The whole history of the world is summed up in... not always just, and when they wish to be just,... INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS POLS 051A

The whole history of the world is summed up in... not always just, and when they wish to be just,... INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS POLS 051A

INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
POLS 051A
The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are
not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.
– Winston Churchill
Professor Melissa Willard-Foster
Class Meetings: MWF: 11:45 AM to 12:35 PM
Class Location: Old Mill 523
Office Location: Old Mill 516
Office Hours: Mon 12:35-1:35 PM; Wed 9:30-11:30 AM and by appointment
Email: [email protected]
*Note: In the Subject heading of each email please write: “POLS 51”
COURSE DESCRIPTION
What causes conflict in the international system? How can peace be attained? Is Churchill right?
Are the strong solely dedicated to preserving their relative power at all costs, or can they
cooperate with other states in the system to solve global problems? These are questions that date
back centuries. The first part of this course will address these questions and more as we explore
key concepts in international relations by examining the work of both classic and contemporary
writers. We will cover the field’s major schools of thought, as well as address specific questions,
such as whether and how war can be avoided. The second part of the course will examine
instances of major wars, applying the concepts learned in the first part of the course to specific
conflicts. We will also look for parallels between these wars and ongoing conflicts to gain insight
into current events. The final part of the course will address key issue areas in international
relations. Starting with a discussion of international political economy, we will explore a variety
of topics, from terrorism to climate change. As we do, we will focus our discussions on how
states can cooperate to solve global problems.
This course is both lecture- and discussion-based. Participation and attendance are essential. You
must come to class prepared to discuss the readings assigned for that day. Some of the readings,
particularly the optional readings, are drawn from textbooks. These are intended to act as a guide
to the subject material. Other readings are drawn from classics in the field of international
relations or more recent policy journals. For these, you should be able to identify the author’s
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main argument and supporting evidence, as well as state your opinion. Finally, to participate
effectively, students will need to read the front page of the World section of the New York Times
(http://www.nytimes.com/pages/world/index.html), global edition, before every class.
This course is part of the Teacher-Advisor Program (TAP), which means that I will be the
academic advisor for each student enrolled in the class. Please feel free to come to me with any
questions or problems that may arise during your time here at UVM. I’m here to help you, so do
not hesitate to visit my office hours or request a meeting for another time.
READINGS
Required: Karen A. Mingst and Jack L. Snyder, Essential Readings in World Politics, The
Norton Series in World Politics, Fourth Edition (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011)
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Readings in Mingst and Snyder are marked (MS). All others are on Blackboard (BB)
Recommended: Joan E. Spero and Jeffrey A. Hart, The Politics of International Economic
Relations, Seventh Edition (Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2010)
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I reserve the right to change readings as needed. Any changes to the syllabus will be
announced in class and through email. I will be using the university’s email list, so
please make sure you check this account regularly or have the mail forward to an
account you use regularly.
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?
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You will learn how to interpret current events, think about how they will play out, and
relate them to events of the past.
You will learn how to evaluate theories, read analytically, and argue persuasively. These
skills are vital no matter what career choice you make.
You will learn dominant theories of international relations, become acquainted with
classic texts in the field, and read contemporary arguments on how to deal with some of
the world’s most pressing problems.
By learning about the problems that plague our world, as well as their causes and
consequences, you will increase your ability to make a difference.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING
Midterm Paper (20%): Students will choose from a list of questions provided by the instructor
and will write a 7-page response. You are allowed and encouraged to use course readings and
notes, but are expected to do your own work. The mid-term paper will be due: OCTOBER 22.
Please see the General Guidelines for Assignments below for further details.
Final Paper (30%): Students will choose from a list of questions provided by the instructor and
will write a 7-page response. The final is due DECEMBER 7 at 10:15 AM in my office. Please
see the General Guidelines for Assignments below for further details.
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Three Short Writing Assignments (20%):
You will have the opportunity in this class to develop your writing skills. If you require
additional assistance beyond class, I am happy to help. You may also wish to seek help from the
Writing Center, located in the library, Rm. 105 (www.uvm.edu/writingcenter).
Short Papers 1 & 2: Thesis Identification
In 500 words or less, students must identify the author’s thesis (i.e., the author’s primary
point or argument, typically stated in the first paragraph in 1-2 sentences) and identify the
supporting argument(s), as well as any relevant evidence.
SEPTEMBER 12: John Mearsheimer, “Anarchy and the Struggle for Power,” (MS).
OCTOBER 3: Robert Putnam, “Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of TwoLevel Games,” (BB).
Short Paper 3: Critique
In 750 words or less, students must identify and assess the author’s main argument. This
means that in addition to summarizing the author’s argument, you will be asked to
evaluate it. Do you find the author’s argument to be persuasive and why?
