Syllabus
GLOBAL POLITICS
SPRING SEMESTER 2004
Course: POS 160
Time: T Th 1:40 – 2:55
Place: SS 105
Instructor: Chris Lundry
Office: COOR 6666
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 10am to noon, or by appointment
Phone: 965-0477
e-mail: lundry@asu.edu
Teaching Assistant: Michael Jensen
Office: Coor 6775
e-mail: Michael.Jensen@asu.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays, noon to 1PM
Course Description:
The academic study of global politics is done through the lens of International Relations and Comparative Politics (both “sub-fields” of Political Science), using theory and evidence to make conclusions about how the world works. This course is an introduction to the study of International Relations, and some of its major theories, controversies, and arguments. Theories in International Relations are contested; although a theory can predominate no one theory of International Relations has ever reigned unchallenged, and no theory is perfect. To assume that this is so would be to deny the contested nature of International Relations.
As scholars of International Relations we will critically examine these theories, ideas and perspectives, guided by the textbook and illustrated through film and supplemental readings, to expose the problems that lie within them. We will see how practitioners of International Relations operate, and by the end of the semester, begin to think and write as practitioners of International Relations.
Requirements:
Attendance and participation
Midterm Exam (30% of grade)
Term paper (30% of grade)
Final Exam (40% of grade)
Students are expected to read the New
York Times or something equivalent daily (I will provide some on-line news
sources). Students will be required to log on to my.asu.edu in order to access
grades and postings relevant to the course.
Required texts: (Available at the ASU bookstore)
Weber, Cynthia. International Relations Theory: A
Critical Introduction.
Uni-Print Reader for POS 160,
Instructor Lundry
Compiled by instructor and available at Uni-Print,
Inc.
710 S. Forest Street, Tempe, Phone: 968-0799
*** Please Note: In the interest of saving you money on the course packet, and
to allow you to become familiar with online academic sources, some of the
required reading will have to be downloaded through JSTOR or other online
sources. It is suggested that each student prints out the reading in order to
underline, write notes or questions in the margins, etc. This process will be
explained.
Schedule of classes and assignments (Please remember that this syllabus is a
fairly rigid guideline as to how the course proceeds, but we will inevitably
get ahead or behind at some points. The way to make sure you are on top of
things, including assignments and quizzes, is to attend every session. In the case of an absence, it is up to the
student to find out if what he/she has missed and if there are any schedule
changes):
1) Tuesday, January 18: Introduction
2) Thursday, January 20: Studying International Relations (IR)
Read “Introduction” in the Weber text
3) Tuesday, January 25: Realism
Read “Realism” in the Weber text, and “Understanding International Relations: The Role of Film” from International Relations on Film by Robert W. Gregg (reader), and “Laws and Theories” from Theory of International Politics by Kenneth N. Waltz (reader), and “International Relations: One World, Many Theories” by Stephen Walt (EBSCO host).
We will begin watching the film “Lord of the Flies”
4) Thursday, January 27: Realism, continued
We will finish watching “Lord of the Flies”
5) Tuesday, February 1: Realism
Read “Introduction” from Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis by Kenneth N. Waltz (reader), “Historical Reality vs. Neo-Realist Myth” by Paul Schroeder (available from JSTOR), “Correspondence: History vs. Neorealism: a Second Look” by Colin and Mirium Fendius Elman and Paul W. Schroeder (JSTOR), “International Realism and the Science of Politics: Thucydides, Machiavelli, and Neorealism” by Steven Forbe (JSTOR), and “Is Anybody Still a Realist?” by Jeffrey W. Legro and Andrew Moravcsik (JSTOR)
6) Thursday, February 3: Idealism
Read “Idealism” in the Weber text.
We will begin watching the film “Independence Day”
7) Tuesday, February 8: Idealism, continued
We will continue watching “Independence Day”
8) Thursday, February 10: Idealism, continued
We will finish watching “Independence Day”
Read “Introduction,” “The Concept of Order in World
Politics,” “Does Order Exist in World Politics?” and “How Is Order Maintained
in World Politics?” from The Anarchical Society: A
Study of Order in World Politics by Hedley Bull (reader).
9) Tuesday, February 15: Idealism, continued
Read “Idealist Internationalism and the Security Dilemma” by John Herz (reader) and “The Neoidealist
Moment in International Studies? Realist Myths and the New
International Realities” by Charles W. Kegley, Jr
(JSTOR).
10) Thursday, February 17: Constructivism
Read “Constructivism” in the Weber text
We will begin watching the film “Wag the Dog”
11) Tuesday, February 22: Constructivism, continued
We will continue to watch the film “Wag the Dog”
12) Thursday, February 24: Constructivism, continued
Read “Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics” (JSTOR) and “Constructing International Politics” (JSTOR) by Alexander Wendt, “A Realist Reply” by John J. Mearsheimer (JSTOR), “The Assumption of Anarchy in International Relations Theory: a Critique” by Helen Milner (reader) and “The Promise of Constructivism in International Relations Theory” by Ted Hopf (JSTOR).
13) Tuesday, March 1: Constructivism, continued
14) Thursday, March 3: Gender
Read “Gender” from the Weber text
We will begin watching the film “Fatal Attraction”
15) Tuesday, March 8: Gender, continued
We will continue watching the film “Fatal Attraction”
16) Thursday, March 10: Gender, continued
We will finish reading the film “Fatal Attraction”
Read “Feminist Inquiry and International Relations” from New
Thinking in International Relations Theory (Michael W. Doyle and G. John Ikenberry, eds.) by Jean Bethke Elshtain (reader), “You Just don’t Understand: Troubled
Engagements Between Feminists and IR Theory” by J. Ann Tickner
(JSTOR), “Different Communities / Different Realities / Different Encounters: A
Reply to J. Ann Tickner” by Marianne H. Marchand and Tickner’s reply
(JSTOR).
Spring Break, March 13-20
17) Tuesday, March 22: Globalization
Read “Globalization” from the Weber text
We will begin watching “The Truman Show”
18) Thursday, March 24: Midterm Examination
19) Tuesday, March 29: Globalization, continued
We will continue watching “The Truman Show”
21) Thursday, March 31: Globalization
We will finish watching “The Truman Show”
Read “The End of History” by Francis Fukuyama (reader) and
“No Exit: The Errors of Endism” by Samuel Huntington
(reader) from The New Shape of World Politics, “Jihad vs McWorld” by Benjamin Barber
(reader), and “Democracy and Globalization” by David Held (reader).
22) Tuesday, April 5: Culture, Democracy, Peace
Read “The Primacy of Culture” by Francis Fukuyama (online), “Culture is Destiny: A Conversation with Lee Kwan Yew” by Fareed Zacharia (online), and “The Clash of Civilizations” by Samuel Huntington (online).
23) Thursday, April 7: Culture, Democracy, Peace
“Is Culture Destiny? The Myth of Asia’s Anti-Democratic Values” by Kim Dae Jung (online), “The Basic Right to Justification:
Toward a Constructivist Conception of Human Rights” by Rainer Frost (online).
24) Tuesday, April 12: Culture, Democracy, Peace
Read “The Democratic Path to Peace” by James Lee Ray (online), “The Dream of
Democratic Peace: Americans Are Not Asleep” by John L. Harper (online), “The
Myth of Democratic Pacifism” by Thomas Schwartz and Kiron
Skinner (reader), “Pacific Union: A
Reappraisal of the Theory that ‘Democracies Do Not Go To War with Each Other’”
by Raymond Cohen (reader), and “Raymond Cohen on Pacific Unions: A Response and
a Reply” by Bruce Russet and James Lee Ray (reader), and Raymond Cohen, and
“Testing the Democratic Peace Theory” by Miriam Fendius
Elman, (reader).
25) Thursday, April 14: Culture, Democracy, Peace
26) Tuesday, April 19: International Relations in Practice
We will begin watching the film “The Fog of War”
27) Thursday, April 21: IR in Practice
We will continue watching the film “The Fog of War”
28) Tuesday, April 26: IR in practice
We will finish watching the film “The Fog of War”
29) Thursday, April 28: IR in practice
We will begin watching the film “The Trials of Henry
Kissinger”
30) Tuesday, May 3: IR in practice, and conclusion
We will finish watching the film “The Trials of Henry
Kissinger”
Final Exam: Thursday, May 5, 12:20 – 2:10, SS 105
Policies:
First and foremost, I follow the university’s guidelines on classroom
environment. No inappropriate behavior or language will be tolerated in the
class (i.e. racism, sexism, immature behavior). I want my classroom environment
to foster learning without distraction, so I do not tolerate disruptive
behavior, including talking, reading the State
Press or any other newspaper, studying for another class, etc. If you think
that what you are talking or reading about is more important than my class, I
respect that, but I will ask you to leave and do it elsewhere. I will not
hesitate to remove people from my class if these policies are violated, and
repeated violation can result in complete withdrawal from the class. PLEASE,
PLEASE, PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES AND PAGERS DURING CLASS!
Attendance: I cannot force you to come to class, although
why you would pay for a class and not attend is beyond me. I will be taking
regular attendance in class, sampling a random selection of people each day
(usually about 10). You won’t know when I might call your name, but I could
happen any day. Regular attendance can bolster your grade, and absences beyond
one will not allow this to happen.
Plagiarism: Refer to the university’s policy on plagiarism (http://www.asu.edu/clas/fhd/plagiarism.htm)
if you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism. I do not tolerate cheating.
