DWA 285 Diplomacy and War

This course aims to introduce students to both analytic and normative approaches to the study and practice of diplomacy in international politics. In the first part of the course, we will chart the evolution of diplomacy from a tool of statecraft in the modern states system, to a practice of mediating disputes and estrangement in international society. The second part of the course is devoted to examining a series of historical case studies illustrative of the successes and failures of modern diplomacy. The last part of the course considers the utility and limitations of contemporary diplomatic practices for major international trends and developments, such as: globalization, militarism, financial crises, extremism, and environmental degradation. This course is, above all, designed to help students think, talk, and write in an informed and critical manner about complex and seemingly intractable global issues.