International Politics: Think Theoretically

Description

In this course, you will learn how to understand and explain international politics at a much deeper and more rewarding level than most people do.

You will also learn how to win arguments about international politics issues when you speak to other people.

"In order to achieve these objectives, you need to learn how to think and speak theoretically."

It may sound difficult, but actually, it is not. You just need someone with expert knowledge to explain it clearly using lots of real-life examples.

And that’s what this course is about.

If you read this, I assume you have at least some interest in what’s going on in world politics.

Whether you study for a degree at a university, or you are just generally interested in politics at the international level, there are very good reasons to follow the world news.

Brexit, Donald Trump, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, wars, conflicts, cooperation, agreements, disagreements.

There is always so much happening. I assume you have at least some interest in some of those issues.

I also assume that you hope to learn something valuable about international politics.

You hope to educate yourself in order to take your understanding of international politics to the next level so that your interest or your passion can be more fulfilling and more rewarding.

If that’s the case, this course is for you.

"You are going to learn how to understand and explain international politics with more insight and more expertise. You are also going to learn how to build more convincing arguments when speaking about international politics with others."

Why I Created This Course

If you are still unconvinced about the importance of thinking theoretically about international politics, I am going to suggest that, actually, most of us already think and speak theoretically. 

The only problem is we don’t know we do it. We do it unconsciously. 

We say things like: 

• This political leader is irrational. 

• We say that something is in the national interest, or not in the national interest of our state. 

• We say that organisations such as the European Union or United Nations are ineffective. 

All these statements contain theoretical concepts. If you don’t know that, you are going to be disadvantaged in any discussion with someone who does know that. 

I have created this course to help you recognise whenever yourself or someone else uses theory so that you can use that theory to support your own argument. 

  I have also created this course because we are overwhelmed with facts about international politics, and it is the purpose of theory to make sense of those facts. 

We live in the times when we are really overwhelmed with facts. Our problem is not seeking and finding information about what’s happening in the world. 

Our actual problem is scrutinising and managing the information we receive. 

We actually live in times where information is being pushed at us from all sides, and we must sometimes actively resist new information. 

Now, don’t get me wrong: we need to know the facts about problems to begin thinking theoretically about them.

What You Will Get in This Course

In this course, you are going to learn the exact formula to think and speak theoretically about international politics. 

Yes, there is a simple formula to follow. I will explain it in detail and I will also show you lots of examples of how to use it to make your own arguments. 

I will use some every-day examples to make the formula more understandable, and then I will properly apply it to a number of international security problems, so you get the full picture.

Inside you will learn:

• How to understand and explain international politics at a much deeper and more rewarding level than simply by consuming the news headlines as they arrive on your smartphone

• The exact formula for developing powerful arguments about most problems of international politics

• One question which you should always ask about any problem of international politics in order to begin thinking theoretically

• Why thinking theoretically is 100 times more interesting and exciting than just knowing facts about international politics

• The exact 3 steps to take any problem of international politics and explain it at a more fundamental, theoretical level

• How to build your argument with the help of the most important and powerful theoretical concepts of international politics, including anarchy, balance of power, security dilemma, international norms and international integration.

• How most people misunderstand the complexity of international politics

• How we all use theory when we speak about problems of world politics, but we just don’t realize it - and why it's a problem

• How we can educate others to be more critical, more insightful and simply more accurate in how they perceive international politics

• Why using 'common sense' to understand international politics can be deceptive and is inferior to applying theoretical thinking

• Why it's untrue to assume that facts is all you need to understand what’s happening in world politics

• Why exactly facts don't speak for themselves

• How to apply powerful theories of international relations to understand problems such as the North Korean nuclear crisis and the financial crisis of 2007/2008

• What the ladder of abstraction is and why you should aim to climb as high as possible on that ladder

From a student: "This course is well-suited to anyone who wants to be able to speak about international politics with greater clarity and authority, or otherwise have a sturdy foundation and a solid starting point for diving deeper into the subject. As a prospective Political Science PhD student, I was already fairly familiar with most of the concepts introduced throughout the course, however, the course added to my familiarity with those concepts and provided me with a much more robust framework in which to organize my existing knowledge and marshal better arguments about the topics covered in it, such as the security dilemma. Moreover, I also gained new, valuable knowledge that will serve me well in my academic life. Learning about the ladder of abstraction, for instance, furnished me with a new tool with which to conceptualize and think about political problems on the world stage more effectively than before. No matter your background and your prior knowledge of world politics, you are bound to learn something new, build upon your knowledge and benefit from taking this course. For those reasons, I highly recommend this course and give it a well-deserved 5-star rating!"

My Promise to You

I promise that the tuition in this course is of the highest quality, based on genuine university-level teaching and research. It is presented in a highly-accessible and engaging way, designed specifically for those who do not have prior university degree in Politics or International Relations.

I invite you to send me a message if you have any questions about the content of this course.

TAKE THIS COURSE