Constructivism

After our first class on constructivism, I began to think that it wasn't a terrible theory. Of it's tenets it has many points that make a lot of sense. I believe that history is always changing; it depends on who is viewing it in what light. We view Vietnam differently now through the lens of the Iraq War due to the many comparisons that are made between them. I think Prof. Pervez made a good point about how the teacher-student relationship doesn't change, even outside the classroom (including if we possibly meet in a dance club or something). Most things are a social construction. Just think about how the international system sprang about in the 1600s after the Treaty of Westphalia, but the idea of anarchy didn't come around until realism, meaning beforehand it wasn't in existence. It was a social construction and thus suddenly gained importance in the study of IR.
But then I thought it got a little ridiculous when they thought that war is also a social construction. War has been very real since the beginning of human social groups. It isn't just something people think about and accept and therefore it exists. Not EVERYTHING is a social construction. So while constructivism is close to a complete theory, I actually think it takes the main point of its theory a little too far and may take itself too seriously. But that's just me.