International Relations: Full Course List

This course examines various issues on trade, trade policy and open monetary economies theoretically and empirically. Specific questions to be addressed include: What gains do the nations get from trading each other according to the comparative advantage? What are the characteristics of modern trade? What are the traditional and new theories of trade policy? What is the role of World Trade Organization? How are an economy's trade and financial transactions with the rest of the world recorded in balance-of-payments accounts? Under what mechanism is an open economy's national income determined together with its trade balance? Prior knowledge on the subject is not required.

This course introduces key concepts and problematics of International Political Economy in East Asia (including both Southeast and Northeast Asia), relying on academic sources and analyses of cinematographic productions. We will study topics such as the state and the economy in East Asia, regional labor migrations, cultural globalization, global outsourcing practices in Southeast Asia, global cities, financialization, increasing inequalities of wealth or the political economy of climate change in the region. We will use movies to analyze these phenomena and highlight the everyday practices of the global economy in East Asia.

This class will help students to better understand the study of international political economy. Major theories and ideas in international political economy will be surveyed. Students will use this knowledge to develop their own research paper. Major topics for this class are: theories of IPE, international economic institutions, globalization, economic inequality, environmental policy and the resource curse.

This course helps students to understand the major concepts, debates and reflections related to political, economic and cultural globalization. The course also discusses the transnational problems caused by globalization such as human and drug trafficking as well as environmental degradation. In addition, the global security threats such as poverty and health problems, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction will also be examined. The course encourages students to observe and evaluate the impacts of globalization to their personal life, for example, how could their living place and home country be affected. The in-class discussions (or flipped classrooms) aim to offer an interactive and stimulating environment for students' learning experience.　

This course examines how the development of nations can be started and what types of structure are necessary to promote growth on each country. Income increase is firstly necessary for economic development, but sound political and civil structures are essential to enhance development on each country. Discrepancy of income and poverty are also main issues to be studied on this course. I have the experience at the work in Saudi Arabia for four years and also at several Think Tanks' work to make survey more than 60 countries as a senior economist, so this experience and knowledge can be distributed to the students on the course.　　

The course surveys leading transnational (international and regional) environment issues facing the globe from a few perspectives.Issues to be considered include:air pollution(e.g.,acid rain,ozone depletion),climate change&associated disasters,deforestation,fisheries,land degradation,and water resources.The course will seek to establish the current state of scientific understanding regarding the selected issues, before considering past&ongoing efforts to address environmental problems.Insights from economics, political science and international law,and other social science disciplines will be considered in terms of the causes and solutions to transnational environmental problems.Challenges of collective action, shared resource use,&institutionalization of environmental policy will be themes.　　

Brexit in 2016 was a great shock to the world as well as Europeans. International integration beyond national ego is one of the best approaches to achieve regional and global peace, let alone common economic goals. In this course, we try to make comparative analysis of integration phenomena between world regions, including Asia, Europe and America. Responding to the interests of students, Africa, Pacific and MENA regions are added. The theory and reality of European Union is emphasized as the typical integrational success. Newspapers and academic articles are introduced to explain the trends of worldwide regionalism.　

This course examines the relations and issues among the countries surrounding the Asia-Pacific. The national interests, motives and policies of key actors will be discussed such as China, the United States, Japan, India, Russia, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. Besides, the course evaluates the concerns of periphery countries as well as regionalism with reference to ASEAN, Latin American perspectives and APEC. The economic order in the region will also be covered, including NAFTA, CPTTP, RCEP, the Belt and Road Initiative and Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy. And the political order such as maritime security, hedging strategy and non-traditional security issues will be illustrated. The Model APEC facilitates students' understanding on the formation of Asia-Pacific order.　

How and why have the states in South Asia built international relations with other countries? This course will deal with the essential features of domestic politics, socio-economic transformation, and foreign policy in the eight states of South Asia, namely, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. It will discuss bilateral political and economic relationships between the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries, and further between SAARC members and major global powers. It will facilitate students to understand how the eight nations in South Asia have managed territorial disputes, ethnic conflicts, natural resources, economic cooperation, and national security-building. Further, there will be the class field trip(s)* at least once throughout the semester. *Field trip(s) will be scheduled according to the availability of the field trip venue(s).　

