PLS 200 International Relations

This course introduces students to basic principles and practices related to international relations. It starts with an overview of the field, discussing the major historical patterns that have shaped the evolution of the international system. Subsequently, a more theoretical perspective about international security discusses many of the key concepts that have defined the field such as levels of analysis, realism, bargaining, balance of power, and hegemony. The emergence of a post Cold War order, highlighting changes since the dissolution of the Soviet Union will also receive attention.

A second segment deals with international political economy. Moving away from the focus on security issues, this section will turn attention to the emergence of a liberal world trading regime, theoretical orientations regarding trade policies, how well the current trade regime works, and efforts to define and enforce its rules (e.g., GATT, WTO). Global trends such as those affecting the environment, global distributions of resources, economic development efforts in the Third World and the relations between the developed "North" and less developed "South" will be reviewed as time permits.

The format will be a mixture of lecture and class participation. The course will follow the textbook reading closely, so students will be expected to come to class ready to discuss and apply ideas and arguments drawn from the textbook. Current event discussions on relevant topics will often be used to introduce and examine concepts drawn from the text and more generally to familiarize students with how analyses can be applied to events unfolding on a daily basis.

Class discussion of topics forms a vital part of the learning process for this course.

Overall learning objectives are such that by the end of this course, students will be able to:

There is one textbook which is required for this course: International Relations, by Joshua Goldstein, (NY: Longman, 2011, 9th edition. A recent but older edition is acceptable although chapter headings may not be the same). Other readings may be posted by the instructor. It is also suggested that students read a print or online version of major daily newspaper to keep up with world events (Washington Post, New York Times). A book purchase may also be needed to complete the book review assignment.

The textbook publisher has developed an accompanying website which students might like to visit: www.internationalrelations.net

Angel Learning Management System: AACC currently utilizes the Angel learning management system or organize online materials to be used in classrooms, either online or traditional. In our case, the class format is traditional (face-to-face), but Angel is used for the following:

· Posting all the lectures (PowerPoint presentations), the syllabus, essay questions for the examinations and any class announcements;

· Allowing students to convey their term assignments by using the appropriate dropboxes; and,

This class will maintain a companion Web site that Dr. Nataf will occasionally use to access external resources such as maps or documents. The address is: http://ola4.aacc.edu/ddnataf/pls200.html. You can access this site through MYAACC if you don’t have the link conveniently at hand.

EXAMS: There will be three major essay-only exams in this course covering major sections of the course. They will each feature a question that will be posted online ahead of the exam, but the exams themselves will be closed-book and entirely written in class.

QUIZZES: There will be a graded quiz for each chapter of the reading focusing on material covered in the textbook and in lecture. These quizzes are an important part of your total grade (32.5%). Quizzes will be available through the ANGEL learning management system accessed through MYAACC. These quizzes must be completed no later than midnight of the class day prior to the exam - thus, if the exam is Thursday, you must have completed quizzes for that section of the course by midnight Tuesday (the exception is that the final quizzes are due December 10, the day before the final examination. After that point, students will be locked out, with students registering a '0' for any quizzes for that section not taken by that time. There are NO exceptions - you are encouraged to take the quizzes as we complete each chapter of the book to avoid any last minute complications.

Term Assignment – Written Book Review and Oral Presentation (Deadlines: October 4 for book selection; November 15 for the finished report and PowerPoint presentation)

Each student will be required to complete a book review assignment. You may choose from a list of books found at http://ola4.aacc.edu/ddnataf/pls200/pls200bookreport.htm (also accessible via the home page or Angel). Other unlisted recent books dealing with international relations will be considered – check with Dr. Nataf.

Paper: The written part of this assignment is a book review in which you will consider the following elements:

(1) Who is the author; why should readers trust her/his views; what are the author’s goals in writing the book?

(3) What are the major theoretical perspectives or assumptions made by the author? Does the author situate his/her work in a general debate by mentioning other authors or positions with which to contrast his/her own positions?

(4) What are the work’s major strengths and weaknesses, both stylistically and substantively?

· What evidence or arguments should the author have also considered that might have led to different conclusions?

(4a) Present at least one substantive critique of an argument made by the author.