Cheating will result in a failing grade, and may endanger your enrollment at
the university.
Make-ups: The final exam: The university’s final exam
schedule is inviolate. No one will be excused from taking the final exam at the
appointed time except for the most extraordinary circumstances, and certainly
not because of “travel plans.” This is true for the midterm exam as well.
In case of serious illness that may cause someone to miss an
exam, documentation must be provided (i.e. a doctor’s note) before the case
will be considered. Please do this without my having to ask you for
documentation, in other words come talk to me with a note in hand so I don’t
have to ask for it. Otherwise, there will be no make-up exams.
Assignments and extra credit: All assignments must be typewritten, and follow
the guidelines set below.
Incompletes and withdrawals: Incompletes
will be given out only in the cases of incapacitating illness, and only if the
student is passing the course. This is university policy, please do not ask
me for an incomplete if you haven’t been coming to class and are failing. You
are able to withdraw from the course if you are not doing well, with a deadline
set by the university (see below). If this deadline passes, please do not ask
me to sign a restricted withdrawal form for you. This is your responsibility!
General Responsibility: You are responsible for attending class, completing
assignments and taking exams. If you feel as though you cannot complete the
requirements of the class in a satisfactory manner, it is your responsibility
to withdraw in a timely manner. Failure to do so will result in a failing
grade. Please accept this responsibility as yours, do not blame me if you are
not passing, and do not come to me at the end of the semester asking for me to
pass you or give you an incomplete if you do not deserve it.
University deadlines:
April 1 (in person), April 3 (on-line): Course withdrawal deadlines
May 3: Restricted complete withdrawal deadline. This is the last day students
can withdraw from the university, i.e. from all classes simultaneously, with
marks of “W” (but only if certified as passing by the instructor).
PAPER ASSIGNMENT: 160 GLOBAL POLITICS
Each student will write one 5-7 page term paper on a topic of his or her
choice, relating a current topic culled from the New York Times to
International Relations theory. Consult the instructor for ideas, if necessary.
General:
In your papers, you will be selecting and following a current story from the
International section of the New York Times throughout the semester (i.e. the
Palestine conflict; an aspect of the conflict in Iraq or Afghanistan; the
European Union; ASEAN; India, Pakistan and Kashmir; Sudan; etc.). You will need
to clip and save at least five stories related to your topic, which will be
turned in along with your paper. Your paper will need to relate this current
story with the topics that we will cover in class. You will make use of any
class readings that are helpful plus at
least two outside sources (academic books or articles). Search for
additional sources on your own (see below); when in doubt, however, consult
with the instructor. The final paper should include a bibliography, and
footnotes where appropriate; when citing sources (including the internet)
please make sure that they are complete and in Turabian
style (i.e. author, title, date, source). Use the
footnote and bibliography forms described in Kate Turabian,
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses,
and Dissertations,
Dates:
Class #4, January 27: “Reconnaissance”
Each student must submit a (typewritten) page on January 27 with descriptions
of three books found (by foot!) in the library. This will not be graded but
must be done and will be checked off when completed. In order to introduce
students to the International Relations sections of the library, I ask that
students go to the library and find two books from the general International
Relations section (the JX section). Browse the section and look for titles you
find interesting or think you could relate to a current issue in International
Relations. Write a complete citation foe each book using Turabian
bibliographical style (you will use Turabian every
step of the way!), and a short (2-3 sentence) description of why you thought
the book was interesting. Describe the cover of the book so I know that you
didn’t just do this via the library’s web page. Come to class prepared to give
a brief description of one or more of your books and why you thought it was interesting.
Class #7, February 8: Paper topic
Each student must submit a (typewritten) paper topic
proposal on February 8. The proposal can be as short as two or three sentences,
but should give a clear and focused description of the topic. Each topic must
be approved by the instructor.
Class #14, March 3: Bibliography and refinement of paper
topic
Each student will submit a (typewritten) bibliography
(using Turabian style) and a refined paper topic.
Each student, at this point, should have a clear idea of the thesis of his or
her paper and be able to articulate the thrust of his or her argument, based on
at least preliminary research into the subject. The bibliography should include
some, if not all, of you newspaper sources.
Class #30, May 3: Paper due.
Grading:
One hundred points are possible for the paper. Ten points will be given for
having the correct formalities (footnotes and bibliography in Turabian). Twenty points will be given for correct usage
(grammar, spelling, word choice and usage, sentence structure). Seventy points
will be awarded for content (facts, analysis, content).
Only the final paper will be assigned a grade, but a late submission of any of
the preliminary assignments (recon, paper topic, refined paper topic) will
result in the deduction of two points from the paper’s final grade. Late
assignments will only be accepted one week after their due date. Failure to
submit any of the preliminary assignments will result in the deduction of five
points (per item) from your final grade. For every class period that the paper
is late, a further five points will be deducted.