EDS203 Introduction to International Relations

Welcome to the IR Introduction Course EDS203! This is the Course Outline for
EDS203. You find the Course Description, where learning outcomes and the exam
form for this course is explained, in NMBU’s online study catalogue. In this course
outline you find the detailed plan of the learning activities, including required
readings. Make sure you read it carefully.

In this introduction course there is a combination of learning activities, including

lectures, group work, workshops, and of course, self study. We will spend time
getting to know each other and have planned an excursion to relevant institutions
and a pizza evening.

You find the exact dates for this course, EDS203 in NMBU’s Time Edit. You can also
export the dates, incl. room, to your smart phone, computer, tablet, etc. Below you
first find the full overview of the learning sessions in this class followed by prompts
for the lectures and more detailed description of activities in each session. The
outline will be presented on the first day of the course.

1 Course Outline

Time What Read

Week One
15 Aug Welcome and Introduction to the M-IR Baylis; Smith & Owen 2017,
09:00-11:00 program, peers, Noragric and NMBU. Ch. 1.
12:00-15:00 Discussion: What is international relations?
16 Aug Undoing Global Order? The Case of the Baylis; Smith & Owen 2017
09:00-11:00 Crimean Annexation Ch. 6 and p. 170;
Mearsheimer 2014;
From 12-14: Grass Course
17 Aug Kill Em With Kindness? Liberalism and Wars Baylis; Smith & Owen Ch 7,
09:00-11:00 in the Post-Cold War era Ch. 14 and Ch. 32.
12:00-15:00
Let’s Talk About Violence. With
Constructivist and Marxist Perspectives
18 Aug The Trade Game. Followed by No preparation needed.
09:00-12:00 Immatriculation ceremony
Week Two
21 Aug Beyond Anarchy: Critical approaches in IR Baylis; Smith and Owens,
09:00-11:00 Ch. 12 and Ch. 17.
Zarakol 2017
22 Aug The Nuclear Peace Correlation and the Baylis, Smith & Owen Ch.
12:00-15:00 Shadow of Apocalypse 26; Gusterson 1999;
Cohn 1987.
23 Aug WRITING WORKSHOP
09:00-15:00
24 Aug Excursion? Meet in Oslo at 12?

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12-15
25 Aug SEARCH BEYOND GOOGLE
09:00-12:00 (TBC: Presentation of Noragric Student
Council and election of class representative)
Week One
28 Aug, 13-15 Beyond States: Cities as New Actors in Global Baylis; Smith & Owen 2017,
Politics Ch. 22.
29 Aug What is a good source in the study of ir? A
13-15 workshop on sources.
30 Aug Presentation Day Prepare Presentation.
10-14
31 Aug Looking ahead to your master thesis. Nygaard 2017, Ch. 1
9-12
1 Sept How to Save Understand the World: Using
10-14 Theory and Studying the Real World.
Summary of Course and the Road Ahead.
Deadline Group Assignments 8 September 15:00, to be submitted in Canvas

Tuesday 15 Aug: Welcome and Introduction to M-IR, peers, Noragric and NMBU!
This session introduces new students to the study of international relations. We
discuss why and how to study ir today. The content of and plan for EDS203 is
presented as well as the wider master program. This includes the core and elective
courses of your individual study plan, internship arrangements, supervision routines
and administrative routines, e.g. how to use the learning platform Canvas, the
importance of deadlines and the main study regulations at NMBU. Finally, we
organize study groups for this course, comprising 3-4 students in each group. The
group distribution will be selected by the module convener, the group must plan its
meetings and produce a draft paper to present in the seminar on Presentation Day.

09:15-11:00 Welcome and Introduction of Faculty and Students

11:00-12:00 Lunch On the Lawn, bring your Matpakke = Lunchbox
12:00-13:00 IR in context: The IR program at NMBU with study coordinator Ingunn
Bohmann
13:15-15:00 What is international relations? An afternoon of group work, discussion
and reflection on what is going on in the world and expectations on the study of IR

Required Readings:
Baylis, J.; Smith, S. and Owens, P.. 2017: The Globalization of World Politics. An
introduction to international relations. Seventh ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
introduction (pp. 1-14).

