This course is concerned with the making of modern international relations. It explores the issue through the history of what is traditionally called the ‘international system,’ ‘international society,’ or the ‘society of states,’ focusing particularly on the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The course is structured around three themes. The first concerns the geographical and chronological origins of international society. Here, we will examine such topics as the extra-European origins of sovereignty and modern territoriality, as well as the issue of benchmark dates in international relations (e.g. 1648, 1789, and 1914). The second theme pertains to the normative principles and patterns of stratification underpinning international society. In this section, we will deal with topics such as humanitarian intervention and the idea of ‘concerts of powers.’ The third theme relates to the transformation of key institutions of international society, particularly diplomacy, international law, and war. In this part of the course, we will study subjects such as the rise of a ‘standard of civilization’ in international law, the codification of the laws of war, and the decline of an aristocratic diplomatic corps. The course will end by asking whether international relations have changed to the point where it is possible to speak of a post-modern form of world order.