Description
Students will work individually to create a series of memes (10 or more) related to several topics/key
points we have discussed in class and read about. They can choose specific topics,
events, or figures in the field to memeify. These topics include geopolitical conflicts,
international treaties, global organizations, key historical events, and international
crises. Students may choose to use powerpoint, canvas, or another similar alternative to
produce an entire series of memes relating to several IR topics. Each meme will also
require a brief explanation of the context and message behind each meme, discussing
the international relations themes and issues they address. This project requires
students to have a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of concepts in order to
deliver a meme that can be clever and impactful in various categories. The project will
be evaluated by the relevance and accuracy of the content, the level of creativity, the
visual appeal of the meme, etc. Overall, this project allows students to apply humor and
creatively showcase their understanding of complex international relations concepts in a
visually engaging and accessible way.
below I attached terms and study guides given out for our final exam to give an outline of what we’ve learned.
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INTRO TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS – FALL 2023
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE FINAL EXAM (DEC.17th, 7:30PMDec.18th, 7:30pm)
PART I
1 – What is the scientific method? What is the goal of the scientific method? Can you name
the major elements/steps in the scientific method? Can you give examples of hypotheses
(cause and effect relations) that can be tested using the scientific method? (please refer to
Chapter 2 in the textbook to answer these questions and for a definition of hypothesis).
2 – Can you name the levels of analysis that international relations scholars commonly adopt?
Who is the International Relations scholar who first systematically theorized about the levels
of analysis (problem) in the subfield? What is the methodological question that drives the
levels of analysis approach? Which specific entities are the levels focusing on? Which level
of analysis might be the most problematic one? Why? According to your perspective, is it a
micro- or macro- level analysis that better explains state behavior in world politics? (in
Chapter 2, pg.10-14).
3 – (Covered fully in Chapter 3 of the textbook) Broadly speaking, who are the two main types
of actors that international relations study? When does a political entity acquire “statehood”?
What does sovereignty mean? Is there a distinction between “internal” and “external”
sovereignty? What is the role that the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) played in establishing the
sovereignty of the state? Can you give examples to “non-state actors”? What do you think is
the main difference between inter-governmental (IGOs) and non-governmental organizations
(NGOs)?
4 – How would you define anarchy? What is the relationship between state sovereignty and
anarchy? If anarchy is the defining characteristic of the international system, then, how does
this affect state behavior? Is building power important in an anarchic system? Why?
5 – Power is a core concept in the study of international relations; especially in realist theories
of state behavior. Can you suggest a definition of power? What is power used to achieve?
According to this definition, how are compellence and deterrence different from each other?
How do scientists measure power? Can you give examples to the main indicators that
scholars use to measure power? By using this measurement, can we identify which states are
major powers? When is a state most likely to lose its predominant power position in the
system and hence, its major power status? (refer to Chapter 4 here)
6 –How do we categorize international systems in different historical epochs? What are the
three main forms that distribution of power in the international system can take? Which one is
the distribution that balance of power theorists think is most stable? (refer to Balances and
Imbalances of Power discussion also in Chapter 4) in the textbook).
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7 – When discussing the causes of state behavior, we have said that such causes can originate
from the international system (externally) or from domestic politics (internally). Can you give
examples of internal and external pressures on states?
8 – Can you name the main perspectives in international relations? (Please refer to the
discussion in the textbook –Chapter 2—to answer this question and the following four
questions). Which perspectives talk about external (system level) pressures on states’ foreign
policymaking? Why? Which perspective focuses on domestic pressures on foreign policy?
Can you build a link between the levels of analysis approach and different perspectives in
international relations?
9 – Among the perspectives in international relations, realism is the dominant one. What are
the certain assumptions that realists are making? Which specific assumption in realism are
liberal theories relaxing or changing in their study of state behavior in world politics?
10 –According to the balance of power theory, when is conflict between states least likely?
According to balance of power’s predictions, when there are two states or coalitions of states
competing for power, which side is a state supposed to ally with? Do you think that
“balancing against the strongest” is the most common alliance form in world politics?
Would you suggest that states are actually balancing against the United States?
