Political Science
Problems of International
Relations/ POLS 285-3
Fall 2004
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Class time |
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Tuesday & Thursday 2:00 - 3: 15 PM, 461 Dusable |
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Instructor |
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Laman Rzayeva |
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Office address |
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420 Zulauf |
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Office hours |
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Thursday 12:00 – 2:00 PM and by appointment most
days |
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E-mail |
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Course description: Welcome to the ever-changing field of
international relations. The world changed dramatically during the previous
decade. The Soviet Union was replaced by fifteen new states; the ideological
and military divide that once dominated analysis of international relations
dissipated. Democracy and capitalism spread to dozens of new states. The
communications revolution eroded states’ ability to control of information and
ideas. Even the homogenous Third World, now called the Global South, has lost
meaning in the new millennium. New issues such as terrorism, AIDS,
proliferation of WMD, and the Green house effect have risen to the top of the
global agenda. Keeping pace with this changing world requires new tools and new
theoretical approaches.
This course has three
primary objectives. First, as an introductory course it strives to provide
students with a basic understanding of the theories and tools commonly used for
analyzing and explaining international relations. Because international
relations remains a divide field, students will be introduced to a number of
competing world views including realism, liberal idealism, behavioralism and
neoliberalism. Students will also learn about a number of associated approaches
to the study of international relations. Each of these approaches emphasizes a
different determinant of international relations. Each of these approaches
emphasizes a different determinant of international relations (e.g.,
perception, rationality or group behavior). Finally, students will learn the
basic terms and concepts used in international relations.
The second objective of the
course is to use the theories and tools learned in the first section to analyze
some of the most serious problems now facing the world. This semester special
attention will be given to terrorism, the use of military intervention, nuclear
proliferation and trade conflict. With each of these units students will be
asked to read a short case that presents a specific international decision that
was made to deal with the issue. Students will be required to remake these
decisions in class as part of a small group case discussion or a class
simulation. Other issues will be discussed as they arise on the pages of the Christian
Science Monitor.
The third objective is to
help students develop their abilities to think and argue logically both orally
and in writing. In addition to the tremendous significance of the issues
discussed in class, the greatest benefit the course may provide to individual
students is to give them numerous opportunities to logically consider
international issues and to present their ideas. Toward this end the course
employs a number of highly participatory teaching methods including: class
discussions, news discussions and case debates.
This course is an
introductory course and presumes no background knowledge in the study of
international relations or political science in general. However, the course
does require students to read the course materials when assigned and to
participate regularly in various class exercises and discussions.
Readings: 1.
The main text for the course is: Charles W. Kegley, Jr. and Eugene R.
Wittkopf, World Politics: Trends and
Transformation, 9th edn., New York: Thomson & Wadsworth, 2003. Copies
of the text are available for purchase at the University and Village Common
bookstores. Students are strongly encouraged to purchase the main text.
Readings from the text are assigned in the Class Schedule (see below).
2. Students are required to
read each of cases "prior to" the day that the case is scheduled to
be discussed in the Class Schedule. The majority of the cases are also
available at the bookstores. Some cases are not available in the
bookstore! While copyright laws prohibit the combining of these cases
into a course package, students may make copies of these cases for their
individual use. (One copy of every case will be available in the Reserve Room
of the Library).
3. Students are required to
subscribe, individually or in groups, to the Christian Science Monitor (CSM). Despite its name, the CSM is not primarily a religious
newspaper. It is one of the most respected papers and thought to have some of
the most balanced reporting of any major paper. Moreover, studies show that the
CSM has the highest percentage of
international news of any American newspaper. The CSM offers students a special three-month introductory rate.
Students with regular internet access may also read the electronic edition at http://www.csmonitor.com However, we would
urge you not to depend entirely on the electronic version unless you are
already reading it. Discussions of current events in international relations
will be held during the first 10-15 minutes of class every Tuesday. Students
are expected to have read the CSM
prior to coming to class and may be called upon to discuss articles that they
have read. Also, material discussed in class will appear on the examinations.
4. The instructor reserves
the right to hold pop quizzes on any of the assigned readings. The points
from these quizzes will count as credit points on the examinations.
Writing Assignments: Each student is required to keep a journal of Problems of International
Relations. To maintain the journal each student must write 2 entries
each week. Each summary should be of approximately one-half page in
length, double spaced. Each entry should include a summary of a
major international article appearing in the Christian Science Monitor.
