Syllabus

PHILOSOPHY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

(taught in English)

Course Description

This course enables students to understand philosophical dimensions of international relations and their ethical challenges. Moreover, this discipline enhances students' ability to apply critical thinking and argumentation skills in the context of international relations.

Contact information

Instructor: Dr. Oleksandr Kulyk

Office: Gagarin ave, 72, 813

Email: prof.kulyk@gmail.com

Course Webpage: https://sites.google.com/site/kuliktexts/en/courses/pir

Required texts

Burchill S., Linklater A., Devetak R. (2005). Theories of International Relations. Third edition. Palgrave Macmillan.

Smith K.E., Light M. (Eds) (2004). Ethics and Foreign Policy. Cambridge University Press.

Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan

John Locke, Two Treatises of Government

Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successfully completing this course, students will develop their understanding of philosophical aspects of international relations. By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• analyze philosophical basis of main theories of IR

• address critically controversial ethical problems of IR

• argue their own views in the area of international relations with using philosophical argumentation.

Evaluation

Grades will be based on a 100-point scale distributed as follows:

Requirement

Participation (20%) – 20 points

Essays (20%) – 20 points

Debates (20%) - 20 points

Exam (40%) – 40 points

Final grade

А 90–100 points

В 82–89 points

С 75–81 points

D 64–74 points

Е 60–63 points

F 0–59 points

Course Requirements

Participation

To participate is to come to class and regularly contribute to discussions throughout the semester. This includes discussions in class and with the instructor during office hours.

Essays

Each student has to write two response essays. They are asked to critique the assigned texts based on a provided set of criteria in their response essays. The criteria focus on the validity of the assertions made and their relevance and applicability. The first text is the chapter XVIII of The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli. The second text consists of passages from John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government.

Debates

Taking part in debates on the philosophy of international relations topics, students have to show their skills in critical thinking and logical arguing.

Exam

There will be a final exam in which students will respond to two questions about the material covered. The format will be an essay. In the first question students are asked to analyze a case from modern international relations by means of ethics. The second question will be about differences between the theories of international relations which are results of differences in their philosophical background. Students are expected to demonstrate in their answers that they have thought about the issues in an informed, thoughtful, and articulate way.

Tentative Timeline

September

Lecture:

Introduction to the Philosophy of International Relations

Lecture:

Philosophical Foundations of Realism Doctrine

Seminar:

Nicolo Machiavelli, the passages from The Prince

Seminar:

Thomas Hobbes, the passages from Leviathan

Lecture:

Philosophical Foundations of Liberalism Doctrine

Seminar:

John Locke, the passages from Two Treatises of Government

October

Seminar:

Francis Fukuyama, the passages from The End of History and the Last Man

Lecture:

The Philosophical Foundations of Marxism

Seminar:

The Philosophical Foundations of the English School

Lecture:

The Philosophical Foundations of Critical Theory

Seminar:

The Philosophical Foundations of Constructivism

Lecture:

The Philosophical Foundations of Green Politics Theory

November

Lecture

Morality and Foreign Policy

Case Study

Ethical Problems of War and Peace

Case Study

Ethics and Good Foreign Policy Leadership

Case Study

Ethical Foreign Policies and Human Rights

Workshop

Constructing an Ethical Foreign Policy.

Lecture

Differences between the Theories of International Relations in the Context of Ethics

December

Debates

Revision

January

Consultation

Exam