Bachelor of Arts in International Relations

An overview of the field of international and global politics. The nation state, factors of power, collective security, international trade, regional and international organization, sources of conflict and convergence are addressed.

This course analyzes international relations from 1945 to the present. Students will become thoroughly familiar with events and major interpretive issues. Topics include the Cold War, decolonization, the role of the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations, the development of international terrorism, the Arab-Israeli and Persian Gulf conflicts, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. (Prerequisite: IRLS210).

Pre Reqs: International Relations I(IRLS210)

This class examines the elements and practice of American Foreign Policy.  It reviews the history of American Foreign Policy and ideology, and then examines the actors, tools and processes of US foreign policy.  This class emphasizes current foreign policy issues, including policy geared toward national security.

Examines the role of and interrelationship of international organizations, nation-states, and non-state actors in the global system. North-South and East-West relations are discussed in terms of specific global issues: crisis management, conflict resolution, human rights, refugee problems, international finance, developmental assistance, world trade, and globalization.

A detailed study of the history, theories, and practices of global development initiatives with particular concentration in the prevailing views and practices of the 1960’s-contemporary times. A look at development in light of broader political constructs that influence the development of nations.

Information Literacy for Global Citizenship builds students’ information literacy skills in the international relations/global studies context. Students analyze scholarly sources in the discipline, identifying the types of issues and questions scholars pursue, the discursive conventions they employ, and their methods of engaging in dialogue with and citing sources. After identifying their own discipline specific research question, students select and use appropriate research tools, developing complex search strategies that help them to find relevant scholarly information on their topics. They evaluate sources and information to determine their authority, reliability, timeliness as well as the quality and underlying assumptions of the arguments presented. They synthesize the information they’ve found with their own ideas, effectively integrating source material into their papers and citing that material appropriately. Finally, the course asks students to reflect upon the ways in which the information literacy skills they’ve acquired provide a foundation for both global citizenship and lifelong learning.

Introduces the student to the basic principles and practices of international law and legal regimes. Examines traditional and emerging topics in the field: human rights, the Law of the Sea, the Law of Armed Conflict, War Crime Tribunals, and the International Criminal Court. (Prerequisite: IRLS210).

Pre Reqs: International Relations I(IRLS210)

Introduces major theoretical approaches to the comparative study of politics. The student applies these approaches to government institutions, the policy-making process, political participation, economic structures and social change for both state and non-state actors.

Based on a theoretical analysis, a detailed study is undertaken of the globalization of the market system and its impact on population growth, urbanization, political governance, and traditional values in various nation-states and regions.

An analysis of the foreign policy and policy-making process in various regions of the world. Specific case studies allow the student to assess national priorities and ideological commitments in the post-Cold War era.

This course examines the Third World by focusing on its origins, the colonial legacy that shaped it, the political and social forces that control it, the economic and social programs implemented for its development, while dependency and modernization theories will be studied and assessed through specific case studies. The forces of democratization will be identified and evaluated in relation to development. The power of religion, the plague of ethnic conflict, the human rights abuses (women’s position, child labor, child prostitution), AIDS, the Green Revolution, urbanization, sustainable development arguments and strategies will be evaluated along with their effects on local societies. The course will also identify the various types of revolutionary movements, governments, and the economic models that have been tried after independence. Finally it will evaluate the ties of globalization and review the debate over its effects on the Third World development.

Explores historic, cultural, economic, and geographic traits that characterize the Russian state and shape the domestic political processes and interstate relations. Critically compares the politics, governments and orientations of post-Soviet states and other regional powers. Surveys contemporary regional issues such as ethnic conflict, nationalism and political-economic reforms, with a particular emphasis on security concerns.

This course compares the history and methods of foreign intelligence organizations which have played (and continue to play) a significant role in U.S. strategic intelligence, foreign policy, and national security strategy planning. The student will become familiar with their methods for conducting intelligence and counterintelligence in both the political and military realms, with the objective of discovering the similarities and differences among them, and also for evaluating their overall relative effectiveness.

This course is a comparative investigation of how intelligence supported U.S. national security policy during times of crisis and how the crises impacted on the intelligence community. The first part of the course focuses on the Cuban Missile Crisis and the role intelligence played in the outcome. Students will compare and contrast intelligence support to the Cuban Missile Crisis with another foreign policy crisis. The second part of the course focuses on the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations for reforming the intelligence community in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Students will compare and contrast the 9/11 Recommendations with the Intelligence Reform act passed by Congress.

This course will explain how an alliance of nations, formed to protect its member countries from a re-emergence of post-World War II Germany, transformed itself in order to protect Western Europe from the Warsaw Pact. It will delve into how an alliance that was purely defensive in origin evolved into an organization that conducted offensive operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and attacked a sovereign nation in an attempt to bring peace to Kosovo. It will conclude with a study on the possible future of NATO in the changing environment of Europe and America. The scope of this course focuses on the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since it’s founding to the present. The course includes the formation of the Alliance, the study of the member countries military forces, the organization and purposes of the various NATO Headquarters, the role of NATO in the Cold War, and the role NATO is playing today in the stabilization of Europe.

Examines historic, cultural, economic, social, religious, and geographic traits that distinguish this region and shape its domestic political processes and interstate relations. Surveys the governments of selected countries, considering factors such as legitimacy and political development. Includes a survey of contemporary issues salient in the region, including the Arab-Israeli dispute, with particular focus on regional security concerns.

This course is designed to provide a solid foundation for undergraduate study in the online environment. Students will be introduced to learning theory, the tools available in the online classroom and campus, and online research. Identification of personal learning style allows students to improve their study/learning techniques and prepares them to succeed in college level courses. Students will be introduced to formatting and citation styles. APUS policy and procedure is addressed. There is an emphasis on written communication to assist students in the transition to the online environment.

This senior capstone course allows students majoring in International Relations to analyze specific issues at the global level that would include: armaments, disarmament and proliferation; nationalism and world order; terrorism; peacekeeping; drug wars; political development and revolutionary change in less developed countries; and the organized use of force. This course will provide students with the opportunity to complete an approved academic research exercise that demonstrates knowledge of a selected field of study. This is a capstone course to be taken after all other International Relations courses have been satisfactorily completed. Student must have SENIOR standing to register.