Current Debates in International Relations Theory

IR theory isn't a settled body of knowledge but an ongoing argument about what counts as evidence, which actors matter, and how we can even know anything about world politics — this graduate seminar drops you into the middle of those debates rather than teaching a tidy survey. Most weeks revolve around close reading of contested literature (realism's internal splits, constructivism, IPS, regime theory) paired with methodology sessions on game theory, quantitative and qualitative research, and you're assessed almost entirely on one substantial paper plus a presentation. It's the theory-and-methods anchor for the MA program, the course that forces you to defend your epistemological commitments before you start writing a thesis that depends on them.