Introduction to International Relations Political Science 51 (D) Fall 2013

Political Science 51 (D)
Introduction to International Relations
Fall 2013
MWF 3:00-3:50 PM – Waterman 413
Assoc. Prof. Gregory Gause
517 Old Mill
telephone: x60571
Office Hours: MW 1:30-2:30 PM, F 12:30-2:30 PM
or by appointment
e-mail: [email protected]
Class Website: Blackboard – students are responsible for checking Blackboard regularly
(at least once a week) for class announcements.
Purpose: Why did the United States go to war with Iraq, a country that had nothing to
do with the attack by Arab Muslim terrorists of September 11, 2001 on New York and
Washington? Why do so many other countries seem to be uncooperative, even
unsympathetic, with America’s war on terrorism? What is "globalization"? Did it
contribute to the economic crisis of 2008 that almost brought down the world economy,
or did it help to avoid a new great depression, or both? Should it make any difference
to you if other countries' governments oppress their citizens? Should the United States
be trying to promote democracy around the world? This course will not necessarily
answer these questions, but it will give you analytical tools for trying to figure them
out. We will discuss basic concepts about how the international system is organized.
We will suggest various levels of analysis to employ in looking for explanations of why
things happen internationally. We will examine competing theoretical approaches that
try to answer the big questions of international politics: why states cooperate and why
they fight; how the costs and benefits of international interactions are distributed. We
will apply these approaches to cases of current and historical international events.
Organization and Grading: The major written assignments in the class are two essays,
maximum seven pages (double-spaced, typed) in length. The first will be due on
October 25; the second will be due on the date for the final exam for the course (which
the Registrar will set soon). The last pages of the syllabus list the questions for those
essays. There will be 6 in-class, multiple choice quizzes during the semester. The
schedule for those quizzes is in the syllabus, though the instructor reserves the right to
postpone quizzes if material needs to be covered for that quiz. The instructor reserves
the right to assign other writing assignments which will be calculated with the quiz
grades for purposes of computing the final grade.
Each student is responsible for obtaining an iClicker device from the bookstore for use
in class and to bring that device to every class. I will ask you to respond to questions in
class through the iClicker. Your responses will not be graded (these questions are not a
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test), but your participation will be recorded. Class participation through use of the
iClickers will be part of the final grade.
There is no final exam in this course. The final grade will be computed as follows:
First essay – 30%; Second essay – 30%; Quizzes – 30%; Class participation – 10%.
From time to time I will be unable to attend a regularly scheduled class, because of
academic or other obligations out of town. I reserve the right to schedule make-up
classes during reading period to cover any material in the syllabus that was not
completed during the semester.
Texts: The following texts have been ordered by the bookstore --Joshua Goldstein and Jon Pevehouse, International Relations (6th brief
edition)
- Joseph Nye and David Welch, Understanding Global Conflict and
Cooperation (9th edition)
Almost all of the assigned reading for this course can be found in these two books.
There are five reading assignments (essays and book chapters) outside of the books. All
five are posted on Blackboard.
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 students 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.
I have one addition to the protocol. No student is permitted to use any hand-held
communications device during class. Texting, in particular, is forbidden. Violations
of this specific rule will make the instructor very angry.
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SCHEDULE OF LECTURES, READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Aug. 26: Introduction to the Course
Aug. 28-Sept. 11: Elements of the International System: Anarchy, Order, Sovereignty and
Power
-Goldstein and Pevehouse: all of Chapter 1; pp. 37-43 in Chapter 2
(power, anarchy and sovereignty); pp. 207-226 (the UN) and 240-255 (international law)
in Chapter 6
-Nye and Welch: pp. 1-16 in Chapter 1 (the international system);
pp. 38-52 in Chapter 2 (power and system); pp. 193-218 in Chapter 6 (international law
and intervention); all of Chapter 8
Sept. 13: FIRST QUIZ
Sept. 13-18: Levels of Analysis
-Goldstein and Pevehouse: relook at pp. 14-17 in Chapter 1 (levels
of analysis); pp. 71-86 of Chapter 3 (domestic influences and making foreign policy)
-Nye and Welch: pp. 52-61 in Chapter 2 (levels of analysis)
Sept. 20-27: World War I
-Nye and Welch, Chapter 3 (it would be good for you to read
Chapter 4 as well, but it will not be on the quiz)
Sept. 30: SECOND QUIZ
Sept. 30-Oct. 7: Contending Theories of International Relations: Realism and Liberalism (with
special reference to international conflict)
-Nye and Welch: pp. 16-34 in Chapter 1 (Peloponnesian War and
ethical questions); pp. 62-75 in Chapter 2 (paradigms and theories, counterfactuals)
-Goldstein and Pevehouse: pp. 35-37 (realism) and 43-60 (balance