NOVEMBER 16: Max Abrahms, "Why Terrorism Does Not Work,” International
Security, Vol. 31,. No. 2 (Fall 2006) (BB).
Note: If you are leaving early for Thanksgiving break, you may turn the paper in
early on Thursday at my office. You must notify me in advance.
Quizzes (10%): There will be three multiple-choice quizzes during the semester. These will be
based on class lectures and readings from previous weeks. The quiz dates are: 9/24, 10/15, 11/9.
Any changes to these dates will be announced in class and by email. There will be one make-up
day (TBA) for quizzes at the end of the semester.
Reading Journal (10%): Students will keep a reading journal for this course. Students are asked
to submit via Blackboard a short summary (1-3 sentences/reading) of each reading marked with a
* in the syllabus. All summaries must be submitted by 7 AM on the day of class for which the
reading is assigned. The journals will help you study for the quizzes, prepare your papers,
participate in class and keep track of the various arguments you will be encountering. Students
should also feel free to use the journals to record their own thoughts and reactions to the
readings.
Responses will be graded as pass/fail (i.e., 100 or 0). To receive full credit, all summaries must
identify each author’s thesis. By this, I mean the author’s main argument. Students should follow
the format in the example below.
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An example of a reading journal entry:
Example:
1. Fukuyama’s Thesis: The author argues that despite widespread anger directed
toward Wall Street over the 2008 financial crisis, there has been no major populist
backlash other than the Tea Party Movement. This lack of populist activism, he
contends, is a reflection of the left’s lack of a coherent and workable political agenda.
2. Trachtenberg’s Thesis: Historians are beginning to see the causes of the Cold War,
in a new light, the author argues. Rather than the result of one side’s aggression or
folly, the Cold War can instead be understood as a “normal historical process” in
which neither side’s actions can easily be judged as morally right or wrong.
(Optional) Response: Fukuyama is writing before the Occupy Movement took off, so did
he underestimate the left’s lack of an agenda, or is he still basically right? It seems that …
You will not get credit if:
1. You plagiarize the author’s words. This is your summary, so use your own words.
2. Miss the point of the article entirely
3. Simply state your opinion or pose questions
4. Have several spelling and/or grammatical mistakes
5. Do not identify the main argument of each reading marked with a *
Participation & Attendance (10%)
Attendance is required. Students that have more than three unexcused absences will have their
grades reduced (e.g., a B becomes a B-). I take attendance at the beginning of class. If you come
to class late, it is your responsibility to see that your attendance is registered.
Active participation is also essential for success in this class. This involves taking notes on
weekly readings, thinking about how they relate to current and historical events, and comparing
the arguments made to those discussed in previous weeks. This also involves speaking up in
class. If this poses a problem for you, please visit my office hours by the end of the second week
of class, so that we may discuss other ways for you to participate.
We will, at times, be discussing controversial subjects in this course. Students should feel
comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions in class, but must also respect the cultures,
backgrounds, and beliefs of their classmates. If any problems arise, I strongly encourage students
to see me in my office hours.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENTS:
1. All assignments must be handed in within the first 5 minutes of class. After that time,
students will be marked down a grade for each day the paper is late. I do not accept
papers via email.
2. All assignments must be typed and double spaced, with 1 inch margins and Times New
Roman 12 pt. font.
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3. Make sure your thesis statement (i.e., a sentence or two that summarizes your main
argument) is clear and stated at the outset.
4. The key to good writing is editing. You will need to edit your papers and rewrite them on
your own. Depending on the quality of work you turn in, I may also ask you to rewrite
your papers.
5. When discussing other authors’ ideas, remember to use citations. For readings used in
class, an abbreviated citation will suffice, e.g. (Walt, p. 4). For all others, consult The
Chicago Manual of Style (http://library.uvm.edu/guides/citation/chicago.php)
6. From the University’s Code of Academic Integrity: “All ideas, arguments, and phrases,
submitted without attribution to other sources must be the creative product of the student.
Thus, all text passages taken from the works of other authors (published or unpublished)
must be properly cited. The same applies to paraphrased text, opinions, data, examples,
illustrations, and all other creative work. Violations of this standard constitute
plagiarism.” All suspected violations will be reported to the Center for Student Ethics &
Standards.
CLASSROOM PROTOCOL
The Department of Political Science requires that this classroom protocol, defining minimum
standards of conduct, be included in all syllabi of political science classes.
1. Students are expected to attend and be prepared for ALL regularly scheduled classes.
2. Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period ends. If a
student knows in advance that s/he will need to leave early, s/he should notify the instructor
before the class period begins.
3. Students are expected to treat faculty and fellow students with respect. For example, students
must not disrupt class by leaving and reentering during class, must not distract class by making
noise, and must be attentive to comments being made by the instructors and by peers.
