Information Package / Course Catalogue
| 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 202 | |||||
| Course Title in English | International Relations Theory | |||||
| Course Title in Turkish | International Relations Theory | |||||
| Language of Instruction | EN | |||||
| Type of Course | Flipped Classroom | |||||
| Level of Course | Intermediate | |||||
| Semester | Spring | |||||
| Contact Hours per Week |
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| Estimated Student Workload | 128 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 principal theoretical approaches to International Relations. | |||||
| Course Description | IR 202 studies the main theoretical approaches to International Relations (IR). Topics include realism and its variants as well as liberal philosophy and more modern liberal theories ranging from regime theory, theories of interdependence, neo-liberal institutionalism to democratic peace theory. Economic structuralism, constructivism, the English School, critical theory and postmodernism are studied in the second half of the course. | |||||
| Course Description in Turkish |
Course Learning Outcomes and CompetencesUpon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:1) Identify and describe the main arguments of the principal theories of International Relations. 2) Differentiate the various theories of International Relations in terms of their explanations regarding the nature of the international system and IR. 3) Critically appraise the key texts that have shaped the development of international relations theory. 4) Assess the strengths and weaknesses of each theoretical approach in international relations. 5) Apply different theoretical approaches to the analysis of events in international relations. 6) Evaluate international relations theories from a scientific perspective. |
| 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 | H | Exam |
| 3) | Ability to analyze the fundamental theories in the field Political Science and International Relations and to assess their reflections into practice | H | Exam |
| 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. | H | 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 | H | 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 | Participation |
| 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 | S | 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 | N | |
| 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 | S | 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 | Spring |
| Name of Instructor | Prof. Dr. BEKEN SAATÇİOĞLU |
Course Contents
| Week | Subject |
| 1) | Course Introduction |
| 2) | Chapter 1, Thinking about IR Theory (p. 1-37). |
| 3) | Chapter 2, Realism: The State and Balance of Power (p. 37-52, p. 81-91). |
| 4) | Chapter 2, Realism: The State and Balance of Power (p. 52-80), “Explaining War: The Levels of Analysis” (p. 94-107), “Hard and Soft Power in American Foreign Policy” (p. 107-115). |
| 5) | Chapter 3, Liberalism: Interdependence and Global Governance (p. 127-150). |
| 6) | Chapter 3, Liberalism: Interdependence and Global Governance (p. 150-164), “Producing Security” (p. 165-172). |
| 7) | Chapter 4, “Economic Structuralism: Global Capitalism and Postcolonialism” (p. 187-216), “The Modern World-System as a Capitalist World-Economy” (p. 225-231). |
| 8) | Midterm |
| 9) | Chapter 7, “Constructivist Understandings” (p. 313-344). |
| 10) | Chapter 7, “Constructing Norms of Humanitarian Intervention” (p. 345-352); Jeffrey Checkel “Why Comply? Social Learning and European Identity Change”, International Organization, vol. 55 no. 3, 2001, p. 553-588. |
| 11) | Chapter 5, “The English School: International Society and Grotian Rationalism” (p. 237-267). |
| 12) | Chapter 6, “Positivism, Critical Theory, and Postmodern Understandings” (p. 274-306). |
| 13) | Chapter 8, “Feminist Understandings in IR Theory” (p. 360- 385). |
| 14) | Conclusion and review |
| 15) | Final Examination Period |
| Required/Recommended Readings | • Textbook: Paul R. Viotti and Mark V. Kauppi, International Relations Theory, Pearson New International Edition, Fifth Edition (Pearson, 2014). • Jeffrey Checkel “Why Comply? Social Learning and European Identity Change”, International Organization, vol. 55 no. 3, 2001, p. 553-588. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Lectures, class discussion, group work, course videos. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Homework and Projects | None. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Laboratory Work | None. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Computer Use | Yes. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other Activities | None. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Assessment Methods |
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| 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: YÖK Regulations Statement on plagiarism: YÖK Regulations (http://3fcampus.mef.edu.tr/uploads/cms/webadmin.mef.edu.tr/4833_2.pdf ) Plagiarism and cheating will be treated according to the university’s regulations. Students caught cheating and plagiarizing will be reported to the Dean and risk facing further disciplinary action. |
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ECTS Student Workload Estimation
| Activity | No/Weeks | Hours | Calculation | ||||
| No/Weeks per Semester | Preparing for the Activity | Spent in the Activity Itself | Completing the Activity Requirements | ||||
| Course Hours | 14 | 2 | 2 | 56 | |||
| Quiz(zes) | 4 | 4 | 0.5 | 18 | |||
| Midterm(s) | 1 | 24 | 2 | 26 | |||
| Final Examination | 1 | 28 | 2 | 30 | |||
| Total Workload | 130 | ||||||
| Total Workload/25 | 5.2 | ||||||
| ECTS | 5 | ||||||