11 – Liberalism is one of the main paradigms of international relations. What is the
level of analysis in liberalism? According to liberalism, who are the domestic actors
that can play a role in the foreign policymaking of states? Can you give examples of
these domestic actors?
12 – This set of questions refer to Chapter 5. How does public opinion become a force to be
reckoned with in foreign policymaking? What is mass versus elite opinion? Are there any significant
differences in between how masses and elites formulate foreign policy preferences? Does public
opinion play a role in war and crisis abroad? How? Are there theories/arguments in IR that
specifically focus on public opinion to explain war behavior? (casualty aversion, diversionary war,
democratic peace, etc.)
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PART II
13 – What are the different types of conflict that take place around the world (between states or
within a state)? What is the major criterion that scholars use to categorize conflicts? Can you
categorize some of the current conflicts in the world based on this criterion? Which type of
conflict is potentially disappearing from the world scene? Which type of conflict is frequently
observed in the post-Cold War period?
14 – What is an inter-state war? What are the two main conditions for a conflict to qualify as an
inter-state war? (Chapter 7)
15– Why do states fight each other? Can you name the system-level (power-based) theories of
inter-state war? Could you give an example of a state-level theory of inter-state war? When is an
inter-state war most likely to take place according to these theories? (also see Chapter 7 for
realist –power-based—theories of interstate conflict). Consider reading Chapter 8 as you think
about the causes of war and focus on concepts such as security dilemma (in relation to anarchy),
arms race and guns-versus-butter problem.
16 – What is an intra-state war? Who are the conflict parties in an intra-state war? Have scholars
reached a consensus on the fatality threshold for a case to qualify as an intra-state war? Which
regions of the world experience the greatest number of intra-state conflicts? What is the main
difference between an extra-state and an intra-state war? (Chapter 7)
17 – Why do civil wars start? Why do people take up arms against their own government? How
are civil wars related to failed states? Could you name state-level theories of intra-state war
(greed and grievance)? Can you suggest a system-level explanation of intra-state war? Which
systemic changes in history may have increased the overall number of civil wars? (Chapter 7)
18 – What is unconventional (irregular) warfare? Could you suggest a definition of terrorism?
What are the main terrorist tactics that terrorist networks and rebel organizations adopt (e.g.,
bombings, suicide terrorism, armed attack, kidnappings, hostage taking and hijacking)? What are
the forms that terrorism can take (e.g., dissident terrorism, state terrorism, state-sponsored
terrorism)? Which form of terrorism would be considered genocide? (Chapter 7)
19 – The core characteristic of the international system is anarchy. Does this mean that there are
no rules in the system to govern states’ behavior? For instance, are there any rules that govern
states’ behavior in wartimes (just war tradition)? Where do these rules originate from? What is
JUSTICE IN WAR as opposed to JUSTICE OF WAR? When is use of force by a state against
another one in compliance with international law (preemptive versus preventive self-defense)?
What is just cause in war according to Hugo Grotius? Which principle of just war tradition is
called discrimination? Proportionality? (Chapter 9)
20 – What are the main sources of international law (think about international treaties and
customary law in this context)? Who are the subjects of international law? What is
cosmopolitanism? Communitarianism? Are individuals legal subjects of international law? Can
national leaders and state officials be legal subjects of international law? When state leaders
break the law of nations, which international bodies are authorized to try them for their crimes
(permanent versus temporary courts)? What is the International Criminal Court’s function in this
framework? How is ICC different from ICJ (International Court of Justice also discussed in
Chapter 9 and Chapter 10)?
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21 – In relation to the question above, think about subjects of international law in the context of
human rights. What are the main international conventions that expand the domain of
international law? Which one of these documents is considered as soft law? Why? What are
positive rights versus negative rights? Why are the conventions that codify these rights not
considered as soft law?
22 –What is “new interventionism”? Think about humanitarian law and the Responsibility 2
Protect norm within this context (also Chapter 9 and 10). How does universal jurisdiction play
out in war crimes? How is this different from the traditional norm of sovereign immunity?
Immunity from what?
