Last Blog

This class has introduced us to a plethora of ideas and theories that have really helped me put a lot of things in perspective and look at History from a more critical lens. Looking back, I feel that from all the theories that we have touched upon, Realism is still my favorite because it helps understand the world in an extremely critical way. When applying Realism to the events that have happened in the trajectory of History, the fact that states want to maximize their power and want to ensure survival is apt in explaining why some countries have such aggressive behavior and devote a large sum of money in building their military. The principle of Social Darwinism applies to the state system that is in a constant state on anarchy, and each state wants to outdo the other and become regional or global hegemons. This understanding of the world is interesting because it can be applied to most of the conflicts that have happened, especially the Great Wars that took place in the twentieth Century.

Keeping Realism in mind, another theory that was interesting is Social Constructivism. It is important to keep in mind that ideas are pivotal in understanding the world around us. At the end of the day states, and we as humans, follow some sort of ideology. The ideology might differ, whether it is culture, religion or ethnicity, but this ideology unites people and provides a sense of belonging. It is important to remember how important an idea is. As Robbin William states in the Dead Poets Society: "words and ideas can change the world." It was the idea of Lebensraum and the Master Aryan race that was sensationalized in Hitler's Germany that contributed significantly to the agitation in the global arena and contributed to the outbreak of the Second World War. It was the Communist ideology that struck fear in the capitalist camp and caused an ideological War between USSR and USSR. Ideas play a mammoth role in the shaping of History and the way that the world can be understood.

Kant's Perpetual Peace Theory really stood out (maybe because we just did it) and helped understand how many political institutions are made. The American Government is based on Kant's idea of separation of powers and how a federation is the best because there is more representation of the people and because of that the views of the citizens is more prominent. This will lead to them perhaps ensuring that war does not take place because war is not seen as economically and socially feasible concept. It is these things that will perhaps bring some form of peace in the world..

We critically engaged with the texts that were provided to us and perhaps one of the good things about the class was the fact that we were made to write blogs. This helped us look at the readings very critically and analyze and apply them to the world around us. This is a good method because it skips over the part where you need to rote learn theoretical concepts, and makes us pragmatically apply them. This helped to understand the material covered in class better.

Another interesting aspect of the class was the fact that we had in class assignments such as presentations. Here, even if we did not read or understand the assigned text, it was an excellent chance to help gauge the different concepts of the reading. One class that particularly stood out was when were divided into groups and act out the Bureaucratic Political Model. Not only did it help in understanding a very complex model, it was very interactive and a lot of fun. Perhaps one of the most memorable classes and the complex decision making process is one that will be hard to forget.

One suggestion to the course would be if we had a reading based on propaganda and the part that it plays in International Relations. If we look at Germany, Goebbels the Propaganda Minister is a dynamic and cunning personality that made the entire nation idealize Hitler and the Great Germany while showcasing the other states as evil and popularizing certain caricatures of the people from the different states of the world. An example would be that of the Jews as fat, greedy and backstabbers. Looking at propaganda from a more academic perspective would have been particularly interesting.

All in all, this class has taught me a lot. It has strengthened certain concepts that I did not understand completely, and has taught me ideas that I can use later on in my life. The practical application of the reading through the blogs has made my writing quite analytic and has improved my writing style drastically. A class that has surely solidified by concepts and being a Political Science major and wanting to pursue my masters in International Relations, this course has taught me a lot that will be very helpful in life.