In this course, students will be introduced to the theoretical foundations of the field of International Relations in Political Science, as well as explore their epistemological and ontological differences. We will delve into overarching issues like power, democracy, conflict, and global governance, using deeper theoretical and analytical understandings to apply these theories to current events.

In this doctoral seminar, I combined traditional perspectives from the field of security studies with critical, decolonial, and other approaches and considerations towards security to encouraged expanded debates and definitions of security considerations, particularly surrounding the field of human security studies.

In this class, we analyzed the different approaches different scholars use to understand international relations. We focused on the assumptions underlying each approach and the main concepts they use. For the majority of the class, we move beyond the three “isms” (realism, liberalism, and constructivism) to focus on other theories and concepts such as human security, climate change, green theory, feminism, and post colonialism. Whether tacitly or explicitly, they also often have normative tendencies or leanings. In this class, we will thus analyze the different approaches currently deployed by different scholars to understand international relations.

What is security? Who decides what security looks like, and who experiences it? Rising global issues like climate change and new migration patterns are challenging our conceptions of what security looks like around the world. These new puzzles in security studies are transnational and interdisciplinary. This course, therefore, takes a transnational and interdisciplinary perspective to examine urgent challenges facing human security in a rapidly changing world. Students will analyze relationships between policy decisions and experiences of human security challenges today such as climate refugees, extractive industries, food sovereignty, and global health inequalities.

In Religion & Politics, we will take an interdisciplinary, international approach to exploring the complex intersections between religious belief and political action. We will complicate and interrogate labels such as “extremist” by questioning the “natural” division between religious and secular space. Examining various religious approaches in their own unique sociopolitical contexts, students will hone their critical thinking abilities, broaden their worldview, and sharpen their writing skills.