SYLLABUS

Reading Materials: 

            Williams/Goldstein/Shafritz, Classic Readings and Contemporary Debates in International Relations (3^rd Edition).

            The New York Times (print edition, or, electronic edition at http://www.nytimes.com/)

            A few articles, reserved, and posted on the web page under this course. To access them, go to the syllabus for this course, and click on the reading. These are noted below as ®.

Introduction to Course

Week  1          

(Aug 26)          Introduction to Course.

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(Aug 28)          NOTE: no class! It is the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association Conference.

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What is Theory?  How To Evaluate Theory?

Week 2         

 (Sept 2)   What is Theory? How do you know when you have a good one?      

            READINGS:    Williams et. al., Chapter 18 (The Level of Analysis Problem)

                                     Bueno de Mesquita, Chapter 2, Principles of International Politics ®

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(Sept. 4)   What is Theory and Readings (continued)           

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Some Great and not so great Debates About Theoretical Approaches

Week 3  The Great Debate 1: Realism and Neorealism

(Sept 9)           What is it?

            READINGS:

             Williams et al., Chapters 5 through 9

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Sept 11)           Critiquing Realism and Neorealism

            READINGS:   Williams et al, Chapter 16, 21,23

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Week 4           Great Debate Part 2:  Liberal Institutionalism

(Sept 16)         What is it?

            READINGS:  Williams et al, Chapters 31 through 34.

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(Sept 18)         Critiquing Liberal Institutionalism

            READINGS: Chapter 48

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Week 5           Great Debate Part 3:  Liberalism

(Sept 23)         What is it?  What are its shortcomings?

            READINGS: Williams et al, Chapters 1 through 4

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(Sept 25)     NOTE:  No class, I have to be in Moscow for an International Politics Conference.

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Week 6           Great Debate Part 4:  The Constructivist and “Postie” Challenge

(Sept 30)         What is it?

            READINGS: Williams et al, Chapters 35, 36, 39

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(Oct 2)             Critiquing its Shortcomings

READINGS: Williams et al, Chapters 37, 38

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Theories at Different Levels of Analysis

Week 7           Theorizing at the Individual Level

(Oct 7)

            READINGS: Williams et al, Chapters 46, 47,

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(Oct 9)             Reviewing for the midterm

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Week 8          

(Oct 14)           Midterm Exam

(Oct 16)           Debriefing the Midterm

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Week 9           Decision Making Theory

(Oct 21)

READINGS: Williams et al, Chapter 20, 62

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(Oct 23)           Critiquing decision-making theory

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Week 10         Theories of Domestic Structure

(Oct 28)

            READINGS: Williams et al, Chapter 42, 52

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(Oct 30)           Critiquing theories of domestic structure

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Week 11         Theories of International Structure (Part 1)

(Nov 4)            Bipolarity, Unipolarity, Multipolarity, Balance of Power

READINGS:  Williams et al, Chapters 13 through 15, 28,24

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(Nov 6)            And critiquing all of that

            READINGS: Williams et al, Chapter 29, 27, 30

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Week 12         Theories of International Structure (Global Leadership)

(Nov 11)          NOTE: No class…Veteran’s Day

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 (Nov 13)         Cycles of Global Leadership

READINGS:  Williams et al, Chapters 63, 64, 49,25

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Week 13         Globalization and Global Political Economy

(Nov 18)          International Political Economy and Globalization

            READINGS: Williams et al, Chapters 10 through 12

                        Look carefully at the following website, and especially they way the researchers have defined and operationalized globalization: http://globalization.kof.ethz.ch/

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(Nov 20)          And Critical Perspectives

            READINGS:  Williams et al, Chapters 50, 51

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Week 14         Integrating Perspectives

(Nov 25)

(Nov 27)          NOTE: No class…Thanksgiving Recess

Week 15         Paper Chase

(Dec 2)

(Dec 4)

Week 16         Review, Summary, Preparation for the Final Exam

(Dec 9)            Reviewing for final exam and Final Paper

Dec 11)           NOTE:  No class…reading day (or what some call “dead day”)

FINAL EXAM:  December 18^th, 11:00 – 1:00

DUE DATE FOR RESEARCH PAPER: December 17^th, 5:00PM

GOALS:  The primary goal of this course is to learn about competing explanations of international politics: what they are, how to evaluate them, and most importantly, how to apply them to what is happening in international relations. A secondary, albeit still important goal, is to introduce you to some of the perspectives that drive our understanding of international politics. As political science majors, some of you will go on to graduate programs in the social sciences or in political science; this is an opportunity to see what is likely to be on the “other side” of continuing to study in this area. A third goal is to do a little research and to come to appreciate (by thinking about it, by reading about it, and by trying to figure out how you would do it) how research is accomplished in the social sciences and particularly in political science.

