GOVT1661 Final: GOVT1621 Final: GOVT1621 Introduction to International Relations Lectures and Textbook notes

• School: University of Sydney
• Department: Government and International Relations
• Course: GOVT1661
• Professor: Colin Wight

Document Summary

Empiricism: the use of human senses to construct knowledge. Rationalism: the use of logic to obtain knowledge. Conventionalism: where the grounds of society are agreed upon by its members. Pragmatism: an evaluation of theories according to their practical application. Authority: the belief or system that someone has greater influence. Paradigm: a systematic way of looking at the world. Types of theory: explanatory theory (how does it work?, constitutive theory (political- what does it constitute?, normative theory (what should we do?, critical theory (evaluate the theory?, theory as a lens to look at the world. The purpose of theory is to help us understand, deconstruct and predict the world and human behaviours. Questions about history: can we learn lessons from history, does history repeat itself, who writes the history, history is linear and always contested. Theories: realism- people and states are self-interested, neorealism, liberalism/idealism, the english school, feminism, poststructuralism, postcolonialism, constructivism.