London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Modules

83
International political theory

Prerequisite – 11 Introduction to international relations

This subject develops and extends topics first covered in the 11 Introduction to international relations syllabus and introduces new concepts and theories, through a survey of the various schools of thought in international political theory. In particular it aims to:

• give an account of the evolution of thought in International Relations.

• acquaint students with both classical and modern texts in International Relations and place them in an historical context.

• highlight the continuities and discontinuities between classical and modern international theory.

The course material explores two bodies of literature. The first is concerned primarily with the classical theory of the subject of international relations. This explores the ideas of a range of social and political theorists and their implication for our present-day understanding of international relations. The second is concerned with the modern theory of the academic discipline of International Relations. This explores the ‘great debates’ of the discipline: idealism vs realism, scientific Vs classical, the inter-paradigm debate, and the rise of critical international theory.

The syllabus covers the following topics: the nature of international political theory; classical international political theory; modern international political theory, critical responses to neo-realism and, in conclusion change Vs continuity in international relations.