International Politics

International Politics

GOVT 130N. Lapp

Fall 2007Tahoe 3116/278-7254

Sec. 1: Tu/Th 1:30-2:

Alpine 212

Sec. 2: Tu 5:30-8:20Office Hours: Tu 3-4:30

Amador 252Th 4-5:30

Course Description:

The Cold War's end, globalization, and the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have led to reconsideration of conventional views and uncertainty about the future direction of international politics. In this lecture and discussion course, we will cover key concepts and theoretical approaches to make sense of the field of international relations. With this knowledge, students will have the tools to analyze current and future events as they arise. This course is required for the Government and Government-International Relations majors.

Catalog Description:

Basic junior-level course in International Relations. Current international tensions; the motivating forces influencing world politics; and the role of diplomacy and international organizations in resolving conflicts. 3 units.

Goals:

Students in this course will learn about and evaluate contending theoretical approaches to the study of international relations. They will apply these theories to explain international politics. Students will analyze differing explanations of the causes of conflict and cooperation using past wars such as World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Students will also develop an appreciation for and understanding of other contemporary issues such as international institutions, globalization, and global problems. Students will improve their library research skills, including the use of on-line resources.

Texts:

The following texts are required and are available for purchase at the bookstore.

Mingst, Karen, and Jack Snyder, eds.Essential Readings in World Politics. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2004.

Stoessinger, John G.Why Nations Go to War. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2007.

Recommended: Diana Hacker. A Pocket Style Manual. 4th ed. (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004). There will be required reading from the Hacker book, but a copy is on reserve at the library.

Five articles are on reserve at the library reserve room; students will need to go to the reserve room in person.

You will also need to access other required articles and handouts online through LOCUS. Register with LOCUS the first week using your saclink id and password; enroll in GOVT 130 using the course password (given out the first day of class). A link to LOCUS appears on the library webpage. If you do not have computer access at home, you will need to arrange a time to use one of the many computer labs on campus.

Course Requirements:

Writing Assignments (WA) on the Readings: Students will need to prepare answers to questions on the readings for nearly every class. The assignments will be discussed in class. Twelve assignments will be randomly and without notice collected at the end of selected classes; 10 will be counted for the final writing assignment grade. The assignments will be graded credit/no credit. To get credit, these assignments must be typed, must make explicit reference to the required readings by using the authors’ last names, and should be no longer than one page. Also, to get credit the assignments must be turned in during the specified class, and students must attend the entire class. Assignments that do not meet the criteria will receive no credit, with no opportunity to rewrite. The total writing assignment grade will be based on the percentage of assignments completed.

Exams: There will be one in-class midterm and an in-class cumulative final exam. The dates for the exams are given below in the class schedule. The exams will consist of short-answer questions on the lectures and readings as well as an essay. Review guides will be distributed. Make-ups for the midterm and final exam will only be given under exceptional circumstances.

Research Paper: The research paper is designed so that students can apply the major theories to anevent in international relations. Students will do the paper in four stages and will turn in assignments throughout the term. Assignment #2 will be peer-graded. The research paper assignment and associated material are posted on LOCUS (under Research Papers). This material includes video tutorials on doing the research and writing the paper.

Important note: Questions of plagiarism and cheating are disagreeable and serious issues that occasionally arise. Be very careful. Do your own work. Plagiarism is the "act of stealing and using as one's own the ideas or the expression of the ideas of another," according to The Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary. The ideas and words of others as well as facts which are not common knowledge must be properly attributed to the source. Plagiarism could result in your expulsion from the college; for this class, you will receive an “F” (0 points) on any work that is plagiarized or on which any cheating has occurred, and penalties could include failing the class. This will also be reported to Student Affairs. A paper handout will cover the basics of proper citation for your paper, but you are responsible for knowing the rules. Additional information is provided in the Hacker book. See me in advance if you have any questions regarding the use of materials in order to avoid any question of plagiarism or about cheating. Keep all notes and any drafts of your work until you receive your final grade in the course.

Another important note: Incompletes will be given only under extraordinary situations and only for students who are otherwise in good standing in the class (receiving at least a C).

