| Course Name | Year | Term | Period | Faculty / Graduate School | All Instructors | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12969:[2025 Fall]IR18‐EE341 Advanced Topics in International Relations (RB) § 12970:IR-EAS302 Theories of International Politics (RB) § 12971:RUIR-3541 Advanced Topics in International Relations (GCG)(RB) § 12972:RUIR-3542 Advanced Topics in International Relations (IRGC)(RB) § 12973:RUIR-3543 Advanced Topics in International Relations (PGSCR)(RB) | 2025 | Fall | Thu5 | College Of International Relations | CHADHA Astha | 2 |
Campus
Class Venue
Language
Course Outline and Method
Information for “+R-Jugyo” will be posted on the “Course News” on manaba+R by September 20. Be sure to check the “Course News” on manaba+R.
This course will challenge students to think about global issues from a critical theoretical point of view. The course aims to destabilize taken-for-granted ideas and views to cultivate alternative thinking and practice in international relations. Teaching methodologies employed include a combination of lectures and discussion-oriented seminars; students will be expected to prepare for class through weekly readings, engage in group work, etc. Feedback on assignments will be provided via Manaba+R. By studying for this course, students will be able to understand advanced issues, concepts, and theoretical debates in International Relations, but also be able to engage with those debates in a critical fashion.
Student Attainment Objectives
1. Understand advanced issues, concepts, and debates in International Relations.
2. Cultivate an alternative view of the world based on critical approaches and methods to international relations.
3. Demonstrate critical thinking as evidenced through both written work and group discussions.
Recommended Preparatory Course
Course Schedule
| Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors) | Theme |
|---|---|
| Keyword, References and Supplementary Information | |
| 1 | Introduction |
course description and structure, thinking “critically” about IR |
|
| 2 | Locating Critical Perspectives in IR |
what is critical about critical IR?, knowledge and power, reflexivity, rethinking “the international” |
|
| 3 | Critical Theory |
Frankfurt School, modernity, rethinking political community |
|
| 4 | Poststructural Approaches |
meta-theoretical critique, competing truths, discourse, Critical Geopolitics |
|
| 5 | Postcolonial Critique |
Eurocentrism, race and empire, history beyond the West |
|
| 6 | International Political Theory |
normative in IR, use of force, Just War Theory |
|
| 7 | Globalisation Revisited |
mobility, neoliberalism, liquid modernity, democratic deconsolidation, populism |
|
| 8 | Global War on Terror |
global governmentality, illiberal practices, global liberal governance |
|
| 9 | Border Politics |
territory and space, Critical Border Studies, securitization of migration |
|
| 10 | Risk, Surveillance, and Security |
risk, risk society, liquid surveillance, modern surveillance regimes |
|
| 11 | Identity Politics and Violence |
identity politics, social media, tribe politics, identity, and violence |
|
| 12 | Nations and Nationalism |
nation, state, nation-state, primordialism, modernism, contemporary nationalisms |
|
| 13 | International Inequality and Justice |
global inequality, Rawls and his critics, limits of liberal theories of justice |
|
| 14 | Critical IR Beyond the International |
non-Western IR, post-Western IR, global IR, doing IR differently
|
Class Format
Recommendations for Private Study
Grade Evaluation Method
| Kind | Percentage | Grading Criteria etc. |
|---|---|---|
| Final Examination (Written) | ||
| Report Examination (A report to be submitted by the unified deadline) |
||
| Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment (Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class) |
100 | In-class presentation (30%)
|
Grade Evaluation Method （Note）
Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods
1. Students are required to uphold academic honesty in class for all assignments, reports, quizzes, etc.
2. Students’ use of generative AIs, including grammar checkers like Grammarly or translators such as
Google Translate is strictly prohibited. Reports, assignments, or any course-related written work using AI in any measure for text generation, will be treated as plagiarism and graded according to the university rules for plagiarism/academic dishonesty. Additionally, directly copying or using information from electronic tools, or using false information taken directly from generative AI software, such as ChatGPT, will also be treated as academic dishonesty.
3. Students are therefore advised and encouraged to use the Writing Tutorial Program provided by the university and seek help from tutors, rather than relying on AI or software such as for grammar checks.
Textbooks
Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）
Reference Books
| Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN Code | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Relations Theory Today, 2nd ed. | Ken Booth and Toni Erskine, eds. | Polity | 978-0745671215 | |
| Global Politics: A New Introduction, 3rd ed. | Jenny Edkins and Maja Zehfuss, eds. | Routledge | 978-1138060296 | |
| Theories of International Relations. 6th ed. | Richard Devetak and Jacqui True, eds. | Bloomsbury | 978-1352012149 | |
| The Making of Global International Relations: Origins and Evolution of IR at its Centenary | Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan | Cambridge University Press | 978-1108727112 | |
| Routledge Handbook of Critical International Relations | Jenny Edkins, ed. | Routledge | 978-1138907225 | |
| Critical Security Studies: An Introduction. 3rd ed. | Columba Peoples and Nick Vaughan-Williams | Routledge | 978-0367224257 | |
| International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity. 5th ed. | Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki, and Steve Smith, eds. | Oxford University Press | 978-0198814443 | |
| International Relations from the Global South: Worlds of Difference | Arlene B. Tickner and Karen Smith, eds. | Routledge | 978-1138799103 |
Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）
Web Pages for Reference
How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)
Other Comments
URL:https://secure.ritsumei.ac.jp/students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html/
URL:https://secure.ritsumei.ac.jp/students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html/