POS160: Global Politics

Instructor: Time and location:

Charles G. Ripley, Ph.D. Online: Canvas
School of Politics and Global Studies May 18 – June 26
Coor Hall 6780 Summer 2020
cgripley@asu.edu Office hours: Flexible

Course Description

Goal of the course: The goal of this survey course is to familiarize students with the major
theories, debates, and issues in international relations (IR). IR is an exciting academic discipline
that allows students to examine a wide array of global subjects such as economic development,
terrorism, immigration, and the environment. Therefore, students must be prepared to not only
keep up with the readings, but also demonstrate a profound understanding of the principal trends
in IR scholarship. In addition to learning the theories and debates related to IR, we will be
applying what we learn to the real world; subjects as diverse as the rise of China, nuclear
proliferation, and world poverty will have a central role in class discussion.

Learning outcomes: Upon completion of this course, students will not only understand the
theories and methods related to international relations scholarship, but also apply these theories
and methods to the real world. For example, if we live in a world based on anarchy, is Iran´s
quest for nuclear capability rational or irrational? Does the Clash of Civilizations help explain
political violence in parts of the world? But remember that the social sciences are not always as
concrete as the natural sciences. There will be robust debate throughout the course!

Announcements: All course updates and information will be sent out via announcements. You
should receive these announcements in your email. However, you will be able to see all the
announcements in the Announcement part of Canvas. This means they will be up throughout the
course. One cannot later say that she or he had never received a piece of information since
perusing the announcements is the responsibility of the student. If a student asks a question that
has been addressed in announcements, she or he will receive the polite reply, “Please see
announcements.”

Online-course grace period: In my online courses, an eight-hour grace period is already factored
into the due dates. Instead of Thursdays and Sundays at midnight, for example, you have until
8:00 am the next day to turn in the discussion board answers. The reason for such a grace period
is attributable to the wide variety of geographic locations. Since students may be in different time
zones, an eight-hour grace period is already factored in based on AZ time!

Community Forums: Community Forums attempts to replicate the in-class experience by

creating a forum in which students can ask questions regarding the course. This is an open forum

1
so others can benefit from instructor-student interactions. Students can also respond to the
inquiries of other students! Please feel free to make your inquiries here!

Assignments

Assignments: Apart from the two exams, all assignments must be uploaded on Canvas by their
respective due dates. All assignments go through Turnitin. Turnitin is a program that reviews
papers for plagiarism from all internet sources: student papers, Wikipedia, and so on. Plagiarism
is a serious issue and any student caught plagiarizing will receive an automatic zero for the
assignment. Please see the university’s policies on plagiarism for more information. Moreover,
although this is not an English class, writing skills do matter. They are important for any
educational or vocational endeavor. Severe grammatical errors and poorly organized essays can
obscure otherwise intelligent and insightful arguments. Therefore, I hope students use the course
to enhance their writing abilities. Students can visit the university’s Writing Center for more
information: https://tutoring.asu.edu/student-services/writing-centers.

Discussion boards: Every week (beginning on a Monday and ending on a Sunday) the class will
have a series of questions in the discussion forums. There are two to three a week. The first set
of answers to all these questions must be posted by Friday 8:00 am of each week; the second by
Monday 8:00 am of each week. No late posts will be accepted. The questions will relate to the
week’s readings, videos, and lectures. In order to receive full credit, answers cannot be a mere
sentence. Most posts will require at least two to four well-developed sentences to address each
question adequately. Therefore, although this is an online course, reading, preparedness, and
participation are all requirements of the course. Do not worry about having the “correct” answer.
In fact, there is often no correct answer; sometimes questions are subject to interpretations.
However, since one of the principal goals of this course is to become familiar with the major GP
approaches and understand how they relate to real world issues, posts must reflect an effort to
read and analyze the literature prior to posting. A mere sentence will not warrant points. Further
instructions will be given for each specific post.

Late Discussion Boards: Late discussion board answers are not accepted. Once you receive a
zero, it cannot be reverted. The reason is to keep students current with the material in a timely
fashion, especially in an online course. Additionally, this is the exact reason we have the extra
points. Nonetheless, there is a gamble with the answers. If you do not see a zero in the grade
because I did not have the opportunity to grade them, you can answer the questions and receive
the point, even if your answers are late. However, this is a gamble since I usually grade them
right after they are due. Do not wait to the last minute, but if you forget, you can upload the
answers if there is no zero in its place.

Four-Minute Virtual Video Debates: In addition to the general course discussion-boards,

students will choose one class debate in which they will participate in that specific debate. I
have tried this activity in previous courses and it has been extremely successful, even with those

2
who are not accustomed to working online. This is a great opportunity to begin learning more
about social media! Each student will choose a side and speak for five minutes. This is on a first
come-first serve basis. The goal is to demonstrate not only knowledge of the subject, but also to
develop the skills to present a clear, concise presentation.

4-Minute Virtual Video Response: You must also post a rebuttal to another student’s debate. This
will be the same format and four minutes. A student can choose any student from any debate. Be
creative! Just be respectful! It is due within a few days after the debate was posted.

