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A FIELD AND DIVERSE PURPOSES: SCIENCE, APPLICATION AND CRITIQUE IN THE AMERICAN FIELD OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Félix Grenier Thesis submitted to The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctoral program in Political Science School of Political Studies Faculty of Social Sciences University of Ottawa © Félix Grenier, Ottawa, Canada, 2017 Abstract One of the most important aspects of the American field of International Relations (IR) is the deeply-rooted and broadly shared commitment to a “scientist” understanding of scholarly work. Scientism can be described as an indubitable belief in our ability to produce value-free and non-normative knowledge and in the power of such knowledge to resolve societal problems. Since the mid-20th century, this scientist commitment prevailed in the main approaches and standards guiding the practice of IR scholarship in the United States. One problem with the dominance of scientism is that it reproduces a restrictive view of American IR scholarship. More precisely, the dominance of scientism has not only limited the diversity of methodological and theoretical approaches but, this thesis argues, also restricted American IR scholars’ ability to further different understandings of the legitimate purposes of scholarly work. Following this idea, this thesis endeavors to challenge the dominance of scientism and legitimize alternative forms of scholarship in American IR. More precisely, this thesis advances that American IR scholars’ work is guided by three categories of objectives, that is, the production of scientific knowledge, the application of knowledge and the advancement of critical thinking. To clarify how these three objectives are concretely formulated, the thesis also specifies nine categories of epistemic approaches (e.g. forms of methods and theories) that are associated with scientific, applied and critical objectives. This categorization is conceived as a useful thinking tool for understanding how and why scholarship is generated in American IR. After detailing this categorization, the thesis underlines the specific value and purpose associated with each category of objectives by examining a series of graduate education programs in American IR. This empirical examination concentrates on ten professional M.A. and ten PhD programs offered in elite American universities. Using a discursive analysis of the curriculum and the syllabus of one core course in each program, the thesis discusses how and why scientific, applied and critical objectives are furthered in American IR. It particularly underscores why applied and critical objectives are marginalized across the selected graduate education programs and the benefits associated with these alternative orientations for American IR. In doing so, this thesis helps challenge the dominance of scientism and legitimize other forms of scholarship in American IR. ii Table of Contents A FIELD AND DIVERSE PURPOSES: SCIENCE, APPLICATION AND CRITIQUE IN THE AMERICAN FIELD OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ........................................................... i Abstract ........................................................................................................................... ii Table of acronyms .................................................................................................................... v INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 The scientist commitment in American IR .............................................................................. 2 Scientism in the development of American IR scholarship..................................................... 4 Alternative purposes in American IR scholarship ................................................................... 8 Policy relevance in American IR scholarship ........................................................................ 11 Research question .................................................................................................................. 13 Relevance of the research question ....................................................................................... 14 Categorizing the main objectives in IR scholarship .............................................................. 16 Studying IR scholarship in elite US schools ......................................................................... 19 Audience for the thesis .......................................................................................................... 21 Plan for the thesis .................................................................................................................. 22 PART I .......................................................................................................................... 26 CONCEPTS AND CATEGORIES FOR ANALYZING THE DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES ASSOCIATED WITH IR SCHOLARSHIP FROM ELITE INSTITUTIONS IN THE US ....................................................................................... 26 THE THREE CATEGORIES OF OBJECTIVES UNDERLYING IR SCHOLARSHIP IN ELITE US UNIVERSITIES .................................................................................... 28 1.1 A Pluralist Theory of Knowledge .................................................................................... 29 1.2 Science, Application, Critique and associated epistemic approaches ............................. 33 1.3 Foregrounding and Illustrating the Proposed Conceptualization .................................... 60 Conclusion to Chapter 1 ........................................................................................................ 70 ARTICULATING A DIVERSE EPISTEMIC LEXICON FOR A PLURALIST FIELD ....................................................................................................................................... 72 2.1 From a Unitary to a Pluralist Understanding of Scientific Approaches .......................... 73 2.2 Assessing Heterogeneous Means of Knowledge Production in International Relations . 85 Conclusion to Chapter 2 ........................................................................................................ 95 PART II ......................................................................................................................... 98 iii ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR A CATEGORIZATION OF SCHOLARLY OBJECTIVES IN AMERICAN IR ............................................................................... 98 LITERARY CONTEXT AND THEORETICAL APPROACH FOR ILLUSTRATING A TYPOLOGY OF FUNCTIONAL PLURALISM IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ............................................................................................................... 101 3.1 Reflexive Studies in IR: The Geo-Epistemic, Historiographical and Sociological Perspectives ......................................................................................................................... 102 3.2 A Discourse Analysis Approach to Analyzing IR scholarship from elite US universities ............................................................................................................................................. 131 Conclusion to Chapter 3 ...................................................................................................... 143 EMPIRICAL AGENDA AND METHODS FOR EXAMINING IR SCHOLARSHIP FROM ELITE US UNIVERSITIES ........................................................................... 145 4.1 Empirical Agenda: The Formal Dimension of Graduate Education in American IR .... 146 4.2 Case Selection and Procedures for Discursive Analysis of Graduate Education Programs in American IR .................................................................................................................... 172 Conclusion to Part II ............................................................................................................ 192 PART III ...................................................................................................................... 195 EXAMINING THE DIVERSITY OF OBJECTIVES AND EPISTEMIC APPROACHES IN IR SCHOLARSHIP FROM ELITE US UNIVERSITIES .......... 195 AN ALTERNATIVE PURPOSE FOR AMERICAN IR: APPLIED OBJECTIVES IN PROFESSIONAL GRADUATE EDUCATION ........................................................ 197 5.1: Discursive Analysis of Ten Master Programs in American IR .................................... 200 5.2: Examining the Main Orientations Across the Selected Master Programs .................... 274 Conclusion to Chapter 5 ...................................................................................................... 293 RESEARCH-ORIENTED GRADUATE EDUCATION: DIVERSITY AMIDST SCIENTISM DOMINANCE IN AMERICAN IR ...................................................... 297 6.1: Discursive Analysis of Ten PhD Programs in American IR ........................................ 301 6.2: Examining the Main Orientations Across the Selected PhD Programs ........................ 375 Conclusion to Chapter 6 ...................................................................................................... 395 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 399 LIST OF REFERENCES ............................................................................................ 411 iv Table of acronyms EMP……………………………... Empirical approaches EXP……………………………… Experiential approaches

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