Grades:

Writing Assignments on Readings: 12.5% (50 points)

Research Project: 25% for the final paper (100 points), 7.5% total for preliminary assignments (3 at 10 points each)

Midterm: 25% (100 points)

Final: 30% (120 points)

Course Schedule:

Sec. 1 students (the Tuesday/Thursday section) need to complete the readings and assignments before each day’s class period. Sec. 2 (Tuesday evening) students need to complete the readings and assignments for the entire week before each class period – before Tuesday evening.

Dates / Topics and Assignments
WEEK 1 / Introduction to the Course; Basic Concepts; Historical Background
Tuesday (Sept. 4) / Introduction to the Course
Thursday (Sept. 6) / Read:
Waltz (handout in class; in class exercise for evening section)
Due:
Writing Assignment 1 (WA 1): How does the stag hunt (described by Waltz) illustrate his ideas about the consequences of anarchy?
WEEK 2 / Theories of IR: Some Basics; Individuals and Decision-making
Tuesday (Sept. 11)
How to approach the study of international relations / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Gaddis (11-18)
•LOCUS: Jack Snyder, “One World, Rival Theories,” Foreign Policy 145 (Nov/Dec 2004): 52-63
*On reserve at library: Jack Levy, "War and Its Causes" in The Global Agenda, ed. Charles W. Kegley and Eugene Wittkopf, 47-56.
Due:
Writing Assignment 2 (WA 2): Why does Gaddis think it odd that “political scientists model their discipline on mathematics, physics, and chemistry when they could have chosen geology, paleontology and biology”?
Thursday (Sept. 13) / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Hermann and Hagan (182-8)
-Jervis, “Hypotheses on Misperception” (189-202)
Due:
WA 3:Do individuals affect what kind of foreign policies a country follows? If not, why not? If so, when do they “matter”?
WEEK 3 / Theories of IR: Individuals, Realism
Tuesday (Sept. 18)
Individuals / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Stoessinger: chapters 1, 2, 3
Due:
WA 4: What are the similarities in how individuals made a difference in the outbreak of WWI,WWII, and the Korean War?
Research paper assignment 1: topic and bibliography
Thursday (Sept. 20)
Realism / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Thucydides (18-20)
-Morgenthau, “A Realist Theory; Political Power” (49-53)
-Morgenthau, “The Balance of Power” (124-9)
-Mearsheimer, “Anarchy & the Struggle for Power” (54-72)
Due:
WA 5:Why is Thucydides considered a realist?
WEEK 4 / Theories of IR: Realism
Tuesday (Sept. 25)
Realism / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Gaddis (33-47)
*On reserve: Geoffrey Blainey, "Paradise Is a Bazaar," "Power, Culprits, and Arms,"The Causes of War, 3rd ed (NY: The Free Press, 1988): 18-32.
Due:
WA 6: What is Blainey’s explanation for the “peaceful” 19th century?
Thursday (Sept. 27)
Realism / Read:
•LOCUS: Scott Sagan, "1914 Revisited: Allies, Offense, and Instability" International Security 11, no. 2 (Fall 1986): 151-175. <JSTOR>
Due:
WA 7: Compare and contrast Stoessinger and Sagan’s explanations for WWI.
WEEK 5 / Theories of IR: Liberalism, Neoliberal Institutionalism, Interdependence
Tuesday (Oct. 2)
Liberalism / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Kant (20-4)
-Wilson (26-8)
-parts of Doyle (73-86)
Due:
WA 8: What makes these authors different from Realists?
Research paper assignment 2: overview of theories
Thursday (Oct. 4)
Neoliberal Institutionalism / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Bull (120-4)
•LOCUS: John Oneal and Bruce Russett, "The Classical Liberals Were Right: Democracy, Interdependence, and Conflict 1950-1985," International Studies Quarterly 41 (1997): 267-294.
Due:
WA 9:Compare Oneal and Russett to Blainey’s view of interdependence.
WEEK 6 / Theories of IR: Globalization & Alternative Approaches
Tuesday (Oct. 9)
Globalization / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Held et al. (462-71)
-Friedman (471-6)
Due:
WA 10: What is globalization and to what extent is it changing international relations?
Research paper assignment 2: peer review of overview of theories due
Thursday (Oct. 11)
Alternative Approaches: Constructivism / Read:
·LOCUS: Alexander Wendt, "Constructing International Politics," International Security 20, no. 1 (1995): 71-81.
Due: WA 11: What is constructivism?
WEEK 7 / Theories of IR: Alternative Approaches: Constructivism, Marxism, Feminism
Tuesday (Oct. 16)
Constructivism / Read:
*On reserve at library: Mueller, "The Obsolescence of Major War"
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Finnemore (102-18)
Due:
WA 12: How is constructivists’ explanation of the post-WWII and humanitarian intervention differ from realists’ or liberals’ explanations?
Thursday (Oct. 18)
Feminism & Marxism / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Enloe (202-6)
-Tickner (94-101)
·LOCUS: Communist Manifesto, sections I and II (don’t print out all pages) (
-Frank (86-93)
-Wallerstein (130-38)
WA 13:Either: How is feminist theory similar and different from constructivism? OR Compare Marxist theory to realism.
WEEK 8 / Review and Midterm
Tuesday (Oct. 23) / Read:
Stoessinger, Chapter 10 and Epilogue
Thursday (Oct. 25) / Midterm
WEEK 9 / Deterrence, Nuclear Weapons, WMD, Terrorism
Tuesday (Oct. 30)
Nuclear Weapons / Read:
*On reserve: Paul H. Nitze, “Nuclear Weapons Threaten Our Existence,” in Charles W. Kegley and Eugene Wittkopf, The Global Agenda 6th ed.: 67-68.
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Schelling (301-9)
-Sagan and Waltz (322-41)
-Mueller, “The Essential Irrelevance...” (341-7)
Due:
WA 14: Compare these authors’ views of nuclear deterrence.
Thursday (Nov. 1)
Terrorism, WMD / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Cronin (367-81)
-Pape (382-401)
-Rotberg (157-63)
Due:
WA 15: What is terrorism? What causes terrorism?
WEEK 10 / IR in the post-Cold War Era: A Clash of Civilizations? Religious and Ethnic Conflict
Tuesday (Nov. 6) / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Huntington (163-9)
-Said (170-3)
-Fuller (173-80)
-Sen (477-80)
Due:
WA 16: What is Huntington’s argument? What is his evidence? Is his argument persuasive? (Consider the critics)
Thursday (Nov. 8) / -Posen (357-66)
Due:
Research paper assignment 3: outline
WEEK 11 / International Institutions
Tuesday (Nov. 13) / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Ikenberry (262-282)
-Mearsheimer, “The False Promise” (283-94)
WA 17: What are international institutions and organizations (IOs)?
Thursday (Nov. 15) / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Krasner (143-9)
-Slaughter (149-56)
-Keck and Sikkink (222-33)
WA 18: How do international organizations affect foreign policy?
WEEK 12 / International Institutions and the Developing World
Tuesday (Nov. 20) / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Scott (421-30)
-Einhorn (430-7)
-Stiglitz (437-60)
Due:
WA 19: How have international institutions helped and hurt developing countries? Why?
Thursday (Nov. 22) / Thanksgiving: No Class
WEEK 13 / International Institutions, Hegemony, and the Iraq War
Tuesday (Nov. 27) / Read:
Stoessinger, chapters 8 and 9
Due:
Research Paper assignment 4: (final draft)
Thursday (Nov. 29) / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Jervis, “The Compulsive Empire” (138-41)
-Glennon (208-18)
-Luck et al (219-22)
Due:
WA 20: Compare these authors’ explanations for the outbreak of the war between the U.S. and Iraq.
WEEK 14 / IR in the post-Cold War Era: International Law
Tuesday (Dec. 4) / Read:
*On reserve at the library: Christopher C. Joyner, “The Reality and Relevance of International Law in the Twenty-first Century,” :241-254;
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Kissinger (253-8)
-Roth (258-61)
-Doyle, “International Intervention” (347-57)
LOCUS (Articles): Franklin L. Lavin, “Asphyxiation or Oxygen? The Sanctions Dilemma,” Foreign Policy 104 (Fall 1996):
LOCUS (Articles): Robert Sirico, "The Trouble with Sanctions," USA Today magazine 128 (September 1999): 14-16.
Due:
WA 21: What is international law? How can there be international law without enforcement?
Thursday (Dec. 6) / Read:
In Mingst and Snyder:
-Power (233-53)
"Triumph of Evil" PBS webpage (LOCUS, Links)
Watching, in class, “Triumph of Evil”
WEEK 15 / Review
FINALS WEEK / Final Exam Thursday, December 20, 12:45-2:45