This course examines historical evolution and dynamics of global capitalism, from the 1400s to the Great Divergence then to the interwar and post war era, and finally the contemporary area. It focuses on competing perspectives on the rise and fall of nations and the interplays of these nations through trade, transnational production and financial flows. Topics include globalization waves and cycles; institutional, technological, and institutional forces of development and underdevelopment; international trade and monetary relations; regional studies that include North America, Japan, China, Latin America and Africa; global climate challenges and global governance.

This course offers an introduction to the basic theories, and the empirical studies upon which the theories are based, of social psychology from a sociological perspective. At the core of social psychology is an effort to understand how social structures and psychic structures interact to produce social behavior. We will consider how social structures affect individuals, how individuals affect other individuals, and how individuals affect groups, or larger social structures.　

This course introduces students to theories of sustainability. Basic principles of sustainability are examined using the triple bottom line perspective: environment (planet), society (people), and economy (profit). Students will learn how sustainability impacts social well-being and development in a globalized world. Emphasis will be placed on how global businesses contribute to both the problems and solutions toward a sustainable future. International and Japanese news and case studies will be used as the basis for in-class discussions and analysis. Prior knowledge of the subject is not required.　

This course overviews the history and contents of Japanese film in comparative perspective. It seeks to challenge the typical images of Japan represented in films by such directors as Ozu Yasujiro, Kurosawa Akira, and Miyazaki Hayao. It reveals that what many consider as "typical" Japanese films are actually constructed under heavy western influences, such as Hollywood cinema, European literature, and modern democratic thinking. The course also stresses that understanding film culture is key to grasp how people in that culture act and interact with each other and with people from different cultures.

Social Institutions are one of the key social structures that we study in sociology. In this course we will examine some of the main social institutions common in societies all over the world, in a comparative light. These institutions include the family, education, work, healthcare, political and economic systems, religion, crime and punishment, and even the nation state. 　

What is development, and how do nations seek development? Why have countries achieved different levels of development? What are the endogenous and exogenous determinants contributing to development? The course explores the origin and evolution of socio-economic development in select developing economies across the globe. It will deal with the essential theories of development studies and several case studies on economic growth and socio-economic changes. The course will consist of intensive reading and discussion. How and why have foreign policy and international relations been structured and implemented in the states of South Asia? This graduate course explores the domestic and external determinants of foreign policy-making in the states and how and why the policy has been executed in the areas of security, defense cooperation/conflicts/competition, trade and investment, and regional economic cooperation. It will engage in the crucial theoretical debate on the cutting-edge area of international relations in South Asia through the intensive reading and discussion on the select case studies.　

This course assumes no prior knowledge of the Middle East. It will analyze the international relations of the Middle East from both historical and theoretical perspectives. The goal of the course is both to acquire the skill to think theoretically about the history of this complex region, as well as to think critically about the IR and CP theories we currently have by using the historical evidence available. Since many political science theories were derived from the Western experience, they often do not fit well the behavior of actors and processes in this particular region and this creates room for both critical theory-testing and for theorizing. 　

Are Japan and its government different from Western structures in ways that shed light on its past success and failures? Are there elements of the Japanese political and economic model that other countries should try to emulate? These are just some of the questions we will explore during this course. The course is divided into two parts. The first focuses on the emergence and consolidation of Japan's "1955 System." In the second half of the course, we will shift our attention to the disorder that plagued the political and economic regime in transition after 1993, examining how economic, social, and political changes have disrupted the old regime and propelled an awkward transition to something new. 　

This class will introduce the critical feminist approach to International Relations, and compare and contrast it with the two dominant schools in IR, Realism and Liberalism. In doing so, we will consider how each school views: a) the state and citizenship; b) conflict, peace, and security; c) gender, sexuality and human rights; d) global political economy; e) development and gender.

This course will provide an introduction to the history of manga, anime, and filmmaking in Japan. Students will learn about major works, creators, and genres and shall also study others forms of popular culture, such as video games and music. Furthermore, the students will explain and explore how concepts, such as nationalism, collective memory and trauma, as well as politics can influence popular culture.　

This course will offer an introduction to some of the key social institutions (families, schools, workplaces, etc.) in contemporary Japan, in light of recent and ongoing demographic and structural changes in Japanese society and political economy. Furthermore, we will also analyze mass media reports vis-à-vis rigorous scholarship to consider how empirical reality can be "spun" by the mass media to further a particular argument or contribute to the production and dissemination of particular discourses or stereotypes.

Japanese literature changed dramatically between the Tokugawa Period and the present day. Despite the prevalence of imported and translated works in the Tokugawa Period, the arrival of Commodore Perry and the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate resulted in many authors questioning the nature of Japanese literature, from its content to its style and form. This course will cover the novels produced during this period and continue through to the present day. Students will explore some of the key authors of the last century and their works and discover the historical and social contexts in which these works were written. In this course students must engage in class discussions, complete an in-class midterm examination, and a final paper on an author or text of their choice. 　　

This is an undergraduate course that examines in detail concepts that examine that nature of popular media and culture. This course will cover a multitude of themes, from the work of Bernays and the methods he used to shape public opinion to the heroic myth cycle. Major theorists covered in this course include, but are not limited to, Adorno, Debord, Halbwachs, and Bakhtin. These theories will be applied to real world examples and the merits of each discussed in the lesson and online boards. Students are expected to be active participants in the course. Coursework not only includes online and in-class discussions, but also includes an in-class midterm and final exam. The exams will be in an essay format and will cover material included in both the lectures and the readings.

Japan has an extensive and fascinating literary history, with authors that touch on every aspect of human existence and a myriad of works that can fascinate any reader. This course serves as an introduction to the nearly 1500 year long, pre-modern period of Japanese literature. Student will be exposed to a variety of works from every possible era and their contexts in order to better understand not only Japanese literature but also history and culture. This course begins with works from the Asuka Period and ends with the late Tokugawa Period. Authors will include Murasaki Shikibu, Zeami, and Ueda Akinari. Students in this course will engage in in-class discussion, complete a long-answer midterm exam, and a final paper.　　

We will study media and society in Japan from two angles: their content and their systems.
1. The content of media is determined by senders and receivers in the society.
2. The media messages influence actions and perceptions of the members of the society.

At the end of the course the students will be able to
1. Evaluate the content of public and commercial media messages in Japan.
2. Explain the influence of the media on human psyche and thinking patterns.　

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide, with total international trips reaching new heights each year. Tourism businesses generate significant income and employment in both developing and advanced industrialized economies, and tourism activity represents a dominant sector in many countries. This course will review the development of the tourism industry, applying economic, historical, and other perspectives to analyze and understand the factors driving tourism development. The course aims to inform tourism investment, planning, and policy decision-making, focusing on Asia-Pacific cases. Topics covered include: determinants of demand for tourism; sustainable tourism; tourism industry competition; and government's role in taxing, supporting, and regulating tourism.　

The purpose of the course is to discuss the ways and means in which states and international organizations have sought to counter political violence following 9/11. The course, focusing mainly on Islamic-inspired political violence, is divided into three main parts: it opens with an analysis of the conceptual challenges that come with the phenomenon of political violence. The second section explores how international and regional organizations have sought to address political violence. The third section reviews how states - Britain, United States and Pakistan have adapted their policies and outlooks following 9/11.

This course will introduce students who are new to the field of Asian Politics to the leading theories and debates of this field while simultaneously introducing students who are new to Asia to the history of political, economic, and cultural relations of the region. This course surveys the long history of East Asia from pre-colonial origins (the ancient and classical periods) to the present and asks whether Euro-centric theories can account for the sources of conflict and cooperation in this region. The main geographic focus is on Japan, China, Korea, and later Taiwan and North Korea.　

This course examines Japan's international relations from historical and theoretical perspectives. It helps students to understand how international and domestic factors have constrained, as well as stimulated, Japanese foreign policy for the last 150 years. The course consists of three parts. First, it reviews major developments in Japanese foreign policy since the Meiji restoration. Second, it examines key issues in Japan's international relations today. Finally, it discusses various topics covered by each lecture. The course is composed of lecture and class discussion. Prior knowledge on the subject is not required, but students are expected to do all the assigned readings and be prepared for discussion.

This course introduces students to key concepts of Chinese politics and foreign policy. The first part of the course focuses on domestic Chinese political transitions such as Mao Zedong's socialist program, Deng Xiaoping's reform and the rapid rise of China in Post-Deng era. Besides, it examines China's party-state system by looking at its ideologies and the institutional arrangements between the party and government. The second part offers analytic study of motivations, means and implications of Chinese foreign policy. It introduces relevant theories to understand the rise of China. Other topics include China's relations with great powers, China's neighbourhood diplomacy, China-Africa relations as well as Chinese economic, military and norm building policies.　

This course is an introduction to the IR of Southeast Asia. Our focus is analytical, using historical accounts, case study papers, and academic articles to analyze how Southeast Asian states interact with each other and with the wider world. We will also address some of the central questions related to ASEAN regionalism, economics, security, and politics. The instructor will make use of his experience with a major think tank to relate theories with real world cases.　

