GOVT 102 Introduction to International Politics Spring 2011 Section 01: Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45am Section 02: Tues/Thurs 11:00am-12:15pm Kirby 107 Professor Seo-Hyun Park Office: Kirby 102 Phone: (610) 330-5412 Email: parksh@lafayette.edu Office hours: Tues/Thurs 1:00-2:30pm and by appointment Course description: This course provides an introduction to the systematic study of international politics. It introduces students to the major theoretical approaches to the analysis of international relations and applies them to various historical and contemporary issues. The first section of the course surveys key concepts and theories. The second section explores the causes and consequences of international conflict and war. The third section turns to important issues in global economic relations, such as the politics of free trade, financial liberalization, development and inequality. The final section addresses the question of change in the current international system by critically examining newly emerging topics, including terrorism, environmental cooperation, and the role of transnational actors. Course objectives: Through the completion of this course, students are expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes: identify and distinguish between the different types of explanations of international politics; evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of theoretical arguments through the logical examination of evidence; think critically about world events and develop clearly articulated arguments; and apply theoretical knowledge to various policy issues in international relations. Course requirements: The major requirements of the course include three exams (distributed throughout the semester) and class participation. The specific grading criteria are as follows: Mid-term exam #1 (25%) Mid-term exam #2 (25%) Final exam (25%) Discussion handout assignment (15%) Class attendance and participation (10%) 1
Students are expected to attend all sessions, to have carefully read and considered the required readings, and to actively participate in class discussions. Students are also strongly encouraged to raise questions or concerns about difficult concepts from the lecture material and assigned readings both during classroom discussions and during office hours. If a student is unable to attend class, s/he must notify the instructor in advance or bring appropriate written documentation (e.g. Dean s excuse). More than two unexplained absences may result in a lower final grade. There are at least three opportunities for classroom participation. First, each student must act as a discussant for one discussion session at least once during the semester. A signup sheet will be distributed during the first week of class. The job of the discussant is to prepare and circulate in advance a one page handout which briefly summarizes the assigned group of readings and raises two or three questions that engage and/or critique the authors arguments. Second, students are expected to participate in class discussions of the lecture material as well as the readings. Third, all students are strongly encouraged to read The New York Times and/or other reputable newspapers. We will discuss some of the current events in world politics based on student interest. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that s/he is available to take the final exam on the date and time assigned for the course. Students with special needs due to disability should make requests for accommodation in the first week of classes so that arrangements can be made. Students are responsible for the content and integrity of all academic work. Please consult the Student Handbook for College policies on academic honesty (http://studentlife.lafayette.edu/files/2010/02/studenthandbook_0910_final.pdf). Course readings: The following books are required for purchase and will be made available at the campus bookstore. They will also be placed on reserve at the library. Other course readings and additional material will be made available through Moodle. Henry R. Nau, Perspectives on International Relations, Second Edition (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2009) Scott D. Sagan and Kenneth N. Waltz, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed (New York: W.W. Norton, 2003) 2
Course Schedule Part I. Concepts and Theories Week 1: Introduction (January 25 & 27) Nau, Perspectives on International Relations, pp. 1-10; 28-64. * Recommended: Steven M. Walt, International Relations: One World, Many Theories, Foreign Policy (Spring 1998): 29-46. Week 2: Realism (February 1 & 3) Kenneth N. Waltz, Theory of International Politics (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1979), pp. 79-101. John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (New York: W. W. Norton, 2003), chapter 2 ( Anarchy and the Struggle for Power ), pp. 29-54. Week 3: Liberalism (February 8 & 10) Michael W. Doyle, Kant, Liberal Legacies and Foreign Affairs, Philosophy and Public Affairs 12, 3 (Summer 1983): 205-235. Edward Mansfield and Jack Snyder, Democratization and War, Foreign Affairs 74, 3 (May/June 1995). Week 4: Constructivism & Domestic Politics (February 15 & 17) Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations? Foreign Affairs 72, 3 (Summer 1993): 22-49. Thomas U. Berger, Norms, Identity, and National Security in Germany and Japan, in Peter J. Katzenstein, ed., The Culture of National Security (New York: Columbia University Press, 1996), only pp. 317-338. Part II. International Conflict and War Week 5: World War I (February 22 & 24) Nau, Perspectives on International Relations, pp. 109-134. Jack Snyder, Civil-Military Relations and the Cult of the Offensive, 1914 and 1984, International Security 9, 1 (Summer 1984), only pp. 108-129. Week 6: World War II (March 1) Nau, Perspectives on International Relations, pp. 136-165. Mid-term #1: March 3, 2011 (in-class) 3
Week 7: The Cold War (March 8 & 10) Nau, Perspectives on International Relations, pp. 167-182. Graham T. Allison, Conceptual Models and the Cuban Missile Crisis, American Political Science Review 63, 3 (September 1969): 689-718. Stephen D. Krasner, Are Bureaucrats Important? (Or Allison Wonderland), Foreign Policy 7 (Summer 1972): 159-179. *** Spring Break *** Week 8: End of the Cold War (March 22 & 24) William C. Wohlforth, Realism and the End of the Cold War, International Security 19, 3 (Winter 1994/5), only pp. 96-115. Rey Koslowski and Friedrich V. Kratochwil, Understanding Change in International Politics: The Soviet Empire s Demise and the International System, in Richard Ned Lebow and Thomas Risse-Kappen, eds., International Relations Theory and the End of the Cold War (New York: Columbia University Press, 1995), pp. 127-165. Part III. International Political Economy Week 9: States, Markets, and the International Trading System (March 29 & 31) Nau, Perspectives on International Relations, pp. 277-319. Michael J. Hiscox, The Domestic Sources of Foreign Economic Policies, in John Ravenhill, ed., Global Political Economy, second edition (Oxford University Press, 2008), only pp. 95-100, 112-119. Week 10: Economic Development and Global Inequality (April 5 & 7) Bruce R. Scott, The Great Divide in the Global Village, Foreign Affairs 80, 1 (January/February 2001): 160-77. Dani Rodrik, Trading in Illusions, Foreign Policy (March/April 2001): 55-62. John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, The Globalization Backlash, Foreign Policy (September/October 2001): 16-26. Part IV. Change and Continuity in World Politics Week 11: Ethnic Conflict and Civil Wars (April 12) Nau, Perspectives on International Relations, pp. 252-262. Chaim Kaufmann, Possible and Impossible Solutions to Ethnic Civil Wars, International Security 20, 4 (Spring 1996), only 136-158. Mid-term #2: April 14, 2011 (in-class) 4
Week 12: Nuclear Proliferation (April 19 & 21) Scott D. Sagan and Kenneth N. Waltz, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed (New York: W.W. Norton, 2003), pp. 3-37; 46-82. Week 13: Human Rights and Intervention (April 26 & 28) Edward Luttwak, Give War a Chance, Foreign Affairs (July/August 1999): 36-44. Margaret E. Keck and Kathryn Sikkink, Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998), chapter 1 ( Transnational Activists Networks ), pp. 8-24. Week 14: 9/11 and Terrorism (May 3 & 5) Audrey Kurth Cronin, Behind the Curve: Globalization and International Terrorism, International Security 27, 3 (Winter 2002/03): 30-58. Michael Scott Doran, Somebody Else s Civil War, Foreign Affairs 81, 1 (January/February 2002):22-42. Final Exam: TBA 5