Political Science 5,
International Relations
Fall 2006,
Dr. Matt Wetstein
Office: Cunningham 417
Phone: 954-5736
Classroom: Cunningham 119
Email: mwetstein@deltacollege.edu
Website: http://www.deltacollege.edu/emp/mwetstein
Office Hours (by
appointment, or):
Monday, 9:00 – 10:00
Tuesday, 11:00 – 12:00
Wednesday, 9:00 – 10:00
Thursday, 11:00 – 12:00
Friday, 9:00 – 10:00
Textbooks
Karen
Mingst. 2004. Essentials
of International Relations, 3rd edition.
Matthew Wetstein,
ed. 2006. Among
Nations:
John Allen and
Elizabeth Leppman. 2006. Student
Atlas of World Politics, 7th edition.
Grading and
Assignments
The final semester grade will be based on an accumulation of points earned on exams, quizzes, assignments, and in-class participation. The percentages assigned to each category are listed below:
Quizzes & in-class activities 10%
Midterm Exam 25%
STATA Assignment – data analysis 20%
Research paper 20%
Final Exam 25%
Grading Scale
Grades fall along a “straight grading scale” that does not introduce a curve (90 to 100 = A; 80 to 89.9 = B; 70 to 79.9 = C; 60 to 69.9 = D; under 60 = F). Late papers will be penalized 1/3 of a letter grade for each day that they are late (this includes weekend days). Thus, an "A" paper turned in three days late can earn a grade no higher than a "B." Copies of assignments that are handed in via electronic means must also be printed out by the student and turned in at the next class session in order to be graded.
Regular attendance for class sessions is the best way to guarantee strong performance on quizzes and in-class activities. The STATA assignment will require you to enter data on a computer and engage in quantitative analysis of data drawn from the Student Atlas of World Politics or another data repository. You will be required to hand in graphs or tables demonstrating your work, along with a three-page narrative description of the hypotheses you tested, your results, and your overall impression of the project. I will provide guidance on this assignment during visits to my office. The research paper topics will be assigned to you early in the semester, and papers must explicitly address topics that I have assigned. The mid-term and final exams carry equal weight, and represent 50% of your semester grade. Make-up exams will be given only at the consent of the instructor AHEAD of the scheduled test, and only if a compelling reason is offered for missing the exam.
Social Science Division Classroom Expectations
It is expected that students in all Social Science Division classes will:
1. be attentive to, and participate in, all instructional activities.
2. be courteous to people with different perspectives and values.
3. be respectful of all persons.
4. be on time.
5. not leave early without instructor permission.
6. not disrupt class sessions by inappropriate behavior.
7. not cheat on assignments or examinations.
8. not engage in plagiarism.
9. not eat, drink, or smoke in classrooms.
10. make use of instructor office hours during designated times.
Withdrawal from the Course
Under college policies, students bear the responsibility of withdrawing from a class if they choose to stop attending class. Students who fail to drop the class and stop attending will receive an "F" for the final course grade. The final day to drop a class without receiving a grade is September 15, 2006. The final day to drop a class while receiving a “W” grade is November 17, 2006.
Plagiarism
Students should be aware that there are severe consequences for violations of academic integrity such as cheating or plagiarism (turning in work that is not your own, without proper credit to the original author). Students who are found to have cheated or committed plagiarism will face disciplinary action under the College's Student Conduct Code. As an instructor, I will penalize any student guilty of plagiarism with an "F" for that assignment (A ZERO GRADE), and a 10-point deduction on the final semester grade. Depending on the nature of the violation, I may also refer the instance of plagiarism to the Vice President of Student Affairs for possible suspension from the College. Thus, any student found guilty of plagiarism will receive NEGATIVE points toward their semester grade, and may face a suspension. A student's continued presence in the class throughout the semester will be considered as acknowledgment of this plagiarism policy.
Schedule
of
Week of Aug. 17 Approaches to the Study of International Relations
Read: Mingst, Chapter 1
Week of Aug. 21 Historical Context of International Relations
Read: Mingst, Chapter 2
George Kennan (X), “The Sources of Soviet Conduct”
Week of Aug. 28 Theoretical Approaches: Realism & Liberalism
Read: Mingst, Chapter 3
Michael Doyle, “Liberalism and World Politics”
Week of Sep. 4 Theory Part 2: Neorealism & Neoliberalism
Read: John Ruggie, “International Regimes”
NO
CLASS Monday, Sep. 4 (Labor Day
Week of Sep. 11 Models of Foreign Policy & State Power
Read: Mingst, Chapter 5
Graham Allison, “Conceptual Models and the Cuban
Missile Crisis”
Week of Sep. 18 Individuals, the State, & War
Read: Mingst, Chapter 8
Movie, “The Fog of War”
Week of Sep. 25 The War in
Read: James Rubin, “Stumbling Into War”
Week of Oct. 2 The War in
Read:
Larry Diamond, “What Went Wrong in
Kenneth Pollack, “Spies, Lies, and Weapons”
Week of Oct. 9 Public Opinion & Foreign Policy Constraints
Read: Joseph Nye, “Soft Power & U.S. Foreign Policy”
Daniel Yankelovich, “Poll Position: What Americans
Really Think”
Week of Oct. 16 No readings scheduled
MID-TERM EXAM, Monday Oct. 16
Week of Oct. 23 International Organizations & the United Nations
Read: Mingst, Chapter 7
Michael Glennon, “Why the Security Council Failed”
Shashi
Tharoor, “Why
Week of Oct. 30 Trade and International Political Economy
Read: Mingst, Chapter 9
Week of Nov. 6 World Trade Conflicts: The WTO & its Critics
Read: S. Esserman & R. Howse, “The WTO on Trial”
M.
Weinstein &
NO CLASS, Friday, Nov. 10 (Veterans Day)
Week of Nov. 13 Globalization & State Branding
Read:
Peter van Ham, “Rise of the
STATA ASSIGNMENT DUE – Monday Nov. 13
Week of Nov. 20 Global Warming & the Greenhouse Effect
Read:
John Browne, “Beyond
Week of Nov. 27 No
Movie, “An Inconvenient Truth”
NO
CLASS Friday, Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving
Week of Dec. 4 Resource Management & Cartels
Read: Mingst, 280-96
John T. Swing, “What Future for the Oceans”
Week of Dec. 11 Tropical Deforestation & Regime Formation
Read: M. Wetstein, “The Politics of Tropical Timber”
(handout from instructor)
Week of Dec. 15-21 FINAL EXAM Tuesday, Dec. 19, 8:00 – 9:50