International Conflict

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course examines the causes, dynamics, and consequences of war and international conflict. Drawing on contemporary research in political science, students will develop a systematic understanding of why states engage in violence, how conflicts escalate and terminate, and under what conditions peace can be sustained. The course is organized around major theoretical and empirical approaches to conflict, including power politics, alliances, territorial disputes, domestic institutions, and economic interdependence. Students will engage with recent scholarship, with an emphasis on identifying causal mechanisms and evaluating empirical evidence. By the end of the course, students will be able to critically assess competing explanations of war and apply them to historical and contemporary cases.