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This book provides a comprehensive introduction to theories of international politics and their relevance for the practice therof. Structured as a self-study textbook based on the method of "exemplary learning," author Manuela Spindler makes the theory of international relations accessible to anyone.
ISBS Advance Information 9/2012

Anders als in der Vielzahl von bisher erhältlichen Büchern geht es in diesem Lehrbuch nicht darum, grundlegend in die verschiedenen Theorien der Internationalen Beziehungen einzuführen. Spindler liefert vielmehr ein Begleitwerk zum Selbststudium, das sich an aktiv Lernende richtet und auf einem didaktischen Konzept basiert; es setzt einen gewissen Grad an Selbstorganisation voraus.
Pw-portal.de, 27.03.2014

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The book is written for active learners - those keen on cutting their own path through the complex and at times hardly comprehensible world of THEORY in International Relations. To aid this process as much as possible, this book employs the didactical and methodical concept of integrating teaching and self-study. The criteria for structured learning about IR theory will be derived from an extensive discussion of the questions and problems of philosophy of science (Part 1). Theory of IR refers to the scientific study of IR and covers all of the following subtopics: the role and status of theory in the academic discipline of IR; the understanding of IR as a science and what a ""scientific"" theory is; the different assumptions upon which theory building in IR is based; the different types of theoretical constructions and models of explanations found at the heart of particular theories; and the different approaches taken on how theory and the practice of international relations are linked to each other. The criteria for the structured learning process will be applied in Part 2 of the book during the presentation of five selected theories of International Relations. The concept is based on ""learning through example"" - that is, the five theories have been chosen because, when applying the criteria developed in Part 1 of the book, each single theory serves as an example for something deeply important to learn about THEORY of IR more generally.

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Prof. Dr. Manuela Spindler teaches International Relations and International Relations Theory at the German open Business School and the Graduate School of Global Politics of the Free University in Berlin.

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