International Studies

24 MAJOR COURSES

 * 4th year undergraduate courses

1. Introduction to International Relations

This course will introduce students to the basic concepts and theories in International Relations (IR), while familiarizing them with the major global events since Westphalian era that shaped the discipline. It will also expose the students to some of the major issues and themes in IR and how the actors in international system including the states and non-state actors such as international organizations, regimes as well as global civil society respond to them. The course will provide the students with basic knowledge that is required to understand and analyze contemporary global relations.

2. Introduction to Comparative Politics

This course establishes the importance of and provides a general overview of the comparative method in political science and international politics. Students use concepts like Institutions, Culture, sources of political cleavages like Race, Class, Religion, Ethnicity, Gender, Ideology, Economic System to compare how multiple States fare on a given issue, or how a single State tackles an issue over time. The focus is also on the peculiar institutional and socio-political developments of the Third World and on the post Cold-War World.

3. Modernity, Colonialism, and the Nation-State

This course traces the genealogy of the modern Westphalian sovereign territorial state-system to the advent of European modernity. Students explore the phenomenon of Modernity in Europe and Asia and recognize Colonialism as the means through which such interactions were structured. They are also able to contextualize the peculiar form of the nation-state and the peculiarities of postcolonial states and societies like India and South Asia. By appreciating the current international system as the product of certain specific historical contexts, students better understand what factors impact the foundations of the system. Further, it opens the way to recognizing existing patterns and emerging changes in both erstwhile colonies and postcolonial states, as well as to imagine alternate futures.

4. Political Thought

This course introduces the students to the political thought of key Western social and political philosophers. The selection offers an opportunity to understand the philosophical underpinnings that underlie the liberal-democratic systems of governance in the contemporary era. After tracing the development of political concepts through the Western political thinking and practice since the ancient Greece through modern times, the students are encouraged to extrapolate from such experience and search for the best ways in which the concepts may be constructively applied to non-Western contexts. Hence, we have included B. R. Ambedkar to understand a non-Western, primarily Indian way at social and economic emancipation. The approach would be to cover a wider field of concepts rather than intensively focusing on a small area. Each topic is centered on a set of readings that are provided to the students in advance

5. History of the International System

This course surveys the major historical events that shaped international relations since 17th century when the modern nation-states emerged with the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. The major focus of this course is upon the political, economic, social and cultural developments and trends of the World from historical times to the Present. It provides a thumbnail of the Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, World Wars, post-war crisis in Europe and the associated developments in the Cold War milieu, key among which was the alliance between the hitherto imperial nations of the Western European and a rising global power, the United States of America. The ideological and political conflicts between a capitalist US and a communist USSR as well as the distinct geopolitical context of Non-Alignment Movement in the Third World are surveyed in this course. Equally significant is the politics of development aid policies and the part played by such policies in the creation of a largely ‘underdeveloped’ or somewhat ‘developing’ Third World closely monitored and in many ways administered by the great powers. The realignment of the post-cold-war world is yet another key area of focus.

6. International Organizations

This course will provide students an overview of the institutional features of international political system. Providing a theoretical orientation on how international organizations are established the paper explores the role of norms and institutions in international relations. Organizations such as the League of Nations, the United Nations, Human Rights Regimes, Environmental Regimes and International Trade Regimes are covered to provide students with fare knowledge of how the world works in an era of complex interdependence and globalization

7. Research Methods

This course facilitates students to undertake formal research in international studies in general, formulate research proposals and undertake dissertations in particular. It introduces key themes in the philosophy of science, social-scientific paradigms, the ethics, and politics of social research. It also introduces the many lenses- historical, sociological, structural, critical and normative through which research may be undertaken. The course trains students in various qualitative and quantitative methods. The course not only provides a strong grasp of the conventions of doing research, it also enables students to justify new innovations in their own research.

8. Indian Government and Politics

Actual politics in India diverges quite significantly from constitutional legal rules. An understanding of the political process thus calls for a different mode of analysis - that offered by political sociology. This course maps the working of ‘modern’ institutions, premised on the existence of an individuated society, in a context marked by communitarian solidarities, and their mutual transformation thereby. It also familiarizes students with the working of the Indian state, paying attention to the contradictory dynamics of modern state power.

