This course examines various theoretical, historical and contemporary perspectives on world politics. Topics include international security, regional conflicts, international political economy and new global issues. Throughout the course, we will focus on three overarching questions: Why are relations among states in the international system so often characterized by conflict and rivalry? Why do disagreements sometimes escalate to the point of war? What are the conditions necessary to promote peace and cooperation?

Exams and Grading

 Grades will be based upon two in-class exams and the three writing projects described below. The mid-term exam will account for 25% of your total grade. The final exam will account for 30% of your total grade. The three writing projects will each account for 15% of your total grade.

Diplomacy

 Beginning on September 21, the entire class will participate in a strategy game called "Diplomacy." This game provides a loose simulation of political conditions in Europe prior to World War I. Following the simulation, each student will write a 3-4 page paper analyzing the progress and outcome of the game, including the role of such factors as geography, strategy and alliances.

Discussion Days and Reaction Papers

 Most class meetings will be organized around lecture. On eleven designated discussion days, students will break into groups to discuss their responses to contending views on controversial issues in world politics. Each student will serve as discussion leader for his/her group on two of these discussion days. It is the responsibility of the discussion leader to prepare a three page (double spaced) reaction paper in response to the readings and topic assigned for that day. This reaction paper should be distributed to other members of the group via quickmail at least 24 hours prior to the relevant class meeting. In class, group members will exchange views on the issues raised in the readings and in the reaction paper. Following the group discussion, the discussion leader will prepare a one page summary of the group's discussion, focusing on areas of agreement and disagreement. The reaction paper and the discussion report will be submitted for a grade by the next class meeting.

Required Books

The following books are available for puchase:

(K/W) Charles Kegley and Eugene Wittkopf, World Politics: Trend and Transformation, 7th ed., 1998

(Nye) Jospeh Nye, Understanding International Conflicts, 2nd ed., 1997

(AE) Helen Purkitt (ed.), Annual Editions: World Politics, 98/99, 19th ed., 1998

(TS) John Rourke (ed.), Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in World Politics, 8th ed., 1998

Reading Schedule

8/24:  Introduction to Course

 No Readings

I.  COMPETING THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON WORLD POLITICS

8/26:  The Realist Perspective

 K/W 27-30, 32-33

8/28: The Liberal Perspective

 K/W 24-27, 33-40, 341-343

8/31:  War: Nature and Causes

 K/W 346-367

9/2:  Taming International Conflict: Alliances and Balance of Power

 K/W 382-402, 462-482

 Nye, 50-59

9/4:  Taming International Conflict: International Law, International Organization and Collective Security

 K/W 502-540

 Nye 74-82

9/7:  Labor Day (no class)

9/10:  Discussion Day: Should the United Nations Control an International Police Force?

 TS: Schwartzberg, ìA New Perspective on Peacekeeping...î (200-212)

 TS: Hillen, ìPolicing the New World Order...î (213-223)

 II. HISTORICAL CASES: MAJOR CONFLICTS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

9/12:  World War I

 K/W 76-80

 Nye 59-71

9/14:  World War II

 K/W 80-86

 Nye 82-95

9/16:  The Cold War

 K/W 86-97

 Nye 98-116

9/18:  The End of the Cold War

 Nye 116-119

III. SIMULATING WORLD POLITICS

9/21:  Diplomacy Simulation

 Read instructions.

9/23:  Diplomacy Simulation

9/25:  Diplomacy Simulation

9/28:  Diplomacy Simulation

IV. PERSPECTIVES ON THE POST-COLD WAR WORLD

9/30:  Multi-Polarity

 K/W 97-103

10/2:  Discussion Day: Fragmentation or Integration?

 AE: Kaplan, ìThe Coming Anarchyî (10-14)

 TS: Glynn, ìThe Age of Balkanizationî (2-9)

 TS: Fukuyama, ìAgainst the New Pessimismî (10-17)

10/5:  Discussion Day: A Clash of Civilizations?

 Reserve Reading: Huntington, ìThe Clash of Civilizations?î

 Reserve Reading: Skidmore, ìHuntingtonís Clash: A Flawed Paradigmî

10/7: Mid-Term Exam

V. CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS IN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

10/9:  Arms Control and Nuclear Weapons

 K/W 402-406, 428-438, 482-499

 Nye 120-128

 AE: Clancy and Seitz, ìFive Minutes Past Midnight...î (184-192)

 AE: Sopko, ìThe Changing Proliferation Threat,î (193-199)

 AE: Arkin, ìWhatís New?î (200-205)

10/12:  Discussion Day: Who Needs Nukes?

 TS: Bethell, ìNo Nukes America,î (188-193)

 TS: Butler, ìEliminating Weapons of Mass Destruction...î (194-199)

10/14:  Discussion Day: Is Nationalism Destructive?

 K/W 174-185
 
 TS: Keane, ìNations, Nationalism and Citizens in Europe,î (312-324)

 TS: Cardus and Estruch, ìPolitically Correct Anti-Nationalism,î (325-333)

10/16:  Discussion Day: Does the Spread of Democracy Promote World Peace?

 TS: Ray: ìThe Democratic Path to Peace,î (242-254)

 TS: Caprioli: ìWhy Democracy?î (255-263)

 AE: Schlesinger, ìHas Democracy a Future?î (20-23)

10/19:  Fall Break (no class)

VI. REGIONAL PROBLEMS

10/21:  Discussion Day: Is NATO Expansion a Good Idea?

