Office Hours: MTWTH 11:00-11:45 and by Appointment

POL-130-01 Edward Guernica

Spring 2009 Office: 119 Minné

MWF 11:00-11:50

Office Hours: MTWTH 11:00-11:45 and by appointment.

International Relations

“Nations dwell in perpetual anarchy, for no central authority imposes limits on the pursuit of sovereign interests. This common condition gives rise to diverse outcomes. Relations among states are marked by war and concert, arms races and arms control, trade wars and tariff truces, financial panics and rescues, competitive devaluation and monetary stabilization. At times, the absence of centralized international authority precludes the attainment of common goals. Because as states, they cannot cede ultimate control over their conduct to a supranational sovereign, they cannot guarantee that they will adhere to their promises. The possibility of a breach of promise can impede cooperation even when cooperation would leave all better off. Yet, at other times, states do realize common goals through cooperation under anarchy.”

Kenneth A. Oye

“Explaining Cooperation under Anarchy: Hypotheses and Strategies”

World Politics Vol. 38, No 1 October 1985.

This course will introduce students to international politics and relations. While the course will emphasize 20th century diplomatic history, we will also look to the role of theory in explaining and predicting the actions of states in the international system along with examining the rise of non-state actors in the international system.

University Studies Course

Please note that this course has been approved as a University Studies course and satisfies the requirements of a Social Science course in the Arts and Science Core. As such, it has requirements and learning activities that promote students’ abilities to…

a. understand humans as individuals and as parts of larger social systems;

b. understand the historical context of the social sciences;

c. identify problems and frame research questions relating to humans and their
experience;

d. become familiar with the process of theory-building and theoretical frameworks
used by the social sciences;

e. understand research methods used in the social sciences;

f. describe and detail discipline-specific knowledge and its applications; and

g. understand differences among and commonalties across humans and their
experience, as tied to such variables as gender, race, socioeconomic status, etc.

Course Requirements

Attendance: I believe that attendance is integral to the learning experience-only through interaction with ones classmates and the instructor can one attain the full college experience. In addition, I often incorporate material not in the readings that you will be expected to know. Therefore, class attendance is mandatory and will count as part of the class participation grade. If you miss 4 classes you will receive a grade of 0 for participation. If you miss five or more classes you will fail the course. This rule applies to both excused and unexcused absences. Moreover, if you do miss class you are responsible for obtaining copies of the lecture notes from another student or on line. PowerPoint™ presentations will be posted on D2L.

Honor Code: Students are expected to strictly adhere to WSU’s Academic Integrity Policy. Any incident of cheating or plagiarism will result in an F grade in the course no exceptions. Students unfamiliar with the definition and penalties for academic dishonesty should consult University guidelines immediately. Ignorance of the law is not a valid defense!

Syllabus Amendments: Since learning is a dynamic endeavor it may become necessary to make changes or amendments to the syllabus. The Schedule for this class will be flexible given the amount of material that we need to cover. I will announce additional assignments at the end of each class session, but for the most part reading assignments appear at the end of this document.

Lectures/Readings/Videos: Assignments are to be read prior to each class period. Students will be expected to participate in class discussions of the reading or to Instructor’s questions about the reading. Moreover, pop quizzes will be given to access comprehension and due-diligence of each student. Quizzes cannot be made up and there are no additional extra credit opportunities other than some random opportunities that I will announce. In addition to the text books, you will also be required to read various case studies that are located at the textbook web site: http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0495187062&discipline_number=20

It will also be advantageous to use this web site as it provides review materials, practice quizzes and useful web links. I will use this web site instead of D2L to provide class resources and materials.

Quizzes and Exam: In addition to class participation and attendance the other measures of class performance will be an assortment of quizzes (multiple-choice, short answer, and True/False). These quizzes can be given at any time starting with the second-class meeting. We will also have a final exam. This exam will follow a multiple choice and short answer format. More details will be supplied about the final exam as the semester unfolds.

Grade Breakdown: Grades will be calculated using the following numerical values. Calculating your grade will be as easy as adding up your total points and referring to this chart:

Quizzes: 250

Final: 200

Class Participation and Attendance: 100

550

A= 490+ B=440-489 C=385-439 D=330-384

Course Texts: The course texts are available at the WSU bookstore as a bundle that includes access to the course website. The text book, the website, information on D2L and videos shown in class are required material.

Charles W. Kegley, Jr., World Politics: Trend and Transformation (USA: Thomson Wadsworh, 2008)11th ed. ISBN# 978-0-495-41073-7.

Course Map

Week 1 Introduction to International Relations (Film: Fog of War)

Read Chapter 1.

(USP outcome b, c, d and e)

Week 2 Realism, Liberalism, neorealism, and the security dilemma

Read CASE STUDY: Traditional Realist Theory and the Cold War (1945-1991) on the course website. Read Chapter 2.

(USP outcome “d”)

Week 3 Foreign Policy Decision Making

Read: Read Chapter 3. CASE STUDY: Decision to drop the bomb for the 17th.

(USP outcome “f”)

Week 4 International Politics Before the Great Wars

Read Chapter 4.

(USP outcome “b”)

Week 5 World II and the Origins of the Cold War (Film: Dr. Strangelove)

Week 6 Third World Relations and Challenges of Development

(Film: Battle of Algiers)

Read: Chapter 5.

(USP outcome “b”)

Week 7 IGOs and NGO and non-state actors.

Read Chapter 6.

(USP outcome “a”)

Week 8 Human Rights

Read Chapter 7.

(Film: Ghosts of Rwanda)

Read Case study on Bosnia.

Read Case study on Rwanda.

(USP outcome “g”)

Week 9 Globalization the über Buzzword

Read Chapter 8. Read Case Study on EU.

(USP outcome “f”)

Week 10 The Political Economy of International Relations

(Film: Command Heights: The World Economy)

Read Chapter 9.

Read Case Study: Peso Crisis.

(USP outcome “f”)

Week 11 Population and the Environment

Read: Chapter 10.

(USP outcome “f”)

Week 12 Civil and Uncivil Wars

“The Continuation of Politics by other means…”

Read: Chapter 11-12. (Film: 9/11 documentary).

(USP outcome “f”)

Week 13 National Security
(USP outcome “f”)

Week 14 Realism and Liberalism Revisited

Read Chapter 13-14.
(USP outcome “d”)

Finals Week Week of May 4th. Final Exam.

Also Read Chapter 15 for final.