9. Global Economy and Public Policy

National borders enclose clusters of economic activity inside jurisdictions. For various reasons explored at length in this course, these otherwise closed and diverse systems enter into trade with each other and the trade links give rise to a much larger global economic system. Those links have also long enabled exchanges that are not strictly or primarily economic. This course covers international trade theory, globalization trends and related public policy. The focuses of the first part of the course are some of the main theoretical models of international trade and some of the salient issues in trade policy. We shall also study how foreign trade directly affects several other spheres of domestic policy - social, environmental, monetary and others.
The latter half of the course switches to contemporary challenges in an increasingly globalized world and wavering opinions on them. It is a platitude to say the world is getting smaller and everyone or their aunt has an anecdote to bear it out. But what does that mean in practical, economic terms? More importantly, what does a globalized world mean for countries going about their own domestic business? We will look at globalization both as a socioeconomic phenomenon and as an arc in human history. Lastly, we relate some of the chief global trends, especially the rising clout of multinational companies, to their influence in sovereign matters.
Students will be expected to stay on top of weighty and thorny geopolitical matters – the course includes a fun way to ensure it – and will be exposed to current polarizing debates on specific aspects of trade and globalization

10. International Relations Theory

The objective of this course is to introduce the students to a wide spectrum of theoretical tradition within the International Relations discipline. The course surveys both mainstream theories such as Realism, Liberalism as well as critical approaches such as Constructivism, Marxism, Feminism and Environmentalism, examining how these theories conceptualizes ‘the international’ as a field of study. The module focuses on encouraging students to engage with the original texts as well as to familiarize them with the specific terminology and argumentation of various IR scholars. The section on empirical assessments primarily aims to illustrate the dichotomy between the theory and practice of international relations and also to transmit the requisite intellectual skills of analyzing the behaviour and relationships among actors in the international system theoretically.

11. Government and Politics of the United States

The United States of America is the pre-eminent actor in the existing international system and is intimately involved in a wide range of issues across the globe--from adjudicating the smallest of civil wars in the Arab World to policing the trade of raw materials required for making nuclear weapons. Given this global scenario, understanding the structure, function and implications of the American Government becomes an integral part of international studies. This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the government of the United States, including the political institutions, administrative functions, and policy-making processes of this federal nation. Alongside, the role of the citizenry in the political and policy making processes, and the consequences of this participation for democracy are also explained. The course further provides students with an overview of the purposes, practices and ideology governing the various policy arenas of the US, with a special focus on its foreign policy.

12. India’s Foreign Relations

Theoretical perspectives on compulsions, constraints and conditions, which actually shaped India’s foreign policy in the past seven decades, will be elaborated. Continuity and changes in India's foreign policy towards its neighbours and major powers will be thoroughly evaluated. The paper will also throw light on the emerging challenges confronting India and the world such as terrorism, interdependent issues of human rights, environmental degradation, globalization, regionalism, arms race, etc. and how Indian leaders meet the challenges posed by these issues.

13. Understanding Peace and Conflict

This course introduces students to field of Peace and Conflict Studies. It combines historical, theoretical, and conceptual overviews, along with extensive field oriented information. Students are taken through the skills of Conflict Analysis, and the technicalities of Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution. The philosophy and modalities of Conflict Transformation is also introduced. Further, they are introduced to peace studies, and contemporary debates as well as trends on peacekeeping, peace-making and peacebuilding. Special attention is paid to the dynamics of gender, in both conflict situations, as well as peace-efforts. The case studies help compare the lessons learnt against ground realities- they span post-war Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, as well as the peace and conflict dynamics of Northeast India.

14. Geopolitics in West Asia

This course offers a thematic approach to the study of West Asian politics. It will cover the major areas of geopolitical research on the region while simultaneously building empirical knowledge about the politics of individual countries..

15. Security Studies and Non-Traditional Security

This course deals with the sub-field of security studies within the larger discipline of international relations. It traces the historical evolution, the theoretical and conceptual debates, issues in nuclear deterrence, as well as the politics of securitization. The compulsions and the distinction between the objects of security- state versus people are attended in detail. The second half of the course focuses on emerging non-traditional threats to security. These encompass both human and natural challenges like population, migration, terrorism, cyber security, insurgency, environment, food, water and energy. The link between development, governance and security is also taken up.

16. Understanding Modern Chinese Politics

This course deals with understanding Chinese politics in the 20th century. The focus will be on the changing roles of ideology, China’s Communist Party (CCP), political leadership and political succession, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), political institutions (government, bureaucracy, parliament and legal systems, etc.), politics of economic reforms, democratization and political participation, separatism and unification, governance in rural China, and its relations with neighbouring countries.