It is recommended that you familiarise yourself with the following websites:

- This site with information about the M-IR program, content and structure of the
study program;
- The NMBU study catalogue with information about all available courses, at
Noragric and at other departments;

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- Can you log into Canvas? 

Wednesday 16 Aug: Undoing Global Order? The Case of the Crimean Annexation
This session begins with a lecture on the Russian annexation of Crimea and its effects
on international politics. An already classic analysis of this crisis was conducted by
realist scholar John Mearsheimer, who’s 2014-article you are asked to read. Consider
how he explains the annexation of Crimea as a phenomenon of strategic action
based in geopolitical thinking of the Russian state and the lack thereof in the “West”.
Prepare to discuss the following questions: What does Mearsheimer’s explanation
include and what other relevant factors of explanation does he exclude? What do
alternative ir approaches offer on this issue? The aim of the session is to review and
discuss realism through an analysis of the contemporary Ukraine-crisis and surging
tension in relations between Russia and the “West”.

Required Readings:
Mearsheimer, John (2014) ‘Why the Ukraine Crisis is the West’s Fault. The Liberal
Delusions That Provoked Putin.’ Foreign Affairs, Sept/Oct Issue.
Dunne; Tim; Schmidt, Brian C. 2017 Realism. In: Baylis and Smith, Ch. 6, pp. 101-115.
Hansen, Lene 2017 Case Study 10.2. Foreign Policy and the construction of identity –
Russian discourse on Crimea. In: Baylis and Smith, p. 170.

Provocative and Fun Additional Reading on how the West sees Russia:
Shevtsova, Lilia 2016. Putinalia as Deceit and Self-Deceit. In: American Interest,
https://www.the-american-interest.com/2016/11/17/putinalia-as-deceit-and-self-
deceit/

Thursday 17 Aug, 9-11: Kill Em With Kindness? Liberalism and Wars in the Post-
Cold War era
Text.
Baylis; Smith & Owen Ch 7, Ch. 14 and Ch. 32.

Thursday 17 Aug, 12-15: Let’s talk About Violence. With Constructivist and Marxist
Perspectives.
This session starts with a historic review of the focus on war and peace in the study of
international relations. Then the attention turns to violence and contemporary global
trends in violence.

Friday 18 Aug: Trade Game

A role-play session with discussion. Jointly together with M-DS and M-IES students.

Monday 21 Aug: Beyond Anarchy: Critical approaches in IR

The lecture will begin by unpacking the term “Critical” in IR, which has several
overlapping meanings within IR and outside. This lecture takes Robert Cox’s
canonical definition of Critical Theory in IR as its point of departure: theory that
problematizes how the status quo came to appear natural, make visible the plight of
the oppressed within that status quo, and seeks to provide knowledge that can help
improve people’s lives. Such a definition encompasses at least three major inter-
linked traditions of critical theory in IR: Marxism, Feminism and Post-colonialism.

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While each approach has produced a wealth of diverse research, for brevity, this
lecture zooms in on one important commonality: how and why these approaches
have critiqued and sought to transcend the state-centricity of mainstream IR.
Specifically, how state-centric theories preclude important questions into global
inequalities and thus ignore the oppressed and marginalized within global society.
For instance, how the (capitalist) World System depends upon, and reproduces
inequality between “the core” and “the periphery”; how the discourse national
security masks the insecurity such policies can cause for women; how the state-
system itself emerged out of imperialism, embedding a (neo)colonial legacy within
international society that continues to shape contemporary global politics and
people’s everyday lives. Ultimately, these illustrations seek to show the necessity of
focusing on people, processes and places that mainstream IR overlooks, and
illustrate why critical approaches are well placed to address the contemporary issues
global politics. The lecture concludes by reflecting upon the recent moves within IR
to focus on hierarchies - relations of super- and subordination – and how such an
approach may provide a bridge between the many divisions within contemporary IR.

