Undergraduate courses in International Relations

Presentations, discussions, and hands-on activities. Course is integrated with Stanford-Thai Exchange Program through which six Thai college students come to work on projects at Stanford. Cultural immersion, Thai culinary arts, and discussions with Thai exchange students.

1 unit, Spr (Emmerson, D)

INTNLREL 114D. Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law

(Same as IPS 230, POLISCI 114D, POLISCI 314D.) Links among the establishment of democracy, economic growth, and the rule of law. How democratic, economically developed states arise. How the rule of law can be established where it has been historically absent. Variations in how such systems function and the consequences of institutional forms and choices. How democratic systems have arisen in different parts of the world. Available policy instruments used in international democracy, rule of law, and development promotion efforts. GER:DB-SocSci

5 units, Aut (Stoner-Weiss, K; McFaul, M)

INTNLREL 122A. The Political Economy of the European Union

EU institutions, the legislative process, policies, relations with the U.S., and enlargement and the future of the EU. History and theories of EU integration. Democratic accountability of the institutions, and the emerging party system. Principal policies in agriculture, regional development, the internal market, single currency, and competition. Emphasis is on policies that affect the relations with the U.S. including trade and security. Results of the EU's constitutional convention.

5 units, Win (Crombez, C)

INTNLREL 130. Science, Technology, and Development

Global and sociological perspectives on science and technology expansion, comparing nations and regions. Social features such as gender equity; and social impact economic development strategies such as tech incubators, the triple helix model, and UN initiatives. Democratization, human rights, welfare of local populations, and national security. Policy issues, the digital divide, development debates, commodification of the public good, and notions of social change.

5 units, Spr (Drori, G)

INTNLREL 136R. Introduction to Global Justice

(Same as ETHICSOC 136R, POLISCI 136R, POLISCI 336.) Recent work in political theory on the ethics of international relations. Topics include human rights, global economic justice, and the problem of global poverty.

5 units, Spr (Staff)

INTNLREL 140A. International Law and International Relations

What is the character of international legal rules? Do they matter in international politics, and if so, to what degree? The foundational theories, principles, and sources of public international law. Prominent theories of international relations and how they address the role of law in international politics. Practical problems such as human rights, humanitarian intervention, and enforcement of criminal law. International law as a dynamic set of rules, at times influenced by power, at other times constraining it, but always essential to studying international relations. WIM

5 units, Aut (Lutomski, P)

INTNLREL 140B. Theories of International Law

Competing theories of international law, including approaches based on natural law, positivism, the Grotian tradition, realism, rational institutionalism, liberalism, social construction, and critical theory; evaluations based upon explanatory power, parsimony, and prescriptive implications. How international legal arguments are made through each theoretical perspective. Primary and secondary materials by international law theorists and political scientists. Term paper.

5 units, Spr (Steinberg, R)

INTNLREL 140C. The U.S., U.N. Peacekeeping, and Humanitarian War

The involvement of U.S. and the UN in major wars and international interventions since the 1991 Gulf War. The UN Charter's provisions on the use of force, the origins and evolution of peacekeeping, the reasons for the breakthrough to peacemaking and peace enforcement in the 90s, and the ongoing debates over the legality and wisdom of humanitarian intervention. Case studies include Croatia and Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Kosovo, East Timor, and Afghanistan.

5 units, Spr (Patenaude, B)

INTNLREL 141A. Camera as Witness: International Human Rights Documentaries

Rarely screened documentary films, focusing on global problems, human rights issues, and aesthetic challenges in making documentaries on international topics. Meetings with filmmakers. GER:DB-Hum

5 units, Aut (Bojic, J)

INTNLREL 147. The Political Economy of the Southern Cone of South America

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Chile. Post-WW II political economy developments and political relations. Impacts of military rule from the 60s into the 80s. Regional and international political developments that led to MERCOSUR in 1991, and subsequent expansion.

5 units, Aut (O'Keefe, T)

INTNLREL 148. Economic Integration of the Americas

Current attempts at economic integration throughout the Western Hemisphere, including the Andean Community, the Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM), the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), MERCOSUR, the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), and the Central American Integration System (SICA). Emphasis is on practical applications of integration efforts and nuts-and-bolts issues of how integration efforts function.