APPROACHES TO THE COURSE:

            This is an upper division course, primarily for political science majors, and it assumes that you have some background both in political science and in the field of international politics. The course is designed to allow us to discuss the materials rather than for the instructor to lecture throughout the semester. Therefore, the course has been structured in such a manner as to allow for a primarily discussion format to understanding the contents of the course.

            Learning is best accomplished by application; the syllabus reflects that approach. Each subject is addressed so that we learn what it is; then we critique it; and then we critique it again by applying the material to a series of substantive cases (see Appendix 1).  Finally, we apply what we have learned again, synthesizing the materials through a paper that is due at the end of the semester.

EXPECTATIONS:

            Class participation:  This is an upper division course based on the discussion method. Therefore, I expect that you will come to class well prepared. By this, I mean that you will have read the materials that are due for that day, that you will have thought about them, and you are ready to discuss them. I’ve have limited the readings so that you will not be reading a large volume for any given day; in turn, I expect that you will read what is assigned closely, and critically.

*****  Specifically, you are asked to do the following with respect to the readings:*****

1)      You need to read each assigned reading closely, and critically. By critically, I’m asking you to ask yourself at each major argument: Why is this? What evidence is there for this assertion? Can I think of an example that weakens this argument? To what extent is the argument refuted or contradicted by what we’ve discussed/read earlier? How good is the quality of evidence being used?

2)      You need to take notes on both the key concepts/issues/ideas in the readings and on your criticism of them;

3)      Your notes should be sufficiently thorough and clear to allow you to use them to: a) respond to questions/challenges/issues raised in class about the readings; and b) as the source with which to review the readings later without going back to the actual readings;

4)      If you have to start looking back at the actual readings when class is taking place, you have not done a good enough job of taking notes!

5)      Consult your notes BEFORE coming to class; this allows you to prepare for our class discussions. Think about the day’s subject before class starts!

These basic points will allow you to do a good job in discussing the materials in class; they will allow you as well a strategy of getting the most out of the readings we have. It is a strategy all graduate students use in the social sciences.

Examination policy:   There is a mid-term exam, scheduled for October 14, and an in-class review the session before. There is a time and place for a final exam, but the final is optional: I have the option of requiring you to take it if our class discussions do not turn out as well as I expect and I’m having trouble evaluating you on your in-class performance. Otherwise, if I make it optional, you may choose to take it if you feel that your taking it would compensate for deficiencies either on the mid-term, class participation, or on the paper that is due.

I assumed that you will plan your schedule according to the schedule for the exams, and will take these exams on the assigned dates. If you cannot, for any reason, attend the midterm or the final (assuming that you wish to take it or if I choose to make it non-optional), you must notify me at least one week prior to the exam. I will not give make-up exams unless your failure to take the exam involved an extremely unusual hardship or unavoidable circumstance.

Attendance policy:      I consider what goes on during class to be a crucial component of this course. Just as importantly, this course meets only twice a week; missing one class means missing a substantial amount of the content of this course. Missing class will mean that it will be virtually impossible for you to do well in the course. Therefore it is assumed that you will come to every class. While attendance is generally on the honor system, I reserve the right to take attendance on occasion.

            Withdrawal policy:  Technically, the university allows students a number of weeks before they can no longer withdraw from a course. Unfortunately, due to the large waiting list for the course, it is a luxury that we do not have. Increasing the size of the class destroys our ability to discuss the topics and materials; yet, if you wait to leave the course late, it makes it impossible for others to take it. Therefore, I will not allow withdrawals from the course after August 31^st, unless there is a very unusual circumstance, and I will assume that after August 31^st, you will have agreed to stay on with this course and have agreed to do the work in the manner outlined above.

            Plagiarism: I’m assuming that as seniors and juniors, you are well aware of the University’s policies regarding plagiarism. In the academic world, stealing the work of others, or failing to give full credit where it is due (and not using full citations), is a capital, criminal offense, punishable—if not by guillotine—by expulsion from the course, and depending on the severity of the crime, from the University. If you don’t know what plagiarism is…or you are in doubt at any point in your work…feel free to ask before it is too late.

GRADES:

            Grades will be based on the following:

Exams: the midterm (and the possible final exam) will count for 40% of the course grade.           

Final paper: this paper is designed to synthesize what you’ve learned, and apply it to an important, substantive case in international politics; it will be worth 40% of the course grade.

Class participation: I am serious about the discussion format for this course. Therefore, the quality of your class participation will be worth 20% of the course grade. Come prepared to discuss the materials, or to raise critical objections to the materials.

APPENDIX 1:         Cases

          It is extremely difficult to discuss theories of international relations and international politics without having some common ground for understanding and comparing theories. We will develop several benchmarks and yardsticks with which to compare theoretical approaches, but one important one is the “substantive case”. By this, I mean an event or two that we come to know well, and by trying to apply different theories to the same event, we can develop a better feel about what theories work and what theories don’t work.