(5) What are the major ‘lessons’ we can draw about international relations and policy making from this work?

In constructing your paper, you are encouraged to tap a wide variety of sources – other reviews, other works on the topic, off-line and online. However, remember that the point of this exercise is to have YOU think through the material and come up with your own creative synthesis. Do NOT plagiarize and always give credit to others who you are citing using the rules below:

Format: Double spaced, 12 point Times Roman font, 1 inch margins all around. Footnotes should be at the back of the paper (endnotes). Any bibliographic citations (in text and/or end of text) should follow the American Psychological Association style which can be found in a summarized manner at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

Oral Presentation: Starting Nov 15 or 20 (depending on the number of students in class), students will be orally presenting their book reports in PowerPoint format each class period during the rest of the semester. The total length of the presentation shall not exceed 10 minutes although sometimes questions extend this a bit. A typical presentation will include no more than 10 slides. Minimize the use of time-consuming sounds and animations. You should cover the major points discussed in your written paper. You should also tell us about the author and mention whether you were able to find any other reviews of this author's work. You might include graphics (e.g., photo of the author, a map of an area, a photo of relevant sites), quotes, tables and any other material that will help the audience better understand the book.

The goal of the presentation is to summarize and annotate the slides – DO NOT READ THE SLIDES directly. This will require practice – try to deliver the presentation once or twice at least prior to coming to class. Students in the audience will be provided with an evaluation sheet to judge your effectiveness. Dr. Nataf will give some consideration to students’ evaluations/comments when deciding upon final grades for this assignment.

Before the due date, Dr. Nataf will review your PowerPoint presentation and offer suggestions. If you are unfamiliar with the PowerPoint program, Dr. Nataf will work with you out of class to provide you with sufficient skills to get you through the presentation. Don't hesitate to ask for assistance!

Grading Criteria: The criteria used to assess written and oral work are as follows:

(1) Requirements: Essays, papers or PowerPoint presentations are delivered on time and meet other minimum requirements for length and topicality. Unexcused (that is, a situation in which Dr. Nataf is NOT made aware of a delay or absence PRIOR to the due date) lateness will result in a 10 percent penalty in your grade. PowerPoint presentations may NOT be rescheduled without an excused absence. Should you fail to make your presentation, that part of the assignment will be graded only on the quality of the Powerpoint slides as judged by Dr. Nataf; there will be a major downgrading of the overall grade however. This element of your grade will only be factored into the overall grade if you fail to meet these requirements; otherwise, only items 2 through 5 will be individually scored to compose your overall numeric grade.

(2) Quality of the prose: Your essay's prose is written in grammatically correct English; it has no spelling or grammatical errors; it shows a sound understanding of the structure of a good sentence and paragraph. It is formally composed, and avoids slang or expressions likely to be used in informal conversation. Watch out for words that are easily and frequently misspelled such as its and it’s, there, their and they’re – and avoid common mistakes regarding the placement of ending punctuation such as periods, especially when combined with quotation marks (should be ….” and not …”. In almost all cases, exclamation marks and question marks fall within the quotation. If in doubt, check online at sites such as www.grammarbook.com.

Presentation: add to above - Makes effective use of clear bullet points but doesn’t merely read or repeat material that is presented on the slide.

(3) Focus/Organization: Your essay establishes its central idea(s) or themes clearly in each paragraph and throughout the essay. Each paragraph is logically linked to the main ideas/themes and all sentences within the paragraphs serve to further develop and maintain this focus. There is a balance within the organization of the essay so that each topic is effectively articulated and sufficiently considered.
Presentation: add to above – Effectively annotates slides to clarify meaning of major points. Slides address the major issues needed for this assignment. Presentation has been rehearsed and timed so that it is smoothly delivered within 10 minute time period.

(4) Development: Your essay demonstrates a mastery over logical argumentation and the proper utilization of supportive evidence. When appropriate, specific examples from the text or verifiable sources illustrate your ideas. Examples are clearly cited (e.g., "In Husain (p. 23), the author argues that..."). Longer papers should have formal footnotes as well as a bibliography, typically in APA format as mentioned above.
Presentation: add to above – Uses quotes, tables, charts, short videos, or other visuals to enhance the audience’s understanding of the material.

