POLS3560-1 Theories: International Political Economy

Seminar Paper analysis: In this form of writing, you should analyse an interesting or significant point raised in the reading(s). The purpose of the papers is to analyse the content of the reading, not repeat what the author(s) has written; the papers are analytical in form, not descriptive. The paper should not be a restatement of the reading(s) but rather an analysis of a relevant issue or argument put forward by the author(s). Remember I have read the readings and am familiar with the content. When preparing the seminar papers, you should keep in mind the following questions: (a) What is the main argument? (b) What evidence is provided to support the thesis? (c) Is the evidence provided convincing? Is it connected with the thesis? (d) What, if any, underlying assumptions guide the analysis? (e) Does my paper go beyond description or reiteration of the reading? (f) What is the thesis statement in my seminar paper? Is it clear? Is it supported Readings ii) Thaler, Richard H. Don’t Give Wrong Theories Funerals, Just Don’t Treat Them as True. Found at: iii) Swan, Melanie. The Scientific Method. Found at: https://www.edge.org/response-detail/25398 i) Strange S. 1992. States, firms and diplomacy. International Affairs. 68:1, pp.1-15. --Leddy Library This is a foundational article in the IPE literature. In reading the article, note Strange's ideas of structural and technological power and change, the main players in international relations and how they manage their relationship. The discussion of states and firms will lead us directly into a broader discussion of states and markets: What are they? How were they created? By what logic(s) do they operate? How do they relate to one another? , etc. The following are short pieces (1-3 pages) from Edge.org discussing the 2014 Edge Question: Science advances by discovering new things and developing new ideas. Few truly new ideas are developed without abandoning old ones first. As theoretical physicist Max Planck (1858-1947) noted, "A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it." In other words, science advances by a series of funerals. Why wait that long? WHAT SCIENTIFIC IDEA IS READY FOR RETIREMENT? Ideas change, and the times we live in change. Perhaps the biggest change today is the rate of change. What established scientific idea is ready to be moved aside so that science can advance? ii) Levi, Margaret. Homo Economicus. Found at:  iii)Fiske, Susan. Rational Actor Models: The Competence Corollary. Found at: