UPDATED: March 30, 2020

Updated parts of the syllabus are in bold font.

POL 101-01 World Politics (SPRING 2020)

SYLLABUS

Overview: Introduction to the theory and practice of the contemporary international

relations through the prism of international security, international political
economy, and global environmental issues.

SBC goals: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the interconnectedness of

the world, past and present, and a society and culture outside of the United
States.

Class hours: Monday and Friday 1:00 pm – 2:20 pm.

1) REQUIRED: Lecture notes and readings will be posted on
Blackboard before each meeting. You are required to study these
materials.
2) OPTIONAL: Synchronous meeting via Zoom. The link with
instructions will be posted on Blackboard. All class meetings are
optional. No new material will be presented. Instead, I will answer
any questions you may have about the readings posted on
Blackboard. You are required to study the material and complete
the readings before asking questions. Your questions should be
specific and tied to the readings. “Please, explain article X” is not
an example of a specific question.

Class homepage: Located on Blackboard

Instructor: Oleg Smirnov (oleg.smirnov@stonybrook.edu)

Emergency contact: If you cannot reach me, please email CAS_Dean@stonybrook.edu

Office hours: Wednesday: 11:00 pm – 1:00 pm. Via Zoom. The link with
instructions will be posted on Blackboard.

Readings:
1. Articles, or links to articles, posted on Blackboard throughout the semester.
2. Political world news coverage (e.g., http://news.google.com/, section “World”,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/, and so on).

Policy: We strictly follow Stony Brook University honor code and other policies. Course policies
are discussed below.

1
Grading:
Homework #1: 10%
Midterm examination #1: 20%
Online Quizzes: 70%

There will be a total of 6 online quizzes (given that we have 6 weeks left in the
semester). Each quiz will be open on Blackboard at 3:00 pm on Friday and it will be closed
at 1:00 pm on Monday. All quizzes are open notes but you are not allowed to get help from
other people. I will drop your TWO lowest quiz scores. In other words, only your FOUR
highest scores will count toward the 70% course weight.

Quiz dates and the schedule of topics:

Online Quiz 1, April 3 – Counter-terrorism and Counter-insurgency

Online Quiz 2, April 10
Online Quiz 3, April 17
Online Quiz 4, April 24
Online Quiz 5, May 1
Online Quiz 6, May 8
– Genocide in Rwanda, External Intervention
– United Nations, Millennium Development Goals
– International Political Economy, Trade, Development
– Politics of Climate Change, Part 1
– Politics of Climate Change, Part 2

There will be NO final examination.

Grading scale:
A: 93 – 100 C+: 77 – 79.99
A-: 90 – 92.99 C: 73 – 76.99
B+: 87 – 89.99 C-: 70 – 72.99
B: 83 – 86.99 D+: 67 – 69.99
B-: 80 – 82.99 D: 60 – 66.99
F: 0 – 59.99

How to calculate your grade:

Your course score = Homework #1 score * 0.1 + Homework #2 score * 0.1 +
+ (Average of your FOUR highest quiz scores) * 0.7 + extra credit

Sending an email to bump/raise/change your grade:

Please, do not. I will not respond to any such requests.

Extra credit:
Practice Test 1 is an extra credit with points added to your best quiz score: 2 points
if the answer was correct, and 1 point if the answer was incorrect.

INCOMPLETES AND MAKE-UP EXAMS

1. No incompletes.
2. There are no make-up exams. If you have a documented medical excuse, then the
weight of the missed exam will be added to the weight of the final examination. If you anticipate
a problem, please, contact me as soon as possible, at least a week before the exam.

2
Critical Incident Management:

Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other
people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior
that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or
inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are
required to follow their school-specific procedures.

Americans with Disabilities Act:

If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course
work, please contact Disability Support Services, ECC (Educational Communications Center)
Building, room 128, (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations, if
any, are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.

Academic Integrity:

Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for
all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty
are required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary.
Faculty in the Health Sciences Center (School of Health Technology & Management, Nursing,
Social Welfare, Dental Medicine) and School of Medicine are required to follow their school-
specific procedures. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including
categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website at
http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/

Student Accessibility Support Center:

If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability that may impact your
course work, please contact the Student Accessibility Support Center, 128 ECC Building,
(631) 632-6748, or at sasc@Stonybrook.edu. They will determine with you what
accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is
confidential.

Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss
their needs with their professors and the Student Accessibility Support Center.

For procedures and information go to the following website:

https://ehs.stonybrook.edu/programs/fire-safety/emergency-evacuation/evacuation-guide-
people-physical-disabilities and search Fire Safety and Evacuation and Disabilities.