Steven Pittz

This course serves as an introduction to the College of Liberal Arts’ interdisciplinary major International Relations and Global Studies.  Students will engage with many broad questions relating to the contemporary world, including:  How has the modern international system come into being?  What are the major opportunities and challenges related to the world-wide movement of capital, goods and ideas we have come to define as globalization?  To what extent does the West dominate the geopolitical, economic and cultural landscape today?  Finally, are we entering a “post-American world,” and if so, what global repercussions might this entail?  This course will attempt to transcend the disciplinary boundaries of social sciences—whether political science, economics, geography or anthropology—and instead ask students to take a more holistic view of global issues, rooted in historical inquiry.