17. Politics of Developing Societies

This course focuses on three unique regions of the world- regions that do not always make headlines in international politics on their own terms, but only in relation to great power interactions. To learn about the history, dynamics, processes and trends of these regions serves to underscore the diversity and dynamism of the international system. There are both similarities as well as divergences in the political conditions of each of these regions. The task of this course is to appreciate the political dynamics of Africa, Central Asia, and Latin America both on their own merits, and also in a comparative context. Moreover the peculiar forms of political transactions in each of these regions point to alternate forms of political communities and alternate political imaginations. These have practical and theoretical utility far beyond these regions themselves

18. Regional Integration and the European Union

This course is designed to provide students with a general overview of the regional integration process in world politics. This course is designed to equip students with the in-depth empirical understanding, theoretical knowledge and analytical skills necessary to understand and evaluate the integration processes. This course will have a particular focus on the politics of the European Union (EU), the history and development of the Union, its institutions and policies in much detail. It is the intention of this course to survey the major policy areas covered under the auspices of the EU and to provide a critical perspective on the degree to which the EU policies are represented in the national policies of European states. The role of inter-governmentalism, intra-governmentalism, and the division of competencies and responsibilities between the member states and Brussels will also be examined. The course covers specific case studies in the EU politics as a whole. Students can expect to develop a sufficient understanding of this area study to prepare for further study/research and specialization, while advancing their knowledge of the substantive issues under consideration.

19. Law and Politics of Nations

This course is to provide students with the tenet principles and concepts of public international law in the context, theories and practices of international politics. Students are to be introduced to the logics, history and origins of the international legal system, as well as essential concepts such as treaties and jurisdiction, etc. Legal and empirical cases will be used to expose students to topics such as the functions of international court system, legal practices in the multilateral organizations, the compliance with international regimes, the use of force among nation-states, intervention and sanctions, conflict resolution, territorial conflicts and the role that international law can play in the post-armed conflict reconstruction.

20. Advanced International Relations Theory

This course is offered to students with prior exposure to the introductory course on International Relations Theory. The course deals with in-depth level discussions on the main contemporary theoretical perspectives of the IR discipline. The course aims to analyze the key international events and debates in international relations from various theoretical paradigms. The focus is more on reading and debating the classical and key readings related to the IR theories and familiarising with major IR scholars. The course will also offer a comprehensive and critical understanding of mainstream as well as critical theories and situates them in relation to each other in order to examine the potential of theories in the study of international events and relations.

21. Theories and Topics in Comparative politics

In this higher-level course of comparative politics, students are to be introduced to more advanced methods and logics of this sub-discipline including case studies, empirical methods (quantitative and qualitative), and small-N mixed methods, etc. Essential and prevalent topics include: democratic practice and governance, democratization and its consolidation, governance in the information age, the adaptation of authoritarianism, comparative perspectives on institutions in modern polities such as executive, legislative, judicial branches, as well as the role that bureaucracy and political parties plays. The course will be more theory- and method-centric with more contemporary cases introduced to the students.

22. International Political Economy

International Political Economy (IPE) explores the overlap of international politics and economy. International politics influences the making of economic policies of individual countries, and vice versa: new modes and technology of production also determine how politics is played among nations as well. Students begin by comparing different logics and assumptions of major theories of IPE: mercantilism, Marxism, and liberalism. Then by exploring different cases and histories students approach essential topics in IPE such as international trade, finance and monetary policies, the Bretton Wood System and free trade agreements, debts and dependence, big economic players and their roles in international politics, as well as the politics and (in)equality of globalization.

23. Special topics: Topics in Politics of South Asia

This course provides students with an overview of politics in South Asia. Students are introduced to inter-state politics at the level of bilateral relations between India and other South Asian states, as well as the functioning of regional multilateral organisations. The course also covers international political economy, exploring historical trade relations and the reasons for lacklustre regional trade within the modern state system. The final sessions go beyond the state, with students gaining insights into regional relations involving non-state actors and individuals, encompassing multinational corporations, non-governmental organisations, civil-society groups, cultural initiatives, militant organisations, and separatist movements.

