Political Science 150 International Relations Spring 2011 Course Information Instructor Meeting Times Mark J C Crescenzi Office Hamilton 364 Phone 919 962 0401 Email crescenzi unc edu Lecture MW 11 00 11 50pm Hamilton 100 Office Hours Tu 9 00 12 00 Course Description This course is designed to achieve two objectives 1 to introduce you to some of the most important topics and puzzles in the study of international relations and 2 to provide you with some analytic concepts that can be used to study world politics The course is designed to teach you how to think about politics in the global arena and to prepare you for more advanced courses in international relations I do not presume any exposure to the field of international relations and there are no prerequisites for the course We will frequently refer to important historical and current events as examples and applications of the theories and concepts taught in this course so if you do not already have your favorite source of news or history now is a good time to find one I recommend the New York Times Economist BBC World News and Foreign Policy all available online but any favorite new source or two will do Course Requirements Your grade for this course will be based on your performance on two midterm exams and one final exam a writing assignment requiring at least ten pages of writing and participation in your recitation section Each midterm exam is worth 20 of your grade The final exam is worth 30 of your grade The writing assignment is worth 15 of your course grade The recitation section will count for the remaining 15 of the final grade The recitation is a required component of this course Exams The midterm and final exams are in class closed book notes They will be a combination of short answer and essay questions Please come early on exam days in order to use the entire class period for the exam Important You must turn in your exam to your own TA Exams not handed directly to your TA will not be accepted The final exam will be cumulative Policy on Unexcused Absences and Make Up Exams You are required to be present for all scheduled exams The only allowable exception to this policy is a documented medical emergency If you miss a scheduled exam you may be allowed to take a make up test but there will be a substantial penalty Papers Because this course fulfills a perspectives requirement you are required by the University to write ten pages of nonexam material during the semester Your TA will provide the specific writing assignment s for your recitation Writing assignments are due in class on April 27th unless otherwise specified by your TA POLI 150 Spring 2011 Recitations Your recitation section plays an important role in this course It is your best opportunity for active learning and discussing the material critically The recitation also allows you to explore topics in depth that we cannot adequately cover in class Attendance is required and regular active participation is expected Students are allowed up to two unexcused absences from recitation sections Each subsequent unexcused absence will result in a 5 penalty in the recitation grade The recitation grade will be evaluated based on attendance and participation Students who attend regularly but do not participate in discussions should expect a low grade for this portion of the course Course Materials The following required book is available in the UNC Bookstore All other readings are available electronically via the UNC library e journals and e resources databases or on the course Blackboard website Frieden Jeffrey David Lake and Kenneth Schultz 2010 World Politics Interests Interactions Institutions W W Norton Company New York London Important Dates Midterm Exam 1 February 23 Midterm Exam 2 April 4 Final Exam Saturday April 30 12 00 PM Expectations Please turn your mobile phones off or to silent mode before class No calls no IMs no text messaging during class On exam days your phones must be powered down and put away Laptops are permitted for class purposes only Please do not use your laptops for email IM games web surfing or any activity that is unrelated to the course I know it sounds horrible but you can do it Learning by lecture is hard enough and you distract yourself and your neighbors when you use phones laptops for anything non course related Email Please try to remember that there are almost 300 of you Consequently I cannot answer all email immediately and it may take me some time to respond If you need to notify me of something important e g absence from an exam come to my office hours before the exam If you have an emergency and cant inform me in person you may do so by email but you will need to follow up with an office visit when you are able If you have course related questions that require a detailed response from me e g review questions the night before a test email is not likely to work Come see me during office hours Honor Code The Honor Code is in effect in this class and all others at the University I am committed to treating Honor Code violations seriously and urge all students to become familiar with its terms set out at http instrument unc edu If you have questions it is your responsibility to ask about the Codes application All exams written work and other projects must be submitted with a statement that you have complied with the requirements of the Honor Code in all aspects of the submitted work 1 1 From an August 21 2003 Memo from Robert Shelton Provost and Judith Wegner Chair of the Faculty 2 POLI 150 Spring 2011 Calendar and Class Schedule Date Topic Lecture Readings Recitation Readings January 10 Introduction Frieden Lake Schultz FLS Introduction Recitations Meet No readings assigned this week January 12 What is International Relations Defining The Actors FLS Chaper 2 44 62 January 17 MLK Holiday No Lecture W F Recitations Meet China Emerging Threat or Partner January 19 Power Order Fareed Zakaria The Future of American Power How America Can Survive the Rise of the Rest Foreign Affairs 87 Feb 18 2008 John Ikenberry The Rise of China and the Future of the West Foreign Affairs Vol 87 1 2008 Richard Haas The Age of Nonpolarity What Will Follow US Dominance Foreign Affairs Vol 87 3 2008 Zheng Bijian China s Peaceful Rise to Great Power Status Foreign Affairs Vol 84 5 2005 January 24 Interactions and Institutions FLS Chapter 2 62 80 The War in Afghanistan Part I January 26 The Puzzle of International War FLS Chapter 3 Biddle et al 2010 Defining