Department of Government. University of Essex GV-902: Theories of International Relations

Transcription

1 Department of Government University of Essex GV-902: Theories of International Relations Module Instructor: Xun Cao Room: Tel: ext Office Hours: Tuesday 3-5pm Prepared on September 24, 2010

2 Module Description This module offers an introduction to theories of International Relations (IR). The principal aims of the module are: (a) to familiarize students with theories and conceptual tools used to analyze world politics, and (b) to explore how different theories and conceptual tools speak to contemporary debates and events. It is NOT a module describing current events in world politics, but one that enables students to see these events from an analytical angle and form their own understanding of the ways world politics function. The module is organized in three parts: first, we examine the dominant theories in International Relations; second, we use these theories to analyze issues on war and peace, conflict and cooperation, and international institutions; finally, we study international political economy. Module Eligibility This is the core module for the MA International Relations and required for all students in this MA program. The module is in principle open to students from other MAs, with the module supervisor s permission, and provided we have sufficient space to accommodate other students. Since this is an MA seminar, I will assume a basic knowledge of IR theory and international history. More specifically, students are expected to have read something akin to one of the general undergraduate textbooks. Students unfamiliar with material or concepts must consult one of these textbooks. TBA. Administration Module Objectives The objective of the module is to provide students with an overview of a wide and intellectually demanding range of IR literature and the ability to use this material to analyze world politics. The module aims to provide a sound basis for studying politics from different theoretical and methodological viewpoints. By the end of the module the students should: (i) have a strong understanding of the origins, historical evolution, and current debates and challenges of the discipline of International Relations, (ii) have an in-depth and systematic knowledge of IR scholarship, and be able to critically evaluate this scholarship and explore new insights and working hypotheses in the study of world politics, (iii) understand the relationship between theory and practice in world politics, (iv) be able to engage in current debates on the analysis world politics. Key Skills This module will help students to develop the following skills: (i) Communication, presentation and argumentation skills, (ii) team-work skills in joint presentations and small discussion groups, (iii) writing and research skills through essays, assignments, and presentations, (iv) improving their own learning and performance by responding to comments, including criticism, (v) information technology skills through using research tools, (vi) self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, (vii) development of qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment, requiring the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility. 1

3 Module Assessment A thought paper (10% of the final grade): no more than five pages double-spaced. This has to be done in the first term based on the required readings for any week. You have to turn in the paper by the end of Week 11. Notice this is not to write a summary of the readings, but a thought paper we will talk about this in the first class. You are also encouraged (not required) to circulate this thought paper to the rest of the class before the seminar. Class participation (10% of the final grade): since this is a graduate student seminar, your active involvement in class discussion is required. You need to lead discussion once or twice with some other fellow students and you need to contribute to the discussion when others are leading the discussion. You will be graded (as a group) on the quality of the questions that you prepare for the discussion. Write a good research design (40% of the final grade), the following are the steps that you need to take: By week 6, you should find a research question or puzzle in international relations, speak to me about it either in or after class in office hours. This part is not graded but it is very important for your final grade since all good research starts with the right question. By week 10, I need from you a written statement on your research question. This should be no more than one page, basically telling someone outside the discipline why this is an important and interesting question that is worth doing (10% of the final grade). By week 21, you need to turn in a literature review plus your own hypothesis on the research question, this should be no more than 2,000 words (20% of the final grade). By week 25, you should finish the rest of the research design, that is, how you are going to collect data (quantitative and/or qualitative) and test your hypothesis. You also need to write a short conclusion for your research design (10% of the final grade). All together, this should be no more than 4,000 words. An unseen three-hour exam, this is in the summer term, worth 40% of the final grade. The examinations office will notify you of the precise time and location closer to the date itself. Notes on Assessment Students should hand in all assignments on time. Late submission of written work will be heavily penalized. In accordance with Department of Government rules, late assignments will incur a penalty of 3 marks for each working day they are late. Since this is a Department-wide rule, it will be applied without exception in this module. Extensions to the given deadlines will be granted only under exceptional circumstances and only before the essay is due. Requests must be made in writing (not by ) and supported by documented evidence, such as a letter from a doctor explaining the relevant circumstances. For further details on extensions, see the relevant sections of Postgraduate Handbook. Essays are marked on the basis of their focus on the question/topic, argument, use of evidence, analysis, clarity, structure, command and use of literature, bibliographical research, imagination and originality. Essays should be fully referenced, citing the source of ideas or facts contained in them. Students can use any established system of referencing used by a journal, but the references must be consistent. Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. You commit plagiarism if you submit work in which text has been copied from another source, whether a book, an article, or another student, without acknowledging the source. The penalties for plagiarism are very severe. The Postgraduate Handbook provides more details on plagiarism. 2

