Formation/Cours

Students are graded on the basis of the following assignments:

(1) Participation (30%): This is a reading-heavy and interactive class. Each student is expected to read all compulsory texts and participate actively in class discussions.

(2) Debates (2 x 35%): For sessions 5-8, students will be sorted into different teams to engage in formal debates on particular IR controversies. Each team takes part in two debates.

This is an advanced theory course which presupposes a background in International Relations (IR) theories and expects students to read, prepare, and discuss theoretical texts in class. The course explores a range of recent research programs and scholarly debates in IR, from the turn to the history of the state system through rationalist theories of war and nuclear proliferation to constructivist studies of norms, identity, and anxiety. Students will gain a more profound understanding of key disciplinary discussions, middle-range theories, and research strategies. The final four sessions are devoted to organized debtates in which student teams face off against each other to challenge and defend particular IR positions that are also discussed in the field.