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Course News Information which has recently changed is red.
Political Science 124-100, International Relations
M-W 11:45A - 12:40P Eggers Hall 010 (Registration number 13164)
Discussion session 124-101, F 12:50 - 1:45P, Maxwell Hall 108, Wagaki Mwangi, ermwangi@maxwell.syr.edu. Office hours Wednesdays 1:45 - 3:15 pm and Friday 3:15 - 4:45 pm in Eggers 025. Phone 443-9928
Discussion session 124-102, F 1:55P - 2:50P, Hall of Languages 421, Wagaki Mwangi, ermwangi@maxwell.syr.edu. Office hours Wednesdays 1:45 - 3:15 pm and Friday 3:15 - 4:45 pm in Eggers 025. Phone 443-9928
Discussion session 124-103, Th 4:00P - 4:55P, Eggers Hall 113, Fethi Keleş, fkeles@syr.edu Office hours M 1-2:30, Wed. 10-11:30 in Eggers 023, Phone 443-9071.
Discussion session 124-104, Th 5:00P - 5:55P, HoL 111, Fethi Keleş, fkeles@syr.edu Office hours M 1-2:30, Wed. 10-11:30 in Eggers 023, Phone 443-9071.
Quiz grades: section 101-102 website, grades 101 & 102; section 103 & 104
Determination of the course grade:
(1) 50% of the grade is determined by one's performance on 6 of 8 quizzes. A quiz may occur at any class meeting (lecture or discussion), except #1, 2, 3, 23 and 24. Each quiz presents you with two questions. You will have 15 minutes to respond to both questions. (I don't expect that someone who is prepared will require more than 10 minutes to write fine answers. If you finish before time expires, please sit quietly.) The syllabus will offer a link to three questions for each meeting date. At least one of the questions on a quiz will be drawn from the three questions for that meeting. The second question will (with probability 2/3) also come from those questions, or (with probability 1/3) be a relatively general question about the readings assigned for that date. Each quiz question is graded 0 <-> 4, so that each quiz is worth 0 <-> 8 points. However, if your total for a quiz is 0, we award 1 point just for turning in the blue book. If you are absent, you receive 0 points. (Students are responsible for knowing the rules governing excused absences, and for informing the instructor [by email to jbennett@maxwell.syr.edu] of absences, when possible prior to the class meeting.)
(2) 25% of the grade comes from performance on the first test (October 25 <-correction) and 25% comes from performance on the second test (offered at the time and place of the scheduled final examination). The tests have the same format. Each will present you with two questions, drawn from a list of 15 questions which will be announced about 10 days before the test. A review session will be held before each test to explain the questions. Many of the questions will be enlargements of questions prepared for the quizzes. Each question of a test is graded 0 <-> 12, so that each test is worth 0 <-> 24 points. Examples of excellent answers will be linked to the syllabus. Students who have valid excuses for missing a quiz or test will be permitted to sit for a makeup test at an appropriate time and place.
Disabilities: If you experience any learning disability described here, please see me to work out an accommodation.
Honesty: This course applies the Maxwell School's policy of academic integrity. No books, notes or other material assistance may be used at any of the quizzes or tests. Violation of this policy results in a grade of F for the course and possibly other disciplinary measures applied by the university. See here for more detail.
Lectures: The course schedule imposes very short lecture periods. We shall try to present the most important points and to clarify these, where needed, by discussion. Additionally, from time to time I shall add informal notes to this syllabus, each linked to a class meeting.
Discussions: Discussions will be used to explain material presented in lectures and often to introduce new material relevant to the readings required for the week. Note that quizzes are just as likely to occur during discussion meetings as during lecture meetings.
Attendance: Note that the quiz scores contribute 50% to the course grade. If you miss a class, only the professor (not the course assistants) can authorize you to become eligible to take a make-up quiz later. The professor is much more sympathetic to authorize make-ups if contacted prior to the date of the miss classed.
Required reading:
(1) John Baylis and Steve Smith, eds., The Globalization of World Politics, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, 2001. (Copies available for purchase at Follett's Orange Bookstore; one copy on 24-hour reserve at Bird Library.)
(2) Charles W. Kegley, Jr. and Gregory A. Raymond, Exorcising the Ghosts of Westphalia: Building World Order in the New Millenium. Prentice-Hall, 2002. (Copies available for purchase at Follett's Orange Bookstore.)
(3) Pages of lecture notes linked to this syllabus. During the semester, I edit and often extend these linked notes.
[BS denotes the book by Baylis & Smith; KR denotes that by Kegley & Raymond]
1. M August 30 [BS 1] Does "globalization" mark the end of the system of "sovereign states"? Introduction to the course. What's IR? A description of what you will accomplish. Where in the world is Westphalia? Why should we care? "Globalization" -- does "post-Cold War" mean a "post-Westphalian international system"?
