IREn5011 Human Evolution and International Politics

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Bradley Thayer, Ph.D. (lecturer), PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D. (deputy)
prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Kříž, Ph.D. (assistant)
Ing. Mgr. Adriana Ilavská, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites
! MVZn5050 Human Evolution and IP && !NOW( MVZn5050 Human Evolution and IP ) && ! MVZ450 Human Evolution and IP
English B2 and better.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course introduces social science students to evolutionary theory and its application to major theories and topics in international politics. We discuss how evolutionary theory assists international relations theory, permits understanding of the origins of warfare and ethnic conflict, and yields key insights for nuclear deterrence theory and understanding of suicide terrorism in the Islamic fundamentalist context.
Learning outcomes
This course introduces social science students to evolutionary theory
Syllabus
  • Part One: Introduction to the Evolutionary Approach Session One March 7: Introduction and Course Objectives; and What Is Evolution and How May It Be Applied to Social Science? Low, Why Sex Matters, pp. 3-56. Alan Miller and Satoshi Kanazawa, “10 Political Incorrect Truths about Human Nature,” Psychology Today, (July/August 2007), pp. 89-95. Thayer, Darwin and International Politics, pp. 22-59. Part Two: Evolution and Theory Session Two March 8: The Application of Evolutionary Theory to International Relations Theories Thayer, Darwin and International Politics, pp. 60-95. Dominic D. P. Johnson and Bradley A. Thayer, “The Evolution of Offensive Realism: Survival Under Anarchy from the Pleistocene to the Present,” Politics and the Life Sciences, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Spring 2016), pp. 1-26. doi: 10.1017/pls.2016.6. Part Three: Evolution and International Politics Session Three March 9: Evolution and the Origins of War Low, Why Sex Matters, pp. 57-91, 181-244 Thayer, Darwin and International Politics, pp. 96-218. Dominic Johnson and Bradley A. Thayer, “Why Man Seeks Power,” The National Interest blog April 1, 2014, available at: http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/why-man-seeks-power-10162 Session Four March 10: Evolution and the Origins of Ethnic Conflict Evolution and Nuclear Deterrence Thayer, Darwin and International Politics, pp. 219-265. Simon Baron-Cohen, The Essential Difference: The Truth about the Male and Female Brain (New York: Basic Books, 2003), pp. 1-20, 29-60, 69-84, 117-154. Bradley A. Thayer “Thinking about Nuclear Deterrence,” Comparative Strategy, Vol. 26, No. 4 (July-September 2007), pp. 311-323. Session Five March 11: Evolution and Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorism Bradley A. Thayer and Valerie M. Hudson, ““Sex and the Shaheed: Insights from the Life Sciences on Islamic Suicide Terrorism,” International Security, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Spring 2010), pp. 37-62. Session Seven: March 14: Final Examination.
Literature
    required literature
  • THAYER, Bradley A. Darwin and international relations : on the evolutionary origins of war and ethnic conflict. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2004, xiv, 425. ISBN 0813123216. info
  • LOW, Bobbi S. Why sex matters : a darwinian look at human behavior. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000, xviii, 412. ISBN 0691089752. info
Teaching methods
lectures, class discussion
Assessment methods
Course Requirements: The course language is English.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught: in blocks.
Note related to how often the course is taught: March 4-March 8, 2024.
Teacher's information
Contact information: thayerllc@gmail.com Dates: 7-14 March 2022. An examination will be given in class on Monday, March 14. This will count for 100% of the student’s grade.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2022, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/IREn5011