Survey of International Security (INR 6337), University of Florida

This seminar introduces M.A. and Ph.D. students to key concepts and approaches in the security studies subfield. The course has three main purposes: (1) to familiarize students with key debates in the security studies subfield; (2) to help students prepare for comprehensive exams in IR; and (3) to help students develop a pedagogical approach for teaching college level security studies courses. The seminar is designed to answer the following questions: What are the root causes of war? When, if ever, is war justified? How do recent changes in military technology and doctrine affect the way that war is fought? How can wars be prevented or at least limited? What can third parties do to help manage or limit wars? Do nuclear weapons make war less likely? In answering these questions, the seminar will examine a number of important issues including diplomacy, strategic coercion, grand strategy, civil-military relations, threat assessment, war initiation, war fighting, war termination, and combat effectiveness.

International Security (INR 3333),University of Florida

This course provides inherited understandings of the meaning and content of international security, and juxtaposes those understandings with critical perspectives which question whether Security Studies as traditionally constituted addresses the proper actors, the proper harms, and/or the proper scope.  In addition to asking questions about the nature of war, the dimensions of interstate conflict, and military threats from non-state actors, this course explores the possibility that security is appropriately theorized by looking at domestic violence, rape, poverty, gender subordination, and ecological destruction. It suggests that we should broaden not only what security means but who is guaranteed security.

Given these ontological interests, this course defines security broadly in multidimensional and multilevel terms – as the diminution of all forms of violence, physical, structural, and ecological; in terms of well-being and survival of the individual and her environment. It does so without ignoring or marginalizing the traditional content of security – states that fight wars. Still, it also recognizes that security as “states fighting wars” has been challenged from a number of directions since the end of the Cold War, with states; increasing interdependence, the development and proliferation of weapons technology, the increasing fluidity of borders, and the rise of non-state actors. In exploring the “war system” this course asks what security is, who merits being secured, how securing is performed, and how we know that security has been achieved.

Gender and International Relations (POLS 4931), University of Florida

Around the world, despite women’s progress, there continues to be a relatively rigid gender division of labor, between paid and unpaid work, according to economic sector, and along hierarchies. Though women do participate in the political process in most states, they are underrepresented in governments and their decision-making.  Around the world, men dominate international security apparatuses and the making and fighting of wars. The global gender order makes possible the global political order.
Despite the importance of gender in global politics, gender is still not fully integrated in the academic study of international politics. Feminist approaches are offering new views of a field previously defined as devoid of gender politics. Early IR feminists challenged the discipline to think about how its theories might be reformulated and how its understandings of global politics might be improved if gender were included as a category of analysis and if women’s experiences were part of its subject matter. IR feminists critically reexamined some of the key concepts in the field - concepts such as sovereignty, the state, and security. They began to ask new questions - such as whether it makes a difference that most foreign policy leaders, military personnel and heads of international corporations are men and why women remain relatively disempowered in matters of foreign and military policy. IR feminists have also sought to make women visible as subjects in international politics and the global economy. They draw attention to women’s invisibility and gender subordination in the theory and practice of international politics.
More recently, “second generation” IR feminist empirical case studies have focused on hitherto understudied issues such as military prostitution, domestic service, diplomatic households, and home-based work much of which is performed by women. Through these studies feminists have sought to demonstrate how vital women are to states’ foreign policies and to the functioning of the global economy. Since most women speak from the margins of international politics, their lives offer us a perspective outside the state-centric focus of conventional western international theories and broaden the empirical base upon which we build our theories. Feminist scholars suggest that if we put on “gendered lenses” we get quite a different view of international politics (Peterson and Runyan 1999: 21). This course examines that suggestion through the study of feminist work in International Relations.

International Relations, Virginia Tech

The global political arena is expansive, complicated, and often confusing. What counts as “international relations”? Which problems are “political”? How do the choices of people in one nation affect others around the world? Why do states behave the way they do? Do individuals have any influence in global politics? Is the world governed by norms, or power, or some combination?

A colleague of mine, Robin Riley at Syracuse University, surveyed her International Relations students for ten years, asking them about their role in international relations.  Consistently, her students denied any role in global politics, characterizing it as a remote game between high-level politicians.  This course aims to show you that this perception is inaccurate: we all have a role in international relations.

