International Relations (INTR)

See Course Description Symbols and Terms for an explanation of course description terminology and symbols, the course numbering system, and course credit units.

INTR 102  Politics of the Developing World  3 Units  GC, GE  
Typically Offered: Fall and spring  
The political dynamics of selected developing countries. Major emphasis will be on problems of poverty, colonialism, comparative political structures and behavior, imperialism, and international relations. The course will also focus on tensions in the political culture between traditional and non-traditional values in contemporary developing societies. 3 hours lecture.  (007468)  
General Education: Social Sciences (D)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Lower Division; Global Cultures  
INTR 141  Introduction to International Relations  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Fall and spring  
Introduces students to concepts and theories in International Relations, with an emphasis on contemporary issues. This is a pre-requisites for upper-division International Relations courses. 3 hours lecture.  (021819)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Lower Division  
INTR 142  Introduction to Comparative Politics  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Fall and spring  
This course introduces students to concepts and theories in Comparative Politics, as well as the politics of the different regions of the world. This course is a pre-requisite for upper-division comparative politics courses. 3 hours lecture.  (021810)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Lower Division  
INTR 340A  Model United Nations  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Fall only  
Introduction to the United Nations, its procedures and current issues on its agenda to prepare delegates to participate in the a Model United Nations Conference held during the fall semester. 3 hours lecture.  (007498)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 6 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 340B  Model United Nations  3 Units  
Prerequisite: INTR 340A.  
Typically Offered: Spring only  
Individual and group research on an assigned country and its U.N. policy positions plus mock session activities to prepare delegates to represent that country at the National Model United Nations Conference held in New York City during the spring semester. Either attendance at the New York City conference or a 15-page research paper on a U.N. agenda topic is required. 3 hours lecture.  (007499)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 6 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 340C  Model United Nations Leadership  1-12 Units  
Prerequisite: INTR 340A, INTR 340B.  
Typically Offered: Fall and spring  
This course directs students through the process of being an officer in the Model United Nations (MUN) program. As an officer, students have the opportunity to take on significant responsibilities in the management and mentoring process of the MUN program. Must have successfully completed at least two semesters of Model United Nations courses previously and have received both the recommendation of peers within the program and the faculty advisor's permission. Enrollment in this course is required for both the fall and spring semesters. In addition, each officer will have responsibilities over winter break intersession. Must participate in MUN conferences in both the fall and spring semester. 1 hour seminar.  (021165)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 12 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 344  U.S. Foreign Policy  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Inquire at department  
Course analyzes post-World War II American foreign policy. It examines the origins and development of the cold war, with attention to nuclear capabilities, the growth of national security bureaucracy, and the impact on American society. Special attention is given to the decision-making process as well as to theories of personality, organizational behavior, and the political process as these affect the cold war basis of American foreign policy. 3 hours lecture.  (007503)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 345  War, Conflict, and Security  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Fall only  
The objective of this course is to further the student's understanding of the causes and nature of both international war and within state conflicts. The course covers the different typologies war and strategies of waging war, as well as, the evolution of arms/weapons. The final part of the course focuses on the causes and consequence of the civil conflict and the nature of intrastate organized violence. We also discuss the rationale for international bodies and individual nation's attempts to intervene and prevent wars. 3 hours lecture.  (021830)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 346  International Organizations and NGO's  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Spring only  
This course explores modern political phenomenon of how states and groups use international organizations (IOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to address pressing international problems. After reviewing the theoretical basis for cooperation, the course examines IOs and NGOs in their any forms (e.g. the United Nations, OPEC, Common Markets, the IMF, the World Bank, multinational corporations, Amnesty International and Greenpeace). Students learn the details of these different IOs and NGOs function as the basis for a discussion of two fundamental questions of international relations: Whether or not countries and/or groups can cooperate to solve international problems? And, if so, how? 3 hours lecture.  (007561)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 347  Comparative Political Behavior  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Fall only  
This course introduces students to the study of mass political behavior. The course examines how well theories if voting, partisanship, protest, and public opinion travel to other parts of the world. Students are also introduced to the forms of political participation in contexts dissimilar from our own, such as authoritarian regimes. 3 hours lecture.  (021813)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 391E  Simulation in Political Science: International Relations  1 Unit  
Typically Offered: Fall and spring  
This course is a simulation on selected topics in international relations. 3 hours independent study.  (007512)  
Grade Basis: Credit/No Credit  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 6 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 410  International Law  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Inquire at department  
This course explores the international laws that govern the behavior of nation-states. Students in this course learn a variety of skills, including how to brief cases, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the international legal system, and conduct original research on an international legal topic of their choosing. Though this course covers the broad system of how international laws are made as well as the normative content of those laws, special attention is given to how the United States engages with the international law. 3 hours lecture.  (021827)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 411  Political Economy  3 Units  
Prerequisite: INTR 141.  
