Teaching

University of Miami (Instructor)

Brian Blankenship, POL 203: "Introduction to International Relations."

This course provides students with an introduction to the academic study of international politics. Students will learn various approaches to understanding international relations and foreign policy, including through the lens of ``levels of analysis.'' The course covers a broad range of issues, including those related to security, economics, and social forces, both historical and contemporary.

Brian Blankenship, POL 350: "International Cooperation."

This course is designed to familiarize students with the causes and consequences of cooperation in international relations. States often need to work together in order to advance their individual and collective goals. Nevertheless, they face barriers to cooperation including incompatible interests, fears of cheating, and concerns about relative gains. The course will cover issues related to international cooperation in the realms of both economic and security policy. The course pays particular attention to the role played by international institutions such as the World Trade Organization and trade agreements in the economic realm and military alliances and arms control agreements in the security realm. Centrally, then, students in the course will explore the question of how and to what extent -- despite some differing and perhaps directly conflicting interests -- states are able to pursue common goals, even in areas that directly affect their national security.

Brian Blankenship, POL 355: "Theories and Debates in International Relations."

This course explores how and why states and non-state actors use violent and non-violent strategies in international politics. While not all topics in international security can be covered thoroughly in one semester, this course will give a sampling of many of the topics, including military doctrines and strategies, diplomatic policies, social forces, civil wars, and roles of individuals. Though historical and current events will be used as examples to illustrate how various theories work, students should keep in mind that this is not a course on current events.

Brian Blankenship, INS 611: "International Relations Methodology."

This course covers research methods and research design in the social sciences, with an emphasis on international relations and political science. It focuses on the principles and practice of conducting research: choosing a research question, developing a theory and hypotheses, sampling and case selection, measurement issues, combining quantitative and qualitative methods, working with data sets, and archival research and interviews.

Brian Blankenship, POL 347: "American Foreign Relations."

This course introduces students to the sources of American foreign policy, as well as to the history of U.S. foreign relations. During the course, students will be exposed to various schools of thought on the proper direction and priorities of U.S. foreign policy, as well as the domestic actors involved in the formation and shaping of U.S. policy -- including the president, Congress, public opinion, and the bureaucracy. The course consists of four main units: the ideological roots of American foreign policy; the domestic influences on U.S. policy; the history of U.S. foreign relations; and the interests the United States has pursued through its foreign policy. Class concludes with a discussion of current issues facing the United States.