The Best Class I’ve Taken
Blog Post for the week of 8/8-8/12
Background
I am a rising junior double majoring in International Business and International Affairs with a concentration in marketing. Therefore, most of the courses I have taken at Northeastern relate to business, mathematics, consumer behavior, and marketing. Although I want to work in a global company or have a start-up one day, I admit that business classes aren’t the most exciting courses. I always feel that I am learning vague concepts that will not be useful when entering the workforce. Thus, the POLS 1160 course I took this summer surprised me with its real-world applications and challenging material.
The Course
I was initially skeptical about entering the class because I knew it was theory-based, and I despise theoretical thinking. However, I quickly became invested in the course material. During the first week, we learned about realism, idealism, and liberal institutionalism and why they are significant to studying International Relations. Next, my professor showed the class how the theories could explain foreign policy decisions differently. As a result, I began to see foreign conflicts in a new light and learned to view states’ actions from different perspectives. After a few weeks, the professor assigned our first paper, which asked us to apply one of the theories to a current global conflict.
The Paper
For the paper, I chose to analyze the crisis in Ukraine from a realist perspective. My main points were that each country involved in the conflict acted according to its interests and that the US played a significant role in applying pressure on Russia, causing it to expand its sphere of influence. I spent hours on the paper and was very proud of my final result. The research I did for the article made me confident in my ability to explain the Russo-Ukraine war to anyone who asked. In addition, the professor gave me a 100% on the essay and posted it on Canvas for my classmates to see. I was overjoyed not only because I had learned so much from the assignment but because I had never seen myself as an exceptional writer.
Closing Thoughts
Other topics I’ve covered in class include: tensions between Korea and Japan, unipolarity, multipolarity, and China’s Rise. Every issue I have researched has improved my understanding of the world today. This course has transformed me from being apathetic about global issues to trying to comprehend the motives behind global leaders’ decisions. I am confident that what I’ve taken away from this class will give me an advantage if I decide to work in international affairs or government after college.