Typically Offered: Inquire at department  
Examines the intersection of the market and the polis, including the emergence of capitalism and international trade. The first part of the course focuses on the evolution of market-oriented societies by surveying classical readings in political economy including Hegel, Kojeve, Locke, Ricardo, Marx, and Polanyi. The second part examines the complex dynamics between the state and the economy with an emphasis on contemporary challenges (e.g., the politics of fiscal and monetary policy, economic integration, international trade and finance, human rights and labor issues, poverty, and inequality). 3 hours lecture.  (021828)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 412  Comparative Political Institutions  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Spring only  
This course introduces students to the variety of institutional arrangements found outside of the United States. The course covers both authoritarian and democratic institutions, but focuses primarily on the latter. Specifically, the course covers executive and electoral arrangements, as well as federal v. unitary systems. At the culmination of the course, students are able to assess advantages and disadvantages of each institutional arrangement. 3 hours lecture.  (021803)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 414  Politics of Terrorism  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Inquire at department  
A multi-dimensional and cross-disciplinary study of the historical and contemporary phenomenon of terrorism and counterterrorist policy. Focus is on terrorism as different from war, the sources and practitioners of terrorism, and the multiple rationales for its use. Study will include both domestic and international terrorism, private and state as well as national and international counterterrorist policy. Particular attention on the threat of terrorism to liberal democracy and development of liberal democratic counterterrorist policy. 3 hours lecture.  (007575)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 441W  Capstone in Comparative Politics and International Relations (W)  3 Units  W  
Prerequisite: INTR 141, INTR 142.  
Typically Offered: Spring only  
This course is a culminating experience in the International Relations Program. Students use the skills and knowledge acquired in previous IR courses to conduct a semester long research project relating to either sub-field. 3 hours lecture.  (007559)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division; Writing Course  
INTR 443  Politics of Europe  3 Units  
Prerequisite: Recommended: INTR 141, INTR 142.  
Typically Offered: Inquire at department  
This course introduces students to the Politics of European countries, as well as the Politics of the European union. Covers both comparative politics and international relations. 3 hours lecture.  (007539)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 444  Politics of Asia  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Inquire at department  
This is a comparative politics course, introducing students to the Politics of Asia. The course covers seminal topics in comparative politics, such as regime type, democratization, models of development, political institutions, and political behavior, using selected Asian cases to illustrate the concepts. The course draws upon cases from across Asia, including the People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Pakistan. 3 hours lecture.  (021812)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 446  Politics of the Middle East  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Inquire at department  
Analyzes the foreign policies of the Middle Eastern nations. Emphasizes Arab-Israeli and inter-Arab dynamics, the impacts of Muslim culture, sectarian strife, and the roles of external forces, including the superpowers. 3 hours lecture.  (007565)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 447  Politics of Africa  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Inquire at department  
This is a comparative politics course, introducing students to the history and politics of Africa. Specifically, the course examines historical foundations, political and economic development, regime type and transition, ethnicity, and violence, using African cases as illustrations. 3 hours lecture.  (021829)  
Cross listing(s): AFRI 447, HIST 447  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 3 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 449  Issues in Comparative Politics and International Relations  3 Units  
Typically Offered: Inquire at department  
This course focuses on selected issues in comparative politics and international relations. The topics rotate, depending upon student demand and instructor interests. 3 hours seminar.  (007576)  
Grade Basis: Graded  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 6 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division  
INTR 489B  Internship in International Relations  1-3 Units  
Prerequisite: INTR 141 (may be taken concurrently).  
Typically Offered: Spring, summer, fall  
This course involves an internship in selected government agencies or with an elected official, political party organization, interest group, or media outlet that is concerned with international organizations, non-governmental organizations, or domestic agencies concerned with international issues, foreign policy, or governmental action. No more than 3 units may be counted toward the major or minor. 0 hours independent study.  (021293)  
Grade Basis: Credit/No Credit  
Repeatability: You may take this course for a maximum of 15 units  
Course Attributes: Upper Division