TRN410H1

TRN410H1: Researching Critical Cases in Contemporary International Relations

Course Description

Students apply the techniques and skills they have learned during their undergraduate career to develop and evaluate a causal theory of international relations on a topic aligning with their own research interests. The course introduces several theoretical and methodological tools that are used to understand and analyze a variety of major developments affecting contemporary international relations. Students examine the strengths and weaknesses of each research method and apply those that are most appropriate to their own original study. Students complete their research project in stages (research question, literature review and theory, research design) and receive feedback for each component. This feedback is then incorporated into the final paper. The goal is to complete a final paper that can be submitted to an undergraduate research journal or used as a writing sample for graduate study.

2023-2024 Course Instructor

Mark Nieman, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Trinity College, as well as an affiliate of the Data Sciences Institute. His research and teaching focus on international security, political economy, and research design and methods. He is co-author of Rising Powers and Foreign Policy Revisionism (University of Michigan Press), and has published peer-reviewed articles in Journal of Politics, Political Analysis, Journal of Peace Research, and Statistica Sinica, among others.