 TS: Albright, ìNATO: Partnership for Peace,î (18-25)

 TS: Clemons, ìAn Alternative to NATO Expansion,î (20-25)

 AE: Schwenninger, ìThe Case Against NATO Enlargementî (38-46)

 AE: Kaplan, ìThe Wrong Solution to the Wrong Problem...î (74-79)

10/23:  The Middle East

 AE: Peterson, ìMissiles Bring War Homeî (130-132)
 
 AE: The Economist, ìAmerica and the Arabs...î (133)

 AE: Smith, ìIraqís Drive for a Biological Arsenalî (134-137)

10/26: Russia and China

 K/W 414-419

 AE: Pipes, ìIs Russia Still an Enemy?î (68-73)

 AE: Kim, ìChina as a Great Powerî (112-117)

VII. INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY

10/28:  Wealth and Power

 K/W 206-224, 234-243

10/30:  International Monetary Politics

 K/W 224-234

 Reserve Reading: Skidmore, ìBalance of Payments, Exchange Rates, and Bretton Woodsî

11/2:  Globalization

 K/W 245-275

 AE: Rosenau, ìThe Complexities and Contradictions of Globalizationî (15-19)

 AE: Krugman, ìDutch Tulips and Emerging Marketsî (159-165)

11/4:  Discussion Day: Is the Current Trend Toward Global Economic Integration Desirable?

 TS: Weidenbaum, ìAmerican Isolationism versus the Global Economy...î (146-155)

 TS: Albo, ìThe World Economy, Market Imperatives and Alternativesî (156-167)

11/6:  North-South Relations

 K/W 105-132

 AE: The Economist, ìThe Free-Trade Winds Die Awayî (65)

 AE: Pearlstein and Smart, ìAs Asian Crisis Deepens, US Apprehension Growsî (154-158)

11/9:  Southern Development Strategies

 AE: Lee, ìTrade Policy and Developmentî (168-172)

 AE: Bornstein, ìThe Barefoot Bank with Cheekî (173-177)

11/11:  Multinational Corporations

 K/W 192-203

 AE: The Economist, ìWorldbeater, Inc.î (166-167)

11/13:  Discussion Day: Does Foreign Aid Help or Hurt?

 TS: Grant, ìJumpstarting Developmentî (168-177)
 TS: The Economist, ìThe Kindness of Strangersî (178-186)

VIII. NEW GLOBAL ISSUES

11/16: Discussion Day: Should the U.S. Promote Human Rights?

 TS: Tonelson, ìJettison the Policyî (228-235)

 TS: Posner, ìRally Around Human Rightsî (236-241)

11/18: International Organization: The United Nations

 K/W 145-157

 AE: Schlesinger, ìCan the United Nations Reform?î (28-212)

11/20:  International Organization: The European Union

 K/W 157-171

 AE: Isenberg, ìThe European Monetary Union...î (86-89)

11/23:  Global Environmental Problems

 K/W 277-343

11/25:  Thanksgiving Break (no class)

11/27:  Thanksgiving Break (no class)

11/30:  Discussion Day: Is There a Global Population Crisis?

 TS: Gore, ìThe Rapid Growth of the Human Populationî (350-358)

 TS: Avery, ìThe Myth of Global Hungerî (359-365)

12/2: 12/4: Non-State Actors in International Politics

 K/W 185-192

 AE: Priest, ìUS Activist Receives Nobel Peace Prize for Land Mine Campaignî (213-214)

 AE: Misser and Versi, ìSoldiers of Fortune...î (215-218)

12/7: The United States and the World

 AE: Schwarz, ìWhy America Thinks It Has to Run the Worldî (26-32)

 AE: Lippman, ìUS Diplomacyís Presence Shrinkingî (33-35)

12/9:  Conclusion: Whither World Politics in the 21st Century?

 K/W 547-560

Final Exam: Date and time to be announced.

Plagiarism is the action of using without due acknowledgment the thoughts, writing, scholarship, inventions of another.  It is often the result of carelessness or ignorance:  a person does not fully understand the importance of the issue or does not know the appropriate procedures for acknowledging sources.  But sometimes a person in full awareness submits as his own the ideas or work of someone else:  this is cheating and/or theft.  The University considers plagiarism a serious moral issue.  It is up to you to know how to avoid it.

Here is the general rule:  Provide enough information so that a reader can identify and refer to all the sources you have used in writing a particular work.

Guidelines for applying the general rule
1.  Word-for-word quotation:  When you incorporate into your work sentences or paragraphs or apt phrases from the work of another, you must use quotation marks around the borrowed words and you must identify the source, either in the text or in a footnote.

2.  Paraphrase:  If you have relied on another person's ideas or train of thought but changed the actual words used or the order of the ideas you still must acknowledge your source.

3.  Borrowed ideas:  When your ideas or opinions have been shaped by what you have read or lectures you have heard, you must acknowledge your source.

4.  Material and organization:  If you rely on factual material gathered by another person, you must acknowledge.  If you have relied on another person's way of organizing common material, you must acknowledge.  If you have relied on another person's method of analyzing material, you must acknowledge.

5.  How to acknowledge:  Depending on the context, your acknowledgment may be an informal side reference ("According to Blank. . ." or "In Blank's apposite phrase. . .") or it may be a formal footnote at the bottom of the page or on a final sheet of paper (showing author, title, city and date or publication, and page number where the material can be found).

6.  Exceptions to the rule:  You need not footnote information that is common knowledge ("Columbus discovered America in 1492") or an opinion or idea expressed by many people ("Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies") or dictionary definitions.

7.  Err on the side or over-acknowledgment:  Be generous and open in giving credit for any source of help.

The discussion of plagiarism in Stone and Bell, Prose Style (New York, 1977), pp. 252-258 will be helpful, as an earlier edition of the same book helped in the preparation of this statement.