lecture material with student teams representing different countries and actors to engage in policy debate. The team projects not only encourage cooperative behavior and small-group interactions within a larger course; they also stimulate effective advocacy and persuasion skills (and even a sense of humor in certain role-playing situations). The Round classroom allows students to engage in the lecture portion of the class with every student being within five rows of the instructor and also facilitates various scenarios like international disputes featuring opposing sides and a court.