23 What is the role of the United Nations (UN) in managing conflict around the world? When is
collective use of force legitimate according to the UN Charter? What is the traditional versus
modern mission of the UN? What are the strategies that the UN adopts to prevent conflict, and
make and keep peace? Can you give examples of conflicts to which the UN sent a peacekeeping
mission? Which type of conflict is increasingly on the peacekeeping agenda of the UN? Do you
think that the UN is breaking the law laid out in the UN Charter by intervening in these conflicts?
Are there conflicts in which the UN authorized collective use of force? Are there conflicts in
which NATO assumed the collective defense function instead of the UN? (Chapter 10).
24– What is the main hypothesis of the democratic peace theory? What is the institutional
explanation of democratic peace? (Chapter 5). What is “audience costs”, specifically in
democracies? How can audience costs tie leaders hands? Or how can audience costs increase the
credibility of signals (threats, etc) that democracies issue against other countries?
25 – Is there an economic peace just like democratic peace (economic liberalism)? Are
economically interdependent states less likely to fight each other? If so, why? The world has
experienced a tremendous increase in trade and finance in the 1970s and became an astonishingly
interdependent place. Does this increase or decrease the likelihood of conflict? (Chapter 11).
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PART III
26– Can you define protectionism? What are the tools of protectionism? Can you suggest a
period in which protectionism was rampant? What were the historical conditions that pushed
states towards protectionism? Did the US also adopt a protectionist economic regime in this
period? How? What were the consequences of US’s action? Did other countries retaliate? Have
we seen similar protectionist measures after the 2008 financial crisis? (Chapter 13).
27– What is economic liberalism? How is economic liberalism different from protectionism?
How is the comparative advantage theory related to economic liberalism? What are the political
implications of economic liberalism (economic peace)? What is the main idea of the post-1945
global order; protectionism or economic liberalism? How do scholars in the realist tradition react
to economic liberalism (relative versus absolute gains)? According to realists, what are the
adverse effects of economic interdependence that may result in conflict between states
(sensitivity and vulnerability)? (Chapter 13).
28– How does an international economic order come into being? Why does this process
sometimes involve a hegemon (collective goods –jointness of supply and nonexclusiveness,
free rider dilemma)? What would the hegemonic stability theory say about the birth of
institutions? Does the hegemon arbitrarily impose a global order on other states or does it
borrow from history? If so, what were the main events that played into hegemon’s preferences
in 1944? Can you name the countries which are/have been hegemons? Can you suggest a piece
of evidence that supports US’s leadership in global economy (think about the purchasing
power of US dollar)? Do you think that the 2008 financial crisis challenged the US hegemony?
How? (Chapter 13).
29– Can you name the main institutions and regimes that the US established in the post-1944
world to create a liberal economic order? Could you discuss the role that GATT/WTO played
in trade liberalization? Does WTO adjudicate trade disputes between member states? How?
How was trade liberalization achieved; in a single meeting between GATT/WTO members or
over the course of a series of negotiations (iterated play)? Is trade liberalization an ongoing
process? If so, what are the latest issues in this process? (Chapter 13).
30– Earlier in the semester, we have discussed “non-state actors”, and specifically
intergovernmental organizations (IGOs). Can you provide a definition of IGOs? What do you
think might be the main goals of IGOs? How do institutions come into being? Do you think that
the hegemon plays a role in the formation of institutions? Can you give examples of IGOs that
have a collective security function (UN, NATO, AU, OAS)? Can you name IGOs that have
economic goals (WTO, IMF, World Bank, IBRD, NAFTA, MERCOSUR, EU)? Can you
identify IGOs which have exclusive membership as opposed to those with an inclusive
membership? (Chapter 11 for a general discussion on IGOs; Chapter 10 for UN; Chapter 13 for
IMF and World Bank; and the discussion in Chapter 14 on regional economic blocks)
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31– Can you discuss the international financial arrangements from late 19th century to present?
What is the Gold Standard? What is the financial arrangement that resulted from the 1944
Bretton Woods conference? What is a fixed exchange rate system? How was the fixed exchange
rate system sustained in the post-1944 order? When did it come to an end? Why? What was the
exchange rate system that replaced it? Do you think this is a completely free-floating system or
something else? What specific role does the IMF play in financial stability? (Chapter 13).