It is in this spirit that this course serves as an advanced undergraduate level introduction to international relations and international relations theory. It introduces students to the main theoretical approaches and debates in the academic field of international relations, and pushes the boundaries of the discipline.  Like the international arena the discipline studies, International Relations is multi-faceted and dynamic. You will see that there is no consensus on the purpose and meaning of theory, what international relations is, the causes of or solutions to problems in global politics, or the core assumptions of political scientists. You will be expected to gain a mastery of the core assumptions and models of each school of thought, how they relate to each other, and how they relate to the world around us.

This course is also about critical thinking – the analysis and evaluation of theoretically and empirically grounded arguments about the world. It presents the material of international relations theory through a number of different lenses: introductory explanations, sophisticated debates, book reviews, movies, and our own debates, simulations, and interactive activities.  Combining the knowledge that you gain from these approaches, you will be expected to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the myths, descriptions, interpretations, explanations, predictions, evaluations, and policy prescriptions that various theories support.

Senior Seminar, International Security, Virginia Tech

This course provides inherited understandings of the meaning and content of international security, and juxtaposes those understandings with critical perspectives which question whether Security Studies as traditionally constituted addresses the proper actors, the proper harms, and/or the proper scope.  In addition to asking questions about the nature of war, the dimensions of interstate conflict, and military threats from non-state actors, this course explores the possibility that security is appropriately theorized by looking at domestic violence, rape, poverty, gender subordination, and ecological destruction. It suggests that we should broaden not only what security means but who is guaranteed security.

Given these ontological interests, this course defines security broadly in multidimensional and multilevel terms – as the diminution of all forms of violence, physical, structural, and ecological; in terms of well-being and survival of the individual and her environment. It does so without ignoring or marginalizing the traditional content of security – states that fight wars.  In exploring the “war system” it asks what security is, who merits being secured, how securing is performed, and how we know that security has been achieved.

In addition to being a course on Security Studies, this course is a senior seminar.  It will be taught as a seminar, where students’ evaluations of the cases, the readings, and the issues will be regularly expected and will be given the attention and gravitas associated with a discussion seminar. Student’s analytical and research skills will be called upon at every turn. Moving from college to either graduate school or employment will in most cases require you to begin to act as an analyst, rather than just a student.

Gender in International Relations, Duke University, Spring 2007

Around the world, despite women’s progress, there continues to be a relatively rigid gender division of labor, between paid and unpaid work, according to economic sector, and along hierarchies. Though women do participate in the political process in most states, they are underrepresented in governments and their decision-making.  Around the world, men dominate international security apparatuses and the making and fighting of wars. The global gender order makes possible the global political order.

Despite the importance of gender in global politics, gender is still not fully integrated in the academic study of international politics. Feminist approaches are offering new views of a field previously defined as devoid of gender politics. Early IR feminists challenged the discipline to think about how its theories might be reformulated and how its understandings of global politics might be improved if gender were included as a category of analysis and if women’s experiences were part of its subject matter. IR feminists critically reexamined some of the key concepts in the field - concepts such as sovereignty, the state, and security. They began to ask new questions - such as whether it makes a difference that most foreign policy leaders, military personnel and heads of international corporations are men and why women remain relatively disempowered in matters of foreign and military policy. IR feminists have also sought to make women visible as subjects in international politics and the global economy. They draw attention to women’s invisibility and gender subordination in the theory and practice of international politics.

More recently, “second generation” IR feminist empirical case studies have focused on hitherto understudied issues such as military prostitution, domestic service, diplomatic households, and home-based work much of which is performed by women. Through these studies feminists have sought to demonstrate how vital women are to states’ foreign policies and to the functioning of the global economy. Since most women speak from the margins of international politics, their lives offer us a perspective outside the state-centric focus of conventional western international theories and broaden the empirical base upon which we build our theories. Feminist scholars suggest that if we put on “gendered lenses” we get quite a different view of international politics (Peterson and Runyan 1999: 21). This course examines that suggestion through the study of feminist work in International Relations.

