ITS 201: Introduction to International Studies[*]
Fall 2016
Section E, Wednesday & Fridays 1:00 p.m.-2:20 p.m. Art 136
Professor: William G. NomikosEmail:
Office:211 Upham Hall
Office Hours:Wednesdays 3:00 PM -5:00 PM, by appointment
(sign up online at
Course Description
This course introduces an interdisciplinary approach to International Studies. It draws from history, political science, economics, anthropology, and geography to approach global issues of significance and address real international problems.
The course is divided into disciplinary sections in order to familiarize each student with the nature of each of these fields and one of six areas of the world: the Middle East, Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America. Each section features three components:
1.)Explanatory chapter from the textbook relating to each discipline
2.)A chapter from the textbook or another academic description of each of the assigned areas of the world
3.)At least one journalistic account (from a newspaper, magazine, or blog) about a concrete policy problem relating to the assigned region of the world
The assigned chapters are designed to introduce the five disciplines and the parts of the world to students in order to generate ideas for further study. The journalistic accounts will introduce students to policy problems, preparing them for the application of the academic skills learned in this course to these problems.
The class is largely based on in-class discussion of the daily readings. Every student is expected to come to class prepared to participate in these discussions. You should read each text with a critical eye, as your reactions and opinions to the authors’ work are an essential part of making this class interesting. I don’t agree (or disagree) with everything I’ve assigned here. In the parlance of Twitter, RT does not equal endorsement. The readings are meant to provoke and to instruct—you will neither agree nor disagree with everything written. This is the point.
Course Objectives
Critical thinking: In this class, you will explore various global issues and the ways they are understood through the presentation of different kinds of evidence. You will present your understanding of an issue from various angles in order to discover how different ways of thinking can enhance our understanding of problems at local and global levels.
Understanding contexts: Each discipline that we use in this class provides a new way of examining the world. These fields give us new kinds of background information, showing us that every issue has a context that we must understand in order to engage with that problem. You will discover that each issue may have more than one context, and you will use your critical thinking skills to find ways to integrate these contexts and better understand the issue at hand. No one discipline is superior to any other. Indeed, this is the point of the International Studies major: an interdisciplinary approach helps the analyst approach global issues using the most relevant tools from several disciplines.
Engaging with other learners: This course will help you enhance your cross-cultural communication skills. You will learn about new perspectives through course readings and exploration of issues. You will also learn to talk about the issues explored in the course—some of which, as we will learn, are quite contentious—in respectful, if argumentative, ways. You will remain open to the idea that your colleague’s backgrounds and perspectives may provide them with a context that differs from yours, and you will find positive ways to learn from one another.
Reflecting and acting: This class aspires to encourage you to be engaged with issues of global importance. For the purposes of the course, this may simply mean that you get to know one or two issues well enough that you become a relative expert on that topic. You will learn to examine and analyze global issues as introduced in academic and popular press in order to determine how to address them. While many of the issues and places we discuss may seem distant, this course and major are designed to help you see yourself as part of these global issues.
Required Materials
This course has one required textbook:
Anderson, S., Hey, J.K., Peterson, M.A., & Toops, S.W. (2015). International Studies: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Global Issues (3rd ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
You are expected to have your textbook by the first class session and to bring your textbook to class every day (it’s paperback and not that heavy). Other course materials will be provided to you on the course’s Canvas site. This site will also contain links for each of the linked readings from this syllabus. Be sure to check the Canvas site and your email regularly for announcements, including class cancellations or course-related events.
Course Policies
-You are expected to attend class, arriving on time and staying for the entire class. Only religious observances and health issues or other emergencies will be counted as excused absences (notify me in advance whenever possible).
-Your assignments are due by the listed due dates. There are no opportunities for make-ups for in-class assignments or extensions for homework assignments.
-No laptops, tablets, or cell phones may be used during class. Please turn your phone to silent before class. If you wish to use your laptop or tablet to take notes, you may petition me to use it by bringing a typed, written note to my office explaining why you would like to use your laptop during class. If I see a student using a laptop, tablet, or cell phone without my explicit permission, I reserve the right to deduct points from that student’s attendance grade. This policy will be strictly enforced beginning with our Wednesday, September 14th class.
-Please do not sleep in class. You may bring a beverage but please do not eat in class.
Important Dates (Available on the Academic Calendar)
Friday, September 16: Last day to add/drop a class without a grade
Monday, October 31: Last day to drop a class for a “W”; last day to change to/from audit
Saturday, December 10: Last possible day of classes
Thursday, December 22 (subject to change): Grades visible to students
Academic Integrity
Please do not cheat in this class. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism (the intentional or unintentional use of someone’s else’s ideas as your own), use of cheat sheets, downloading information from the web without proper citation, copying someone else’s work, or presenting as your own work papers collected in fraternity files or previously written for other courses.Students who are caught cheating on an assignment will receive an automatic 0 on that assignment. It’s really tough to get away with cheating, especially with plagiarism. For your own sake, please take my word for it and do not cheat. Please learn to use citations properly; if you don’t know how, or have other questions about writing, visit the Howe Center for Writing Excellence at King Library.
In this class, as in all others, you are expected to abide by Miami University’s academic integrity policy. See Part 1, Chapter 5, page 19 of the Student Handbook.
Accommodations for Disability
If you have a documented disability for which I can make an accommodation, contact me as soon as possible. Please plan to provide documentation from Student Disability Services (SDS): 19 Campus Avenue Building, 301 S. Campus Avenue (513-529-1541).
Email Policy
You are welcome to email me at any time. However, I will only respond to student emails between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM from Monday to Friday. Please allow 24 hours for a response. If I have not responded within 24 hours, please send me a follow-up email (don’t be shy about this—I get a lot of emails!).
Assignments
Attendance and Participation (40 points): You are expected to attend class regularly, to be on time, and to remain in class for its duration. You are also expected to come to class prepared to discuss the material you have read.
Policy Memos(80 points total, 20 points each): Throughout the semester, you will complete four policy memos relating to substantive issues we study in class. You will be asked to address current issues facing the world using the academic tools we develop in class.
Map Quizzes(30 points total, 10 points each): You will complete 4 map quizzes over the course of the semester. Each quiz will ask you to identify 10 countries within the region of focus for that section of the class. Your lowest grade will be dropped; the top 3 grades make up your final total for map quizzes. While the readings we will complete may show that these territorial borders are, to some extent, arbitrary, it is important to recognize the physical placement and relationship among nation-states. For each quiz, we will use the maps in the Anderson et al. (2015) as a guide.
Midterm (50 points) and Final (100 points) exams.
Grade scale:
(Percentage of 300 point total of all of the above assignments)
92%-100%= A
90%-92%=A-
87%-90%=B+
82%-87%=B
80%-82%=B-
77%-80%=C+
72%-77%=C
70%-72%=C-
67%-70%=D+
62%-67%=D
60%-62%=D-
<60%=F
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Course Schedule
The Anderson et al. (2015) textbook is referred to as TEXTBOOK below.
***Part I: Introduction***
Monday, August 29th
Class: Introduction, Course Policies.
Reading homework: “Introduction” from TEXTBOOK, pp. 1-9.
Wednesday, August 31st
No class, American Political Science Association meetings.
Reading homework: Friedman, “It’s a Flat World after All” and Zakaria, “The Rise of the Rest.” Readings also available on Canvas.
Assignment: Friedman’s piece is from 2005 and Zakaria’s from 2008. Do you think either of these pieces is relevant in 2016? Why or why not? Write a one-paragraph response and upload it to the Canvas web site under “Assignments” by 1:00 PM on Tuesday, September 6th. Be prepared to discuss what you wrote in class on Wednesday, September 7th. This assignment will count toward your participation grade.
Monday, September 5th
No class, Labor Day
Tuesday, September 6th
*Friedman/Zakaria response due at 1:00 PM*
Wednesday, September 7th
Class: Syllabus, Introductions, Globalization.
Reading homework: Chapter 1 from TEXTBOOK, pp. 13-32
***Part II: History, South Asia***
Monday, September 12th
Class: History
Reading homework: Ikram Ullah, “India is Losing Kashmir,” Foreign Policy Magazine.
Wednesday, September 14th
Class: History
Reading homework: NONE
Assignment: Work on Policy Memo #1
Monday, September 19th
Class: India-Pakistan relations, Afghanistan
Reading Homework: Chapter 4 from TEXTBOOK (“Economics”), pp. 87-112
Assignment: Work on Policy Memo #1
***Part III: Economics, Europe***
Wednesday, September 21st
*Policy Memo #1 DUE at 1:00 PM*
Class: Economics
Reading homework: Ch. 7 from TEXTBOOK (“Europe and the Modern World”), pp. 159-194
Monday, September 26th
Class:Nationalism in Europe
Reading homework: John Cassidy writings on Brexit from the New Yorker: “Brexit Vote Throws Britain and Europe into Turmoil” and “Why the Remain Campaign Lost the Brexit Vote”
Wednesday, September 21st
Class: The postwar economic order, European integration
Reading homework: NONE
Assignment: Study for Europe map quiz, Work on Policy Memo #2
Monday, October 3rd
*Map Quiz #1: Europe*
Class: Greek financial crisis, refugee crisis, Brexit
Reading homework: Ch. 5 from TEXTBOOK (“Power, Conflict, and Policy”), pp. 115-131.
