Syllabus
POL 375: International Relations
Fall 2009
Instructor:
Terrence L. Monroe
phone/fax: 808.941-7140
Textbook:
Essentials
of International Relations
Fourth Edition
Karen A. Mingst
2008: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
ISBN 978-0-393-92897-6
Learning Objectives:
Upon
completion of this course, learners will be able to:
·
the
effects of international relations on their personal lives
·
system,
national, and individual levels of analysis
·
the
sovereignty principle
·
definitions
of nations and states
·
factors
affecting foreign policy
·
causes
and effects of World Wars I and II
·
·
post-Cold
War system characteristics
·
operations
and problems of the UN, EU, World Bank and IMF
·
operations
of non-state actors
·
differences
between the global North and South
·
theories
of development
·
human
rights issues
·
types
and criticisms of globalization
·
types
and theories of war; military strategies and treaties
·
the
use of diplomacy and sanctions
·
sources
and problems of international law
·
population,
human rights and environmental issues
Course Requirements:
Successful completion of this
course depends upon:
· completion of a series of five (5) Exam Essays assignments
· participation in classroom discussion
· regular attendance (absences will be excused only with a explanation on letterhead from either a physician or authority figure who compelled your absence)
The
Exam Essays assignments are as follows:
In
essays of approximately 200 - 300 words each (1,000 - 1,500 words total),
identify five (5) topics (you decide which ones, as long as they have something
to do with the material you've studied to date in this course) and reflect on
their implications--in other words, why they matter, and where those
implications lead. This is an exercise in reflection on the lessons of history,
where they come from, and where they lead in terms of their influence on the
development of the enduring characteristics of American society, and (if you
wish) what they mean for things that are happening now.
You
should be working on these Exam Essays assignments continuously--starting now--and your work should have the
polished feel of being the result of a steady, daily progression of thought and
reflection. You can never tell when insight will strike, so you should get into
the habit (now) of taking notes as we go along of things like this that occur
to you; carry a little notebook and pen around with you always (except in the
shower)--it’s a habit that will serve you very well indeed for all kinds of
purposes. Polish, embellish, and refine your insights as you go. Don’t even
think about trying to sit down to compose these essays all at once—it’s a
daunting, unproductive, and highly improbable prospect. If it appears that you
have slapped together this assignment at the last minute, your grade will
suffer for it.
Everything
you write for these assignments must be
entirely in your own words, however humble. Plagiarism may result in your
eviction from this course. Do not cite or recite anything—I already know what
happened (more or less), so what I want is your insight as to the implications of your topics. I want to
see evidence that you’re thinking things through in these matters and wondering
about what it all means. Any citation of material from any other sources will
result in a mark-down of your grade.
You
must write about five (5) separate
topics for each of these five
Exam Essays assignments. Your five essays per assignment should be clearly
segregated from each other--do not submit them run together into one big essay.
Here
are three essays as an example:
·
Capitalism: One of the essential problems of
capitalism lies in the nature of the corporation, whose sworn and chartered
responsibility is to maximize returns for its shareholders (and certainly it’s
in the best pecuniary interests of management—especially these days!—to do so).
There are two ways to maximize returns: a) increase revenues and b) decrease
costs. It’s with the latter half of this equation that corporations spit in the
face of moral justice. A corporation will typically make every effort to put as
many of those costs on the community and the environment: the consequences of
laying off workers when business slows down a bit or when it offshores jobs to
China; of dumping pollutants instead of paying to clean them up; of plundering
non-renewable resources; of fraud and executive monkey-business; of failing to
support constructive community endeavors, assist its less fortunate members,
and to address its concerns… and much, much, more. Problem is, there is a
fundamental law of moral balance--a law that is no less ironbound than
statutory law or the law of gravity for being a moral law—that is violated when
corporations that take from a community fail to give in return. Simply stated,
what goes around comes around, and when a corporation—through layoffs,
offshoring, polluting, plundering, piracy, or general indifference—saps and
sunders the vitality of a community, the Day of Reckoning inevitably comes when
it discovers that its community of customers no longer has the kinds of jobs
that provide the income that enables them to buy its goods and services, or
that its community has abandoned the social, natural, and economic environment
that once sustained them but which can no longer do so. It’s all about
sustainability; everything must be done in balance, with the understanding that
giving back is absolutely essential to taking. Otherwise, it just isn’t
sustainable.