It should also provide the student's commentary on and analysis of
the developments discussed in the article.
Journals must be submitted
twice during the semester. They will first be submitted on September 21 ,
2004 and should include 8 entries. The second submission date is November
18, 2004 and should include 16 new entries. Please be sure to indicate
the title, author, date and source for each article.
Included with the second
journal submission should be a critical
essay written in the form of a case. Each student should take an
issue previously addressed in his/her journal and mirror the format of the
cases used in class. The essay should identify a particular decision
maker, the dilemma he/she faces, a clear statement of the objectives of the
decision maker, and some discussion of at least two alternatives the decision
maker might reasonably adopt. In the closing paragraph the student should
also indicate which alternative the student would recommend and why. The
essay does not need to summarize the dilemma in great detail. Instead, it
can cite The Monitor articles, and other
sources for background material. (The Monitor on line regularly provides
links to related stories in other newspapers.) The essay should be
approximately 5 pages in length; double-spaced and should use a standard
citation method. Citations must appear either at the bottom of the page,
in the text, or at the end of the paper. A bibliography is required (for
formatting please refer to the Chicago Manual of Style http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/tools.html,
manual of style of the Modern Language Association or any other acceptable
manuals of style. The following web address has guidelines for some of them: http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citation.htm.)
Although primary consideration in evaluating the journals will be placed on
content and the logic of the arguments, presentation (including spelling,
grammar, and correct word use) will also be considered. Cases taken from a
perspective other than an American one are especially encouraged.
Journals are due at the
beginning of class on the assigned day. Late journals will be downgraded
1/3 letter grade for each weekday that they are late. (A journal submitted
after class will be considered one day late). Thus, an "A"
brief becomes and "A-" after one day and a "B+" after two
days. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Therefore, students with sick
relatives, paper-eating canines, low-life typists, or virus-prone computers--as
well as those students who are routinely taken hostage aboard alien
spaceships--are strongly encouraged to compensate for any potential mishaps by
preparing their journals in advance of the submission deadlines.
Participation:
Participation is an important part of this course, and as such is required of
all students. The participation grade will comprise 10% of the final grade and
is designed to assess both the quantity and quality of each student's
participation in this collective learning experience. Participation grades will
include attendance, participation in news discussions, participation in cases,
and participation in class. Students who miss any more than 4 classes in total,
or more than two cases-for whatever reason-will have a deduction taken from
their participation grade.
Plagiarism Statement: According to the NIU Undergraduate Catalog
"Students are guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy
material from books, magazines, or other sources without identifying and
acknowledging them. Students guilty of, or assisting others in, either cheating
or plagiarism on an assignment, quiz, or examination may receive a grade of F
for the course involved and may be suspended or dismissed from the
university." In short, all ideas that are not your own or well known must
be footnoted. A general rule is that if the information cannot be found in
three or more commonly available sources it should be footnoted. All direct
quotes must be placed in quotation marks. These guidelines will be enforced. If
you are unsure as to what should be footnoted either play it safe and footnote,
or ask for assistance.
Examinations:
There will be two examinations, a mid-term and a final. Each examination will
be worth 25% of the semester grade. The mid-term examination will be held on
October 19, 2004, and will include all course
materials and readings covered to that date. The final examination will be held
on in December 7, in DU 461, at 2 PM. Those who have a conflict, or simply
prefer to take the examination on another date, may take the examination on
December 9, 2004, also in DU 461, at 8
PM. The alternate examination "may be" slightly more difficult, and
must be requested in advance in writing. Each examination will contain:
Grading: The
final grade will be:
The Department of Political Science will recognize, on an annual basis,
outstanding undergraduate papers written in conjunction with 300-400 level
political science courses or directed studies. Authors do not have to be
political science majors or have a particular class standing. Winners are
expected to attend the Department’s spring graduation ceremony where they will
receive a certificate and $50.00. Papers, which can be submitted by students or
faculty, must be supplied in triplicate to a department secretary by February
28. All copies should have two cover pages – one with the student’s name and
one without the student’s name. Only papers written in the previous calendar year can be considered for the
award. However, papers completed in the current spring semester are eligible
for the following year’s competition even if the student has graduated.
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, NIU is committed
to making reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities.