4 Teaching Methods and Expectations The module will be taught in 20 two-hour seminars. The seminars are based on students active participation. It is essential that students read the assigned readings before each seminar. The readings attached to each topic are not exhaustive. Students are expected to use references and suggested supplementary readings to guide their own exploration of the literature. Books for the Module Mingst and Snyder: Essential Readings in World Politics, 3rd edition. Kenneth N. Waltz, Theory of international politics. Robert O. Keohane, After hegemony : cooperation and discord in the world political economy. Dani Rodrik, Has globalization gone too far? Week 2: Class Introduction. Class Schedule Going through the course outline/q&a. Going through basic IR paradigms/theories. Week 3: International Relations as a Social Science. Some definitions of basic terms such as dependent variable, independent variable, hypothesis, theory... copies will be provided in class in week 2. Fearon James D Counterfactuals and Hypothesis Testing in Political Science. World Politics 43(2): Russett, Bruce M., and William Antholis Do Democracies Fight Each Other? Evidence from the Peloponnesian War. Journal of Peace Research 29 (4): (As a background reference, read Thucydides The Melian Dialogue. In Mingst and Snyder, or online (e.g., As an assignment for next week, you need to find a recent IR article in a political science journal and find the dependent variable, independent variable, hypothesis, and empirical test. In case of no volunteer, I will choose some of you to present their articles next week. Some of the journals you might consider include American Political Science Review American Journal of Political Science British Journal of Political Science International Organization International Studies Quarterly Journal of Conflict Resolution Journal of Peace Research World Politics Comparative Political Studies International Relations: Different Perspectives. Week 4: IR, basic paradigms. Stephen Walt, International Relations: One World, Many Theories, Foreign Policy, spring Snyder, One World, Rival Theories, Foreign Policy Nov/Dec

5 Robert Jervis, Theories of War in an Era of Leading Power Peace, American Political Science Review, March Those of you who are chosen are going to present their articles. Week 5. Realism and power politics. Kenneth N. Waltz, Theory of international politics. This is the key reading of the week and please read chapter 4-6. Mearsheimer, Anarchy and the Struggle for Power, Mingst and Snyder: Krasner Sharing Sovereignty: New Institutions for Collapsed and Failing States. International Security 29(2): Week 6. Neoliberalism: international institutions and the possibility of cooperation. Robert O. Keohane, After hegemony : cooperation and discord in the world political economy. Read chapter 4-7, that is, page Doyle Liberalism and World Politics. American Political Science Review 80(4): Week 7. Dependency theory and other perspectives. Frank, Andre G Capitalism and Underdevelopment in Latin America: Historical Studies of Chile and Brazil. Read page : The Development of Underdevelopment. Wallerstein The Rise and Future Demise of the World Capitalist System: Concepts for Comparative Analysis. Comparative Studies in Sociology and History 16(4): Caporaso, James A. (ed.) Dependence and Dependency in the Global System. International Organization 32(1): special issue. Week 8. Constructivism. Finnemore Constructing Norms of Humanitarian Intervention, in The Culture of National Security by Peter Katzenstein (ed.). Wendt, Alex Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics, International Organization 46: Copeland, Dale The Constructivist Challenge to Structural Realism: a Review Essay. International Security 25(2): Meyer, John W., John Boli, George M. Thomas, and Francisco O. Ramirez World Society and the Nation-State. American Journal of Sociology 103(1): Week 9. Rational Choice vs. Psychological approaches to international politics. Mancur Olson: The Logic of Collective Action, Harvard UP Read page Sylvan, Donald A., Thomas M. Ostrom, and Katherine Gannon Case-Based, Model- Based, and Explanation-Based Styles of Reasoning in Foreign Policy. International Studies Quarterly 38(1): Levy, Jack S Loss Aversion, Framing Effects, and International Conflict: Perspectives from Prospect Theory. In Midlarsky, Manus (ed.) Handbook of War Studies II. Controversies in International Relations. Week 10. Regime Theory, International Cooperation, and Debate around neo-liberal Institutionalism. Ruggie John. 1982, International Regimes, Transactions, and Change: Embedded liberalism in the Postwar Economic Order, International Organization 36(2), Ruggie, John, 1992, Multilateralism: The Anatomy of an Institution. IO. 46(3),

