How do leaders handle international crises? What pressures do
they experience, what policy options do they have, and how do
their choices affect crisis outcomes? We address these
questions by examining how leaders within major states handled
international crises during the period 1816-1948.
Athena Title
Crisis Diplomacy
Prerequisite
INTL 3200 or INTL 3200E or INTL 3200H or INTL 3300 or INTL 3300E or INTL 3300H
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to recall and apply key concepts in international affairs (e.g., the international system, actors in the international system, the principles of sovereignty and anarchy).
By the end of this course, students will be able to compare and contrast various political systems and consider their advantages and disadvantages from the perspective of different societal actors.
By the end of this course, students will be able to explain, critique, and apply the major theoretical approaches and models used within international relations and comparative politics.
By the end of this course, students will have practice evaluating the causes and effects of historical and contemporary global events, by choosing and applying appropriate theoretical models, interpreting and contextualizing past research findings, and/or analyzing empirical data (qualitative or quantitative).
By the end of this course, students will be able to locate sources of data and evaluate their credibility and their appropriateness for testing a given theory or hypothesis.
By the end of this course, students will be able to articulate opinions on certain global issues, informed by the application of theoretical models, research findings, and/or empirical data (qualitative or quantitative).
By the end of this course, students will be able to express their opinions on certain global issues through formal writing assignments and have the opportunity to revise and refine their writing in response to feedback from the instructor.
By the end of this course, students will be able to identify the key components of social science research.
By the end of this course, students will be able to appreciate and analyze policy interdependence--that is, how the choices that one actor or group of actors make (e.g., citizens, firms, countries) affect the lives and decisions of other actors or groups of actors.
Topical Outline
Introduction
Foreign Policy Decision-Making
Background: Peace, Norms, and the Concert of Europe
International Crises
a. The Eastern Crisis
b. The Crimean War
c. Wars of German Unification
d. Wars of Italian Unification
e. Franco-Prussian War
f. Russo-Japanese War
g. First & Second Moroccan Crises
World Wars and Related Crises
a. World War I: Background and July 1914
b. World War II: Background, Munich 1938, Outbreak of War
c. Crises in the Aftermath of World War II
Identifying Patterns in Crises
a. War through Alliances
b. War through Domestic Politics
c. What Have We Learned?