This class will introduce students to qualitative methods of research in the social sciences. In the first half of the semester students will learn about research methods, theories, ethics, and design. Students will also experiment with a variety of research methods, including interviews, participant-observation, and focus groups, and learn how to analyze and share their findings. In the second half of the semester students will apply what they learned in the first half to the design and implementation of an original research project, which will lead to the production of a draft report. 　

Description Coming Soon...

This SEMINAR course explores the ever-evolving relationships of the United States of America with countries, multilateral institutions and non-state actors in East Asia (both Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia). The course is divided into two: the first part will focus on history and will examine the factors that drove the United States to acquire territorial possessions in Asia, to vie for a seat at the imperial table at the turn of the century, to confront Japan over mastery in the Pacific leading to WWII, and to create alliances and partners during the Cold War and the War on Terror. The second part will focus on contemporary policy issues. The professor will make use of his extensive experience at a research institution in the United States to relate theories with real world cases. 　

In this course, students are expected to learn the basic theories of security study, political and military problems in East Asia, case studies of war in Asia, and the relation between war and culture in Asia.

Sociology is the study of human behavior, social relationships, and societies. This course will introduce the "sociological perspective" as a tool for understanding the connections between an individual's everyday life and large-scale processes and structures within society. One main theme of the course is that individuals' lives and life chances are profoundly shaped and impacted by a great number of social forces and structures external to the individual, including history, economic systems, political systems and various hierarchies (social class, gender, race, etc.), many of which are often invisible to us.　　

Social Institutions are one of the key social structures that we study in sociology. In this course we will examine some of the main social institutions common in societies all over the world, in a comparative light. These institutions include the family, education, work, healthcare, political and economic systems, religion, crime and punishment, and even the nation state. 　

The field of IR and within it the field of security studies have undergone a major change in the post-Cold War era. The change resembles the big-bang of sorts - there are now lots of small satellites -- many subfields of security studies -- and the core which was once the bulk of the field -- namely, theology of systemic International Relations theories -- has shrunk significantly in terms of the attention given to it by the scholars of the discipline. Accordingly, this course is structured in a way that will cover not only the main theories on the core questions of the origins of wars and how they shed light on different IR theories, but will also delve into some of the troubling issues that are of concern for policymakers in the world today.

This course explores the factors that determine international rules and norms in the world's oceans and seas. The most significant of these is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). First, we will review the historical foundation of how modern international law draws boundaries between sovereign and non-sovereign areas in the sea; and how it balances the interests of state control over coastal waters with the demands of global powers for freedom of action. Then, students will familiarize themselves with UNCLOS' provisions on maritime entitlements. The latter parts of the course will be devoted to contemporary policy issues such as maritime disputes, trans-national crimes, and environmental protection. The instructor shall make use of his extensive experience previously as a policy analyst at a topnotch research institution in the United States, to make students better understand the intersection of international law, policy and politics in global ocean governance. 　

This course aims to present a panorama of public international law, which covers rules that govern the relations basically between states. The course will start with an introduction to the international legal order as compared to domestic law and society. It will then focus on core areas of public international law which involve the following: subjects and sources of international law, jurisdiction, diplomatic relations, the law of the sea, settlement of international disputes, and prohibition of the use of force.

This is a survey course on international politics. The course examines various issues on war and peace from theoretical and historical perspectives. Specific questions to be addressed include: Why do people and nations resort to violence to resolve conflicts? Is the logic of state behavior different from that of human behavior? Under what conditions are nations more likely to cooperate? Prior knowledge on the subject is not required.

Is there any possibility of "cooperation" among individual states? True, the international system has been called an "anarchical society". Historically, however, it has been searching for the organizations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations after the scourge of each War. In this course, after analyzing their historical origins, functions and operations in detail, we will focus on some specific global issues now we face: the collective security under the United Nations, international criminal justice and climate change.

This course introduces students to the emergence of global human rights and humanitarian practice. Following an introduction to human rights in international relations, students will examine the emergence of human rights systems at a global, regional, and local level with attention to the emergence of the global human rights movement and how human rights came to matter in the context of world politics. This course will therefore familiarize students with key international and regional human rights bodies, such as within the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organization of American Studies, and ASEAN. In addition, students will address key debates in, and critiques of, human rights.

