Spring 2021

International Relations vs the World: Myths and Evidence

Listed in: Political Science, as POSC-113

Faculty

Eleonora Mattiacci (Sections 01 and 02)

Description

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has ignited fierce debates on the state of international relations. Pundits and occasional observers often debate the state of international relations---how freely people and goods can or should move across borders, what organizations such as WHO can really achieve, which countries are truly powerful, the real reasons why countries can or cannot cooperate on global challenges such as COVID-19 or climate change, and so on. In each of these debates, evidence, either qualitative or quantitative, counts. But what, exactly, counts as evidence? Diving into recent debates in international relations emerging from COVID-19, the class will evaluate the evidence used to support such claims. We will focus in particular on the political origins of most of the evidence used in these debates, explaining why such origins matter and how they can shape debates. The goal of the class is for students to become literate about the ways in which data are used and to begin leveraging evidence to engage in their own story-telling. This class will leverage interdisciplinary partnerships with other classes. This class fulfills requirements 1 and 2 of the 5 College IR Certificate.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Assistant Professor Mattiacci

POSC 113 - L/D

Section 01
W 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM SCCE E108
F 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM SCCE E108

Section 02
W 02:10 PM - 03:30 PM CONV 209
F 02:10 PM - 03:30 PM CONV 209

This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.

Section(s) ISBN Title Publisher Author(s) Comment Book Store Price
All Quantitative Social Science: An Introduction Princeton University Press Kosuke Imai Amherst Books TBD

These books are available locally at Amherst Books.

Offerings

2024-25: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2021