of power, alliances, strategy) in Chapter 2; pp. 63-71 in Chapter 3 (liberal traditions);
and pp. 107-149 in Chapter 4 (war, types of conflict, conventional military forces,
terrorism)
-Thucydides, “The Melian Dialogue” (on Blackboard)
October 11: THIRD QUIZ
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Oct. 9-18: The Cold War, Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Deterrence
-Nye and Welch: all of Chapter 5
-Goldstein and Pevehouse: pp. 149-160 in Chapter 4 (weapons of
mass destruction, states and militaries)
-John Lewis Gaddis, “Looking Back: The Long Peace,” Wilson
Quarterly, January 1989, parts I-VII (on Blackboard)
Oct. 21: FOURTH QUIZ
October 25: FIRST ESSAY DUE
Oct. 21-25: International Political Economy: Realism and Liberalism Revisited. Trade and
Finance
-Goldstein and Pevehouse: all of Chapter 5
-Nye and Welch: pp. 255-275 of Chapter 7 (globalization,
interdependence)
Oct. 28-Nov. 1: The Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and the “Great Recession”
- John Ravenhill, “The Study of Global Political Economy,” in
Ravenhill (ed.), Global Political Economy (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, 2011 (on
Blackboard)
-Daniel Drezner, “The Irony of Global Economic Governance: The
System Worked,” Council on Foreign Relations working paper, October 2012 (on
Blackboard)
Nov. 4: FIFTH QUIZ
Nov. 4-20: The Possibilities and Problems of International Cooperation: Oil/OPEC and the
European Union
-Goldstein and Pevehouse: pp. 228-241 of Chapter 6 (the EU)
-Nye and Welch: pp. 275-282 of Chapter 7 (oil)
-Joan Spero and Jeffrey Hart, The Politics of International Economic
Relations, Chapter 9 – “Oil and Politics” (on Blackboard)
Nov. 15: NO CLASS (I have to be out of town for a conference)
Nov. 20: SIXTH QUIZ
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Nov. 22 – NO CLASS (I have to be out of town for a conference)
Dec. 2: A Critique of Realism and Liberalism: Feminism
- Goldstein and Pevehouse, pp. 95-104 in Chapter 3 (gender)
Dec. 4: Conclusion of the Course – Final Essay Discussion
SECOND ESSAY DUE – date of final exam for this course as determined by Registrar
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
a) Assignments must be double-spaced typed. Letter size of the font may be no
smaller than the size used in this syllabus.
b) These essays are analytical, not research-based. You need not read anything
but the assigned readings to write them. You do, however, have to think about the
assigned readings and the lectures in order to write good essays.
c) The key to these essays is making an argument and supporting it with
references to the readings and lectures. Your answer to the question -- your thesis -should be clearly stated at the very outset of the paper. Give a brief overview of the
structure of your argument -- how you intend to support your thesis -- before launching
into your discussion of the cases. Make sure that when you do refer directly to a
reading that you properly cite the author(s). A full citation is not necessary. An
abbreviated citation (eg.: Goldstein and Pevehouse, p. 234) is sufficient. If you do cite a
source other than those included in the assigned readings, give the full citation.
d) Do yourself a favor. Write a first draft far enough ahead of the due date to
allow yourself the luxury of putting it away for a day, then coming back to it and reworking it.
First Essay -- Choose one of the following two questions. Due at the beginning of class
October 25. Length: maximum seven pages (double-spaced, typed).
1. Does realism as an approach to studying international relations dictate specific
policy choices to decision makers? Or could different people, beginning with the same
realist first principles, come to very different policy conclusions about specific issues?
Discuss this question by imagining yourself as a British policy maker in August 1914.
Make an argument, based on realist principles, for Britain taking an aggressive role in
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supporting France and Russia, even to the point of war, in the crisis. Then present an
argument, also based on realist principles, for Britain to remain aloof from the
developing crisis. (Remember, this is a question about realism. A good answer has to
discuss the basic principles of realism as a starting point, before getting into the details
of the two arguments.)
2. The crisis of August 1914 led to a world war. The many crises of the Cold War did
not. Is the only difference the presence of nuclear weapons? If so, explain how nuclear
weapons so drastically altered the security situation after 1945, with examples from the
Cold War. If not, describe the other relevant differences between the outbreak of World
War I and the Cold War that can explain why great power war occurred in the first case
and did not in the second. (A good answer to this question must be truly comparative - it must discuss both the World War I case and the Cold War case.)
Second Essay -- Due on the date set by the Registrar for the final exam in this course.
Length: maximum seven pages (double-spaced, typed).
Did the major economic powers, all members of a number of international economic
organizations (G-20, G-8, WTO, IMF), cooperate effectively during the “Great
Recession” crisis? Did membership in an international organization promote
cooperation among the states in OPEC and the EU? If so, why? If not, why not? Think
about your answer in terms of what realism and liberalism say about cooperation in the
international economic realm.
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