IR 201 Diplomatic HistoryMEF UniversityDegree Programs Political Science and International RelationsGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy Statement
Political Science and International Relations
Bachelor Length of the Programme: 4 Number of Credits: 240 TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF: Level 6

Ders Genel Tanıtım Bilgileri

School/Faculty/Institute Faculty of Econ., Admin. and Social Sciences
Course Code IR 201
Course Title in English Diplomatic History
Course Title in Turkish Diplomatic History
Language of Instruction EN
Type of Course Flipped Classroom
Level of Course Intermediate
Semester Fall
Contact Hours per Week
Lecture: 3 Recitation: 0 Lab: 0 Other: 0
Estimated Student Workload 130 hours per semester
Number of Credits 5 ECTS
Grading Mode Standard Letter Grade
Pre-requisites None
Expected Prior Knowledge None
Co-requisites None
Registration Restrictions Only undergraduate students
Overall Educational Objective To learn the fundamentals of European modern diplomatic history, starting with the 19th century.
Course Description IR 201 covers diplomatic history, primarily focusing on developments in Europe since the 19th century. Topics include the American and French revolutions, the Congress of Vienna, the Concert of Europe, World War I, the League of Nations, World War II, the Cold War and major diplomatic developments in the post-Cold War period until the present time.
Course Description in Turkish

Course Learning Outcomes and Competences

Upon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:
1) Know the difference between diplomatic history and political history.
2) Özellikle 19. yüzyıldan itibaren devletler arasındaki diplomatik ilişkilerin evrimini anlamak ve eleştirel olarak değerlendirmek.
3) Know the major actors in international relations, including states and intergovernmental organizations, which have shaped the evolution of international diplomacy from the 19th century onwards.
4) 1814'ten itibaren devletler tarafından güç kullanımına katkıda bulunmuş olan faktörleri ve uluslararası diplomasinin yürütülmesine yönelik sınamaları değerlendirmek.
5) Recognize and evaluate the conditions under which states turn to diplomacy as a means to end wars.
6) Use the knowledge gathered in this course to draw historical connections and be able to critically evaluate how the past influences the present.
Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes 1 2 3 4 5 6
1) Adequate knowledge of political history necessary to comprehend and effectively evaluate contemporary Political Science and International Relations issues.
2) Understanding of the fundamental concepts that exist in the fields of social and behavioral sciences as well as the correlation between these concepts
3) Ability to analyze the fundamental theories in the field Political Science and International Relations and to assess their reflections into practice
4) Ability to critically discuss different aspects of theories and developments in Political Science and International Relations both individually and in the course of group work during classroom discussions.
5) Ability to conduct research independently, or with a team, about the developments taking place in the international arena, make foreign policy analyses, develop research-based conflict resolution models, and prepare comprehensive reports using computers and relevant software
6) Ability to take decisions as well as to implement these decisions by using the knowledge about the field and the skills that have been acquired during the undergraduate studies
7) Ability to recognize the relations between scientific thought and ethical behavior; pay attention to being tolerant and properly defend different ideas, ideologies and belief systems
8) Ability to work in international institutions and multicultural environments, with the help of the knowledge on different cultures, societies, political systems as well as linguistic skills acquired during the undergraduate studies
9) Ability to display language skills in English at minimum B2 level enough for debating with colleagues on issues of Political Science and International Relations, and also display language skills in a second foreign language at minimum A2 level enough for communicating in daily life
10) Ability to pursue lifelong learning as well as perform advanced/graduate studies in the field Political Science and International Relations and other social sciences disciplines in academic institutions at home and abroad

Relation to Program Outcomes and Competences

N None S Supportive H Highly Related
     
Program Outcomes and Competences Level Assessed by
1) Adequate knowledge of political history necessary to comprehend and effectively evaluate contemporary Political Science and International Relations issues. H Exam
2) Understanding of the fundamental concepts that exist in the fields of social and behavioral sciences as well as the correlation between these concepts S Exam
3) Ability to analyze the fundamental theories in the field Political Science and International Relations and to assess their reflections into practice N
4) Ability to critically discuss different aspects of theories and developments in Political Science and International Relations both individually and in the course of group work during classroom discussions. S Exam
5) Ability to conduct research independently, or with a team, about the developments taking place in the international arena, make foreign policy analyses, develop research-based conflict resolution models, and prepare comprehensive reports using computers and relevant software S Exam
6) Ability to take decisions as well as to implement these decisions by using the knowledge about the field and the skills that have been acquired during the undergraduate studies S Exam
7) Ability to recognize the relations between scientific thought and ethical behavior; pay attention to being tolerant and properly defend different ideas, ideologies and belief systems H Participation
8) Ability to work in international institutions and multicultural environments, with the help of the knowledge on different cultures, societies, political systems as well as linguistic skills acquired during the undergraduate studies S Exam
9) Ability to display language skills in English at minimum B2 level enough for debating with colleagues on issues of Political Science and International Relations, and also display language skills in a second foreign language at minimum A2 level enough for communicating in daily life H Exam
10) Ability to pursue lifelong learning as well as perform advanced/graduate studies in the field Political Science and International Relations and other social sciences disciplines in academic institutions at home and abroad S Exam
Prepared by and Date BEKEN SAATÇİOĞLU , January 2024
Course Coordinator BEKEN SAATÇİOĞLU
Semester Fall
Name of Instructor Prof. Dr. BEKEN SAATÇİOĞLU