(5) Insight/Relevance/Overall achievement of assignment goals: The degree to which your essay is relevant and shows insight into your theme/topic. Your essay explores the complexity of your subject and the subtly of your thinking through examples, logic, and acknowledgement of ideas contrary to your own. There is an attempt to integrate course concepts or themes into the paper. The essay has a creative quality - an ability to reveal non-obvious conclusions and linkages. The essay combines creative, descriptive and critical analysis effectively in general.
Presentation: add to above – Thoughtful combination of elements using the visual elements of the PowerPoint format to maximum advantage.

As the Internet is becoming increasingly useful as a research tool, the assignment described below emphasizes its use.

Your assignment will be to write at least a 4 page paper (Note special format: single spaced, 12 point Times Roman font, 1 inch margins) in which you review three international relations oriented Web sites. Your review should show that you have carefully investigated the main elements of the site and not just looked at the home page. Thus, your discussion should use examples which show that you have navigated throughout the site. Specifically, you shall evaluate the sites along the following lines:

· Ease of Use – It is well organized, are the areas clearly set out, would a novice get lost in it?

· Visual Appearance – How effectively does it use graphics? Is the screen display appealing?

· Usefulness of Content – Could a student of IR really benefit from the material presented?

· Usefulness of Hyperlinks – Do the hyperlinks seem relevant? Are they current? Are they both internal and external?

· Overall Grade – What is your overall appraisal? Would you recommend this site to others?

You should close the review of each site with a recommendation for improvement.

=> Each of the five items above should have a numeric grade using the scale below (whole numbers only)
1 2 3 4
Poor Average Good Excellent

The rest of the report should provide justification for the numeric grade assigned as well as identify at least one area for improvement.

The following are some sample Web addresses that deal with International Relations –

PLEASE DON’T FEEL COMPELLED TO CHOOSE ONE OF THESE – THESE ARE ONLY EXAMPLES:

As a means of complementing students' academic preparation with relevant experiential learning, students will have the opportunity to participate in this semester’s public interest survey conducted by the Center for the Study of Local Issues (CSLI - http://www2.aacc.edu/csli). Dr. Nataf is the director of this center. The main part of survey will occur October 15-18.

The purpose of your participation is twofold:
(1) It will allow you to gain valuable insights about how surveys are conceived, administrated, analyzed and reported. By the end of the process, you will have experienced the many facets of the survey process, which is part of standard social science methodologies.

(2) Your participation is an important part of your social and civic responsibility as you will have contributed to the community by helping generate public opinion findings useful for policy making. Important people, the media and the general public all have come to regard CSLI's surveys of Anne Arundel County residents as a vital way keeping current on the state of local opinion. These surveys have been acknowledged by a wide range of policy-makers throughout Maryland. Without student participation, this valuable community service could not be continued.

What is required of you? There are four meetings you will be required to attend (with a fifth meeting optional). These are as follows:

Optional: A meeting on Sept. 13, 5 p.m. in the faculty/staff dining room (SUN 102) to discuss the actual content of the survey and to find out more about the Center for the Study of Local Issues.

(1) Required: A meeting to review the survey process and become familiar with previous findings (October 11 (5-7 p.m.) or 12 (2-4 p.m.) in Careers 118).

(2-3) Two nights (5:30-9:00 p.m. first night, 6-9:00 p.m. second night) spent on the telephone calling residents. The first night will include a brief training period in telephone and marking instructions (week of October 15-18 in the Careers building, check room 132).

(4) A meeting to discuss the findings and the entire process (October 25 (5-7 p.m.) or 26 (2-4 p.m.) in Careers 262.

A short 1 and 1/2 to 2 page paper (double spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point Times Roman) summarizing what you did, what you learned and any recommendations or suggestions should be provided within one week of the last meeting.

Incentive: All students who choose to participate in the survey will be rewarded in two ways: (1) by being able to write the essay for the final exams at home, to be turned in (or emailed) the day of the final examination. (2) Students will also receive an additional 3 points counting towards your final grade (using a 100 point scale). You will receive an additional point for every additional night you volunteer (maximum 4 points).