5 units, Win (O'Keefe, T)

INTNLREL 149. The Economics and Political Economy of the Multilateral Trade System

The historical development of the multilateral trade system, the current agenda of the World Trade Organization, and prospects for trade liberalization. Emphasis is on the economic rationale for multilateral trade rules, the political problems facing countries in supporting further liberalization, and the challenges to the legitimacy of WTO procedures and practices. Issues include the greater participation of developing countries, the impact of new members, and the relationship between the WTO and other multilateral bodies. Guest speakers; student research paper presentations.

5 units, Win (Josling, T)

INTNLREL 150. The Arab-Palestinian Minority in Israeli Society

The ethnic and religious composition of Israel. Recent challenges to the primacy of the Jewish core of Israeli society; the status of the Arab-Palestinian minority in Israel. Issues include: the status of the Arabic language; the right to vote and run for office; allocation of state funds to minority projects and local governments; representation in decision making institutions; military service; and the Arab educational system. Political and legal dimensions of the minority status of Arab-Palestinians; impact of domestic Jewish/Palestinian politics on the Israeli/Arab international conflict.

5 units, Aut (Holzman-Gazit, Y)

INTNLREL 155. Counter Terrorism

Practical and theoretical perspectives. Topics include: coping with the threat on an offensive, preemptive, and defensive level; intelligence gathering; deterrence; and the challenges of international cooperation. Targeted killings, the boomerang effect, the democratic dilemma of counter-terrorism, and how to balance military measures with counter-motivation activities in preventing and thwarting terrorism.

5 units, Aut (Staff)

INTNLREL 156. Modern Terrorist Strategies

The nature and characteristics of the terrorism phenomenon and the modus operandi of international terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda and its proxies. The definition of terrorism, terrorism as a means of political violence, the suicide attack phenomenon, psychological warfare, media and public opinion, and terrorism and public resilience.

5 units, Win (Staff)

INTNLREL 191. IR Journal

1 unit, Aut (Schultz, K), Win (Schultz, K), Spr (Schultz, K)

INTNLREL 197. Directed Reading in International Relations

Open only to declared International Relations majors.

3-5 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff), Sum (Staff)

INTNLREL 198. Senior Thesis

Open only to declared International Relations majors with approved senior thesis proposals.

2-5 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff), Sum (Staff)

INTNLREL 199. Honors Research: Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law in Developing Countries

Restricted to students in the CDDRL option of the International Relations honors program. Goal is to prepare students to do research and/or fieldwork to complete their thesis research. Main currents in democracy and development literature concerning how economic growth and democratization are related; how the rule of law supports these processes in countries undergoing change. Student presentations of thesis questions; student groups develop research problems and designs. May be repeated for credit.

3-5 units, Spr (Stoner-Weiss, K)

INTNLREL 200A. International Relations Honors Field Research

For juniors planning to write an honors thesis during senior year. Initial steps to prepare for independent research. Professional tools for conceptualizing a research agenda and developing a research strategy. Preparation for field research through skills such as data management and statistics, references and library searches, and fellowship and grant writing. Creating a work schedule for the summer break and first steps in writing. Prerequisite: acceptance to IR honors program.

3 units, Spr (Drori, G)

INTNLREL 200B. International Relations Honors Seminar

Second of two-part sequence. For seniors working on their honors theses. Professional tools, analysis of research findings, and initial steps in writing of thesis. How to write a literature review, formulate a chapter structure, and set a timeline and work schedule for the senior year. Skills such as data analysis and presentation, and writing strategies. Prerequisites: acceptance to IR honors program, and 199 or 200A.

3 units, Aut (Drori, G)

INTNLREL 206. Palestinian Nationalism, Past and Present

The Palestinian national movement and its role in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The roots of the movement in the Ottoman Empire, its growth through the British Mandate, the 1948 and1967 wars, the Intifada, and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Emphasis is on components which contributed to or delayed the growth of a distinct Palestinian identity, including Zionism.

5 units, Spr (Teitelbaum, J)

INTNLREL 207. Tribe, State, and Society in the Modern Middle East

The staying power of tribal identities and values in the Middle East. Examples include the Iraqi Sunni tribal insurgency against the U.S. The role of tribes in the formation of Middle Eastern states and how tribal values continue to impact social, political, and economic issues today.

5 units, Spr (Teitelbaum, J)

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Stanford Bulletin, Archive 2008-09

Stanford Bulletin, Archive 2008-09

Alphabetical Index

Bulletin Archive

Undergraduate courses in International Relations