24. Special topics: Gender in International Relations

In this course, students are introduced to the work of leading feminist international relations theorists, including Cynthia Enloe, Christine Sylvester, Ann Tickner and Sara Ruddick. The selection includes both positivist and post-positivist theorists. Students are also exposed to the work of key non-Western feminist political thinkers such as Fatima Mernissi and Amina Wadud. Furthermore, the course explores queer theory and its influence on international relations. This is a reading-intensive course and students are expected to engage with the original work of major theorists. Assignments are designed to help students to apply these ideas to empirical topics in international relations, enabling them to use gender as a critical frame through which to understand international politics.

22 MINOR COURSES

  * 4th year undergraduate courses

1. Introduction to International Relations

This course will introduce students to the basic concepts and theories in International Relations (IR), while familiarizing them with the major global events since Westphalian era that shaped the discipline. It will also expose the students to some of the major issues and themes in IR and how the actors in international system including the states and non-state actors such as international organizations, regimes as well as global civil society respond to them. The course will provide the students with basic knowledge that is required to understand and analyze contemporary global relations.

2. Introduction to Comparative Politics

This course establishes the importance of and provides a general overview of the comparative method in political science and international politics. Students use concepts like Institutions, Culture, sources of political cleavages like Race, Class, Religion, Ethnicity, Gender, Ideology, Economic System to compare how multiple States fare on a given issue, or how a single State tackles an issue over time. The focus is also on the peculiar institutional and socio-political developments of the Third World and on the post Cold-War World.

3. Modernity, Colonialism, and the Nation-State

This course traces the genealogy of the modern Westphalian sovereign territorial state-system to the advent of European modernity. Students explore the phenomenon of Modernity in Europe and Asia and recognize Colonialism as the means through which such interactions were structured. They are also able to contextualize the peculiar form of the nation-state and the peculiarities of postcolonial states and societies like India and South Asia. By appreciating the current international system as the product of certain specific historical contexts, students better understand what factors impact the foundations of the system. Further, it opens the way to recognizing existing patterns and emerging changes in both erstwhile colonies and postcolonial states, as well as to imagine alternate futures.

4. Political Thought

This course introduces the students to the political thought of key Western social and political philosophers. The selection offers an opportunity to understand the philosophical underpinnings that underlie the liberal-democratic systems of governance in the contemporary era. After tracing the development of political concepts through the Western political thinking and practice since the ancient Greece through modern times, the students are encouraged to extrapolate from such experience and search for the best ways in which the concepts may be constructively applied to non-Western contexts. Hence, we have included B. R. Ambedkar to understand a non-Western, primarily Indian way at social and economic emancipation. The approach would be to cover a wider field of concepts rather than intensively focusing on a small area. Each topic is centered on a set of readings that are provided to the students in advance

5. History of the International System

This course surveys the major historical events that shaped international relations since 17th century when the modern nation-states emerged with the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. The major focus of this course is upon the political, economic, social and cultural developments and trends of the World from historical times to the Present. It provides a thumbnail of the Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, World Wars, post-war crisis in Europe and the associated developments in the Cold War milieu, key among which was the alliance between the hitherto imperial nations of the Western European and a rising global power, the United States of America. The ideological and political conflicts between a capitalist US and a communist USSR as well as the distinct geopolitical context of Non-Alignment Movement in the Third World are surveyed in this course. Equally significant is the politics of development aid policies and the part played by such policies in the creation of a largely ‘underdeveloped’ or somewhat ‘developing’ Third World closely monitored and in many ways administered by the great powers. The realignment of the post-cold-war world is yet another key area of focus.

6. Regional Integration and the European Union

This course is designed to provide students with a general overview of the regional integration process in world politics. This course is designed to equip students with the in-depth empirical understanding, theoretical knowledge and analytical skills necessary to understand and evaluate the integration processes. This course will have a particular focus on the politics of the European Union (EU), the history and development of the Union, its institutions and policies in much detail. It is the intention of this course to survey the major policy areas covered under the auspices of the EU and to provide a critical perspective on the degree to which the EU policies are represented in the national policies of European states. The role of inter-governmentalism, intra-governmentalism, and the division of competencies and responsibilities between the member states and Brussels will also be examined. The course covers specific case studies in the EU politics as a whole. Students can expect to develop a sufficient understanding of this area study to prepare for further study/research and specialization, while advancing their knowledge of the substantive issues under consideration.