Required Reading
Baylis; Smith and Owens 2014, ch. 12, “Post-colonialism” by Christine Sylvester, and ch. 17,
“Gender in world politics” by J. Ann Tickner.
Zarakol 2017, Theorizing hierarchies, introduction in Hierarchies in World Politics

Further Reading
Tickner, J. A., & Sjoberg, L. (Eds.). (2013). Feminism and International Relations:
Conversations about the past, present and future. Routledge.
Barkawi, T., & Laffey, M. (2006). The postcolonial moment in security studies. Review of
International Studies, 32(2), 329-352.

Tuesday 22 Aug: The Nuclear Peace Correlation and the Shadow of Apocalypse
They are said to work by not being used, and once used they are said to have failed. The
riddle of nuclear weapons continues to confound and divide scholars of international
relations in equal measure. To some they constitute a self-made sword of Damocles
hanging over humankind that should be disarmed without a moment to lose. To others,
their maintenance remains integral to the 70 year absence of major power war. This lecture
sketches out the key debates surrounding nuclear weapons and recent developments in
proliferation and disarmament. For traditional security scholars the fact that only nine states
have developed nuclear weapons, despite more than 50 having the capability, constitutes a
considerable puzzle. Why would states not acquire the “ultimate self defence”. While the
Non-Proliferation treaty is often cited as a major reason, its effects, legitimacy and indeed its
future are in doubt. The lecture addresses this debate in the context of contemporary
developments: Can the NPT and non-proliferation regime survive Trump, Russian
belligerence, North Korean tests? What are the chances of a new comprehensive ban
treaty, introduced in April this year, making a difference? Does it constitute a vital step
towards emancipation—undertaken by weak grassroots movements and the global south—
or an irrelevant waste of paper, meaningless without great power involvement?

Required Reading:
Baylis, Smith & Owen 2017: Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Desctruction (Chapter
26), pp. 419-433.

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Gusterson, H. (1999). Nuclear weapons and the other in the Western imagination.
Cultural Anthropology, 14(1), 111-143.
Cohn, C. (1987). Sex and death in the rational world of defense intellectuals. Signs:
Journal of women in culture and society, 12(4), 687-718.

Wednesday 23 Aug: WRITING WORKSHOP

A one day Writing Workshop with intensive writing on international politics.
Feedback is provided, followed by a re-writing session. This workshop is held at the
NMBU Writing Centre with Professor Bill Warner. The aim of the session is to
introduce students to the basics of academic writing, the NMBU Writing Centre, and
Professor Warner. Be there ON TIME. As part of this day you will also be briefed on
the importance of using proper referencing techniques and at the end of the day,
hand-in your signed plagiarism form and submit it electronically in the Canvas-room.

Thursday 24 Aug: Excursion?

Friday 25 Aug: SEARCH BEYOND GOOGLE

Introduction to the NMBU Library and the Norwegian Library Catalogue System with
librarian Liv Ellingsen.

Monday 28 Aug: Beyond States: Cities as New Actors in Global Politics

This session presents students to an actor that only recently has attracted interest
from international relations scholars: the city. Why is the city suddenly relevant to
international politics? The focus on the city exemplifies how the traditional state-
centrism of ir has become replaced by a concern with the role of the state vis-à-vis
other actors, such as NGOs, TNCs, and now also cities. In this session we review what
cities do in contemporary international politics and aim to make students
comfortable with the myriad actors and political relations that are part of the study
of ir and how this has developed since the heydays of structural realism in the 1980s.

Required reading:
Baylis, J.; Smith, S. and Owens, P.. 2017: The Globalization of World Politics. An
introduction to international relations. Sixth ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
introduction and ch. 1.