Other CSLI opportunities: Extra credit in this course will be available to those who participate in the CSLI Student Club (http://www2.aacc.edu/csli/csliclub.htm). While "membership" in the club is strictly voluntary, attendance at selected events sponsored by the club will be rewarded. For club events that are 'extra-credit eligible' (check with Dr. Nataf) and for which a written, two-page, double spaced summary of each event is provided, an extra point will be added to your final grade. Examples of extra-credit eligible events are interviews with community and government leaders, field trips, topical group discussions, candidate presentations/forums, etc. The exact topic is less important than participating in the exposure to the speakers or issues covered.

Assignment/Test	Percentage
First mid-term examination	10
Second mid-Term examination	15
Final examination	15
Book report	15
Internet Report	7.5
Quizzes	32.5
Class Attendance and Participation	5
Total	100

Rescheduled Exams: If you are planning to take the exam on anything other than the scheduled exam date announced in class, you must EMAIL Dr. Nataf so that he has an electronic record of your request at least one week prior to the exam date. Failure to do so may result in a test not being available when you expect it to be or an inability to take the exam altogether.

Attendance, Class Decorum: Students are expected to attend class lectures. Two unexcused absences are permitted; if a student misses class more than twice without a valid excuse (e.g., medical or family emergency), points will be deducted from the "class attendance and participation" score. Starting in fall 2011, all instructors are REQUIRED by the college to take daily attendance, so there will be a clear record of your attendance in class.
Civility in the classroom: Please show proper respect for other students' opinions, no matter how intensely you may disagree with them. By contrast, disruptive students or those who demonstrate a lack of interest in the subject or lack of respect for other students or the instructor will be penalized based on the “class attendance and participation grade.” Severe disciplinary cases will be subject to removal from class following college policy.

Academic Integrity, Computer Access and Usage Policy, ADA (Special Needs) Statement, Course Withdrawal

Those students with special needs should contact Dr. Nataf so any necessary accommodations can be made.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY	All work turned in by a student must be his/her own. When in doubt, don't just 'cut and paste' and always provide citations. Avoid citing Wikipedia as a primary source. Please refer to the current college catalog for a complete description of the college policy on academic integrity. Any violations of the policy will be handled as outlined in the catalog.
COMPUTER AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION ACCESS AND USAGE POLICY	Access to computer and electronic communication resources, such as the Internet, e-mail, computer labs, and networks is governed by college policy as well as federal, state, and local laws. Acceptable uses of computer and electronic communication resources are those that support the purposes of teaching and learning. Individuals who inappropriately or illegally use computer and network services and resources may incur all applicable college and legal penalties for such misuse.
ADA STATEMENT	Students who have need of special accommodations due to a physical or learning disabilities should contact the Disabled Student Services (DSS) Office at (410) 777-2307. Special scheduling of tests and other exercises require such contact.
WITHDRAWAL	If withdrawal from the course becomes necessary due to work, family obligations, etc., the student must file a withdrawal form in person at the Records and Registration Office before the cutoff date above in order to avoid a grade of "F" at the end of the semester.

August 28-Sept. 6: Chapter 1 – History and a Shifting Context for International Relations

Sept. 20-27: Chapters 3 and 4 – Chapter 3 -Liberal Theories/Foreign Policy pages 85-96 only. Read ALL of chapter 4.

· First meeting: either Oct. 11 (5-7 p.m.) or Oct. 12 (2-4 p.m.) in Careers 118
Telephone interviewing: 2 evenings, Oct. 15-18, 5:30-9:00 (first night) 6:00-9:00 p.m. (second night) in Careers 118

· Final meeting: either Oct. 25 (5-7 p.m.) or Oct. 26 (2-4 p.m.) in Careers 262

Book report: Both written and PowerPoint due on Nov. 15 (attach to dropbox in Angel)

Nov. 27-end of semester: Chapter 11 – Environment and Population (if time permits), but mostly student presentations

Dec. 10: Due date for final quizzes – chapters 8, 9, 11 (chapter 11 if covered in class only).

Dec. 4: Internet Report due
Final Examination – Tuesday Dec. 11, 2:45-4:45 p.m.