COURSE INTRODUCTION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION

Course Name
Diplomatic History I
Code
Semester
Theory
(hour/week)
Application/Lab
(hour/week)
Local Credits
ECTS
PSIR 203
Fall
3
0
3
5
Prerequisites
None
Course Language
English
Course Type
Required
Course Level
First Cycle
Mode of Delivery face to face
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course
Course Coordinator -
Course Lecturer(s)
Assistant(s)
Course Objectives To examine the rises and falls of the major powers of the international system through a cyclical system.
Learning Outcomes The students who succeeded in this course;
  • to describe the origins and reasons of the military and naval rise of Europe at the start of the Enlightenment as well as those of the birth of the European overseas colonial empires.
  • to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the historical European Great Powers such as Habsburg Spain, Bourbon and later Napoleonic France, Victorian Britain, and Wilhelmian Germany.
  • to compare the major actors’ military, industrial and financial powers.
  • to critique the relativity of power in international relations.
  • to outline and to analyze the financial, military and diplomatic “revolutions” in the history of international relations as well as the historical development of the rising force of the secularist ‘realpolitik’s and of the nation-states in western and central Europe.
  • to discuss the reasons of European nations’ successes to finance their expensive armed conflicts and the origins of the emergence of a “modern” and “global” financial system.
Course Description Diplomatic History focuses on nations, states, politics, decisionmakers and their interactions and conflicts through the ages. It is the study of international relations between states or across state boundaries and is the most important form of history. PSIR 203 Diplomatic History I classes cover the 1492-1918 period in international relations.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

 



Course Category

 Core Courses
X
Major Area Courses
Supportive Courses
Media and Managment Skills Courses
Transferable Skill Courses

 

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

Week Subjects Required Materials
1 Introduction of the course and the course material
2 The Military and Naval Rise of Europe Paul Kennedy, “Strategy and Economics in the Pre-industrial World” in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, pp. 3-30. Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih, İlkçağlardan 1918’e, pp. 51-70.
3 The Habsburg Attempt for the Mastery of Europe; the “Thirty Years’ War” and the “Military Revolution” Paul Kennedy, “Strategy and Economics in the Preindustrial World” in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, pp. 31-72. Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih, İlkçağlardan 1918’e, pp. 70-74.
4 The “Westphalian Order”, the” Financial Revolution”, the Rise of the French Kingdom Paul Kennedy, “Strategy and Economics in the Preindustrial World” in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, pp. 73-100. Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih, İlkçağlardan 1918’e, pp. 74-77.
5 The Wars of Spanish and Austrian Successions, the Franco-British Global Struggle and the “Seven Years’ War” Paul Kennedy, “Strategy and Economics in the Preindustrial World” in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, pp. 100-115. Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih, İlkçağlardan 1918’e, pp. 77-109.
6 “American War of Independence”, the Great “French Revolution” and the “Napoleonic Wars” Paul Kennedy, “Strategy and Economics in the Preindustrial World” in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, pp. 115-142. Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih, İlkçağlardan 1918’e, pp. 110-128.
7 Midterm Examination
8 The “Vienna Settlement”, the Industrial and 1830 and 1848 Revolutions in Europe; the “American Civil War” Paul Kennedy, “Strategy and Economics in the Industrial Era” in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, pp. 143-193. Norman Rich, “Peacemaking 1814-1815” and “Peacekeeping 1815-1823: The Concert of Europe” in Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914, pp. 1-43. Norman Rich, “The Great Powers and the American Civil War” in Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914, pp. 147-164. Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih, İlkçağlardan 1918’e, pp. 128-143.
9 Unifications of Italy and Germany; System of Alliances, Clash of Imperialisms, “Triple Alliance” versus “Triple Entente” Paul Kennedy, “Strategy and Economics in the Industrial Era” in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, pp. 182-249. Norman Rich, “The Unification of Italy” in Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914, pp. 123-144. Norman Rich, “The Unification of Germany” in Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914, pp. 184-215. Norman Rich, “The Breakdown of Bismarck’s Alliance System” in Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914, pp. 251-262. Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih, İlkçağlardan 1918’e, pp. 159-210.
10 First World War: “Guns of August” of 1914; Attempts of the “Central Powers” for a Quick Victory Paul Kennedy, “Strategy and Economics in the Industrial Era” in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, pp. 250-274. Norman Rich, “Confrontational Diplomacy” in Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914, pp. 408-420. Norman Rich, “The Coming of World War I” in Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914, pp. 440-461. Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih, İlkçağlardan 1918’e, pp. 259-285.
11 The Russian Revolution and the US Entry into the Great War, the Entente’s Victory Paul Kennedy, “Strategy and Economics in the Industrial Era” in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, pp. 250-274. Norman Rich, “Confrontational Diplomacy” in Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914, pp. 408-420. Norman Rich, “The Coming of World War I” in Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914, pp. 440-461. Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih, İlkçağlardan 1918’e, pp. 259-285.
12 Online Presentations
13 Online Presentations
14 Online Presentations
15 Semester Review
16 Final Exam
Course Notes/Textbooks

Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, Fontana Press (any edition).

Oral Sander, Siyasi Tarih, İlkçağlardan 1918’e, İmge Kitabevi Yayınları (any edition).

 

*All course readings are available at the University Library and as open sources.
Suggested Readings/Materials

R.R. Palmer, Joel Colton, Lloyd Kramer, A History of the Modern World, McGraw Hill, New York (any edition).

Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy, Simon&Schuster, New York, 1994.

Norman Rich, Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1992.

Robin George Collingwood, The Idea of History, Oxford University Press, Berkshire, 1994.

 

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Semester Activities Number Weigthing
Participation
1
15
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
Presentation / Jury
1
25
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exam
Midterm
1
20
Final Exam
1
40
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade
3
60
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade
1
40
Total

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

Semester Activities Number Duration (Hours) Workload
Course Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
3
48
Laboratory / Application Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
Study Hours Out of Class
10
3
30
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
Presentation / Jury
1
20
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exam
Midterms
1
20
Final Exams
1
25
    Total
143

 

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#
 Program Competencies/Outcomes
* Contribution Level
1
2
3
4
5
1

To be able to use the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired in the areas of Political Science and International Relations.

 X
2

To be able to have the basic knowledge of, and make use of other disciplines which contribute to the areas of Political Science and International Relations.

 X
3

To be able to distinguish the differences between classical and contemporary theories and to assess their relationship.
4

To be able to recognize regional and global issues, and develop solutions based on research.

 X
5

To be able to assess the acquired knowledge and skills in the areas of Political Science and International Relations critically.
6

To be able to transfer ideas and proposals on issues in the areas of Political Science and International Relations to other people and institutions verbally and in writing.
7

To be able to identify the historical continuity and changes observed in the relations between the actors and institutions of national and international politics.

 X
8

To be able to examine concepts, theories, and developments with scientific methods in the areas of Political Science and International Relations.

 X
9

To be able to take responsibility as an individual and as a team member.

 X
10

To be able to act in accordance with the scientific and ethical values in studies related to Political Science and International Relations.
11

To be able to collect data in the areas of Political Science and International Relations and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1).
12

To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency efficiently.
13

To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout human history to their field of experience.

*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest