Roosevelt University
POS 201: Introduction to International Relations
Professor: Dr. David Faris ()
Meeting Times: W 6:00-8:30
Office Hours: Tuesday 3:30-5:30, Thursday 3:30-4:30
Office Location: AUD 757
Course objectives:
Why is international politics different than domestic politics? Why can’t countries come to easy agreements on issues like land mines and climate change?How does the organization of the international system affect what happens in international affairs? Why do countries go to war with one another? In this course we will learn how scholars and policymakers from Machiavelli to Hillary Clinton have conceptualized the international arena, and how those concepts have evolved over the past 50 years.We will look at the different players in world politics: individuals, states, firms, supranational institutions like the E.U., and emerging entities like Transnational Action Networks, and debate their importance, power and future. The goal of this course is for students to become fluent in the basic contours of the discourse community of international relations. By the time you leave this course, you should be able to formulate arguments about international politics based on the cases and theories that we learn and collaborate upon, and to deploy critical analysis about a wide range of subjects from peacekeeping to nuclear war.
Grade Structure
Total class grade will be derived from your participation in several ways:
Midterm examination:30%
Collaborative Work15%
Cumulative final exam:35%
Quizzes20%
I do believe that adds up to 100%.
Course texts and other materials:
Rourke, John T., and Mark A. Boyer. 2010. International Politics on the World Stage, Brief, 8th Ed. New York: Dushkin/McGraw Hill.
Drezner, Daniel W. Theories of International Politics and Zombies. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011.
Any additional readings will be posted well in advance on Blackboard and are marked on the syllabus by the symbol {BB}.
Collaborative Work:
We will be forming 10theme-specific working groups, in which you will be working in groups of 4. The working groups will not require collaboration outside of class, but will be used in class to brainstorm ideas and problems relevant to your particular country, to workshop paper ideas, and to discuss the relevance of course themes relevant to your region. Working groups will occasionally present their findings in plenary sessions in which the class will come together as a group to engage in extended discussion. Each group will make one presentation to the class – those times are marked in the syllabus. Participation in working groups is mandatory and forms part of your class participation grade. More details about these working groups will follow during their formation next week.
Attendance and Punctuality:
Because of the frequency of interactive activities and presentations, your presence in class is essential to the creation and maintenance of a collaborative learning environment. One absence will be forgiven. Further absences will be subtracted on a percentage basis directly from your final grade, unless excused by a note. For instance if you miss 3 more classes beyond your freebie, you’ve missed roughly 20% of our class sessions, and the best grade you could possibly receive would be an 80 (B-). Students who miss 5 or moreTOTAL classes will automatically fail or will be forced to withdraw from the course.
Students who arrive after roll is taken will receive half-credit for that day’s attendance; Students arriving more than 20 minutes late are welcome to stay, but will receive no credit for that day’s attendance.
Quizzes:
There will be 7 quizzes over the course of the semester. Those quizzes are clearly marked in the syllabus. At the end of the semester I will drop your lowest quiz grade.
University Policy on Absence to Observe Religious Holidays:
Roosevelt University respects the rights of students to observe major religious holidays and will make accommodations, upon request, for such observances. Students who wish to observe religious holidays must inform their instructors in writing within the first two weeks of the semester of their intent to observe the holiday so that alternative arrangements convenient to both students and faculty can be made at the earliest opportunity. See the student handbook for further details.
Crisis Policy
If you are experiencing difficulties with your health, personal life or any other crisis that is affecting your ability to come to class and complete the work, it is imperative that you alert me as soon as possible. The best path is to see someone at Roosevelt’s counseling center, who can then alert all your professors that you are having trouble. This is very important: You cannot come to me in April and tell me you’ve been having trouble since January. You’ll find that if you come to me promptly, I will be very understanding and will work together with you to devise strategies to get you through the class.
Course schedule
**Readings are to be completed before class on the scheduled date**
Week One (January 18th):
Introduction To The Course.
Read: -
In-class: Introductions
Week Two (January 25th):
What We Talk About When We Talk About International Relations: Theories of I.R.
Read: Rourke and Boyle Chapters 1 and 2; Stephen M. Walt “International Relations: One World, Many Theories” {BB}
In-class: Lecture, collaborative work
WeekThree (February 1st):
Who Do I Call When My State Breaks Down? The Actors of International Politics
Read: O’Rourke Chapter 3 (pp. 55-79); Robert Jervis, “Hypotheses on Misperception” {BB}
In-class: Quiz #1, Lecture, collaborative work;
WeekFour (February 8th):
How Nations Became States and States Became Nations
Read: Rourke and Boyle Chapter 4 (pp. 80-101); Charles Tilly, “War-Making and State-Making as Organized Crime.” {BB}
In-class: Lecture, collaborative work
WeekFive (February 15th):
Globalists Don’t Use Black Helicopters, But They Do Travel: Alternate Conceptions of I.R.
Read: Rourke and Boyle Chapter 5 (pp. 102-130); Swanee Hunt, “Let Women Rule” {BB};
In-class: Quiz #2, Lecture, collaborative work
Week 6 (February 22nd)
Bombing Alone: Anarchy and the Self-Help Model of Statehood
Read: Rourke and Boyle Chapter 6 (pp. 131-166); Kenneth Waltz, “Structural Realism After the Cold War” {BB}
In-Class: Quiz #3, Lecture, collaborative work, MIDTERM REVIEW.
WeekSeven (February 29th):
In-class: Mid-Term Exam
WeekEight (March 7thth)
We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Submit Your Case to the ICC: Human Rights, Genocide and Cooperation
Read: Rourke and Boyer, Chapters 7 and 8; Samantha Power “Bystanders to Genocide” {BB};Kenneth Roth, “The Case For Universal Jurisdiction” {BB}
In-Class: Lecture, collaborative work, human rights group presentations
WeekNine (March 14th):
Spring Break No Class
Week Ten (March 21st):
Your Country Smells Like Dinner: War and Security in International Politics
Read: Rourke and Boyle, Chapter 9; Robert Jervis, “Cooperation Under the Security Dilemma” {BB}; Richard K. Betts, “Conflict or Cooperation? Three Visions Revisited”{BB}
In-class: Quiz #4, Lecture, war and security group presentations.
Week Eleven (March 28th):
With These Cheap Manufactured Goods, I Thee Wed: International Political Economy
Read: Rourke and Boyle Chapters 10 and 11; selections from Jagdish Bahgwati, In Defense of Globalization. {BB}
In-class: Lecture, trade and economy group presentations, Collaborative Work
Week Twelve (April 4th):
Your Forests Would Make Such Great Side Tables: Environmental Security in I.R.
Read: Rourke and Boyle Chapter 12 (pp. 348-383); Garrett Hardin, “The Tragedy of the Commons” {BB}; Selections from Michael Klare’s Resource Wars{BB}
In-class: Quiz #5, Lecture, environment group presentations, collaborative work
Week Thirteen (April 11th)
Madam President I Hate To Interrupt Martini Hour But We Have a Problem With the Undead
Read: Drezner pp. 1-60.
In-class: Quiz #6, Lecture, collaborative work
Week Fourteen (April 18th)
The Zombie Apocalypse Is What States Make of It
Read: Drezner (pp. 61-114); Alexander Wednt, “Anarchy Is What States Make of It” {BB}
In-class: Lecture, collaborative work
Week 15 (April 25th)
The Future of International Politics: Peak Oil, Malthus and the Coming Anarchy
In-class: Quiz #7
Read: Robert Kaplan, “The Coming Anarchy” {BB}; Nader Elhefnawy, “The Impending Oil Shock” {BB}
The Final Exam Will Take Place During the Assigned Time Slot and Will Be Announced Well in Advance.
Important Notes:
Students with disabilities may request special accommodations. Students must let me know within the first two weeks of the semester if this is the case, and they also must contact Nancy Litke in the Academic Success Center (312-384-3810).
Students are required to abide by the University’s Code of Student Conduct. Students who plagiarize or cheat will receive a zero for the assignment and will be referred to the university for disciplinary action. You may also be forced to watch every Republican presidential debate since July with no breaks.
Cell phones, mp3 players and other personal electronic devices must be switched off during class, put in Airplane Mode, or deposited in a plastic bag in the ceiling, Walter White-style. You may use your laptop for note-taking, but students using their laptops for personal communication during class will be subject to an investigation by the Murdoch Corporation.
There is no eating during class. You may, however, think about eating while I’m talking. You may bring in drinks with lids. Flasks will be confiscated for the professor’s personal use.
Enrolling in this course constitutes acceptance of these policies. I reserve the right to alter policies and scheduling on the syllabus and will give advance notice to students of any changes.
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