6 Grieco, J., Anarchy and the Limits of Cooperation: A Realist Critique of the Newest Liberal Institutionalism, IO 42(3), Milner, Helen International Theories of Cooperation Among Nations: Strengths and Weaknesses. World Politics 44 (3): Mearsheimer, John J., 1994, The False Promise of International Institutions, International Security 19 (3): Week 11. Second Image reversed, domestic sources of foreign policies, and two-level games. Katzenstein, Peter International Relations and Domestic Structures: Foreign Economic Policies of Advanced Industrial States. International Organization 30(1):1:45. Gourevitch, P., 1978, The Second Image Reversed: the International Sources of Domestic Politics, International Organization 32(2): Rogowski, Ronald Political Cleavages and Changing Exposure to Trade, American Political Science Review, 81(4): Putnam, Robert D., 1988, Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-level Games, IO 42(3), Week 16. Democratic Peace. Maoz, Zeev and Bruce Russett, Normative and Structural Causes of Democratic Peace, , American Political Science Review 87(3): Chan, Steve In Search of Democratic Peace: Problems and Promise. Mershon International Studies Review 41(1): Farber, H. S. and Joanne Gowa, Common Interests or Common Polities? Reinterpreting the Democratic Peace. The Journal of Politics 59(2): Gartzke, Erik, Quan Li, and Charles Boehmer Investing in the Peace: Economic Interdependence and International Conflict. International Organization 55(2): Week 17. Intrastate Conflict. Lake, David A. and Donald Rothchild 1996 Containing Fear: The Origins and Management of Ethnic Conflict. International Security 21(2): Hegre, Havard, Tanja Ellingsen, Scott Gates, and Nils Petter Gleditsch Toward a Democratic Civil Peace? Democracy, Political Change, and Civil War, American Political Science Review 95(1): Sambanis, Nicholas A Review of Recent Advances and Future Directions in the Literature on Civil War. Defense and Peace Economics 13(3): Fearon, James D., and David D. Laitin Ethnicity, Insurgency, and Civil War. American Political Science Review 97(1): Ross, Michael What Do We Know About Natural Resources and Civil War? Journal of Peace Research 41 (2): International Political Economy. Week 18. IPE: an overview. Krasner, Stephen State Power and the Structure of International Trade. World Politics 28(2): Caporaso, James Global Political Economy. In Political Science: The State of the Discipline, vol. 2, edited by Ada W. Finifter: Washington, DC: American Political Science Association. 5

