POLS 383: CHANGING WORLD POLITICAL ECONOMY
Northern
Illinois University
Department
of Political Science
Fall
2009, Dusable 246
M-W-F
9-9:50
Instructor: Professor Kheang Un, Ph. D.
Office: Zulauf 411
Phone: 815-753-1022
Email: kun1@niu.edu
Office Hours: M, W &F 10:00-12:00 and by
appointment
We are now in the era of unprecedented global
economic interconnectedness, a process that affects wealth, power, cultures,
and societies of nation-states across the globe. International political economy (IPE)
explores this process, examining the impacts of international political and
economic factors on domestic politics and economics and vise-versa. As such, the objective of this course is to
enable students to understand the management of the global economic system, the
level of global economic integration and its impact on nation-states, the
functions and management of multilateral institutions, and the major theories
that explain these processes.
Course
Policies and Requirements
1. The Learning Environment. Your
instructor is committed to the principle of active learning. This principle requires students’ active
involvement in, commitment to, and responsibility for their own education. Hence, it is important that students conduct
themselves in ways that indicate respect for the learning community and the
learning process. Respect for the
learning community should preclude such behavior as persistent tardiness, leaving the room during class time (unless
prior advice was given to the instructor or in case of emergency), falling
asleep, reading the newspaper, turning your cell phone on, studying for another
class, or chatting with others.
2.
Readings, Lectures and Class Format. Please purchase a copy of the
textbook for this course: Thomas Oatley,
International Political Economy:
Interests and Institutions in the Global Economy 4th Edition (New
York: Pearson/Longman, 2010), at the Student Center or at the Village Commons
Bookstore. Some readings are also posted
on the course blackboard.
Lectures will parallel and compliment the
readings. As such, students cannot just
rely solely on the lectures or the readings.
3.
Class attendance and Participation.
A. Class attendance: Attendance at all
class sessions is expected, and the instructor will check the attendance
regularly. Students are allowed to
miss for a total of four times during the semester. An additional absence will result in lowering
the final grade by one letter.
B.
Class Participation: Class participation will account for 10 percent
of the total course grade. As stated
earlier, the instructor treasures interactive learning. Students are therefore expected to regularly
be involved in class discussion. More
importantly, informed participation in class discussion will significantly help
students in borderline grade situations.
4.
Exams. This course will
have two exams—a midterm and a final.
The midterm will be taken in class on October 07 and the final exam will be taken during the regular final exam
day, December 09 from 8:00-9:50 am. The first exam will be worth 25 percent and
the final exam will be worth 30 percent of the total course grade. The format of each exam will be a combination
of essay, short answers and identification of concepts. No
make up exam will be offered, except in cases of emergency, as defined by the
instructor, and with advance notification.
5. Term
Paper: The term paper, 12 to 15 pages with a minimum of ten
sources, will be worth 35 percent of the total course grade and is due in class
on November 30. Late papers will be penalized by one letter
grade a day. Students are required to
submit a research topic with a thesis and five references. This will be due in class on November13.
Avoiding Plagiarism: Put
simply, plagiarism happens when you take someone else’s ideas or words and use
them as though they were your own ideas.
Commonly, students commit plagiarism out of ignorance or carelessness;
though there are some people who outright steal other writers’ work. Thus to avoid this problem, you should follow
these guidelines:
. Always
put quotation marks around any direct statement from someone else’s work and
offer appropriate citation (endnote, footnote etc.)
. Cite
any paraphrase of another writer’s ideas or statements.
. Cite
any material, ideas, thoughts, etc., you got from your reading that can’t be
described as general knowledge.
6.
Course Grade. Course
Grades will be distributed as follows:
Final
Average Final
Grade
90-100
% A
80-89
% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
Below
60% F
7.
Academic Integrity. Students
are expected to know and comply with NIU polices on academic integrity (see p.
47 of 2001 Undergraduate Catalog). Any
student found guilty of cheating or plagiarizing will receive an “F” for the
examination and the course. He or she
may also be subject to additional sanctions imposed by the university.
Schedule of Lectures, Required Readings,
and Exams
I.
Introduction to the Course
August
24
Introduction to the course
II.
(8-26; 8-28; 8-31): Ideologies of International Political Economy
Required Reading: Oatley, Ch. 1
August
26
Mercantilism
August
28
Liberalism
August
31
Marxist
Critiques
III.
(9-2; 9-4; 9-9): Global Governance and IPE
September
2
The World Trade Organization Oatley pp. 21-28;
33-45.
Daniel Esty, "The World Trade
Organization's Legitimacy Crisis," in Thomas Oatley, The Global
Economy: Contemporary Debates (New York: Pearson Longman, 2005), pp.
111-125 [course blackboard].
September
4
The International Monetary Fund Oatley pp.
320-330.
September
7
NO CLASS LABOR DAY
September
9
The World Bank: Oatley pp. 314-315; Sebastian
Mallaby, “Saving the World Bank,” Foreign
Affairs, 84 (2005): 75-85 [course blackboard].
IV.
(9-11; 9-14): International Trade
Reading: Oatley Ch. 3.
September
11
Comparative Advantage and Trade
Trade Policy and Domestic Economic Interests
September
14
Domestic Politics and Trade
V. (9-16;
9-18; 9-21) International Finance
Required Reading: Oatley Chs. 10&11.
September
16
The Bretton Woods Exchange System
September
18
National Money and International Exchange
September
21
Mobile Capital and Financial Integration
VI.
