Unit 1
Making Sense of the World around Us

Overview

Unit 1 explores broad and specific ways of making sense of the world around us. Initially, you will be encouraged to consider three ways of looking at this world: as a world of violence, conflict, and power; as a world of cooperation and interdependence; and as a world of inequalities. These themes provide a broad framework for Political Science 330 and illustrate how differing points of view affect and change aspects of global politics.

The emergence of the field of international relations and different theoretical approaches within the field are also discussed. Three sets of theories—realism, liberalism and critical theory—are introduced as analytical tools that can help to make sense of global politics. Several theoretical debates in international relations, such as realism vs. idealism and the inter-paradigm debate, are also briefly discussed in Unit 1.

Lesson 1
What Type of World Do We Live In and How Can We Understand It?

Learning Objective

When you have completed Lesson 1, you should be able to achieve the following learning objective.

1. Identify and explain three different ways of looking at the world, and analyse your own perspective in relation to these.

Lesson 2
Different Approaches to Global Politics

Learning Objectives

When you have completed Lesson 2, you should be able to achieve the following learning objectives.

1. Describe how the field of international relations emerged.
2. Discuss the three major theoretical perspectives of realism, liberalism, and critical theory within the field of international relations.
3. Describe the realist vs. idealist debate and the inter-paradigm debate within the field of international relations.
4. Explain why theory is important in the study of global politics.