Great Power Politics and the International Order: Theories and Applications 2100-MON-GPPI

Course learning objectives
Students who pass this course will be able to:
1. Understand the concept of a great power
2. Assess theoretical and historical literature on the rise and fall of great powers
3. Explain how great powers create (or fail to create) international and regional order
4. Analyse the grand strategies of great powers, especially as they pertain to security and institutional/normative forms of international order
5. Critically evaluate arguments made by leading scholars in the field
6. Enhance their research, writing and analytical skills by completing assignments on great power politics involving the application of both theoretical and policy-orientated perspectives

Assessment
You are required to submit two written assignments for this course. The first assignment is an exercise in critical analysis of selected course readings. The second assignment is a research essay that assesses your ability to apply theories to help explain some aspect of great power politics or a policy brief that addresses a strategic challenge facing one specific great power.

Assessment
Assessment items and workload per item % Due date
1 Critical analysis of scholarly article (1,500-2,000 words) 30% 7 April 2023
2 Theory-based research essay OR strategic policy brief (3,000 words) 70% 15 May 2023

Assignment 1 – Critical Analysis Essay (1,500-2,000 words)
Choose one of the assigned readings from the ten class sessions and write a short report critically assessing the core argument of the reading. These readings deal with conceptual, historical and theoretical issues.
The essay should cover the following items:
1. A concise summary of the reading, and its main argument.
2. What does the reading tell you about ‘order’ and ‘change’ in world politics?
3. Is the argument convincing (why/why not)? (This may involve a limited amount of research, drawing on other scholarly works.)
4. A discussion of how this reading helps you understand (some aspect of) great power politics and of how effectively it applies a specific theoretical or methodological approach.

Assignment 2 – Option A: Research Essay (3,000 words)
If you select this option for the second assignment, you will need to write a substantive research paper that includes the application of theory to a specific topic. I will provide you with a list of questions and you are free to choose any one of these questions to work on.

Alternatively, you can set your own research question, but it needs to be approved by me first. NOTE: If you are interested in choosing your own research question then you must discuss this with me in the first three weeks of the class and the question must be approved by 1 April. Here are the general guidelines for choosing your own research question:
1. The topic has to be relevant to great power politics.
2. It can focus on any one great power’s foreign policy in general OR a great power’s relationship with one or more great powers OR a great power’s relationship with a non-great power. (In the case of a great power’s relationship with a non-great power, you will need to specify why your research question matters for great power politics.)
3. You may choose to write on contemporary or historical issues.
4. Please note that you will NOT be allowed to set your own question after 1 April.

This assignment allows you to demonstrate your analytical skills and ability to conduct independent research on a relevant topic and apply theory effectively.

Assignment 2 –Option B: Policy/Strategy Paper (3,000 words)
If you select this option for the second assignment, you will need to write a strategically focused policy brief.

The purpose of a policy brief is to assist policymakers in reaching sound decisions on a specific policy issue. A policy brief summarises the key features of an issue, outlines policy options and provides recommendations on preferred options to address the issue. For the purposes of this course, I will be asking you to step into the shoes of those advising key foreign policymakers and to prepare a policy brief that addresses a strategic challenge facing a great power in the contemporary era.

I will provide you with a list of topics and you are free to choose any one of these topics to work on. Alternatively, you can select a different issue to analyse but only with my prior approval.

The policy brief should be 3,000 words in length (excluding bibliography and footnotes, which you should append). Your policy brief should begin with a brief executive summary, followed by analysis of the issue and ending with a set of recommendations. Sections and paragraphs should be numbered.

This assignment allows you to demonstrate your skills of succinct and effective policy writing, critical analysis and strategic thinking.

Marking Criteria
Each of your pieces of written work will be assessed on the basis of whether or not you have:
a) Answered the question correctly;
b) Developed clear and well-substantiated arguments;
c) Linked your arguments together in a clear logic that flows through the assignment;
d) Reflected an awareness in your writing of the literature on the subject;
e) Written in a style that is easy to follow and communicates your point clearly and effectively;
f) Observed relevant scholarly conventions.

Recommended reading
Some familiarity with world history is important for understanding the rise and fall of great powers. While you will NOT be expected to demonstrate a deep knowledge of historical issues in your written assignments, you may find the following books useful (especially if you are concerned with great power behaviour in the past):

Anthony D’Agostino, The Rise of Global Powers: International Politics in the Era of the World Wars (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012)

Graham Allison, Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? (2017)

Jeremy Black, Great Powers and the Quest for Hegemony: The World Order since 1500 (New York: Routledge, 2008).

John Darwin, After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of the Global Empires, 1400-2000 (New York: Bloomsbury, 2010).

Robert Gilpin, War and Change in World Politics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981).

G. John Ikenberry, After Victory: Institutions, Strategic Restraint, and the Rebuilding of Order after Major Wars (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001).

G. John Ikenberry, Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011).

Paul M. Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500-2000 (New York: Random House, 1987).

John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (New York: W.W. Norton, 2014; Updated edition).

Jürgen Osterhammel, The Transformation of the World: A Global History of the Nineteenth Century (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014).

Odd Arne Westad, The Cold War: A World History ((New York: Basic Books, 2017)

You are encouraged to look at the following journals to refer to articles/issues that interest you: International Affairs, International Security, Security Studies, European Journal of International Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Survival, and The Washington Quarterly. This is not an exhaustive list and you may refer to other region-specific or issue-specific journals depending upon your interests.

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

• Description of 2100-MON-GPPI in USOSweb