IR Seminar (Spring 2013) - Undergraduate
The purpose of this course is to provide a broad survey of the debate about American power and influence in international affairs, and to provide sufficient background for students to do a major research paper on the topic. Some view the American role today as creating an empire, while others view U.S. influence as just a reflection of the wealth and military might that Americans command. There are many other thoughtful perspectives as well.
In this seminar, there is a substantial amount of reading necessary; and, since much of this is in recent articles, there is no single text for the course. The course will be taught, to the maximum extent possible, in seminar fashion, so you must do the reading before coming to class. We will be covering a broad range of controversial topics which involve a combination of factual and ideological questions. There are also obvious moral considerations in many of the topics. This course will not focus on any one perspective and the seminar is designed to encourage a lively interchange of views.
The Political Economy of the Pacific Basin (Spring 2013) - Graduate
This is a graduate seminar designed to provide students an opportunity to survey political, economic and military trends in one of the world’s most critical regions. For our discussion, the region will be defined as all nations whose borders touch on the Pacific, but the reading will concentrate on Asia. Students in both politics and economics should be able to explore the inter-relationship between theory and policy choices in several areas of current controversy.
Relevant Sources
American Economic Review
Brookings
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
China Quarterly
DoD: The Military Power of the PRC
Economist Intelligence Unit
Far Eastern Economic Review
Foreign Affairs
IMF: World Economic Outlook
International Negotiation
International Security
KEI: Korea's Economy
Naval War College Review
Pacific Affairs
Survival
Taiwan Institute of Economic Research
The National Interest
The Washington Quarterly