(9-23; 9-25; 9-28) International Investment
Required Reading: Oatley Ch. 8; Ch. 9.
September
23
Foreign Direct Investment
September
25
Multinational Corporations
September
28
Multinational Corporations
VII.
(9-30; 10-2): The Politics of Oil
September 30
Required Reading: Oatley pp. 133-34; Euclid
Rose, “OPEC’s Dominance of the Global Oil Market: The Rise of the World’s
Dependency on Oil.” Middle East Journal
Vol. 58 No 3 (Summer 2004), pp. 424-443 [course blackboard].
October
2
Required Reading: Oatley pp. 185-86; Euclid
Rose, “OPEC’s Dominance of the Global Oil Market: The Rise of the World’s
Dependency on Oil.” Middle East Journal
Vol. 58 No 3 (Summer 2004), pp. 424-443 [course blackboard].
VIII.
(10-5; 10-7): Review and Mid-Term Exam
October5
Catch-Up and Review
October7
Mid-Term
Exam
IX. (10-9;
10-12): International Development I
Required Reading: Oatley Ch. 6.
October
9
Perspective on North-South Divide
October
12
Trade and Development Policy
X. (10-14;
10-16; 10-19) Developing Countries and International Finance
Oatley Chs. 14&15.
October14
Financial Flow and Development
October16
Financial Flow and Origin of Debt Crisis
October19
Asian Financial Crises and Management
XII.
(10-21; 10-23; 10-26) China and Global Economy
Required Reading:
Kishore Mahbubani, “Understanding China,” Foreign Affairs 84 (2005): 49-60 [course
blackboard].
Morton Abramowitz, and Stephen Bosworth,
“America Confronts the Asian Century,” Current
History (April 2006): 147-152 [course blackboard].
John Mearsheimer, “China’s Unpeaceful Rise,” Current Affairs (April 2006): 160-162 [course
blackboard].
Zheng Bijan, “China’s ‘Peaceful Rise’ to Great
Power Status,” Foreign Affairs 84
(2005): 18-24 [course blackboard].
Michael T Klare, “China’s Demand for Resources Fueling the
Dragon: China’s Strategic Energy Dilemma,” Current
History (April 2006): 180-185 [course blackboard].
October21
Kishore Mahbubani, “Understanding China,” Foreign Affairs 84 (2005): 49-60.
Abramowitz, Morton and Stephen Bosworth,
“America Confronts the Asian Century,” Current
History (April 2006): 147-152.
Mearsheimer, John, “China’s Unpeaceful Rise,” Current Affairs (April 2006): 160-162.
October23
Video: “The Three Gorges: The Biggest Dam in the
World” TC558.C52.S385 1998.
October 26
Michael T Klare, “China’s Demand for Resources Fueling the
Dragon: China’s Strategic Energy Dilemma,” Current
History (April 2006): 180-185.
XIII.
(10-28; 10-30) Regionalism
Required Reading: Oatley, pp. 38-43; John
Ravenhill, “Regionalism,” in John Ravenhill, Global Political Economy (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005),
pp. 116-147 [course blackboard].
October 28
Economic of Regional Integration
October 30
Politics and Regional Integration
XIII. (11-2—12-2)
Globalization
November 2
Globalization
Thomas Frieman, “It’s a Flat World After All,”
in Mark Keselman, The Politics of
Globalization: A Reader (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007), pp. 69-73
[course blackboard]; Oatley, Ch. 16.
November
4
Globalization
and The State
Saskia Sassen, “The State and Globalization,” in
Mark Keselman, The Politics of
Globalization: A Reader (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007),
pp.228-243 [course blackboard];
Susan Strange, “The Retreat of the State: The
Diffusion of Power in the World Economy,” in Mark Keselman, The Politics of Globalization: A Reader
(Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007), pp. 210-216 [course blackboard].
November
6
Globalization
and The State (continued)
November
9
Video: “Globalization is good” DVD.
HB501 .G5493 2005 (50mns)
November
11
Video:
“Globalization” DVD.
HF1379 .G595 2004 (42mns)
November13
Pros of
Globalization
Paul Krugman, “In Praise of Cheap Labor: Bad
Jobs at Bad Wages are Better than No Jobs at All,” in Thomas Oatley, The Global Economy: Contemporary Debates
(New York: Perason-Longman, 2005), pp. pp. 204-207 [course blackboard].
John Miller, “Why Economist Are Wrong About
Sweatshops and the Anti-Sweatshop Movements,” in Thomas Oatley, The Global Economy: Contemporary Debates
(New York: Perason-Longman, 2005), pp. pp. 208-224 [course blackboard].
November16
Pros of
Globalization (continued)
Term
Paper Topic Due
November18
Individual Student’s Conference with Professor
on Research Abstract
November
20
Individual Student’s Conference with Professor
on Research Abstract
November
23
Individual Student’s Conference with Professor
on Research Abstract
November
25
NO
CLASS THANKSGIVING
November 27
NO
CLASS THANKSGIVING
November
30
Cons of
Globalization
Amartya Sen, “How to Judge Globalism,” in Mark
Keselman, The Politics of Globalization:
A Reader (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007), pp. 28-36 [course
blackboard].
December
2
Joseph Stiglitz, “Globalism’s Discontents,” in
Mark Keselman, The Politics of
Globalization: A Reader (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007), pp. 86-95
[course blackboard].
Term
Paper Due
December
4
Review and Class Evaluation
December
9
(8:00-950 am)
FINAL
EXAM