Students are expected to abide by the following guidelines as well:
1. Members of UVM organizations or sports teams that travel out of town must provide an
official travel schedule in order to receive accommodation for their absences.
2. Students who require leave for religious holidays must submit a schedule of their
anticipated absences in writing before the end of the second week of class.
3. All cell phones and other electronic devices must be turned off and out of sight before
the start of each class. This includes laptops, iPads, tablets, etc. Prepare to take notes the
old-fashioned way.
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4. Students with disabilities or medical conditions are asked to communicate with the
instructor any accommodations they require before the end of the second week of class.
For more information on the various resources available for students with disabilities,
visit the university’s office of disability services, ACCESS
(http://www.uvm.edu/access/).
5. Covered beverages are allowed in class; food is not.
COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
Part I: Introduction
AUG 27: Introduction and Overview of Syllabus
No reading assigned
AUG 29 – AUG 31: Historical Development of the Field, Key Questions, and Terms
Mingst and Arreguin-Toft, pp. 21-57; 60-63 (BB)
SEP 5 - 7: Theory, Methods, and Levels of Analysis
Mingst and Arreguin-Toft, pp. 3-12; 68-70 (BB)
*Stephen Walt, “The Relationship between Theory and Policy in International Relations,”
Annual Review of Political Science, Vol. 8 (2005), pp. 23-48. (BB)
Part II: The Battle of the Paradigms
SEP 10 - 14: Realism & Neorealism
*Hans Morgenthau, “Political Power” (MS) pp. 28-30
Thucydides, “Melian Dialogue’” (MS) pp. 10-12
*Robert Jervis, “Cooperation under the Security Dilemma,” (MS) pp. 335-349
*Paul D. Miller, “Be Afraid,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 91, Issue 4, (July/Aug 2012), pp.146149 (BB)
Optional: Mingst and Arreguin-Toft, pp. 70-76; 94-103 (BB)
SEP 12: Class Discussion & Writing Review
*** SEP 12 SHORT PAPER DUE***
*Mearsheimer “Anarchy and the Struggle for Power” (MS) pp. 31-50
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SEP 17 - 21: Liberalism & Neoliberalism
*Michael Doyle, “Liberalism and World Politics” (MS), pp. 50-64
Woodrow Wilson, “The Fourteen Points,” (MS), pp. 17-19
*Robert O. Keohane, “From After Hegemony” (MS) pp. 292-307
*John M. Owen IV, “Iraq and the Democratic Peace: Who Says Democracies Don’t Fight?”
Foreign Affairs, Vol. 84, (November/ December 2005) (BB)
Optional: Mingst & Arreguin-Toft, pp. 76-81; 103-107 (BB)
SEP 24: Neo-conservatism
***SEP 24 QUIZ***
*Irving Kristol, “The Neoconservative Persuasion,” The Weekly Standard, Aug 25, 2003,
Vol. 8, No. 47 (BB)
*Stephen Walt, “What the Election Means for American Foreign Policy,” August 9, 2012
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/08/09/what_the_election_means_for_american_for
eign_policy
*Brian C. Schmidt and Michael C. Williams, “The Bush Doctrine and the Iraq War:
Neoconservatives versus Realists,” Security Studies 17, no. 2 (2008): 191-220. (BB)
SEP 26: Social Constructivism
*Alexander Wendt, “Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power
Politics” (MS), pp. 64-88
Optional: Mingst and Arreguin-Toft, pp. 84-85;107-113 (BB)
SEP 28 – OCT 1: Domestic Politics
Goldstein and Pevehouse, 71-74; 76-86 (BB)
*Kevin Woods, James Lacey and Williamson Murray, “Saddam’s Delusions: The View
From the Inside,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 85, Issue 3 (May/Jun 2006): 2-26. (BB)
OCT 3: Class Discussion
***OCT 3 SHORT PAPER DUE***
*Robert D. Putnam. “Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Level Games.”
