Introduction to International Relations
POLS
285-2/ Spring 2007/
Class Information
Class Time: Tuesday and Thursday,
Location: DU 461
Instructor: Andrea Mathie (I
am listed departmentally as Andrea Messing-Mathie)
Office: Zulauf 114
: 630-915-8740 (Please
use email whenever possible)
Office
Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays,
e-mail: mathiepols@yahoo.com
(please utilize this address, as I rarely check my NIU address) (expect an e-mail response usually within 24-48 hours,
except on weekends)
Why
are you here?
Welcome! International relations are ever-changing,
ever-evolving, and dramatic events change the landscape of the political world
within which the
First,
the overarching objective is to get you excited about your connection to the
world around you and why studying political science and specifically
international relations is so important to understanding the kind of global
community that we all live in.
Second,
as an introductory course, I will strive to provide everyone with a basic
understanding of the theories and models that are used to analyze and explain
international relations. Because the field of international relations remains
divided, students will be exposed to a range of competing theories. Remember,
these are theories that have been created by leading political science scholars
in order to explain events, especially those of WWII and beyond that defied any
kind of general explanation. Theories are not reality-real life happens with or
without theories-but it is our job as political scientists to attempt to explain real events in such a way that an
explanation over what has happened in one part of the world has some applicability
elsewhere. We will be looking at models for analyzing international relations,
and will be learning the basic terms and concepts that are used in
international relations.
Third,
I want you to be able to use these theories, models, terms and concepts that
are learned in the course in order to analyze some of the most pressing
international problems that are now facing our global system. With each of the
topics students will be asked to read a short case that presents a specific
international decision that was made to deal with the issue. You will be asked
to remake these decisions in class as part of a small group case discussion or
case simulation. We will also be discussing world events in our in class and
online discussions based on our reading of the Christian Science Monitor.
Finally,
I want you to be able to develop your analytical skills and develop your
abilities to think and argue logically both orally and in writing. In addition
to the immense significance of the issues that we will discuss in class, the
greatest benefit that the course will hopefully give will be to provide
individual students opportunities to logically consider international issues
and to present their opinions intelligently. Toward this end this course will
use a variety of highly participatory teaching methods including: discussion of
Christian Science Monitor articles, issues from lectures, and case studies.
What am I expecting of you?
1) The main text for the course is: Joseph S. Nye,
Jr. Understanding International Conflicts, 6th edition,
Longman Classics in Political Science, 2007. You are expected and encouraged to
purchase the text, but you may share copies if you need to. We will be
utilizing the text a great deal, so please make sure that you have ready access
to the text right away. You can purchase the book from the University
Bookstore, the Village Commons Bookstore, or online.
2)
2) Case Studies: as part of your contract with me
in this class, you are required to read all cases prior to the beginning of
class on the day of case studies. The majority of the cases will be available
from the bookstores, and while copyright laws prohibit me from combining all of
these cases into a course package, you may make copies of these cases from the
reserve desk in the library for your individual use. I will be posting
questions to guide your reading in our class Blackboard site.
3) You will be required to subscribe to the
Christian Science Monitor, either in paper version, or online. Despite its
name, the CSM is not primarily a religious newspaper; rather, it is one of the
most respected international papers and thought to have some of the most
balanced reporting of any major paper. Moreover, the CSM has been shown to have
the highest percentage of international news of any major American newspaper.
The CSM offers students a special three-month introductory rate. Subscription
forms will be available during the first 2 class sessions, and delivery is by
mail. You may also read the electronic version at http://www.csmonitor.com. However, I must
warn you that the CSM only keeps 5 days worth of issues, and you must pay to
access anything beyond this. Your first assignment based on the Christian
Science Monitor will be due during the 2nd week of class, so please
get your subscription settled soon!
Assignments:
1)
Journals: You will be required to hand in a typed one page, single spaced analysis of one world newspaper
articles from the Christian Science Monitor each Thursday. Your first journal entry will be due on
Thursday, January 25th. By the end of the semester, you should
have handed in 12 journal articles.
Your journal articles will be worth 10%
of your grade, so please take these analyses very seriously! I will explain
during the first week of class what I am looking for.
2)
Each Thursday, we will be discussing the week’s news and events as
described in the Christian Science Monitor. You are required to participate in class discussions, so be prepared. I
will call on you! You may use the journal article that you prepared for class
to discuss in class, but I will be asking about other events and articles as
well. I have assigned a short book and will keep book readings shorter so that
you have the time to read the newspaper thoroughly-please do! If you
don’t it will affect your grade! (Not only that, but you’ll be much
more informed). These discussions count
towards your participation grade. (Participation:
10%)
3)
Study Questions: In order to keep our reading on track and to guide our class
discussions, I am assigning study questions most weeks. Most of the questions
come from the book, at the end of each chapter, but for those weeks where I
have assigned alternative readings posted to the blackboard, you will find a
few questions for that week. I will specify in the course calendar below which
study questions are due on which dates. These typed, single spaced answers will be due on the specified Tuesdays
at the beginning of class, so please make sure that you are prepared to hand
these in. These questions are worth 10% of
your grade.
4)
Case Studies: As stated earlier, you are required to read the case studies
prior to the start of the specified class. We may have a quiz on these days. These quizzes will count towards
your participation grade. In order to do well on these quizzes, you must read
the case studies. There are absolutely no make ups on the quizzes, as they are
a privilege for those who attend class and do their readings. (Participation: 10%)
4) Paper (Brief): In this paper, I will be asking
you to choose one of the cases that we conduct in class and to place it in an
analytic context. In this paper you will be considering the following:
questions of levels of analysis, decision making models, and overall theories
of international relations. You will need to expand your study of the case in
question beyond the case study that we will have discussed in class. The essay
should be approximately 5 pages long. We will discuss this paper in class, and
I hope to have a representative from the Library as well as the
Exams:
Exam
1: (Midterm)
Exam
2 (Final): TBA (During week of
Some Final Thoughts:
Attendance:
I
understand that issues sometimes arise that cause students to miss class.
However, keep in mind that your attendance in this class on a regular basis is
a respect issue, respect for your peers who count on you and respect for your
instructor. Students who miss more than 4 classes throughout the semester will
have a deduction taken from their final grade. I do this not to be a stickler,
but to be fair to those students who invest the time to come to class
regularly. Attendance is counted
towards your participation grade.
Extra Credit: Extra Credit opportunities
will be announced during the semester. Absolutely no extra credit will be
awarded on an individual basis, but there will be opportunities for extra
credit points to be earned.
Plagiarism: 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 as 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, BE CAREFUL! If you think that you might
be plagiarizing, you probably are, and feel free to come to me at any time for
advice or assistance. All ideas that are not your own must be cited (via
footnotes). We will cover this in more detail during a class session.
Students with Disabilities: NIU abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding provision of reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Moreover, your academic success is of importance to me. If you have a disability that may have a negative impact on your performance in this course and you may require some type of instructional and/or examination accommodation, please contact me early in the semester so that I can provide or facilitate in providing accommodations you may need. If you have not already done so, you will need to register with the Center for Access-Ability Resources (CAAR), the designated office on campus to provide services and administer exams with accommodations for students with disabilities. CAAR is located on the 4th floor of the University Health Services building (753-1303). I look forward to talking with you to learn how I may be helpful in enhancing your academic success in this course.
Classroom Etiquette: It is vital that you arrive at class on time. You should
remain in the classroom for the entire session unless you are excused by me
beforehand. You should use your best judgment on this. It is not acceptable for
students to walk in and out of class to answer cell phones, take casual
bathroom and smoking breaks, or attend to other personal matters. It is also
not acceptable to read the newspaper during class or to listen to any listening
device. Cell phones, pagers, or any
electronic devices that make noise must be turned off during class unless the
instructor has been notified beforehand of a special circumstance (e.g., sick
family member, pregnant wife, special childcare situation, etc.). No one should
talk while someone else is talking; this includes comments meant for a
classmate rather than the entire group. Overall, classroom dialogue and
behavior should always be courteous, respectful of others, and consistent with
the expectations set forth by the university.