7. Indian Government and Politics

Actual politics in India diverges quite significantly from constitutional legal rules. An understanding of the political process thus calls for a different mode of analysis - that offered by political sociology. This course maps the working of ‘modern’ institutions, premised on the existence of an individuated society, in a context marked by communitarian solidarities, and their mutual transformation thereby. It also familiarizes students with the working of the Indian state, paying attention to the contradictory dynamics of modern state power.

8. Global Economy and Public Policy

National borders enclose clusters of economic activity inside jurisdictions. For various reasons explored at length in this course, these otherwise closed and diverse systems enter into trade with each other and the trade links give rise to a much larger global economic system. Those links have also long enabled exchanges that are not strictly or primarily economic. This course covers international trade theory, globalization trends and related public policy. The focuses of the first part of the course are some of the main theoretical models of international trade and some of the salient issues in trade policy. We shall also study how foreign trade directly affects several other spheres of domestic policy - social, environmental, monetary and others.
The latter half of the course switches to contemporary challenges in an increasingly globalized world and wavering opinions on them. It is a platitude to say the world is getting smaller and everyone or their aunt has an anecdote to bear it out. But what does that mean in practical, economic terms? More importantly, what does a globalized world mean for countries going about their own domestic business? We will look at globalization both as a socioeconomic phenomenon and as an arc in human history. Lastly, we relate some of the chief global trends, especially the rising clout of multinational companies, to their influence in sovereign matters.
Students will be expected to stay on top of weighty and thorny geopolitical matters – the course includes a fun way to ensure it – and will be exposed to current polarizing debates on specific aspects of trade and globalization

9. International Relations Theory

The objective of this course is to introduce the students to a wide spectrum of theoretical tradition within the International Relations discipline. The course surveys both mainstream theories such as Realism, Liberalism as well as critical approaches such as Constructivism, Marxism, Feminism and Environmentalism, examining how these theories conceptualizes ‘the international’ as a field of study. The module focuses on encouraging students to engage with the original texts as well as to familiarize them with the specific terminology and argumentation of various IR scholars. The section on empirical assessments primarily aims to illustrate the dichotomy between the theory and practice of international relations and also to transmit the requisite intellectual skills of analyzing the behaviour and relationships among actors in the international system theoretically.

10. Government and Politics of the United States

The United States of America is the pre-eminent actor in the existing international system and is intimately involved in a wide range of issues across the globe--from adjudicating the smallest of civil wars in the Arab World to policing the trade of raw materials required for making nuclear weapons. Given this global scenario, understanding the structure, function and implications of the American Government becomes an integral part of international studies. This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the government of the United States, including the political institutions, administrative functions, and policy-making processes of this federal nation. Alongside, the role of the citizenry in the political and policy making processes, and the consequences of this participation for democracy are also explained. The course further provides students with an overview of the purposes, practices and ideology governing the various policy arenas of the US, with a special focus on its foreign policy.

11. India’s Foreign Relations

Theoretical perspectives on compulsions, constraints and conditions, which actually shaped India’s foreign policy in the past seven decades, will be elaborated. Continuity and changes in India's foreign policy towards its neighbours and major powers will be thoroughly evaluated. The paper will also throw light on the emerging challenges confronting India and the world such as terrorism, interdependent issues of human rights, environmental degradation, globalization, regionalism, arms race, etc. and how Indian leaders meet the challenges posed by these issues.

12. Understanding Peace and Conflict

This course introduces students to field of Peace and Conflict Studies. It combines historical, theoretical, and conceptual overviews, along with extensive field oriented information. Students are taken through the skills of Conflict Analysis, and the technicalities of Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution. The philosophy and modalities of Conflict Transformation is also introduced. Further, they are introduced to peace studies, and contemporary debates as well as trends on peacekeeping, peace-making and peacebuilding. Special attention is paid to the dynamics of gender, in both conflict situations, as well as peace-efforts. The case studies help compare the lessons learnt against ground realities- they span post-war Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, as well as the peace and conflict dynamics of Northeast India.

13. Geopolitics in West Asia

This course offers a thematic approach to the study of West Asian politics. It will cover the major areas of geopolitical research on the region while simultaneously building empirical knowledge about the politics of individual countries..

14. Security Studies and Non-Traditional Security

This course deals with the sub-field of security studies within the larger discipline of international relations. It traces the historical evolution, the theoretical and conceptual debates, issues in nuclear deterrence, as well as the politics of securitization. The compulsions and the distinction between the objects of security- state versus people are attended in detail. The second half of the course focuses on emerging non-traditional threats to security. These encompass both human and natural challenges like population, migration, terrorism, cyber security, insurgency, environment, food, water and energy. The link between development, governance and security is also taken up.