Tuesday 29 Aug: What is a good source in the study of ir? A workshop on sources.
This session discusses how to do empirical research and the role of theory in it. The
contemporary world is complex and the amount of information produced every day is
challenging to any student of politics. How do we know what matters, what doesn’t
and how do we choose where to focus? Theory is a guide to these questions, helping
to simplify, categorize and systematically approach complex issues. But various ir
theories have different ideas of what constitutes a good source. The aim of this
workshop is thus to introduce students to debates about how academic knowledge is
produced. These issues are discussed and linked to the question of how to write a
good ir-paper.

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Required Readings:
Bring your own source to class (one), such as:
- Speech, e.g by Putin, Erdogan or Malala.
- Government White Paper
- Text Book, e.g. Baylis; Smith and Owens 2014. What kind of source is this?
- Journal Article, search for and find a article from an academic journal
- Voice from the ground, indigenous people, war rape testimonies or other
statements from activists
- Cartoons, Images
- Media, e.g. RT-clip on Crimea-Annexation; Pussy Riot videos, etc. Or, film, e.g.
what does ‘Wonder Woman’ tell us about women, politics and power in a global
perspective?

Wednesday 30 Aug: Presentation Day

As defined in the course description, the evaluation in the Introduction to IR
(EDS203) is based on a group paper and graded pass or fail. On presentation day, all
groups prepare a 6 Minutes presentation of their work. This is a pitch that is time-
limited. You should therefore prepare carefully and aim to make your peers
enthusiastic about your topic – all within six minutes. For reasons of fairness, the
timing will be strictly adhered to and you will be stopped. In the seminar the groups
receive feedback from seminar convenor and peers to use when re-writing the
paper. After the presentation, the group finalises and submits a group paper for
evaluation.

Thursday 31 Aug: Looking ahead to your master thesis.

In this session the objective is to look ahead and prepare for the independent
academic work required in a master thesis. Independent collection and analysis of
sources (primary and/or secondary) are key elements of the dissertation work. But
the first task is to find a topic, an idea you are curious to study! And this idea has to
materialize into a proper project and a research proposal. In this session therefore,
students are first introduced to how Noragric organizes the work with the master
thesis, how supervisors are found and allocated, and the time schedule of this
process, including important deadlines and the master thesis seminars. Basic
requirements, including scope of the master thesis, are explained. Current students
will share their experiences. In the second session, cases/examples of master thesis
at Noragric will be presented. What is a research proposal, a problem statement and
how do you develop an idea for your master project? These are amongst the topics
addressed. You will also learn about Noragric´s rich tradition of students doing
fieldwork for their master thesis.

Required reading:
Read the course description M30-IR for the master thesis; M30-IR.
Nygaard L. P. 2017. Writing Your Master’s Thesis – From A to Zen. London: SAGE,
Chapter 1, pp. XXXX

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Friday 1 Sept: How to Save Understand the World: Using Theory and Studying the
Real World.
This session summarizes the ir theory landscape that we have drawn up so far in the
introduction course. It does so by first reflecting on the historical context of the
theory development in ir, and second, by highlighting how the contemporary pluralist
theory landscape in ir comprises positivist and post-positivist approaches, or,
explanatory and constitutive approaches. A key issue in ir is therefore how theories
emphasize distinct explanatory factors, from material capabilities, institutions and
cultural symbols, and others. This leaves us as ir students with a multitude of choices.
Explaining and justifying the choices made in a particular study/analysis is therefore
a key skill, whether your heart lies in traditional/mainstream or critical approaches.

Required Reading:
Review Baylis, J.; Smith, S. and Owens, P.. 2017: The Globalization of World Politics.
An introduction to international relations. Sixth ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
introduction and ch. 1.

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Specific requirements for group papers:
The paper should be maximum 10 pages, written in font 12 and the Times New
Roman Style, with 1.5 line spacing.