This class will help students to better understand their role as citizens in a democratic society and to think critically about political issues. A major focus of this class will be to not only describe how the political world is but also how it should be. Topics will include: democracy, distributive justice, liberty and human nature. Furthermore, this course will help students to strengthen their reading and writing skills. Finally, students should be able to better understand the historical development of ideas, gain a better understanding of their own political views and acquire more tools with which to become involved in politics.　

This course examines how the development of nations can be started and what types of structure are necessary to promote growth on each country. Income increase is firstly necessary for economic development, but sound political and civil structures are essential to enhance development on each country. Discrepancy of income and poverty are also main issues to be studied on this course. I have the experience at the work in Saudi Arabia for four years and also at several Think Tanks' work to make survey more than 60 countries as a senior economist, so this experience and knowledge can be distributed to the students on the course.　　

Brexit in 2016 was a great shock to the world as well as Europeans. International integration beyond national ego is one of the best approaches to achieve regional and global peace, let alone common economic goals. In this course, we try to make comparative analysis of integration phenomena between world regions, including Asia, Europe and America. Responding to the interests of students, Africa, Pacific and MENA regions are added. The theory and reality of European Union is emphasized as the typical integrational success. Newspapers and academic articles are introduced to explain the trends of worldwide regionalism.　

This course explores the international relations of Europe since 1945. The focus of this course will be on understanding the external relations of the European Union and its member states. It will include examining the EU's external policy-making process with a focus on core institutions of the European Union such as the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Court of Justice. There will also be a survey of European Union external policies towards key strategic partners. The course will conclude with a discussion of challenges faced by the EU and an exploration of foreign polices of its member states. This course will also include practical examples drawn from my work on confidence building and conflict resolution in Moldova. 　

How do we define the nature of Asian entrepreneurs? How have the states in Asia developed various policies to facilitate entrepreneurship? This course will deal with the varieties of entrepreneurship in Asia by exploring case studies on many countries across Asia. In the classes, various institutional arrangements such as innovation policy, financing, and intellectual property, business climate, social network, and culture will be discussed as well. Students will be asked to submit a term paper either an individual level or a group level. Also, there will be the class field trip(s)* at least once throughout the semester. *Field trip(s) will be scheduled according to the availability of the trip venue(s).

This class will focus on different theories, ideas and research in resource politics. We will survey a wide range of studies and ideas in the field of research policy. Furthermore, we will examine the role that resources have played in the development of specific states. Finally, we will compare different governance strategies that states can pursue in the resource sector.　

This course introduces major theories and analytical frameworks of international relations to students, which offers them ability to understand the fast changing world and the skills to analyze the driving forces and implications of major international issues. The course covers major theories such as realism, neo-realism, liberalism, neo-liberalism, and social constructivism. Other school of thoughts include rational and strategic choice theory, clash of civilization, Marxism, world system theory and nuclear strategy. The seminar course emphasizes on the understanding and application of theories with empirical evidences through student presentations and the critical comments from other participants in the seminar.　

Description coming soon.

This introductory course discusses global changes in diplomatic practices and political communication. While state-to-state traditional diplomacy still matters in international politics, it now co-exists with a series of innovative practices that are often outgrowths of corporate practices. We will discuss the emergence of public diplomacy, nation branding and soft power politics. We will cover theoretical challenges posed by the new public diplomacy and soft power politics but also promotional practices such as nation branding. Additionally, we will focus on case studies and discuss empirical applications and consequences of new trends in global political communication.

This is an introductory course in Comparative Politics. This course will introduce students who are new to the field of Comparative Politics to the leading theories and debates of this field while simultaneously introducing students to the history of political, economic, and cultural relations of various regions. By comparing how political systems develop and function in different countries, we will theorize about the historical development and future trajectories of domestic politics in the various parts of the world.

Questions of how to deal with past human rights abuses, conflict, mass atrocity, and authoritarianism are of continued relevance in the context of a wide range of societies in transition, whether from conflict to peace, or transitions from authoritarianism. This course will provide students with an introduction to the practice of transitional justice and will introduce students to transitional justice dilemmas through an exploration of a number of geographically diverse case studies. The course will introduce students to transitional justice mechanisms such as criminal trials and truth commissions. Topics explored will also include transitional justice and the politics of memory, reconciliation, and peacebuilding. In particular, I will bring my consultancy experience advising transitional justice processes in Libya and Iraq to this class to highlight practical challenges in implementing transitional justice processes.