University of Nevada, Las Vegas Department of Political Science Political Science 231, Section 005: World Politics Prof. Jonathan R. Strand Summer 2006, Session III Phone: 895-3356 E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: M & W 9:30-11:00 (and by appointment) Office: WRI B210 Course Content: This course surveys the subfield of political science concerned with the scientific study of power, institutions, structures, and change in international relations. The class discussions will focus on debates among different theoretical approaches to the study of international relations. After taking this course students will be familiar with concepts, theories, and methods used in the study of international relations. Course Requirements: Exams: There will be four 100 point exams. All make-up exams are scheduled for Friday August 11th at 11:20 a.m. Make-up exams will only be allowed when the instructor is notified in writing before the scheduled exam and only for verifiable and excusable grounds. Your lowest exam grade will be dropped. All exams and quizzes must be written in black ink, dark blue ink, or a “number 2” pencil. Exams and quizzes not conforming to this requirement will not be graded. Students who do not exercise intelligible penmanship will be penalized on their exam and quiz grades. Please note that all final exams must be taken during the last day of class and that make-up exams are not offered for the final exam. Students must obtain a scantron sheet for all exams. Class Participation and attendance, including quizzes, will account for another 50 points. Make-up quizzes will not be offered. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Missing more than 2 classes lowers your final grade by one-third (e.g., an A- turns into a B+). Missing more than 4 classes determines that your grade is an F. Students who arrive late or leave early will be marked absent. Disruptions – such as using a cell phone, text messenger, pager, computer or other device – will have a deleterious effect on your participation grade. The instructor requires all cell phones and pagers to be switched off during class. Electronic devices, including language translation equipment, may not be used during exams. Recording devices may not be used at anytime. Late assignments will be penalized 25 percent per day beyond the due date. Incompletes will only be offered when requested in writing on behalf of a student by the Chair of the Department of Political Science or the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. All grade disputes must be in writing. Students who expect to miss class because of the observance of a religious holiday will have an opportunity to make up missed work given that the instructor has been notified in writing regarding the anticipated absence by the last day of late registration. Students who expect to miss class due to an officially sanctioned, UNLV activity (e.g., intercollegiate athletics) must notify the instructor in writing at least 7 days prior to the anticipated absence and provide written verification of participation. Grading Scale Points Grade 326-350 A 315-325 A- 308-314 B+ 290-313 B 280-289 B- 273-279 C+ 255-272 C 245-254 C- 238-244 D+ 221-327 D 210-220 D- <220 FThe instructor reserves the right to have students’ assignments submitted electronically and assessed by plagiarism detection software. The University requires all members of the University Community to be familiar with and to follow copyright and fair use laws. To help familiarize yourself with copyright and fair use policies, the University encourages you to visit its copyright page at: www.unlv.edu/committees/copyright. Plagiarism of any form will result in a failing grade for the course and the instructor will file a case with the Office of Student Conduct. Required Text: Goldstein, J. S. and J.C. Pevehouse (2006) International Relations. 7th Edition, New York: Longman. The instructor expects students to read a major international news source on a regular basis. The instructor suggests the following: Economist (www.economist.com); Financial Times (www.ft.com); International Herald Tribune (www.iht.com); Asia Times (www.atimes.com). Student Accommodation: The UNLV Disability Resource Center (DRC) houses the resources for students with disabilities. If you have a documented disability that may require accommodations, you will need to contact the DRC for the coordination of services. The DRC is located in the Student Services Complex (SSC) room 137. The phone numbers are 702-895-0866 (voice), 702-895-0652 (TDD), and 702-895-0651 (Fax). For additional information please visit: www.unlv.edu/studentlinf/les. Course Outline: The instructor reserves the right to adjust this schedule as needed. Date Topic Readings 7/10 Introduction Goldstein Chapter 1 7/11 Realism Goldstein Chapter 2 7/12 Realism & Alternatives to Realism Goldstein Chapters 2 & 37/13 Alternatives to Realism Goldstein Chapter 3 7/14 Review & Exam 1 7/17 Foreign Policy Goldstein Chapter 4 7/18 Foreign Policy Goldstein Chapter 4 7/19 Conflict & War Goldstein Chapter 5 7/20 Conflict & War Goldstein Chapter 5 7/21 Military Force Goldstein Chapter 6 7/24 Review & Exam 2 7/25 International Law & Diplomacy Goldstein Chapter 7 7/26 International Law & Diplomacy Goldstein Chapter 7 7/27 International Trade Goldstein Chapter 8 7/28 International Trade Goldstein Chapter 8 7/31 International Monetary Relations Goldstein Chapter 9 8/1 International Monetary Relations Goldstein Chapter 9 8/2 Review & Exam 3 8/3 Integration Goldstein Chapter 10 8/4 Integration Goldstein Chapter 10 8/7 Global Environmental Politics Goldstein Chapter 11 8/8 Global Environmental Politics Goldstein Chapter 11 8/9 North-South Relations Goldstein Chapter 12 8/10 Development & Underdevelopment Goldstein Chapter 13 8/11 Review & Exam