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This seminar, co-taught by a philosopher and a political scientist, explores the concept of intentions and their significance in contemporary debates within both philosophy and international relations. In this truly interdisciplinary course, students first engage the philosophical foundations of intentions, focusing especially on their relation to actions and the question of whether groups can have intentions. Then, the course illuminates the central role of intentions in the study of international politics by exploring questions such as: how do states assess the intentions of their peers? Can they discern them with confidence? And what do the answers to these questions imply about the prospects for sustained cooperation in the international arena? In this way, the seminar achieves two things. First, students acquire insights into core philosophical disciplines such as theory of action and philosophy of mind as well as into the field of international relations theory. Second, students discover how debates within philosophy travel to other disciplines and can crucially inform research in the social sciences.

Starting on 1 September 2019, you can apply for the seminar by sending an eMail to both mgraefra@nd.edu and marcel.jahn@hu-berlin.de. Use the subject line "Intentions Seminar January 2020 - Application - [Last Name, First Name]." In the email, include your program of study, semester in the program, and student ID number. The application deadline is 7 September 2019, 11:59 pm (CEST).

We will inform you of the outcome of your application by 14 September.

Course Requirements: Answering a set of reading questions prior to the seminar (20%), class participation (15%), and writing an original research paper after the conclusion of the seminar (65%).