Assignment: Work on Policy Memo #2
***Part IV: Political Science, Middle East***
Wednesday, October 5th
*Policy Memo #2 DUE at 1:00 PM*
Class: Political science
Reading homework: Ch. 11 from TEXTBOOK (“The Middle East”), pp. 331-362.
Monday, October 10th
Class: Political science
Reading homework: Max Fisher, “Syria’s Civil War: Why the Civil War Only Ever Seems to Get Worse,” the New York Times.
Assignment: Study for Middle East map quiz, work on Policy Memo #3
Wednesday, October 12th
No class, Yom Kippur
Monday, October 17th
*Map Quiz #2: Middle East*
Class: Middle East, American intervention in Iraq, civil war in Syria
Reading homework: NONE
Assignment: Work on Policy Memo #3
Tuesday, October 18th
Grayson Kirk Lecture with Robin Wright. 4:30PM - 6:30PM, Wilks Theater (Armstrong) Attendance at the lecture is required for ITS 201 students. I will be present and taking attendance. If you cannot attend, please let me know in advance and we will make alternative arrangements.
Wednesday, October 19th
*Policy Memo #3 DUE at 1:00 PM*
Class: Midterm Review
Reading homework: NONE
Assignment: Study for Midterm
Monday, October 24th
*MIDTERM EXAM*
Reading homework: Ch. 2 from TEXTBOOK (“Peoples, Places, and Patterns”), pp. 35-55.
***Part V: Geography, Development, Sub-Saharan Africa***
Wednesday, October 26th
Class: Geography
Reading homework:Terra Lawson-Remer and Joshua Greenstein,“Beating the Resource Curse in Africa: A Global Effort,” CFR.org.
Monday, October 31st
Class: Development, resource curse
Reading homework: Ch. 10 from the TEXTBOOK (“Africa and the International Community”), pp. 281-317
Assignment: Study for Africa map quiz
Wednesday, November 2nd
*Map Quiz 3: Africa*
Class: Sub-Saharan Africa
Reading homework: (three short readings)
1.)Nick Cumming-Bruce, “Mass Rape, a Weapon of War, Traumatizes South Sudan,” the New York Times.
2.)Crawford, Green, and Parkinson, “Wartime sexual violence is not just a ‘weapon of war,’” Monkey Cage blog, Washington Post.
3.)Associated Press, “South Sudan Troops Raped, Beat Foreigners as U.N. Force Ignored Calls for Help.”
Monday, November 7th
Class: Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones
Reading homework: Ch. 3 from TEXTBOOK (“Anthropology and Intercultural Relations”), pp. 59-83.
Tuesday, November 8th
*ELECTION DAY*
***Part VI: Anthropology, Islam in Europe***
Wednesday, November 9th
Class: Anthropology
Reading homework: Ben Taub, “Journey to Jihad: Why Are Teen-agersJoining ISIS?” the New Yorker.
Monday, November 14th
Class: Islamic extremism in Europe
Reading homework: Three short readings:
1.)TEXTBOOK, “The Veil Controversy,” pp. 443-448.
2.)Alissa J. Rubin, “From Bikinis to Burkinis, Regulating What Women Wear,” the New York Times.
3.)Rachel Shabi: “Burkini Ban: New Wave of French ‘Mission Civilisatrice,’” Al-Jazeera.
Wednesday, November 16th
Class: Muslim integration in Europe, colonialism, burkini ban
Reading homework: Ch. 12 from TEXTBOOK (“Latin America”), pp. 375-400.
Assignment: Work on Policy Memo #4
***Part VII: Latin America***
Monday, November 21st
Class: Latin America
Reading homework: Jack Devine, “What Really Happened in Chile,” Foreign Affairs (available on Canvas).
Wednesday, November 23rd
*Policy Memo #4 DUE at 1:00 PM*
No class, Thanksgiving
Monday, November 28th
Class: American interventions in Latin America
Reading homework:Ch. 8 from TEXTBOOK (“East Asia, the Pacific, and International Studies”), pp. 205-231.
Assignment: Study for Latin America map quiz.
***Part VII: East Asia***
Wednesday, November 30th
*Map quiz 4: Latin America*
Class: East Asia
Reading homework: Interview with Jessica Chen Weiss on nationalism in Chinese politics, New York Times.
Monday, December 5th
Class: China’s economic growth, nationalism in China, authoritarian governance
Wednesday, December 7th
Final exam review
December 12-17
Final exam week. Exact date and location TBA.
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[*] Date of this syllabus draft: 8/29/16. This syllabus is subject to change throughout the semester. Please look at Canvas web site for latest version.