Course Grading
Breakdown: Study
Questions: 10% Journals:
10% Paper
(Brief): 15% Participation
(in class, attendance, and quizzes): 15% Exam
Course Calendar and Tentative Course
Schedule:
Week 1 (Jan. 17 and 19): Introduction to Theories of
International Relations
Asst.
due: none
Week 2 (Jan. 23 and 25): Realism and Liberalism
Asst.
due Jan 23: Chapter 1, Question 3
(p. 29); Chapter 2, Questions 4, 5, 6 (p. 56)
Journal
1 due Jan 25
Week 3 (Jan. 30 and Feb.1):
Realism
and Liberalism, cont.
Case
Study 1 due Feb 1: One Rock, Two Principles: The
Asst.
due Jan. 30: Chapter 3, Questions 2,
5, and 6 (p. 84)
Journal
2 due Feb. 1
Week 4 (Feb. 6 and Feb. 8):
Constructivism,
Behavioralism, and Post-Behavioralism/Neo-realism, Neo-liberalism
Asst.
due Feb. 6: Chapter 5, Question 1
(p. 154)
Journal
3 due Feb. 8
Week 5 (Feb. 13 and Feb.
15):
Continuation of topics from last week/Critiques of IR Theory
Case
Study 2 due Feb. 15: Values vs. Interests: The
Asst.
due Feb 13: Blackboard, TBA
Journal
4 due Feb 15
Week 6 (Feb. 20 and Feb.
22): Levels
of Analysis Problems and Models of IR
Asst.
due Feb 20: See questions for this
date on Blackboard
Journal
5 due Feb. 22
Week 7 (Feb. 27 and March
1): The Levels
of Analysis Problem and Models of IR, cont.
Case
Study 3 due March 6: Kennedy and the
Asst.
due Feb 27: Blackboard, TBA
Journal
5 due March 1
Week 8 (March 6 and March
8): Levels
and Models cont & Midterm Exam
No
No
Journal due
Midterm
Exam: March 8
Week 9 (March 13 and March
15): SPRING BREAK
Week 10 (March 20 and March
22): Problems
of IR: The UN and International Organizations
Reading
due: Chapter 6 (Nye book) pgs. 175-198
Asst.
due March 20: Chapter 6, questions 3
and 4 (p. 200)
Journal
6 due March 22
Week 11 (March 27 and March
29): Problems
of IR: Ethnicity and Nationalism
Reading
due: Chapter 6 (Nye book) pgs. 157-174
Case
Study 4: Watershed in
Asst.
due March 27: Chapter 6, questions 1
and 2
Journal
7 due March 27
Week 12 (April 3 and April
5): Problems
of IR: Globalization and Interdependence
Reading
due: Chapter 7 (Nye book)
Case
Study 5: American Diplomatic Response to
the 1973-74 Energy Crisis (Pew 148-94-R)
Asst.
due April 3: Chapter 7, question 1
Journal
8 due April 5
Week 13 (April 10 and April
12): Problems
of IR: Democratization
Reading
due: Blackboard, Schmitter & Karl: “What Democracy Is…and Is
Not.”
Case Study 6: Democracy and Islam in Arab Politics (Pew 611-95-N)
Asst
due April 10: Blackboard, TBA
Journal
9 due April 12
Week 14 (April 17 and April
19): Problems
of IR: Terrorism and WMDs
Reading
due: Chapter 9
Case Study 7: The UN and International Efforts to Deal with Terrorism (Pew 313-88-O)
Asst
due April 17: Chapter 9, Questions 5
and 6
Journal
10 due April 19
Week 15 (April 24 and April
26): Practical
Applications
Case
8: The Israel-PLO Declaration of
Principles (Pew 465-95-N)
Case 9: The
Journal
11 due April 26
Week 16 ( May 1 and May 3):
Sovereignty
Issues (May 1st only)
Asst.
due for extra credit: TBA
Paper
(Brief) due May 1
Review
and class wrap up, May 3.
Week 17 (May 7-11): FINALS
WEEK
Thursday,
May 10.
Alternate
date to be announced.