15. Understanding Modern Chinese Politics

This course deals with understanding Chinese politics in the 20th century. The focus will be on the changing roles of ideology, China’s Communist Party (CCP), political leadership and political succession, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), political institutions (government, bureaucracy, parliament and legal systems, etc.), politics of economic reforms, democratization and political participation, separatism and unification, governance in rural China, and its relations with neighbouring countries.

16. Politics of Developing Societies

This course focuses on three unique regions of the world- regions that do not always make headlines in international politics on their own terms, but only in relation to great power interactions. To learn about the history, dynamics, processes and trends of these regions serves to underscore the diversity and dynamism of the international system. There are both similarities as well as divergences in the political conditions of each of these regions. The task of this course is to appreciate the political dynamics of Africa, Central Asia, and Latin America both on their own merits, and also in a comparative context. Moreover the peculiar forms of political transactions in each of these regions point to alternate forms of political communities and alternate political imaginations. These have practical and theoretical utility far beyond these regions themselves

17. Law and Politics of Nations

This course is to provide students with the tenet principles and concepts of public international law in the context, theories and practices of international politics. Students are to be introduced to the logics, history and origins of the international legal system, as well as essential concepts such as treaties and jurisdiction, etc. Legal and empirical cases will be used to expose students to topics such as the functions of international court system, legal practices in the multilateral organizations, the compliance with international regimes, the use of force among nation-states, intervention and sanctions, conflict resolution, territorial conflicts and the role that international law can play in the post-armed conflict reconstruction.

18. Advanced International Relations Theory

This course is offered to students with prior exposure to the introductory course on International Relations Theory. The course deals with in-depth level discussions on the main contemporary theoretical perspectives of the IR discipline. The course aims to analyze the key international events and debates in international relations from various theoretical paradigms. The focus is more on reading and debating the classical and key readings related to the IR theories and familiarising with major IR scholars. The course will also offer a comprehensive and critical understanding of mainstream as well as critical theories and situates them in relation to each other in order to examine the potential of theories in the study of international events and relations.

19. Theories and Topics in Comparative politics

In this higher-level course of comparative politics, students are to be introduced to more advanced methods and logics of this sub-discipline including case studies, empirical methods (quantitative and qualitative), and small-N mixed methods, etc. Essential and prevalent topics include: democratic practice and governance, democratization and its consolidation, governance in the information age, the adaptation of authoritarianism, comparative perspectives on institutions in modern polities such as executive, legislative, judicial branches, as well as the role that bureaucracy and political parties plays. The course will be more theory- and method-centric with more contemporary cases introduced to the students.

20. International Political Economy

International Political Economy (IPE) explores the overlap of international politics and economy. International politics influences the making of economic policies of individual countries, and vice versa: new modes and technology of production also determine how politics is played among nations as well. Students begin by comparing different logics and assumptions of major theories of IPE: mercantilism, Marxism, and liberalism. Then by exploring different cases and histories students approach essential topics in IPE such as international trade, finance and monetary policies, the Bretton Wood System and free trade agreements, debts and dependence, big economic players and their roles in international politics, as well as the politics and (in)equality of globalization.

21. Special topics: Topics in Politics of South Asia

This course provides students with an overview of politics in South Asia. Students are introduced to inter-state politics at the level of bilateral relations between India and other South Asian states, as well as the functioning of regional multilateral organisations. The course also covers international political economy, exploring historical trade relations and the reasons for lacklustre regional trade within the modern state system. The final sessions go beyond the state, with students gaining insights into regional relations involving non-state actors and individuals, encompassing multinational corporations, non-governmental organisations, civil-society groups, cultural initiatives, militant organisations, and separatist movements.

22. Special topics: Gender in International Relations

In this course, students are introduced to the work of leading feminist international relations theorists, including Cynthia Enloe, Christine Sylvester, Ann Tickner and Sara Ruddick. The selection includes both positivist and post-positivist theorists. Students are also exposed to the work of key non-Western feminist political thinkers such as Fatima Mernissi and Amina Wadud. Furthermore, the course explores queer theory and its influence on international relations. This is a reading-intensive course and students are expected to engage with the original work of major theorists. Assignments are designed to help students to apply these ideas to empirical topics in international relations, enabling them to use gender as a critical frame through which to understand international politics.