International System - A Brief History (Bismarck to Osama bin Laden)
Gerrit W. Gong, International Relations

This course surveys the development of the international system from 1871 German unification through the current implications of 9/11. It includes the globalization of the international system centered in Europe, the world wars and cold war, and the rise of the current dynamic (with the U.S. at their center) between unipolar and multipolar international models. The course blends history and international relations concepts to address questions such as: What is an international system? How does an international system function? How are its institutions, values, and processes interrelated? How are the processes variously called westernization, modernization, and globalization related - and different?