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How did I change (or not) the content in my Intro to International Relations course during the 4 years of Trump? [THREAD]
This thread is my way of answering @dhnexon's excellent question https://twitter.com/dhnexon/status/1352112546849951746
In this thread, I'll share
- what I added
- what I reinforced
- what I dropped/diminished
- what I added
- what I reinforced
- what I dropped/diminished
To start, what did I add?
(1) A lot more on race.
This included...
This included...
...being upfront about Wilson's racism and how that influenced his thinking about intervening in World War I and forming the League of Nations: in short, he viewed himself and the US as the savior of "White Civilization" https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1274678789608484868
Speaking of "White Civilization", I brought in Clash of Civilizations. This seemed especially important since Trump administration officials kept referencing it when discussing US-China relations. https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1198787340711452678
(2) Lot more on "International order"
There was just so much discussion of the "Liberal International Order" and it's "demise" over the past 4 years that you couldn't ignore it https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1056880022118690816
There was just so much discussion of the "Liberal International Order" and it's "demise" over the past 4 years that you couldn't ignore it https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1056880022118690816
I thought it was critical for students to understand what we mean by "International Order". Indeed, "order" became THE central concept of the first part of the course.
This required spending a lot of time wading through the definitions... https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1163778325992628225
...though, as much as I like @SlaughterAM's definition, I ultimately stuck with Ikenberry https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1287862011121086467
We also spend time on the origins of the phrase (it's relatively recent)... https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1210193113530023936
...and a bit of time on the "idea" of International order (it's much older) https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1232126466479001600
(3) A lot more on Hegemonic Stability theory https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1135146652619235328
Previously, HST got a reference in the class, but now it's the focus of my discussion on the international politics of trade and finance (which is nice, since I can fall back on my @LSEIRDept training!) https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1143489434786193408
In turn, this greatly simplified my discussion of international trade, finance, exchange rates, etc. It all boiled down to this slide https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1256919612337401856
Next, which lessons were reinforced by the Trump Presidency?
(1) The fact that I spend an entire lecture on the centrality of the US$ in the international system. That didn't change, at all. https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1234679325619716096
(2) The `isms': what better way to think about the changes in the tone of US foreign policy than to view it through a "realist" or "liberal internationalist" lens. That is why this assignment is valuable https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1260003025659351041
(3) The US is NOT super nice
https://duckofminerva.com/2019/03/asshole-theory-of-us-foreign-policy-a-primer%EF%BB%BF.html
https://duckofminerva.com/2019/03/asshole-theory-of-us-foreign-policy-a-primer%EF%BB%BF.html
Finally, what did I drop?
(1) I spend A LOT LESS time discussing the "awesomeness" of democracies: in war; promoting peace; promoting cooperation; promoting trade. To be frank, this is because the Trump years have laid bare how we really don't have a good grasp on the concept https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1347566184749789188
(2) Though I have some discussion on leader traits and characteristics, not as much as you might think.
For instance, while I have students engage in this exercise.... https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1148199539985276929
...a key lesson I took from the Trump administration is how much stability there is in the general direction and behavior of states toward one another despite leader personalities and relationships with other leaders.
In many ways, Trump was the exception that proved the rule: that's not to say there are NO differences, but continuity in US Foreign Policy is evident https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1323604678815453188
Indeed, I'll stick to much of what I said in this @UChicagoCIR debate about "replacement level Republican" and Trump
In sum, the Trump years altered my IR course by:
-- More race, order, & system structure
-- Reinforce $, isms, & US not "shining city on a hill"
-- Less "democracy is awesome" & leader relationships/personalities
[END]
-- More race, order, & system structure
-- Reinforce $, isms, & US not "shining city on a hill"
-- Less "democracy is awesome" & leader relationships/personalities
[END]
