Undergraduate students in most preliminary courses in international politics are introduced to realist, liberal, and constructivist approaches, supplementing this theoretical introduction with conceptual discussions of the state, international system, and/or decision-making and policy formation. By the end of their college experience, undergraduate IR majors will engage coursework more narrowly focused on an empirical outcome, such as war, economic integration, development, or migration. These advanced courses are directly linked to modern research agendas and graduate level course material, usually with few references to the theoretical paradigms taught in introductory classes. This volume seeks to bridge the gap between what is taught in early undergraduate education and what is created by scholars, uniting abstract theoretical principles with practical contemporary policy and testable empirical questions.

J. Patrick Rhamey, Jr. is Associate Professor in the Department of International Studies and Political Science at the Virginia Military Institute. His publications include work on the behaviours of major and regional powers, comparative regionalism, and the international politics of sport.



Tadeusz "Tad" Kugler is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Roger Williams University. He received his Ph.D. in Economics and Politics at Claremont Graduate University. His publications focus on the economic and demographic foundations of growth and their connection to international power and the dynamics of recovery after war.