International Studies

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is intended for students who have a strong background in political science or international relations. The course is an overview of international relations of the East Asian region and focuses on the economic and political issues surrounding the Asia-Pacific rim. Topics covered include: historical and contemporary patterns of state relations in East Asia, US security alliances in East Asia and the new Asian Pivot, the rise of China, the nuclear crisis in the Korean Peninsula, territorial disputes, regional multilateral institutions, East Asian development models and economic integration, environmental challenges, energy security, and other related issues. Required readings include: THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICS OF ASIA-PACIFIC by M. Yahuda and POLITICS IN EAST ASIA: EXPLAINING CHANGE AND CONTINUITY by T. Lim. Specific readings are assigned on the following topics: The Korean Peninsula, The People's Republic of China, China-EU Relations, Nationalism and Territorial Disputes, Japan's Domestic and Foreign Policy. Assessment is based on a final oral exam.

This course provides a foundational understanding of international relations and foreign policy analysis from both a theoretical and historical perspective. The first part of the course provides an overview of the origins and historical evolution of international systems in world history, shedding light on the emergence of a global international system. It then examines how historians and political scientists approach the study of international politics, seeking to identify differences, potential overlaps, and mutual synergies. The second part of the course explores the diverse set of theories that can be leveraged to make sense of international politics, namely realism, liberalism, constructivism, the “English School,” and critical approaches to international relations. The third part of the course investigates the wide range of domestic and international factors that influence foreign policy decision-making processes, including individual decision-makers, group dynamics among senior advisors, bureaucratic politics, domestic politics, and the role of societal actors in shaping foreign policy outcomes. The final part of the course zooms in on the sources and methods of inquiry in the study of foreign policy and international relations. It discusses the methodological issues related to empirical research on foreign policy and international relations, looking in particular at archival research and interviews with foreign policymakers. 

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary research field of Transitional Justice which may include both judicial and non-non-judicial mechanisms, with different levels of international involvement and individual prosecutions, reparations, truth-seeking, institutional reform, vetting, and dismissals. The course explores the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, the aftermath of colonialism in Africa and Indonesia, the aftermath of communism, truth and reconciliation in South Africa, and different types of retributive justice in dealing with the Rwandan genocide. This course looks at the effectiveness of the Transitional Justice mechanisms, its measure of effectiveness on a state level, and statistical outcomes.

The goals and contents of this course can be summarized as; to identify the academic differences between the study of foreign policy analysis (FPA) and that of international relations (IR); to enhance the academic knowledge of the decision-making process of foreign policy and the roles of main actors who participate in it; to understand the changed or continued environmental situations in Korean foreign policy; to analyze the domestic and international political meanings of Korean foreign policies; and to understand the historical backgrounds of Korean foreign policies. 

Assessment: Midterm (35%), Final (30%), Presentation and Final Report (15%), Assignments (10%), Attendance (10%)

Recent years have seen a debate about the waning of war, though for millions of people around the world, wars and violence are part of their everyday lives, with implications far beyond the war-torn states’ borders. This course explores major trends in warfare (types of wars, the actors engaged in wars, targets in wars, funding of warfare, technology of warfare), theories explaining these trends, the relationship between warfare and state-building, and ethical questions concerning how wars are fought.

The course introduces and discusses basic building blocks of International Relations theories and major analytical frameworks. It discusses ways to explain and interpret international political events. The unique aspect of this course is to blend theories with international security issues in depth. This is a graduate reading seminar that requires students’ active participation in verbal and written forms. The objectives of this course are (a) to understand mainstream theories of International Relations; (b) to examine the explanatory power of these theories; (c) discuss how to apply them to the study of international politics; and (c) to demonstrate how these theories can be used to analyze issues in international security.