The course gives students the opportunity to study political thinkers whose work is of important background interest to the contemporary theory and practice of international relations. In other words, its focus is the intellectual history of the discipline. The topics discussed include: the state of nature; the search for trust between nations; human nature and political institutions; nationalism; just intervention; imperialism; utilitarianism and patriotism; liberal internationalism; geopolitics; the concept of the political; power politics; morality in international politics; statesmanship; the analysis of historical trends; approaches to foreign policy.

This course is designed to do four things. (1) teach the key concepts of democratic politics; (2) perfect writing and presentation skills; (3) underline that it is impossible to speak authoritatively and convincingly about a given country unless one has understood its recent political history; (4) explain the method of historical analysis. The course, in effect, is “history for policy makers” (with a dash of political theory, which is indispensable for any would-be analyst).

This course also asks why democracies become subject to severe political upheaval and sometimes fall apart. Such a question cannot be reduced to a few simple variables in a rigid formula. It can only be answered by reconstructing (simulating) events and trying to figure out what was important and what was not in particular cases. Analysts should look at the constitutional frameworks, the expected and unexpected consequences of legislation, the moods of public opinion, the solidity of the public finances, the perception of social justice, the personal qualities of political leaders, the ambitions and self-image of the political class, the changing character of the population and so on. We should, in short, multiply variables, not reduce them, if we want to explain and analyze political upheaval.

This course is concerned with the historical process by which European nation-states have constructed the institution known as the European Union (EU). It deals primarily with political, diplomatic, and economic history, not legal history or the history of European public policy. By the end of the course, students will have a clear picture of principal forces that have driven European integration at the various stages in the "European Project's" development.