PSC 102 Introduction to International Politics Course Syllabus Fall 2008 Instructor: Kunchok Youdon Class schedule: MWF 3:00-3:50pm Office: 415 Park Hall Location: 222 NSC Phone: 716-645-8430 Office Hours: T 10:00-12:00 E-mail: [email protected] Course Description This class is designed to expose students to not only international relations but also the objectives and methods of the political science discipline. Two principal areas of study make-up international relations, international security and international political economy, and thus, comprise the first and second halves of the semester respectively. International security is concerned primarily with violent or potentially violent interstate interaction, while international political economy focuses on trade and monetary relations between nations and transnational organizations. As will be shown, the line dividing these two subfields is sometimes blurred, perhaps with greater regularity in today’s globalized economy. The goals of this class are numerous but achievable by all no matter their educational background or professional aspirations. For instance, I expect that all of you learn to think about international politics critically and from a variety of theoretical perspectives. The world you live in is dramatically different from that of your grandparents or even your parents, and as a result, becoming a responsible citizen requires a much greater international knowledge base. In addition, attentive students should acquire the basic skills necessary to begin to think about politics scientifically. This entails garnering appreciation for the importance of clear concepts, precise variable measurement, testable hypotheses, and empirical evidence. Finally, by the conclusion of the semester each student should be able to look back and feel that they have new insight into a foreign country or a particular international issue of interest to them. Regardless of your career ambitions or educational philosophy, specialization is a crucial asset in the 21st century marketplace and I hope all of you can at least start to accumulate knowledge in a specific area of international politics that may be of use to you in upper division courses and/or after graduation. Required Textbook Goldstein, Joshua S. and Jon C. Pevehouse. 2008. International Relations 8th Edition. Pearson Longman. (Available at the UB Book Store or the College Store on Maple Rd.) Additional Readings In addition to the above textbook, journal articles and book chapters are assigned for various weeks. This material is available from three different sources (JSTOR, Electronic Journals, and UBLearns), the first two of which are accessible through the university’s library homepage (ublib.buffalo.edu):To access the ―JSTOR‖ articles do the following: 1. Get connected to the internet… 2. Go to http://ublib.buffalo.edu 3. Find the Quick Links heading on the left of the web-page. 4. Click on Resources by Subject 5. Click on Political Science. 6. Click on JSTOR 7. Click on Search JSTOR (advanced search) 8. Then type in your search terms. For example, for your first article, under SEARCH FOR type in ―David Singer‖ (Make sure the AUTHOR is selected in the box to the right) and below, under SEARCH IN check ―All Political Science Journals.‖ To access the ―Electronic Journal‖ articles, hereafter referred to as ―EJ‖, do the following: 1. Get connected to the internet… 2. Go to http://ublib.buffalo.edu 3. Find the Quick Links heading on the left of the web-page. 4. Click on Electronic Journals 5. Search for the journal cited for that particular reading 6. Select one of the available databases 7. Search either by author, title, or issue/volume To access material via UBLearns, do the following: 1. Get connected to the internet… 2. Go to your MYUB page and find the UBLearns link at the bottom left of the screen 3. Sign into UBLearns 4. Select the appropriate class 5. Click the Course Documents tab on the left side of the page 6. Click on the assigned reading(s) It is very easy to access this material from any computer on campus or on a computer from home. There are handouts at the front desk of the library which explain how to do this. If you can not figure it out, talk to a librarian or come speak with me during office hours. Course Requirements: Final grades will be based on the following criteria: 1.) Two Examinations (70%) Exams will consist of multiple-choice, true/false, short answer, and/or essay questions taken from lectures, important current events discussed in class, videos, and assigned readings. Each exam is worth 35% of the student’s final grade.2.) Attendance and class participation (30%) Attendance will be taken randomly throughout the semester and is required because of the infrequency of our meetings. Because the size of the class prohibits lively class discussions, the participation component will be based primarily on in-class group project presentations. Grading: The breakdown for final grades is as follows: (A) 93-100% (C) 73-76.9% (A-) 90-92.9% (C-) 70-72.9% (B+) 87-89.9% (D+) 67-69.9% (B) 83-86.9% (D) 63-66.9% (B-) 80-82.9% (D-) 60-62.9% (C+) 77-79.9% (F) < 60% Make-up Exams and Incompletes Make-up exams are available only to students with a medical or personal emergency (e.g. death in the family). Students must notify me well in advance of the exam (via email, phone, etc.) if they are going to be absent and provide documentation justifying the absence in a timely manner. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in the denial of a make-up exam and an automatic ―0‖. Note the university’s policy on incomplete (I) grades: ―A grade of incomplete may be given to a student who has not completed all of the assigned work in a course, if he/she has a passing average, and there exists a well defined means by which the course requirements can be completed…‖. An incomplete is given only in exceptional circumstances—for very grave and ongoing situations. For more information see: http://undergrad-catalog.buffalo.edu/policies/grading/explanation.shtml Classroom Etiquette Please arrive to class on time and with your cell phone off or on vibrate. Repeated tardiness or interruptions (e.g. a ringing cell phone) may adversely affect your participation grade. Feel free to bring beverages to