International Organization. 42(Summer 1988):427-460 (BB)
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Part II: Testing Theory against the Empirical Record
OCT 5: The Causes of WWI
Nye, “The Origins of WWI,” pp. 94-110 (BB)
OCT 8-10: The Causes of WWII
Nye, “The Origins of WWII,” pp. 121-135 (BB)
P.M.H. Bell, 1986. The Origins of the Second World War in Europe (London: Longman):
14-38 (BB)
*Allan Bullock, 1972. “Hitler and the Origins of the Second World War,” in Wm. Robert
Louis, ed., The Origins of the Second World War: A.J.P. Taylor and His Critics (New
York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.): 117-145 (BB)
OCT 12-15: The Causes and Conduct of the Cold War
***OCT 15 QUIZ***
*Kennan, “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” (MS), pp. 19-24
Nye, pp. 142-159 (BB)
*John Lewis Gaddis, “Looking Back: The Long Peace,” The Wilson Quarterly, Vol. 13,
No. 1 (New Year's 1989), pp. 42-65 (BB)
OCT 17-19: The Post-Cold War World
*G. John Ikenberry, Michael Mastanduno, William C. Wohlforth, “The Stability of a
Unipolar World,” (MS) pp. 110-127
*Samuel Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations,” (MS)
*Ivo Daalder, “Knowing When to Say No: The Development of US Policy For
Peacekeeping,” in William Durch, ed., UN Peacekeeping, American Politics, and the
Uncivil Wars of the 1990s (NY: St. Martin's Press, 1996), pp. 35-67.
***MIDTERM PAPER DUE: OCTOBER 22***
Part III: Global Problems & Solutions
OCT 22: International Cooperation & Organization – The U.N. and Peacekeeping
Mingst and Arreguin-Toft, pp. 182-201 (BB)
*Fortna, Does Peacekeeping Work? (MS), pp. 224-232
*Mearsheimer, The False Promise of International Institutions, (MS), pp. 308-319
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OCT 24: International Finance & Trade – The IMF, the World Bank, and MNCs
Spero & Hart, Chapter 1, pp. 1-11 (BB)
Mingst and Arreguin-Toft. pp. 288-307 (BB)
OCT 26-31: Globalization
Mingst & Arreguin-Toft, pp. 287-307 (BB)
*Dani Rodrik, “Trading in Illusions,” Foreign Policy Vol. 123 (2001), pp. 53-62 (BB)
*Wolf, “Why Globalization Works” (MS), pp. 516-542
*James Fallows, 2009. “China’s Way Forward,” The Atlantic (April) (BB)
NOV 2-5: The Great Recession
*Jacob Weisberg, What Caused the Economic Crisis? The 15 Best Explanations for the
Great Recession,” Slate, January 9, 2010 (BB)
*Robert Samuelson, “Rethinking the Great Recession,” The Wilsonian Quarterly, Winter
2011, pp. 16- 24. (BB)
*Stiglitz, “From Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World
Economy,” (MS) pp. 554-573
NOV 7-9: Nuclear Weapons & Non-Proliferation
***NOV 9 QUIZ***
Thomas Schelling, “The Diplomacy of Violence” (MS)
*Posen, “A Nuclear Armed Iran: A Difficult but Not Impossible Policy Problem” (MS)
*Keir Lieber and Daryl Press, “The Nukes We Need,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 88 Issue 6
(Nov/Dec 2009), pp. 39-51. (BB)
NOV 12-16: Terrorism and Counterterrorism Strategies
*Fareed Zakaria, “The Politics of Rage: Why Do They Hate Us?” Newsweek, (October
15, 2001) (BB)
*Robert A. Pape, 2003. “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism,” American Political
Science Review (97): 343-361 (BB)
*Andrew H. Kydd and Barbara F. Walter, The Strategies of Terrorism, (MS) pp. 392 –
415
NOV 16: Class Discussion
***NOV 16 SHORT PAPER DUE***
Note: If you are leaving early for Thanksgiving break, you may turn the paper in early on
Thursday at my office. You must notify me in advance.
*Max Abrahms, "Why Terrorism Does Not Work,” International Security, Vol. 31,. No.
2 (Fall 2006) (BB).
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NOV 26: Global Problems: Human Rights & Genocide
*Amartya Sen, “Universal Truths: Human Rights and the Westernizing Illusion” (MS),
592 - 595
*Samantha Power “Bystanders to Genocide” (MS), pp. 233 – 253
*Evans, “When Is It Right to Fight” (MS), pp. 444-457
NOV 28-30: Intervention and the Arab Spring
*Martha Finnemore, “From The Purpose of Intervention: Changing Beliefs about the Use
of Force” (MS), pp. 459 – 483
*Richard K. Betts, “The Delusion of Impartial Intervention,” Foreign Affairs,
(November/December 1994) (BB)
*Lisa Anderson, “Demystifying the Arab Spring,” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2011, (BB)
DEC 3: Global Problems: Managing the Environment
Mingst and Arreguin-Toft, pp. 335-349 (BB)
*Gregg Easterbrook, “Global Warming: Who Loses – and Who Wins?” The Atlantic
(April 2007) (BB)
DEC 5: Looking Ahead
*Daniel Drezner, The New New World Order," Foreign Policy 86, no. 2 (March/April
2007): pp. 34-46. (BB)
*Robert Kagan, “Not Fade Away: The Myth of American Decline,” The New Republic,
January 11, 2012 (BB)
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