·
Globalization: Globalization has since seen to it
that markets—wherever they may be--are no longer the preserve of
·
Totalitarianism: Totalitarianism (as the term
suggests) is an all-or-nothing proposition—and that’s what makes it such a
lethal business. It demands absolute subservience to One Absolute Truth—an
ideology that brooks no compromise and suffers no obstacle to its
implementation. Anything goes, and the more lethal your means of exterminating
the opposition, the better (which is why we have weapons of mass destruction to
worry about these days). In the face of the One Absolute Truth, what do such
things as human decency have to do with anything?
Do you
see from these examples that what I'm getting at it is not what happened, but what it means?
Don't worry about drawing the wrong conclusions about your topics--I will never
penalize anyone for drawing the wrong conclusions. This is your chance to wonder about things, and that's what I'm
trying to accomplish in this course: to get students into the habit of
wondering about things that happened in history, and to draw upon their lessons
to help understand comparable things that are happening now.
I will
be sending you the following grade report on your Exam Essays assignments:
·
Quality of insight (50 percentage points): How well
did you interpret the significance of your topic? How well did you consider the
implications, in terms of how your topics reflect on comparable developments in
the present, past, or even the future? How creative is your thinking in terms
of drawing conclusions are where things come from and where they lead and why
they're of special significance? To what extent does your writing reflect consistent,
in-depth reflection, rather than a last-minute effort?
·
Familiarity with the facts (35 percentage points).
You may be forgiven for wondering how you are going to demonstrate familiarity
with the facts without reciting history. Let me put it this way: I am concerned
that your essays do not reflect a complete ignorance of your subject matter.
You need to acquaint yourself (using all kinds of sources, including your text,
websites, books, articles, videos, your grandpa, whatever) with what you write about,
so that your conclusions as to their significance are not completely at odds
with the reality of the historical record. You may make whatever mention of
those facts from the historical record that are needed (and only what is needed) to support your conclusions.
·
Quality of expression (15 percentage points): How
clearly and articulately is your insight expressed? (I don't like sloppy
composition, confused syntax, and bad spelling. Show pride in your facility
with the English language--more than anything, this is your key to earning both
respect from others and a prosperous future.)
·
Total percentage X total number of points possible
= your grade.
Things
that can work against you:
·
Five topics for each Exam Essays assignment are
required; for each topic fewer than five submitted, there will be a reduction
in your grade. A total of 1,000-1,500 words is recommended--if your effort is
appreciably less or more (which is not necessarily better) than this, there may
be a proportionate reduction in your grade.
·
Do not recite material for the sake of reciting it,
in any sort of narrative form (as, for example, your textbook does)--I already
know (more or less) what the material is. Above all, are your essays entirely in your own words? Any whiff of
plagiarism will result in your essay being submitted to Turnitin.com--and if
plagiarism is indicated, your continued participation in this course would be
at risk.
·
If your essays are not clearly segregated, there
will be a reduction in your grade (in other words, do not submit your five
essays as one big rambling essay); this is meant to be an exercise in thinking
and writing succinctly.
Assignment Schedule:
Week 1 (Aug. 26 – Sep. 1)
Introduction
Read Chapter 1
Week 2 (Sep. 2 – Sep. 8)
Read Chapter 2
Discuss Chapter 1
Week 3 (Sep. 9 – Sep. 15)
Discuss Chapter 2
Discuss Exam Essays
Submit Exam Essays assignment 1
Week 4 (Sep. 16 – Sep. 22)
Read Chapter 3
Discuss Chapter 2
Week 5 (Sep. 23 –
Sep. 29)
Read Chapter 4
Discuss Chapter 3
Week 6 (Sep. 30 –
Oct. 6)
Discuss Exam Essays
Submit Exam Essays assignment 2
Week 7 (Oct. 7 – Oct. 13)
Read Chapter 5
Discuss Chapter 4
Week 8 (Oct. 14 –
Oct. 20)
Discuss Chapter 5
Read Chapter 6
Week 9 (Oct. 21 –
Oct. 27):
Discuss Exam Essays
Submit Exam Essays assignment 3
Week 10 (Oct. 28
– Nov. 3):
Read Chapter 7
Discuss Chapter 6
Week 11 (Nov. 4 - Nov. 10)
Read Chapter 8
Discuss Chapter 7
Week 12 (Nov. 11 - Nov. 17)
Discuss Exam Essays
Submit Exam Essays assignment 4
Week 13 (Nov. 18 - Nov. 24)
Read Chapter 9
Discuss Chapter 8
Week 14 (Nov. 25 - Dec. 1)
Thanksgiving Break
Read Chapter 10
Week 15 (Dec. 2 - Dec. 8)
Discuss Chapters 9 and 10
Discuss Exam Essays
Submit Exam Essays assignment 5