Those students with disabilities that may have some impact on their coursework
and for which they may require accommodations should notify the Center for
Access-Ability Resources (CAAR) on the fourth floor of the Health Services
Building. CAAR will assist students in making appropriate accommodations with
course instructors. It is important that CAAR and instructors be informed of
any disability-related needs during the first two weeks of the semester.
Undergraduates are strongly encouraged to consult the Department of
Political Science web site on a regular basis. This up-to-date, central source
of information will assist students in contacting faculty and staff, reviewing
course requirements and syllabi, exploring graduate study, researching career
options, tracking department events, and accessing important details related to
undergraduate programs and activities. To reach the site, go to http://polisci.niu.edu
LINKS to Relevant
Sites:
News Sources:
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE (Paris)
BBC
World News
Chicago
Tribune
Christian
Science Monitor
CNN Breaking News
The
Drudge Report
International
Herald Tribune
Itar-Tass
News Service (Russia)
Kyodo
News (Japan)
The Times (London)
New
York Times
Reuters
World News
Washington
Post
Washington
Times
Xinhua News Service (China)
Terrorism News Sources:
Terrorism Research Center
General Links on
Terrorism
US State Department's Office of
Counterterrorism
US Department of
Defense on Countering Terrorism
EERI Counterterrorism Home Page
& Links
Others Links:
The Kennedy School of
Government Case Program
Electronic Citation Style
Manuals
Evaluating Internet
Sources
Bartlett's Quotations
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August 24, Tuesday |
Introduction and Distribution of Syllabus |
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August 26, Thursday |
Case Study: The Melian Dialogue |
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August 31, Tuesday |
Introduction to the
Theories of International Relations Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, Chps. 1, 2. |
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September 2, Thursday |
Liberal Idealism Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, Chps. 2, 15 |
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September 7, Tuesday |
Realism Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, Chps. 2, 14 |
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September 9,
Thursday |
Case Study: Values Vs Interests: The US Response to
Tiananmen Square |
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September 14,
Tuesday |
Behavioralism and
Post-Behavioralism Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, p. 38-41 (especially p. 40) |
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September 16,
Thursday |
Neorealism and
Neoliberalism Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, Chpts. 2, 4, 5 |
September 21, Tuesday |
Constructivism
and Feminism
Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, pp. 46, 49-55. First
Journal Submission is Due! |
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September 23,
Thursday |
Case Study: The US-Japanese FSX Fighter Agreement |
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September 28,
Tuesday |
The Levels of
Analysis Problem and Models of International Relations Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, Chp. 3. |
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September 30,
Thursday |
Individual Level
Models: Rational Actor, Perception and Personality |
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October 5, Tuesday |
Group Level Models:
The Organisational Model and Bureaucratic Politics |
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October 7, Thursday |
Social and National
Level Models Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, Chpt. 8. |
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October 12, Tuesday |
Case Study: Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs |
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October 14, Thursday |
Systems Level
Models
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October 19, Tuesday |
Midterm Examination |
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October 21, Thursday |
Ethnicity and
Nationalism I Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, pp. 163-173, Chps. 7, 11. |
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October 26, Tuesday |
Ethnicity and
Nationalism II |
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October 28, Thursday |
Case Study: Watershed in Rwanda |
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November 2, Tuesday |
Terrorism I Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, pp. 433-445, pp. 619-621. |
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November 4, Thursday |
Terrorism II |
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November 9, |
Case Study: The Achille Lauro Hijacking |
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November 11,
Thursday |
Weapons of Mass
Destruction I Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, Chps. 12, 13, 14 |
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November 16, |
Holiday! |
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November 18, Thursday |
Weapons of Mass
Destruction II Second Journal Submission and Short Paper are Due! |
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November 23, |
Case Study: Atomic Diplomacy in the Korean War |
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November 25,
Thursday |
Case Study: UP in Arms: Russian Rockets for India |
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November 30, |
The Global Economy Read: Kegley &
Wittkopf, Chps. 5, 8, 9. |
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December 2, Thursday |
Case Study: Debt-for-Nature-Swaps: Solution or
Imperialism? |
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December 7, Tuesday 2:00 – 3:50 PM, DU
461 |
Scheduled Final Examination |
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December 9, Thursday 8:00 - 9: 50 PM, DU
461 |
Alternate Final Examination |