International Relations, Duke University, Fall 2006

I took over this course in the middle of the semester from Joe Grieco. It was an interesting experience. His course abstract is below; you'll see mine when I teach the class in Fall of 2007 at Virginia Tech:

This course provides an introduction to international relations.  The course is meant to be of value both to students who will take only one or two classes in international relations, and wish to have the maximum possible immersion in the field in the shortest time possible, and to students who wish to take several classes in the field, and who wish to establish a strong foundation for that additional class work.   The class has four goals, which are reflected in the structure of the course.  The four goals are:

• To pursue the central question in the field of international relations, namely, what are the causes of war and the conditions for peace?
• To provide a basic understanding of key elements of international political-economic affairs;
• To examine contemporary policy problems in the international domain;
• To explore enduring research questions in the field of international relations.

Force and Statecraft, Duke University, Fall 2006

This course covers the theory and practice of the use of force as an instrument of state policy in different historical periods and with different nations. It examines the ethical arguments and beliefs which have been fashioned in statecraft to justify or prohibit the use of force in international politics. Part I introduces the course, and Part II examines the meanings of force and of statecraft.  Part III explores the historical evolution of the justifications for war-making and war-fighting.  Part IV looks at ethical justifications for contemporary war, and ethical difficulties caused by contemporary changes in the making and fighting of wars.

Gender and the Law, Merrimack College, Spring 2006

Course Description:  This course focuses on the gendered aspects of American (and, very briefly, international) law.  It explores the history of gender bias in laws and legal decisions.  It asks hard questions about what equality looks like and (if and) how the law can achieve it.  Specific topics include: employment law, education and athletics, pregnancy, family, rape, sexual harassment, reproductive control, lesbian/gay/transgender legal issues, prostitution, and pornography.

Course Goals: At the end of this course, you will be expected to: 1) Look for the gender implications in a law or set of laws; 2) Be able to discuss the fundamental issues in equality law; 3) Understand basic terms, including the difference between sex and gender; 4) Articulate your feelings about sex equality in the law; 5) Read cases about gender and sex; and 6) Explain different perspectives the proper way to attain gender equality within or outside of the legal system.

Women in American Politics, Brandeis University, Spring 2005

Course Description: This course provides an overview of women and gender in the theory and practice of politics.  We begin by examining the historical evolution of women’s participation in American politics, from the suffrage movement through the present day.  The next section of the course examines where women are in current politics.  In this section, we read the stories of the visible women in politics – national and international elected and bureaucratic leaders, as well as the women that are less visible – from the homemakers to the homeless.  As we proceed through these stories, we synthesize stories with theories of women in politics.  We look at questions of the roles that women play in politics and the ways that gender affects and is affected by political participation.  The course concludes by addressing questions about how gender affects both participation in and thinking about politics.    

Course Goals: Students should 1) understand the historical evolution of women’s participation in politics and the obstacles that women face in their efforts to achieve equal political rights; 2) recognize the complexities in the concept of equality; 3) gain awareness of women’s roles in contemporary American and international politics; 4) critically evaluate the ways that policies affect and are affected by women and gender; 5) be exposed to current theories concerning women in politics; 6) interrogate the influence of gender on what we see in politics and how we interpret it; 7) develop political research skills as well as written and oral analytical skills.

Gender in International Relations, Brandeis University, Spring 2005

Course Description:  This course introduces students to "gendered lenses" used to observe and study international politics.  It addresses the (separate but related) questions of women's experiences in international politics and of the influence of gender on international political relations.  In the first section of the course, we look at the roles that women play in international politics, critically evaluating both how those roles came to be and how they are studied.  In the second section of the course, we study the evolving literature on feminist international relations.  In this literature, a group of feminist scholars theorize how gender (as social fact and social construction) affects international politics generally and the lives of women around the world specifically.  The course concludes with a section on feminist international activism, which critically interrogates the line between "theory" and "practice"of gender in politics.

Course Goals: In this course, students gain an awareness of the following themes:  1)  the situations of women around the world; 2) the ways in which gender affects social and political status; 3) gendered themes in the practice of both micro- and macro- politics; 4) the evolving study of gender in international politics; 5) the political implications of scholarship; and 6) links between gender, feminism, and “service” or “activist” learning.