IREb1002 History of International Relations and World Politics

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2021
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Kříž, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Lucie Zimmermanová (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Vladimír Bízik, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Marek Bičan (seminar tutor)
Ing. Mgr. Adriana Ilavská, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Martin Chovančík, 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
Timetable
Tue 10:00–11:40 P31 Posluchárna A. I. Bláhy
Prerequisites
! IRE102 History of IR && !NOW( IRE102 History of IR )
To be able to read and understand English written academic texts.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 70 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 12/70, only registered: 0/70
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course provides you with a brief overview of the development in world politics and IR history between 1648 and 1815 and focuses mainly on the history of IR and world politics in the 19th and 20th centuries. This period is crucial for understanding the current political developments in world politics. The main objective of the course is to understand basic trends in the evolution of the international system, international relations and world politics.
Learning outcomes
You should be acquainted with world politics in 1648 – 1815 and understand the history of world politics in 1815 – 2001. After completing the course, you should acquire a sound command of the major concepts of IR history and be familiar with the main milestones of economic and military history. In general, you should possess basic skills and competences to apply the historical and conceptual knowledge on the contemporary processes in world politics and be able to use the knowledge to argue about these topics on an expert level.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to course. The Westphalian System
  • 2. Great Power Politics since the Congress of Vienna till 1918
  • 3. The Ottoman Empire and Its Heritage in International Politics
  • 4. The Fall of Imperial China and Japanese modernization till 1945 (reading week)
  • 5. Versailles system and world politics between the world wars
  • 6. The Soviet Story Movie
  • 7. First Mid-term test – lessons 1-6 (30 mins), WWII and its impact on IR
  • 8. The Cold War system and the Cold War
  • 9. Armed Conflicts during the Cold War
  • 10. International Politics in Asia since 1945
  • 11. World Politics after the Cold War
  • 12. Students’ presentations
  • 13. Second Mid-term test – lessons 8-12 (30 mins), students’ presentations and final discussion
Literature
    required literature
  • Cullen, L. M. 2003. A History of Japan, 1582-1941. Internal and External Worlds. Cambridge University Press, pp. 205-259.
  • Yahuda, Michael. 2011. The International Politics of the Asia-Pacific (Third Edition). London, UK and New York: Routledge, pp. 21-104.
  • Kegley, Charles W. - Raymond, Gregory A. 2005. The Global Future. A Brief Introduction to World Politics. Thomson Wadsworth, pp 64-88.
  • Kasaba, Resat Turkey. Vol. 4, Turkey in the Modern World, pp. 2-61.
  • Reviewing the Cold War : approaches, interpretations, and theory. Edited by Odd Arne Westad. Portland, OR: F. Cass, 2000, 382 p. ISBN 0714681202. info
  • HOCKING, Brian and Michael SMITH. World politics :an introduction to international relations. 2nd ed. London: Prentice-Hall, 1995, xiii, 353. ISBN 0-13-353922-9. info
  • HOLSTI, Kalevi Jacque. Peace and war : armed conflicts and international order 1648-1989. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991, xvii, 379. ISBN 0521399297. info
    not specified
  • Fairbank, John King - Goldman, Merle. 2006. China: A New History, Second Enlarged Edition Harvard University Press, pp.187-253.
  • GRAY, Colin S. War, peace and international relations : an introduction to strategic history. 1st pub. London: Routledge, 2007, xiv, 306. ISBN 9780415386395. info
Teaching methods
lectures, class discussion, essays, presentations, documantary movie.
Assessment methods
In order to receive credits, you are obliged to pass two written mid-term tests (15 points each), write an essay on a selected topic, deliver a presentation (10 points) and pass an oral exam face to face or via MS Teams in case of the bad epidemic situation. The Rules of Evaluation The final grade consists of points received for two mid-term tests (30 points), one essay (30 points), one presentation (10 points) and oral exam (30 points). Final Grading A: 90-100 points B: 80-89 points C: 70-79 points D: 60-69 points E: 50-59 points F: 0-49 points Presentations Every lecture will be followed by 3-5 short student presentations. Topics will be chosen by the students at the first lecture. The purpose of such presentations is to summarise main arguments of the text and to provide their own critical commentary. The structure of the presentations is as follows: 1. Brief description of the author, 2. Outline of the main topic, 3. Outline of the research questions, 4. Summarisation of the main findings/arguments and 5. Critical commentary. Students will have 10 minutes for each presentation. PowerPoint presentation is compulsory and it has to be submitted through the Information system. It is expected that roughly 80 per cent of the time should be allocated to the text itself and 20 per cent to the critical commentary. Grading of the presentation (0-10 points) will be based on the accuracy, structure, conciseness, logical arguments of the presenting student and the ability to present in the required timeframe. Mid-term tests Each mid-term test consists of 15 multiple-choice (A-D) questions (15 minutes). If necessary, you can re-sit the mid-term test in the examination period. Tests will be written via the MU Information system. Essay • You are expected to sign up for the topic of your essay from the given list via the MU Information System (using the Topic List section) by October 15, 2021. • The deadline for the essay is December 31, 2021. The recommended length is 2,500 words. Late submissions will be translated into a lowering your points by 2 for each day of delay. • Essays should include a short introduction of the topic and motivation for its selection, main argument, explanation based on data, raising counterarguments, dealing with counterarguments and conclusion. The explanation part should follow the structure "what?", "how" and "why". If you need more information how to structure your essays, please feel free to visit https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/essay-structure or ask your lecturers. • Youare expected to use at least eight relevant academic sources. The FSS Library and information databases are at your disposal. • Submit the essay in Word format via the MU Information system. No submissions by email are accepted. Essay topics 1. The role of personalities in international politics versus the logic of historic evolution. 2. Are democracies more peaceful then non-democracies? How to attain perpetual peace? 3. History of international relations versus theory of international relations; empiricism versusrationalism. 4. Pros and cons of European colonialism. Was the white man's burden truly a burden? 5. Armament versus arms control. Who starts wars – weapons or men? 6. The role of force in world politics within the Westphalian order. 7. The Arab–Israeli conflict and its impact on World Politics. 8. The loss of the relative position of the West in the world. An inevitable phenomenon or a consequence of Marxism as the prevailing ideology of the West. 9. China – really a twenty-first century leader? 10. Why it is useless to know the history of international politics – Uncle Google has all the answers. 11. Cold War and its Origin and Causes. 12. Stalin and the outbreak of WWII. 13. Turkey in World Politics. 14. The Rise and Fall of imperial Japan. 15. The European integration. 16. The Cold War origins. 17. The dissolution of the Soviet bloc, causes and effects. 18. The bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia. 19. Distribution of power after the End of Cold War. 20. Trends in armed conflicts in 1990s. Oral Exam The oral exam takes place in the examination period via MS Teams. Examination dates for oral exam and a question set comprising of 30 generally formulated questions will be communicated to students via the Masaryk University information system by December 15, 2021. During the exam, each student can select one question from the list and answer it. The second question will be selected by examiner (prof. Kříž). Oral exam usually lasts approximately 30 minutes.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
Communication with students All communications with students takes place via MU e-mail, MU Information System or IREb1002/IRE102 class chat or MS Teams video conference tools.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2021, recent)
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