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)

This course introduces students to the international relations subfield of human security. A broad overview of the security issues affecting humans, their communities, and as a result global stability are the focus of this course.

This course provides an overview of human rights, their history, codification, and the various debates that surround human rights discourse. Additionally various human rights topics are analyzed. The course provides students with a thorough understanding of how human rights and human security are intertwined.

This course provides an overview of many transitional and transnational justice approaches. Beginning with Nuremberg through to the International Criminal Courts, students will gain a thorough understanding of the global justice endeavors and their connection to human security.

This course provides an overview of environmental security by examining environmental threats such as climate change, water scarcity, consumption patterns, urbanization, resource extraction and usage, food security, and globalization. The course provides students with a thorough understanding of how environmental security and human security are intertwined.

This course differentiates the historical and contemporary patterns, modus operandi, capabilities, and vulnerabilities of organized crime organizations. Course content includes a review of the contemporary literature of South American, Mexican, Asian, European, & African criminal enterprises, traditional organized crime, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and transnational criminal enterprises.

This course examines the processes of economic, cultural, military, environmental, and political globalizations are embedded in gendered representations, discourses, and policies. The degree to which human security is driven by power relationships is explored through the lens of gender.

This course is an examination of the theory and practices by sovereign states to resolve conflict through national and international organizations, conventions, and non-government agencies.

This course is an examination of the fundamental principles behind peacekeeping, to include the political, managerial, military, and humanitarian aspects of the peacekeeping process. Completion of this course will make students eligible to obtain a certificate of completion from the United Nation's Peace Operations Training Institute. It is up to the student to go to the POTI website to find how to obtain the POTI certificate.

This course will explore the role of international civilian police in peacekeeping operations in establishing a rule of law sufficient to support an emerging democratic society and a sustainable peace. Emphasis will be placed on exploring civilian police relationships with other actors in theater and on understanding public order maintenance through the lenses of peace building, justice and reconciliation. Completion of this course will make students eligible to obtain a certificate of completion from the United Nation's Peace Operations Training Institute. It is up to the student to go to the POTI website to find how to obtain the POTI certificate.

This course explores the various types of intervention commonly used throughout the world including humanitarian, forceful interventions (military) and non-forceful (sanctions, aid, emergency relief). The debate over the concept of “responsibility to protect” (R2P) will also feature prominently in the course.

This course will explore the various means and methods for global migration. Human security issues that emerge from these patterns will also be examined. The world has over 30 million migrants on the move at any one time and while they face security concerns, they can represent security concerns as well. Further, cultural dynamics, religious differences, political agency, and economic consequences of global migration are focused on.

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.

This course examines various elements and aspects of International and Domestic Terrorism. Students explore the cultural and ideological philosophies, as well as the social, economic, political, and religious conditions of select states, groups, and individuals that comprise the phenomena of terrorism. By examining the historical and contemporary aspects of terrorism students develop a working knowledge of the current Global War on Terror and are better prepared to comprehend terrorist motives and ideologies. Topics include: History and Development, Types of Terrorism, Conventional and Unconventional terrorist tactics, the Media’s impact on terrorism including the US Counterterrorism Policies. Particular attention is addressed to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

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.