The struggle for democracy
Not offered in 1995
PLT1040
Introduction to international relations
6 points * 3 hours per week * Second semester * Clayton
This subject provides an introduction to theoretical and practical developments in international relations since 1945. It commences with a survey of various conceptual frameworks, going on to examine the practice of international relations in the contemporary international system, focusing on the themes of war, intervention, international political economy, integration, non-state actors, the prospects for change and the tension between ethics and foreign policy. To understand these phenomena the subject will consider such issues as superpower relations, recent developments in East and West Europe, the North-South conflict, politics in the Middle East, the UN system and the impact of new actors on the world stage. The concluding section examines a number of ethical issues including morality in war, human rights, global social justice and the implications of environmental crisis for international relations. A consistent theme throughout the subject is the direction and extent of reform in the international system.
Assessment
Written (2500 words): 50% * Examinations (2 hours): 50%
Prescribed texts
Brown S New forces, old forces and the future of world politics Scott Foresman, 1988
Bull H The anarchical society Macmillan, 1977
Smith M and others Perspectives on world politics 2nd edn, Croon Helm, 1991