7 Gilpin, Robert The Nature of Political Economy. In International Political Economy: State-Market Relations in a Changing Global Order (2nd edition) edited by Goddard, Cronin, and Dash, Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, page Grieco, Joseph M. and John Ikenberry The Political Foundations of the World Economy. In State Power and World Markets: The International Political Economy, by Grieco & Ikenberry, New York: W. W. Norton. Milner, Helen Globalization, Development, and International Institutions: Normative and Positive Perspectives. Perspectives on Politics 3(4): Week 19. Trade. Goldstein, Judith Ideas, Institutions, and American Trade Policy. International Organization 42(1): Milner, Helen and David Yoffie Between free trade and protectionism. International Organization 43(2): Milner, Helen The political economy of international trade. Annual Review of Political Science 2: Hiscox, Michael Commerce, Coalitions, and Factor Mobility: Evidence from Congressional Votes on Trade Legislation. American Political Science Review 96(3): Week 20. Money, Finance, and Exchange Rates. Pauly and Goodman The obsolescence of capital controls. World Politics 46(1): Andrews and Willet Financial interdependence and the state. International Organization 51(3): Quinn and Inclan The origins of financial openness. American Journal of Political Science 41(3): Leblang Domesitc political institutions and exchange rate commitments in developing world. International Studies Quarterly 43: Simmons The international politics of harmonization. International Organization 55(3): Week 21. Globalization I. Dani Rodrik, Has globalization gone too far? Garrett, Geoffrey Global Markets and National Politics: Collision Course or Virtuous Circle? International Organization 52(4): Kapstein Winners and losers in the global economy. International Organization 54(2): Dollar, David and Aart Kraay. Spreading the Wealth. Foreign Affairs 81(1): Simmons and Elkins The globalization of liberalization. American Political Science Review 98(1): Week 22. Globalization II. Cameron, David The Expansion of Public Economy: A Comparative Analysis. American Political Science Review 72(4): Garrett, Geoffrey and Peter Lange Political Responses to Interdependence: What s Left for the Left? International Organization 45(4): Mosley, Layna Room to Move: International Financial Markets and National Welfare States. International Organization 54(4): Rudra, Nita Globalization and the decline of the welfare state in less-developed countries. International Organization 56(2):

8 Wibbels, Erik and Moisés Arce Globalization, Taxation, and Burden-Shifting in Latin America. International Organization 57(2): Week 23. Institutions, Foreign Aid, and Development. North Nobel prize lecture: Wade Wheels within wheels: rethinking the Asian crisis and the Asian model. Annual Review of Political Science 3: MacIntyre Institutions and investors. International Organization 55(1): Goldsmith Foreign aid and statehood in Africa. International Organization 55(1): Morrison Oil, non-tax revenue, and the redistributional foundations of regime stability. International Organization 63: Week 24. Global Environmental Politics. Neumayer, Erik, and Indra de Soysa False Prophet, or Genuine Savior? Assessing the Effects of Economic Openness on Sustainable Development, International Organization 59(3): Andonova, Liliana, Edward D. Mansfield & Helen V. Milner International Trade and Environmental Policy in the Postcommunist World. Comparative Political Studies 40(7): Battig, Michele B. & Thomas Bernauer National Institutions and Global Public Goods: Are Democracies More Cooperative in Climate Change Policy? International Organization 63(02): Holzinger, Katharina, Christoph Knill & Thomas Sommerer Environmental Policy Convergence: The Impact of International Harmonization, Transnational Communication, and Regulatory Competition. International Organization 62(04): Ward, Hugh International Linkages and Environmental Sustainability: The Effectiveness of the Regime Network. Journal of Peace Research 43(2): Week 25. Democratization and the Political Economy of Regime Type. Przeworski, Adam and Fernando Limongi Modernization: Theory and Facts. World Politics 49: Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson Why Did the West Extend the Franchise? Democracy, Inequality, and Growth in Historical Perspective, Quarterly Journal of Economics 115: Boix, Carles and Susan Stokes Endogenous Democratization. World Politics 55: Michael Ross Is Democracy Good for the Poor? American Journal of Political Science 50(4): Geddes, Barbara (1999). Authoritarian Breakdown: Empirical Test of a Game Theoretic Argument, paper presented at the annual meetings of the American Political Science Association, Atlanta. Will distribute e-copies. 7