Courses

Why do states wage war? Why do they cooperate? Have the answers changed historically? Are economic globalization, ecological interdependence, and global civil society eroding traditional state sovereignty? Or do nationalism, protectionism, and power politics firmly limit the spread of world order? The course begins with the Peloponnesian War, the European state system, imperialism, the spread of free trade, and the two World Wars. It continues after 1945 with the spread of democracy and human rights, trade liberalization, international law, and ecological cooperation, as well as enduring sources of conflicts like the Cold War, nuclear weapons, civil strife, and rogue states. 
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement for Societies of the World or the Core area requirement for Historical Study A. This course fulfills the requirement that one of the eight General Education courses also engages substantially with Study of the Past.