Courses

Professor Walt teaches the following two courses here at the Kennedy School:

ISP 110: International Relations: Theory and Practice

This course provides an overview of theoretical approaches to international relations and examines their applicability to real-world policy problems. Scholars and practitioners often draw a sharp distinction between theory and practice, but this course sees them as inextricably linked. A powerful theory can help us understand a given policy problem and help us make more effective policy decisions, but relying on a flawed or inappropriate theory can lead to disaster. This course presents and critiques a number of alternative paradigms (realism, liberalism, constructivism, etc.), along with several other influential theoretical approaches. It also examines a number of concrete policy issues, in order to show how alternative theoretical visions lead to different policy conclusions. The ultimate goal is to enhance students’ capacity to think critically about the basic forces that shape foreign policy and international politics, thereby improving their ability to understand and evaluate important real-world issues.

ISP 341: Force and Statecraft

This course examines the ways that states use military force to accomplish political objectives. It considers the different theories that purport to explain why states choose to use force, along with related topics such as crisis management, deterrence and coercion, escalation, and war termination. Alternatives to military force (e.g., economic sanctions, etc.) will also be considered. The course investigates these issues by examining the theoretical literature on each topic and by exploring a number of historical cases and contemporary policy problems.