Political Science Dr. Neda A. Zawahri
Spring 2008
PSC 231 N.Zawahri@csuohio.edu
Office Hours: MW
Tel: 216-687-4544
(PSC 231)
I. Course Overview:
What causes of war and peace? Are democracies more peaceful than other types of governments? Are the increasing trends towards economic interdependence -globalization- likely to contribute to world peace or world wars? This course is designed to analyze these and several other issues. But, before doing this we will study international relations theories. These theories are means by which scholars perceive how the world operates. They also frame how we respond to any changes in the international system. As a result, it is important to learn these theories and apply them to issues in world politics. This will frame our class during this semester. We will begin by studying different theories about how world politics operate and how states behave. We then apply these theories to issues in world politics.
II. Course
Requirements:
1. Class attendance and participation:
It is essential that you attend every class and participate. Attendance will be taken and accumulated to account for 10 percent of your grade.
2. Mid-Term and Final Exams:
Two exams will be given in this course, a mid-term and final. All students must take the exam at the scheduled time. The exams consist of short ids and long essays. The final exam will be comprehensive in that you are expected to know international relations theories and apply them to issues studied in this class.
3. Writing Assignments:
Take one theory we studied in class and apply it to any issue in world politics. For example, students can use liberal theory to write about the positive impact of economic interdependence. Alternatively realist theory may be used to examine the security threats associated with globalization. The paper is expected to be between 5 and 6 pages, with 4 citations (textbooks, newspaper, and magazines do not count as citations!).
III. Grades:
Student performance is assessed on the following basis:
Mid-term………………………………………….30%
Term Paper ………...……………………………..30%
Final………………………………………………30%
Attendance………………………………………..10%
Grading Scale
95-100 A 77-79 C+
90-94 A- 73-76 C
87-89 B+
70-72 C-
83-86 B 69-60 D
80-82 B- Below 60 F
Karen A. Mingst, Essentials of International Relations
(
Electronic Reserve Course Packet
V. Rules and Regulations:
1) All wireless devices (computers and cell phones) need to be turned off during class.
2) No guests (this includes children) are allowed to attend class without prior permission from the professor. No guests will be allowed to attend more than one class. Guests that are disrupting class will be asked to leave along with their host.
3) Examination Procedure: Once an examination has started the student MAY NOT leave the examination room until the examination is completed. If a student leaves the room, the examination, for that student, is over. Also, no talking until everyone has completed and turned in the exam.
4) Early Examinations: No early examinations will be given.
5) Make up exams: Available only under special circumstances. Student must contact professor within 48 hours of the test to make immediate arrangements to take the test.
6) Late Assignments: Assignments turned in after their due date will be reduced one grade per late course day. Emailed assignment will not be graded.
7) Excuses: If there is a death in the family or a major illness, which necessitates an extension for your assignment/test, it must be documented. The proper documentation includes a dated obituary and/or a letter from your doctor (I will call the doctor to confirm the information and this doctor cannot be your parent/relative).
January 14 Introduction to Class
January 16 What is International Relations Theory?
Mingst, Chapter One
January 21 No Classes Martin Luther King Day
January 23 Liberalism
Mingst, Pages 59 - 63
Michael W. Doyle, “Liberalism and World Politics Revisited,” American Political Science Review, Vol. 80 (December 1986): 1151-69.
January 28 Neoliberalism
Mark W. Zacher and Richard A. Matthew, “Liberal International Theory: Common Threads, Divergent Strands,” in Kegley’s Controversies in International Relations Theory, pages 107-150.
January 30 Realism
Mingst, Pages 63 – 68
Hans J. Moregenthau, “The Moral Blindness of Scientific Man,” in Robert J. Art and Robert Jervis, International Politics (New York: Longman, 1999): pages 7-16.
February 4 Neorealism
Kenneth Waltz, “Realist Thought and Neorealist Theory,” Journal of International Affairs Vol. 44 (Spring/Summer 1990): 21-37.
February 6 Levels
of Analysis
Mingst, Pages 55 - 59
Kenneth N. Waltz, “The Anarchic Structure of World Politics,” in Robert J. Art and Robert Jervis, International Politics (New York: Longman, 1999) pages 49-69.
February 11 Democratic
Peace Theory
Christopher Layne, “Kant or Cant: The Myth of the Democratic Peace,” International Security, Vol. 19 (Fall 1994): 82-97.
James Lee Ray, “The Democratic Path to Peace,” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 8, no. 2 (April 1997): 49-62.
February 13 Perceptions
and Misperceptions
Robert Jervis, Perception and Misperception in International Politics (New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 1976): Chapter one.
February 18 No Class President’s day
February 20 Constructivism and Feminist Theory
Mingst, Pages 72 – 75.
Martha Finnemore, “Constructing Norms of Humanitarian Intervention,”
J. Ann Tickner, “Man, the State, and War: Gendered Perspectives on National Security,” from Gender in International Relations
February 25 The Realist response
John J. Mearsheimer, “The False Promise of International Institutions,” International Security Vol. 19, No. 3 (Winter, 1994-1995): 5-49.
February 27 Comparing Realism and Liberalism - Review for the Mid-Term
David B. Baldwin, “Neoliberalism,
Neorealism, and World Politic,” in
March 3 Midterm
March 5 The
Causes of War
Mingst, Pages 209 - 216
March 10 to 14—No Class Spring Recess
March 17 The
World Wars and Cold War
Mingst, Chapter Two
David A. Welch, James G. Blight,
and Bruce J. Allyn, “Essence of Revision:
March 24 Robert McNamara Documentary on Cold War
March 26 Nuclear Deterrence and the Cold War
Robert Jervis, “The Utility of Nuclear Deterrence,” in Art and Jervis, International Politics pages 220-228.
John Mueller, “The Irrelevance of Nuclear Weapons,” in Art and Jervis, International Politics pages 205-219.
March 31 End
of the Cold War
Thomas Risse-Kappen, “Did ‘Peace Through Strength’ End the Cold War? Lessons from INF,” International Security, (1991): 162-188.
April 2 International
Organizations
Mingst, Pages 163 - 192
April 7 United Nations
Mingst, Pages 169 - 181
J. Martin Rochester, “The United
Nations in a New World Order: Reviving the Theory and Practice of International
Organization,” taken from Charles W. Kegley’s ed. Controversies in
International Relations Theory, pages 199-221.
April 9 Human
Rights
The
Ghosts of War, Genocide in
Benjamin A. Valentino, “Still
Standing By: Why
April 14 International Political Economy
Stephen D. Krasner, “Power vs. Wealth in North South Economic Relations,” in Art and Jervis’ eds. International Politics, pages 308-322.
Mingst, Chapter 9
April 16 Globalization
Rourke, Issue 1, Is Globalization Likely to Create a Better World? Pages 2-13.
Rourke, Issue 9, Is Economic Interchange Beneficial? Pages 136-147.
April 21 The Other Side of Outsourcing Globalization in the developing world –
Freedman
Documentary Film
April 23 Environmental Security
Mingst, Pages 295 – 206.
April 28 Rise of
Alastair Iain Johnston, “Is
April 30 Future security threat: Disease – the new threat Aids
Stefan Elbe, “HIV/Aids and the
Changing Landscape of War in
Mingst, Pages 288 – 294.
May 5 Final Exam