Building Your IR Theory Toolbox

Book excerpt: Concise yet comprehensive, Building Your IR Theory Toolbox provides undergraduate students with the theoretical framework for understanding events in world politics. It covers all the major IR theories—realism, liberalism, Marxism, social constructivism, feminism, and postmodernism—along with various iterations, including neorealism, neoliberal institutionalism, and dependency theory. Each chapter offers a discussion of how the theory applies to one or more actual cases in world politics, a wrap-up section with a key take-home message, and an annotated list of further readings. Chapters also include a “Thinking Like . . .” feature that allows students to view the world through different theoretical lenses. Written in an informal style designed to be engaging to the typical freshman or sophomore undergraduate, it is the perfect supplement for introduction to international relations or world politics courses.