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The module introduces students to the international relations (IR) of the Americas. It hinges on two fundamental concerns in this field, i.e., conflict and cooperation, and analyses states’ behaviour in this region between 1823 and 2023. The module adopts a Global IR approach and actively incorporates the often-marginalised voices from the Global South in theory and knowledge production. The course highlights the key role of the US but simultaneously emphasises the mutually constitutive nature of international relations and draws attention to the agency of Latin American and Caribbean states as well.

The initial two sessions present key concepts and theories: the first focuses on the state, sovereignty, anarchy, and norms, while the second provides a toolbox for analysing conflict and cooperation, by introducing traditional theories (i.e., Realism, Liberalism, and Constructivism) and alternative epistemologies from Latin America and the Caribbean (i.e., Dependency Approaches, Peripheral Realism, and Decolonial Theories).

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The rest of the module is thematic but also loosely chronological to allow for a close examination of both historical and contemporary trends in the IR of the Americas. These include:

• Hegemony, Wars, and Power during Imperial Times (1823-1945)
• Dictatorships and Revolutions during the Cold War (1945-1990)
• Violent Democracies and Intrastate Wars, with case studies from Colombia and Mexico
• Waves of Economic and Political Regionalisms, with case studies such as MERCOSUR and UNASUR
• Democracy and Human Rights, with case studies such as the OAS and recent events in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru
• Climate Change, with case studies from the Amazon region
• Migration and Fluctuating Borders, with case studies from Venezuela as well as North and Central America
• Changing Sovereignty and Extra-Regional Powers, with case studies on China-Latin America Relations and the Caribbean

The module illustrates the complexity of IR of the Americas, and their continuities and discontinuities over time. Students will be encouraged to deepen their knowledge of IR theories and apply these to critically explain phenomena across the region.