MVZn4202 A History of International Relations

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Kříž, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Bc. Zuzana Dendysová (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Kříž, 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 12:00–13:40 P24a
Prerequisites
! HMV401 History of Intl. Relations
To be able to read materials in English. To have the bachelor level of knowledge of history of world politics and IR.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course provides the students with an overview of the development in international relations during 1648 – 2014. Main objective of the course is to understand basic trends in the historical development of international relations, characteristics of international system and its actors. At the end of the course the students will be able to understand the history of international relations during 1648 – 2001; to outline main milestones of economic and military history; to interpret main historical events in the period and to use the knowledge to argument about this topic on an expert level.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge of world policy history 1815-2011. Understanding historical roots and background of contemporary world politics.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to the subject, distribution of papers. International system. World politics until the end of the Napoleonic Wars 2. European politics in the 19th century and its consequences for the world 3. The rise and decline of the Ottoman Empire. The problem of the "Eastern Question" and its impact on international relations up to the end of the First World War 4. World politics in East and Southeast Asia up to the beginning of World War I (weekly review #1) 5. The world on the eve of World War I and the First World War 6. Implications of World War I for international politics. The world between two wars 7. The Second World War. Causes, course, and consequences for international politics (weekly review #2) 8. the Cold War and its impact on world politics. Escalation and de-escalation 9. Colonisation and decolonisation 10. The Arab-Israeli conflict and its impact on international politics (weekly review 3) 11. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR 12. Reflection on post-Cold War world politics in academic literature 13. The international system after the end of the Cold War, international politics from the end of the Cold War to 2001 (in weekly review #4)
Literature
    required literature
  • Macmillanová, Margaret. (2004): Mírotvůrci. Pařížská konference 1919
  • Shambaugh, David. The Modern Chinese State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. S. 42-161.
  • Shambaugh, David. The Modern Chinese State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. S. 42-161.
  • FERRO, Marc. Dějiny kolonizací : od dobývání po nezávislost 13.-20. století. Vyd. 1. Praha: NLN Nakladatelství lidové noviny, 2007, 503 s. ISBN 9788071060215. info
  • Historie moderní války. Edited by Charles Townshend, Translated by Leonid Křížek. Vyd. 1. Praha: Mladá fronta, 2007, 429 s. ISBN 9788020415400. info
  • JANOŠ, Jiří. Japonsko a Korea : dramatické sousedství. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2007, 318 s. ISBN 9788020015037. info
  • NÁLEVKA, Vladimír. Světová politika ve 20. století. Vyd. 1. Praha: Aleš Skřivan ml., 2000, 271 s. ISBN 80-902261-4-0. info
  • HOCKING, Brian and Michael SMITH. World politics : an introduction to international relations. 1st publ. New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1990, xii, 368 s. ISBN 0-7450-0175-9. info
    not specified
  • Veselý, Zdeněk. 2020. Mezinárodní vztahy v zrcadle dějin. Plzeň: Aleš Čeněk, 568-611.
Teaching methods
Lectures involve class discussions and require active participation of students. Readings serve to broaden and deepen the spectrum of knowledge students acquire during lectures. The composition of an essay aims to improve the analytical skills of students.
Assessment methods
The examination will be conducted orally during the examination period. The examinee will choose one topic from 30 broad examination topics and answer them after a short preparation. The second topic will be chosen by the examiner at his/her discretion. In order to be admitted to the examination, it will be necessary to present and submit a presentation using IS (students will search for the texts for the papers using databases, if they encounter a problem they will immediately inform the course tutor), prepare a seminar paper on the chosen topic and succeed in the mid-term examinations. During the semester, students will write four midterm reviews. The midterm will be 30 minutes long and will consist of three open-ended questions graded 0-3. The midterms will be written on Friday of the respective week according to the syllabus at 10:00 am, 4:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. There will be 30 minutes of time per quiz. The window will open at all+35 minutes. Midterms will include material from required readings and PP presentations by the teacher. Evaluation of midterm reviews 36-32 points - A 31-27 points - B 26-23 points - C 22-20 points - D 19-18 points - E The lecture will be only an introduction to the subject and a summary of the main issues. The lecture will be followed by student papers related to the issues discussed. Assignment of papers will be made in the introductory class. The purpose of the paper is to present the main thesis and conclusions of the text to the colleagues and to provide their own commentary on it. The paper will follow the structure of introducing the author of the text, outlining the research topic of the text, the research questions, summarizing the findings, and providing your own commentary on the source text. Referees will have 10-12 minutes to present the main thesis of the source texts. Preparation of the PP presentation and its submission via IS is mandatory. The paper is expected to reproduce 80% of the source text and 20% of the author's own observations and evaluation. The evaluation of the paper (A-F) will take into account the factual correctness, the logical correctness of the presenter's observations, the clarity, readability and systematicness of the presentation and, last but not least, compliance with the time limit. Significantly exceeding the time limit of the paper may result in a grade of F. In such a case, however, the student will be allowed to take the examination. The result of the paper will be entered in the form of a notebook in the IS. If the paper is not presented at the relevant class without excuse for serious reasons, the grade is automatically F. If the paper is not presented for organizational reasons attributable to the teacher, the powerpoint version uploaded to the IS will be graded. The format of this seminar paper is an extended position paper of 9,000-10,500 characters, i.e. 5-6 standard pages. In general, the seminar paper is expected to include a main argument, which will be presented in the very beginning of the paper. The argument must be related to the chosen topic. The argument (in Czech, the old-fashioned thesis) is actually a formulation of the claim you will try to defend. The aim of the thesis is to defend a specific argumentative position on a chosen issue in international relations and world politics. Examples might include the thesis that the world is becoming increasingly peaceful (S. Pinker), that Tsarist Russia is the greatest counterrevolutionary threat to European bourgeois democracies (K. Marx), that the civilian power is a qualitatively new type of state actor in international relations (H. Maull), that the peace between democracies is due to American hegemony (S. Rosato), or that Czechoslovakia had no chance to defend itself militarily in 1938 (M. John), etc. For the main argument it is expected in the term paper to elaborate/structure it with the reasons why it is defended. Example: in 1938, Czechoslovakia could not defend itself because the fortifications had not been completed, its army did not have enough anti-tank weapons, it did not have reliable allies and it could have been attacked not only by Germany but also by Hungary and Poland. The main argument will need to be supported by data in the text. Equal attention will need to be paid to data that go against the main argument of the text and deal with them properly. In other words, it is necessary to deal with the different interpretative lines of the problem. A brief summary of the whole paper must follow at the end of the text. The mandatory structure of the thesis is as follows: 1. Introduction, in which the author outlines the topic and provides the information necessary to understand the argument; 2. Formulation of a structured argument, in which the thesis claim is formulated in the form of an announcement sentence and the reasons for it are structured; 3. Data supporting the argument of the thesis in the form of examples, statistics, documents, statements of authorities, etc.; 4. Refutation of the data that oppose the argument of the thesis; 5. Conclusion summarizing the argument of the author of the thesis; 6. Reference list. When writing the paper, it is important to consider that the audience is the professional academic community and to adapt the language accordingly. It is advisable to avoid colloquial Czech/Slovak and journalisms. For details on this academic format, please contact https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-a-good-argumentative-essay#how-to-outline-an-argumentative-essay-in-4-steps In case of rejection of the first version, students have until the end of the semester to correct the relevant reflection. Reflections must be submitted to IS by April 30, 2025. Evaluation will be entered in the form of a notebook. Corrected versions must be received by the beginning of the exam period. An oral examination will take place in the examination period on all the texts for the midterm examinations. A list of 30 topics will be made available to students for examination at the end of the semester. The first heading will be chosen by the student; the second heading will be chosen by the examiner. The final grade will be a weighted average of the midterm review grade, the paper grade, the reflection grade, and the final oral examination grade. The final oral examination will be counted twice in the average. In the case of a grade of F in one section (with the exception of an F for the paper due to exceeding the time limit), the final grade will be an F. In the event of a value exactly between two grades, the final grade will be decided by the examiner, taking into account in particular the result and the conduct of the oral examination.
Náhradní absolvování
All interim tasks can be completed online. The student can also take the oral exam online if the program director agrees.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
The total course load is 150 hours (6ECTS), which are divided as follows: 26 hours - teaching 8 hours - study of the text for the presentation, preparation of the presentation and preparation for the presentation 41 hours - study of the texts for the reflection (minimum 8 sources) and preparation of the reflection. 50 hours - study of the texts for the midterm examination. 25 hours - revision of the material for the oral examination. Topics of reflection: 1. Nationalism as a manifestation of the awakening of sleeping nations in the 19th century? The concepts of "nation" or "national identity" and the possibilities of their political misuse in the past and present. 2. Positives and negatives of European colonialism. Is the white man's burden really a burden? 3. Was Germany really the sole culprit of the First World War? 4. The Sick Man on the Bosphorus and the Solution of the Eastern Question. What were the causes of the decline of the Ottoman Empire? 5. Is Munich a trauma or a myth of Czech society? 6. Germany: the sole culprit of the Second World War? 7. What role did the USSR play in the outbreak of the Second World War? 8. What was the significance of the Helsinki Process for world politics? 9. Armaments versus arms control. Who starts wars, weapons or man? 10. Mikhail Gorbachev: reformer of socialism or traitor? 11. Third World countries - active players in international relations or uninteresting outsiders? 12. The Arab-Israeli conflict and its peripeteia. Can Israel survive in the long term? 13. The loss of the West's relative position in the world. An inevitable phenomenon or a consequence of bad policy? 14. China - really a 21st century hegemon? 15. Why is it useless to know the history of international politics? Is rationalism better than empiricism? 16. Why is the history of international politics indispensable for the study of international relations? Is empiricism better than rationalism? 17. The 1990s in world politics. The end of history or the clash of civilizations?
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
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