PLSC 14International Relations

3 credits · Political Science · Penn State

What causes war and what makes it stop? When is international aid or military intervention effective? Why are some states wealthy and others plagued by poverty and underdevelopment? How does international trade affect developing countries? What can and should states do to protect human rights around the world? This course provides students with the background and conceptual tools to answer these and similar questions. It teaches students to think systematically about the complex relationships that constitute world politics and to critically engage prevailing academic and policy arguments about global affairs. Students are introduced to the international political system as the arena in which states develop foreign policies of cooperation and competition to pursue power, enhance security and develop economically. They explore how various non-state actors (NGOs, social movements, corporations) and international governmental organizations (UN, IMF, World Bank, WHO) influence interactions among states and between states and their citizens in matters such as interstate and civil wars, terrorism, ethnic conflict, human rights, inequality, global trade, resource scarcity and climate change.