2. W September 1 Addition [BS 2] The Big 3 -- families of theories: Realism, Marxism, Liberalism Abstraction and generalization; knowledge claims, theories On the importance of MoMs
(Map of Europe, 1648, as the "Westphalian system" begins)3. Th/F Discussion 1 [BS 3] Examples of theory; examples of practice
[M Labor Day: no class]
4. W September 8 [BS 4,5] Q International histories Each of the Big 3 offers a different interpretation of the past. Example 1: Rise of the state Example 2: The German Problem
5. Th/F Discussion 2 [BS 6] Q Critical episodes in the evolution of the state system
6. M September 13 Class Q How did the Cold War end? [Last day to add any course.] Answers from a Realist perspective; different answers from a Liberal perspective; yet different answers from a Marxist perspective
7. W September 15 Q A [BS 7] Realism Essential (abstract) concepts and key claims Varieties of Realism
8. Th/F Discussion 3 Q A Many Realisms: disputes within the family
9. M September 20 Note Q A [Financial deadline for dropping courses.]
Neorealisms
Can one resolve the 'security dilemma'?
Is prolonged international cooperation possible?
10. W September22 [BS 10] Marxism
Essential (abstract) concepts and key claims
Leninism
World System Theory
11. Th/F Discussion 4 Q Many Marxisms: disputes within the family
12. M September 27 Q Baghdad, Sadr (formerly Saddam) City [BS 8] Liberalism
Essential (abstract) concepts and key claims
Public international goods and the problem of 'free riders'
The evolution of liberalism: four periods
13. W September 29 Q [BS 9] Marriage of two families? Islands
Neo-liberal institutionalism
A Has Liberalism triumphed?15. M October 4 Q Review and comparison of the Big 3
Why not a Big 4th or 5th, or Little 6th family of theory?
16. W October 6 Q Veto EU-Turkey [KR Introduction & 1] The beginnings of the interstate system.
Time travel to October 6, 1604: What was the "international system" like then?
Five major sources of instability (pick your perspective!)
17. Th/F Discussion 6 Q A Nobel [KR 2] Proximate causes of the 30 Years' War
18 M October 11 [KR 3] Idealism, power politics, "enormities" and exhaustion [KR flunk history]
19. W October 13 Q PRC-Taiwan [KR 4, 5] Making peace
The Treaties of Westphalia
Aftermath
20. Th/F Discussion 7 Q A A Are there any lessons from the 30 Years' War?
What are some similarities and differences between 1648 and 2004?
21. M October 18 Addition Q A A [BS 12] National and international security
22. W October 20 Q A [BS 23] Economic and political integration
23. Th/F Discussion 8 [optional BS 16, 23] Discussion of test questions.
24. M October 25 Test 1 (held in the lecture room)
25. W October 27 Q [BS 13] International political economy (IPE)
Contrasts among the Big 3: what does IPE mean?
Emphasis upon the Marxist theory family
26. Th/F Discussion 9 Reasons why one must separate politics from economics; reasons why one cannot -- which reasoning is more persuasive?
27. M November 1 EU Constitution Q A [BS 17] Transnational relations
Do even the Boy Scouts tend to subvert the interstate system?
The varieties of boundaries in 2002: from the Korean DMZ to the Schengen zone
28. W November 3 Q [BS 20] Nationalism
As ideology
As practice
Is the nation-state stable and peaceful? (Do any true "nation-states" exist?)
29. Th/F Discussion 10 Q What is the future of nationalism? (Bring your favorite national -- not state -- flag!)
30. M November 8 Q [BS 21, 25] Should we replace IR by 'intercultural relations' or even 'intercivilization relations'?
Do distinctive cultures remain, or is it all jeans and MP3 players?
Do we observe a 'clash of civilizations'?
31. W November 10 Q m M M [BS 22, 26] 'Failed states'
The problem of anarchy within states
Do all states 'fail' in important regards?
32. Th/F Discussion 11 Q Intervention for state building.
What are some justifications?
What are some objections?
[At any date after November 14, the makeup quiz may occur in lecture or section(s).]
33. M November 15 Q [BS 25, 28] Humanitarian intervention
Does the enforcement of basic human rights necessarily undermine state sovereignty?
If it does, is that good or bad?
34. W November 17 Q [BS 14, 16] International organizations
Orders and partial orders
Regimes (as the term is used in the study of international affairs)
35. Th/F Discussion 12
Q The "United Nations system" -- structures and practices[F November 14 Last day to withdraw from a course.]
36. M November 22 Q International law
Customary law
Negotiated (treaty) law
Can law restrain power? Disputes among Realists
[ Thanksgiving vacation {at last!}]
37. W December 1 [BS 15] Diplomacy and statecraft
Do cookie pushers pull their weight?
Diplomacy by non-state entities
Test questions on this page.
38. Th/F Discussion 13 Q Careers in international affairs
38. M December 6 Q [BS 24] Managing the international economy
Cautionary lessons of the Great Depression
Aspirations, machinery, recent record of successes and failures
Debates between Liberals and Marxists
40. W December 8 Q [KR 8] Managing international insecurities
Lessons of WW1 and WW2
The new 900 pound gorilla: unilateralism by the sole Superpower Debates between Realists and Liberals
41. F December 10 Optional Review session for the test, 2 pm until at least 5 pm, room tba
Test 2 during scheduled final examination for 124-100, Fri, Dec 17, 02:45pm-04:45pm, Eggers 010 If you have a time conflict between final examinations, or if you are scheduled to take three finals in one day, then contact me BEFORE DEC 8 to arrange a different time for the exam.
