Document Type
Graduate Syllabus
Date
Fall 2025
School
Diplomacy
Course Number
DIPL 6000 NA/WB
Course Description
This course introduces students to the major theoretical traditions of international relations and diplomacy, with particular attention to how these theories help us understand contemporary challenges including cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, technological disruption, and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Asia. We will begin with a critical investigation of the competing assumptions and concepts that form the heart of various theoretical approaches to the study of world politics. As a class we will grapple with the key actors, processes, and variables highlighted by each theory, and assess their relative strengths and weaknesses in explaining both traditional interstate relations and emerging forms of conflict and cooperation.
Throughout this investigation, we will consider various theoretical tradeoffs relating to issues such as levels of analysis, parsimony versus accuracy, and the types of research questions being addressed. There is an important underlying goal of the course: to provide students with an opportunity to improve their ability to engage in critical analysis through the examination of competing theoretical perspectives.
Recommended Citation
Muzas, Brian K. PhD, "DIPL 6000 NA/WB Introduction to International Relations Theory and Diplomacy" (2025). Diplomacy Syllabi. 851.
https://scholarship.shu.edu/diplomacy-syllabi/851
