Weekly time of in-classroom sessions: 3 hours

Expected weekly time of study and preparation prior to the class: 2-3 hours

The modality of the course for this semester is the 16+2 system, with the first 16 weeks of in-class teaching and learning, and the last 2 weeks of flexible complementary sessions. Students are expected to read the indicated chapters from our coursebook before each session, and will be encouraged to raise questions and exchange ideas during our class. A list with additional materials for students to increase their understanding and prepare their presentations will be made available in the first week of the semester.

      -Week 1 (9/12): Course overview and introduction / What is International Relations and World Politics?

Shannon L. Blanton and Charles W. Kegley, World Politics: Trend & Transformation, 17th Edition (Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2021), Chapter 1. [Hereafter: World Politics].

-Week 2 (9/19): Theories in International Relations

Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 2.

-Week 3 (9/26): Foreign Policy and International Decision Making

Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 3.

-Week 4 (10/3): Great Powers, Hegemony, and Rivalries

Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 4.

 -Week 5 (10/10): National Holiday (no class)

  -Week 6 (10/17): Emerging Powers and the Global South

Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 5.

-Week 7 (10/24): Constructivism and Increasing Relevance of Non-state Actors

Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 6.

-Week 8 (10/31): Midterm Exam 

-Week 9 (11/7): The concepts of War, Security and Alliances 

Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapters 7 & 8 

-Week 10 (11/14): The Maintenance of Peace, International Law, and Collective Security

Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 9. 

-Week 11 (11/21): Economic Globalization and International Finances

Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 10.

-Week 12 (11/28): Economic Development and International Trade

Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 11.

   -Week 13 (12/5): Demographic and Cultural Transformations and their impact on IR

     Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 12.

     -Week 14 (12/12): Political Change and International Organizations

         Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 13.

     -Week 15 (12/19): Environmentalism

         Blanton and Kegley, World Politics, Chapter 14

        -Week 16 (12/26): Final Exam

-Week 17 (1/2): Wrap-up and review (online session)

-Week 18 (1/9): Deadline for special assignment

This course is a required one, and student's attendance and participation are vital elements to its passing. Preparation and discussion are therefore highly encouraged. The composition of evaluation is as follows:

Midterm Exam: 15%

Final Exam: 25%

Team-based presentation and special assigment: 30% (20+10)

Depending on the number of students enrolled in this course, the instructor will ask them to form teams and each one will be making a presentation throughout the semester (20%), and a special assignment for the end of the semester (10%). Each team will be selecting a study case to be presented, after previous consultation with the instructor. The team presentations will take place between Week 4 and Week 15. Only one presentation per week. The number of teams and their members will be defined in the first weeks of the semester, depending on the total number of students enrolled in this course. Also, depending on the number of members per team, the average length recommended for each presentation will be determined.

After its definition and selection of the topic, the team should read all the required and supplementary materials for that session, and connect its contents to the case they will present. The team can use audiovisual materials, such as PowerPoint or Prezi files during the presentation; as well as interactive activities at the end of it, to engage the audience, such as the website Kahoot. For the sepcial assignment, an activity related with their selected topic will be given to each group during the initial weeks of the semester, and to be completed by Week 18, as indicated above.

The score of the presentation will consist in: organization and coordination of the team members (20pts.); content and coherence of the presentation (40pts.); performance of team members during the presentation and time management (40pts.).

Attendance and Participation: 30%

Attendance is a key element in the course, as well as constant participation by students. Discussion will be relevant, particularly during the last hour of each session. 

The required text book for this course is:

Shannon L. Blanton and Charles W. Kegley, World Politics: Trend & Transformation, 17th Edition (Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2021).

The list supplementary of materials will be given to the students during the first weeks of the semester, and most of them can be found in the following edited volume:

Walter Carlsnaes, Thomas Risse, and Beth Simmons, eds., Handbook of International Relations, 2nd. edition (London: SAGE, 2012).