            In this class, there will be four such “substantive cases,” of which we will share three and one will be your own. The first substantive case—crying out for an explanation—is why the Cold War ended. We will be talking often about that case, and not only because it had momentous and permanent effects on international politics, but as well because failure to predict it has caused much heartburn in the scholarly community.   In addition, I’m asking you to study two more substantive cases that have occurred in the recent past (anything within the last hundred years is deemed to be the recent past). These two cases are going to become an ongoing laboratory for our weekly discussions and examinations of the readings. The two cases are:

1)      The present war with Iraq;

2)      The Soviet Union’s invasion of and war in Afghanistan.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY: learn as much as you can, at the outset of the course about these two cases. Know thoroughly WHAT happened, and by what actors, and start thinking about WHY. I expect that each and every one of you will be knowledgeable about these two cases no later than Week 2 of the course. This is why I’ve assigned so little reading until then.

HOW?  In large measure, that is up to you. Regarding the war in Iraq, you lived through this case (in fact, you are still living through it). If you wish to relive responses, you can go on line to the New York Times and look at their archival materials. In addition, if you need to think about it in the context of 9/11, I’ve placed an article on reserve, entitled “A Critical Inquiry Into US and European Security Efforts in the post-September 11 Period.”® It is written by P. Sterbenc (he is a Slovenian scholar), and it is meant to complement what you may have read on the American side with a European perspective. While I don’t expect you to agree with the “critical”/ explanatory part of what he writes, it is an excellent discussion of WHAT happened regarding 9/11 (before the Iraqi war), as seen from Europe. You will find this article on my web page under our class designation.

Regarding the Soviet Union’s invasion and war in Afghanistan, again, there is an enormous amount of archival material, including material provided by the New York Times, Keesing’s Contemporary Archives, Facts on File, and scores of other sources.  At the very minimum, you may want to construct a chronology of when it started, and ending with the Soviet Union’s final withdrawal.

You are welcome to learn these two cases on your own, or to collaborate with other class members in doing so. That is entirely up to you. Just remember, I will hold you directly responsible for knowing WHAT happened in both cases.

In addition, make sure that you think about these three cases as you do each assigned reading. Ask yourself: “how does this perspective allow me to explain what has happened in these cases?” It is likely that we will discuss your answers in class.

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            I mentioned at the start that there will be a fourth case, but you don’t need to worry about it now. That will be the one for the paper you will do at the end of the course.

APPENDIX 2:   Paper

            You are asked to write a paper as a “synthesizing” experience with the course. Essentially, you will have three tasks for this paper:

1)      Pick a substantive event of importance in recent international politics. “Recent” can be any event over the last hundred years. It cannot be one of the three events we’ve been discussing throughout the semester. You will need to justify your choice in terms of why it is of substantive importance for international politics.

2)      Create a “good” explanation of why the event occurred. In so doing, you will want to do the following:

a)      Indicate clearly what a “good” explanation is (that is, what criteria you are using for identifying a good theory or explanation), and show how those criteria apply to your framework;

b)      Apply your framework to the problem at hand, and show that it works.

3)      Discuss why you’ve chosen not to use some other explanatory tools available to you. Here, you are showing that you have an understanding of:

a)      Other theoretical options you had available to you;

b)      Criteria for evaluating what frameworks are more or less useful.

Here is what I would expect to be contained in the paper:

·         Problem/Case: Describe in about a page or two (hint: don’t forget that description of a case is also effected by your theoretical approach);

·         Justification for choosing the case;

·         Discussion of criteria for choosing a theory/explanation;

·         Development of your theory;

·         Discussion of how your theory meets your criteria;

·         Discussion of why you’ve discarded other theories available to you;

·         Application of theory to the case;

·         Choose at least one key hypothesis that you deduce from the theory and apply to the case, and show evidence for why the hypothesis is not or is supported. This essentially leads to a discussion of evidence showing how the theory fits (and where it doesn’t or is relatively weak);

·         Conclusion: what do we know about the case, international politics, and our theoretical understanding from having gone through this exercise?

There is no hard minimum/maximum page limit for the paper. However, I expect that you would not go over 20 to 25 pages. All papers must be turned in either hard-copy form (typed), or electronically (if so, please put it in WORD format) sent to me via e-mail as an attachment (please make sure that it is clean of viruses…destroying my computer will send you immediately to the new International Court for war crimes).

Hint: Thinking about, and starting on the paper, including developing a case, and starting an outline of an explanation as the course progresses, will save you a great deal of time, effort, and energy, and will produce a potentially outstanding paper. Also, as you can note from the syllabus, I will be available to you all through Weeks 14 and 15 to discuss any problem you may be encountering on this project. Target for yourself the end of the 4^th week of class as a time by which you should have decided what “case” you will use for your paper.

If you are turning in a hard-copy of your paper, and you wish to get it back with my comments at the end of the semester, please make sure you turn in two copies, one of which I will keep. Obviously, this is not necessary if you turn it in electronically.