Understanding and Managing Rising Powers (IR332)

What are rising powers? What accounts for their foreign policy behavior? Are they revisionist states? Are their foreign policy decisions influenced by leaders’ beliefs and domestic politics or an inevitable consequence of the power dynamics of the international system?
This course has three goals. First, you will learn to analyze what rising powers are, their role in international politics, and what shapes their foreign policy. Second, you will learn to critically evaluate and consider whether rising powers should be considered dangerous actors in world politics. You will look at 19th, 20th and 21st century history to understand the context of why rising powers were feared by other great powers, and debate how perceptions can shape reputations. Finally, having considered rising powers in both theoretical and historical context, you will be challenged to think about policy options for dealing with rising powers, both historical and contemporary.

International Relations of South Asia (IR 372)

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the region of South Asia and particularly to conflict and cooperation in a dynamic and volatile region which contains two of the world’s nuclear states (India and Pakistan) and a rising power (India), and where some
of the world’s most important conflicts (Kashmir, Afghanistan, Tibetan plateau) are taking place. We will focus on four major players in the region, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and you will learn about the making of contentious borders, the domestic political dynamics, inter-country relations, regional politics, great power interventions, and the reasons for political, military and economic conflict, and cooperation. We will analyze variables that will range from historical legacies to to domestic, political and economic factors, and attempt to understand what factor or combination of factors affects these countries. The course utilizes lectures both by the professor and distinguished guests, movies, novels and class discussions to convey important concepts about South Asian countries, and their place in the international community.

Conflict and Cooperation in Asia (IR 501)

Asia is home to a very diverse array of powers facing major and minor issues. These issues range from gender, water, population control, health and environment to territory, armed conflict and nuclear threats. The goal of this course is to study some of the problems that can lead to instability in the region with enormous potential to affect the rest of the world, as well as ways developed by these states to cooperate with each other. In addition to India and its neighbors, we will focus on China, Japan and other East and South-East Asian countries. You will learn to write and critique policy briefs, op-eds (both in teams, and individually), and make policy presentations.

Gender and War (IR 518)

This course focuses primarily on war, and how gender is an alternative lens to understand conflict. This means that we will study mainstream understandings of conflict, and then analyze how gender can change perspectives. It examines gender constructions in relation to the biological and social determinants of aggression, violence, and war. Some topics include gender biases in international relations theories, women in combat, discourse, attitudes towards war, rape, and female and male roles in the conduct of war. The course also assesses the ongoing evolution of the roles of women as leaders, actors, and agenda-setters in, and objects of, foreign policy.

India and the World (IR 506)

Since winning independence from Britain in 1947, India has always been a regional power to reckon with. With a huge linguistically, culturally and ethnically diverse population, it has functioned as a vibrant democracy for over five decades. In the last twenty years, it has also become an economic powerhouse and a nuclear weapons state. These factors along with the rise of China and 9/11, have catapulted it into the international limelight. Today it is an acknowledged rising power with international clout. This course
examines the complex dynamics of India’s rise, focusing on the major elements of its foreign policy and its role in the world. It studies this within the context of Indian domestic politics and history, and uses theory to understand and analyze its behavior. The goal of this class is to produce a full-length research paper based on primary sources, that will either be prepared for publication in a journal, or lay the foundation for a thesis.

The Fundamentals of International Relations (IR 601) [co-taught]

This is an introductory required graduate seminar on the theories of international relations. The emphasis will be on core IR concepts and how they relate to real world issues. The seminar will investigate topics explored at greater length in other 700 level courses in the IR Department: power politics, liberal internationalism, statecraft, diplomacy, international political economy, international institutions and regimes, non-state actors, foreign policy making, traditional and non-traditional security and defense

Rising Powers in a Multipolar World (IR737)

What are rising powers? What accounts for their foreign policy behavior? Are their foreign policy decisions influenced by leaders’ beliefs and domestic politics or an inevitable consequence of the power dynamics of the international system? This graduate seminar has three goals. First, you will learn to apply analytical tools from
International Relations theory, to understand the role and history of rising powers and what shapes their foreign policy. The primary examples discussed in class will be drawn from the behavior of two rising powers today, India and China. But we will also be discussing
historical and contemporary cases studies drawn from other “poles” — the US,Brazil, Russia, and South Africa. Second, you will select a specific case study of foreign policy behavior for analysis using the tools you have learned. Finally, you will learn how to conduct research, and design a publishable research paper (25-30 pages to be submitted ideally to a peer-reviewed journal).