Course Contents

Week Subject
1) Course introduction
2) Chapter 26, textbook: “The North Atlantic Revolutions, 1750-1830” (p. 519-543).
3) Kissinger, Chapter 4 “The Concert of Europe: Great Britain, Austria and Russia” (p. 78- 102). Chapter 27, textbook: “Industry, Ideology, and Their Global Impact, 1700-1914” (p. 544-571).
4) Kissinger, Chapter 5 “Two Revolutionaries Napoleon III and Bismarck” (p. 103-136). Kissinger, Chapter 6 “Realpolitik turns on itself” (p. 137-167).
5) Chapter 31, textbook: “The Great War and the Russian Revolutions, 1890-1918” (p. 641-665). Kissinger, Chapter 7 “A Political Doomsday Machine: European diplomacy before the First World War” (p. 168-200).
6) Midterm Exam
7) Chapter 32, textbook: “Anxieties and Ideologies of the Interwar Years, 1918-1939” (p. 666-690).
8) Chapter 33, textbook: “World War II and the Holocaust, 1933-1945” (p. 691-716). Kissinger, Chapter 12 “The End of Illusion: Hitler and the Destruction of Versailles” (p. 288-331).
9) Chapter 34, textbook: “East Versus West: Cold War and Its Global Impact, 1945-Present” (p. 718-723 – read until “The Global Confrontation”). Kissinger, Chapter 17 “The Beginning of the Cold War” (p. 423-445).
10) Chapter 34, textbook: “East Versus West: Cold War and Its Global Impact, 1945-Present” (p. 723-736 – read until “The Gorbachev Revolution”). John Lewis Gaddis, We Now Know, Chapter 9 “The Cuban Missile Crisis” (p. 260-280).
11) Kissinger, Chapter 29 “Détente and its Discontents” (p. 733-761).
12) Chapter 34, textbook: “East Versus West: Cold War and Its Global Impact, 1945-Present” (p. 736-741). “The Second Cold War and the End of an Era, 1980-1991”, In: Andreas Wegner and Doron Zimmermann, International Relations: From the Cold War to the Globalized World, Lynn Rienner, 2003.
13) Andreas Wenger and Doron Zimmermann, “New Developments in the Emerging International System, 1991-2002” and “Current Affairs”, In: Andreas Wenger and Doron Zimmermann, International Relations: From the Cold War to the Globalized World, Lynne Rienner, 2003.
14) Charles Kupchan, “The Turn” (p. 1-3), “The Next Turn: The Rise of the Rest” (p. 74-86), “Alternatives to the Western Way” (p. 86-146), “Managing No One’s World” (p. 182-206), In: Charles Kupchan, No One’s World: The West, the Rising Rest and the Coming Global Turn, Oxford University Press, 2012.
15) Final Examination Period
Required/Recommended Readings• Edward H. Judge and John W. Langdon, Connections: A World History, Volume Two, Third Edition (USA: Pearson, 2016) • Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994) • Charles Kupchan, No One’s World: The West, the Rising Rest and the Coming Global Turn (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). • Andreas Wenger and Doron Zimmermann, International Relations: From the Cold War to the Globalized World (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2003).
Teaching MethodsLectures, class discussions, group work, course videos.
Homework and ProjectsNone
Laboratory WorkNone
Computer UseYes
Other ActivitiesNone
Assessment Methods
Assessment Tools Count Weight
Attendance 14 % 10
Quiz(zes) 3 % 15
Midterm(s) 1 % 35
Final Examination 1 % 40
TOTAL % 100
Course Administration beken.saatcioglu@mef.edu.tr
02123953678
Rules for attendance: Attendance is not mandatory, though highly necessary. Students are not graded based on class attendance alone but they are expected to attend regularly and are graded based on class participation. Missing a quiz: Missed quizzes cannot be made up. Missing a midterm: All students must take the midterm on the scheduled date. If they miss the exam due to illness, they must provide valid documentation in the form of an official doctor’s report. Missing a final: Faculty regulations. A reminder of proper classroom behavior, code of student conduct: Students are expected to show full respect vis-à-vis the professor and fellow students. Individuals who consistently act inappropriately in the classroom will be asked to leave. Statement on cheating: Cheating is a serious offense and will be treated according to the university’s regulations. Students caught cheating will be reported to the Dean and risk facing further disciplinary action.

ECTS Student Workload Estimation

Activity No/Weeks Calculation
No/Weeks per Semester
Course Hours 28 84
Study Hours Out of Class 30 168
Midterm(s) 2 4
Final Examination 2 4
Total Workload 260
Total Workload/25 10.4
ECTS 5