32– Important among IGOs that pursue economic goals are regional economic blocs that are
created by regional trade agreements. Are there any examples of regional economic blocs that
you can think of? Goals of regional economic blocs can range from reduction of trade barriers to
establishment of an economic union. Among these IGOs, European Union (EU) is a unique case.
What have been the major accomplishments of EU (economic union, monetary union, political
union)? How do these achievements set EU apart from other IGOs? What do these achievements
suggest in terms of state sovereignty? Can you name the main institutions of EU? What is pooled
sovereignty (supranationalism versus intergovernmentalism) and in which EU institutions do we
see pooled sovereignty? (Chapter 14).
28 – Which countries does the term “global south” refer to? What are the two main problems in
the global south countries (overpopulation and poverty)? How would the global south rank in
terms of human development index? Can you suggest an explanation of the development gap
between global north and global south (on what level of analysis would your explanation be)?
Can you suggest ways in which the global south has attempted to overcome its developmental
problems (e.g., foreign aid, export-oriented industrialization, import-substitution
industrialization, regional economic blocs)? (Chapter 15)
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Week 15
• International monetary regime
• Fixed versus floating exchange rate system
• Managed float
• Exchange rate
• Gold standard
• IMF/IMF conditionality
• Nixon shocks
• Development gap
• Human development index HDI
• Income inequality GINI
• Modernization theory
• World system theory
• Dependency theory
• Export substitution, import substitution industrialization
• Terms of trade
• Asian tigers
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Week 14
• Smoot Hawley Tariff Act of 1930
• Tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade
• Economic liberalism
• Free trade/comparative advantage theory
• Strategic trade
• hegemonic stability theory
• liberal order
• Bretton Woods system
• British hegemony
• US hegemony
• Hegemonic decline
• Institution building
• Regional trade agreements, trading blocs,
• Regionalism versus multilaterism
• Intergovernmentalism/supranationalism
• economic integration: customs union, free trade area, common market, economic and
monetary union
• Economic institutions and regimes
• GATT/WTO, trade rounds, dispute settlement
• World Bank
Week 12
• Protectionism
• Monetary instability
• Absolute versus relative gains (liberal versus realist view on trade and economic
interdependence)
• Tariffs (import, export)
• Subsidies
• Trade wars (link it to tariffs)/trade disputes
• Financial crisis
• First Bank of the United States
• Great Depression/ stock market crash
• Government bailout
Week 10
● Democratic Peace
● Democracy and reputation
● Norms
● Institutions/audience costs
● Offensive Idealism
● Economic Liberalism/Liberal capitalism
● Sensitivity
● Vulnerability
● Protectionism
● Autarky
● Economic interdependence
● Opportunity cost and signaling mechanisms
● Absolute and Comparative Advantage
● Tariffs
● Private Goods
● Collective Goods
● Free-rider Dilemma
● League of Nations
● United Nations
● Nontariff barriers to trade (NTBs)
● Sanctions/sanction types/Embargo
● Economic Nationalism
Week 9
● Pacifism
● Universal Declaration of Human Rights
● ICJ
● Collective Security
● UN Peacekeeping
● Hard Power
● Responsibility to Protect
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Collective Security
United Nations
Sovereign immunity
Cosmopolitan versus communitarian perspective of international law
Preventive versus preemptive war
Week 8
● Failed States
● Greed
● Grievances
● How can poverty lead to conflict?
● Uppsala Conflict Dataset
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Hard Power
Ethnic Conflict
Ethnopolitical Conflict
Unity and Separation
Examples
Predation
External Assistance
Information Warfare
Rebellion
Lootable Resources
Unconventional and Irregular War
Guerilla
Terrorism
State Terrorism
State-Sponsored Terrorism
Interstate War
Intrastate War/ Civil Conflict
Week 7
● Rationality and value maximizing
● Security Dilemma
● Anarchy and self-help
● Crisis Bargaining
● Rational explanations of war
● Coercive diplomacy (which IR theory emphasizes coercion?)
● Arms race
● Prisoner’s dilemma
● Guns versus butter
● First and second strike capability
● Weapons proliferation
● Brinkmanship
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