The list of debates and their respective due dates are in the discussion post (Week 1) where you
will sign up for one debate. It reads the following: Please sign up (within the first week) for one
of the following debates by simply putting the following: a.) your name; b.) debate name; and c)
the side you will take (for example, in debate #1 is correct or is not correct). Students can do a
virtual response to any student in any debate. Please get your response up a few days after the
Sunday the specific debate to which you choose to respond is due. However, ALL responses are
due the Friday of Week 6 since the course will be ending.

How should we go about filming and posting the debates? The best way, first of all, is to make
sure you have a YouTube account. You will need to video tape yourself via your laptop camera
(unless you have other ways). After uploading the argument, you can copy and paste (embed) the
link in the HTML part of the discussion board for your particular video argument. There is also
a content area (Upload video to Canvas) with instructions on how to go through the process.
Finally, you can consult fellow students on ways to film and upload your videos as well. Please
speak with me if you have issues with this assignment.

Exams: There is one midterm and one final exam for the course. The first will cover all the
readings, videos, and lectures up through Week 4. The second will focus on the last weeks.

Quizzes: Every weekend there will be a scheduled quiz. These quizzes open on Friday night at
5:00 pm and close Wednesday the end of the day. They are multiple-choice questions. Quizzes
will draw upon the readings, lectures, videos, and discussion board posts for the specific period.
The goal of the quizzes is to encourage students to keep up with the readings and reward those
who do. Students cannot make up quizzes. Instead, the extra credit points will cover what is
missed. But the extra credit points are finite so use them judiciously. Final paper: Since this is a
survey course, the final paper entails a wide range of choices depending on the interest of the
particular student. The goal of the paper is the following: 1) Capture a summary of the important
global issue; 2) advance a thoughtful analysis of the problem; 3) relate the subject matter to the
course; and 4) incorporate at least five different sources you have found on your own (not from
the class); 5) possibly advance a solution to the problem in the concluding paragraph(s); 6.) and
reach eight pages in length, not including reference list. This assignment is to not only prepare
you for future university research, but also assist students with navigating through the library’s
vast resources, most of which are often unbeknown to university students.

3
Final paper: Since this is a survey course, the final paper entails a wide range of choices
depending on the interest of the particular student. The goal of the paper is the following: 1)
Capture a summary of the important global issue; 2) advance a thoughtful analysis of the
problem; 3) relate the subject matter to the course; and 4) incorporate at least four different
sources you have found on your own (not from the class); 5) possibly advance a solution to the
problem in the concluding paragraph(s); 6.) and reach eight pages in length, not including
reference list. This assignment is to not only prepare you for future university research, but also
assist students with navigating through the library’s vast resources, most of which are often
unbeknown to university students.

Paper Expectations: The final paper must be at least six pages in length, not including reference
list (essentially, you have to reach the sixth page). Tables, photos, abstracts, title pages, content
pages, etc. do not count as actual pages toward the six-page expectation of the paper. The last
page does not have to be full. The goal is to merely reach that page. As mentioned previously, all
assignments must be typed in 12-point Times Roman font and double-spaced. Refrain from
using any larger indentations (use word default) since that is a way to increase page numbers
without doing work! Students are free to use either APA or Chicago styles of citation. Citation
style, however, must be consistent throughout the paper. MLA style is less common in the social
sciences, though you will not lose points for using it.

Moreover, the paper could help you with future careers. If you plan on going to law school, do a
paper related to a global problem and law! You can do diplomacy, women's rights, a historical
piece, etc. You can also use this paper to submit for an internship, job, or graduate degree (many
require a paper submission now). Please follow the structure on the syllabus: 12 Times New
Roman font, double-spaced, and default margins (do not squish the margins to get more space!).
Remember that graphs, pictures, table of contents, reference list, glossary, short abstracts (an
abstract is not a requirement in the paper) do not count as page space. Only writing counts
toward that space. The subject is completely open to your own interests. The only expectation is
that it must be related to a global problem. With that said, anything goes! You can do an
argumentative piece, an informative one, or even address one of the theories we discussed in
class. Have fun with it and possibly use it down the road for something.

Grading

Grades: Grades are based on a 100-point scale. I take improvement into account throughout the
course. If a student does poorly on the reading assignment, for instance, but incorporates the
feedback from the writing assignment in order to improve and even excel on the final, such
improvement can help her or him increase the final grade. No extra credit assignments are given
in this course. The assignments are graded as follows:

Discussion forums and participation: 15 points

Quizzes: 20

4
Midterm exam: 10 points

Final exam: 10 points

Debate: 15

Debate response: 15

Final paper: 20 points

= 106 points (At least six extra points! These points are applied in case you miss
discussion boards or a quiz.)

The grading scale is as follows (university policy does not allow C-, D+, or D-):

100: A+

95-99: A

90-94: A-

85-89: B+

80-84: B

75-79: B-

70-74: C+

65-69: C

60-64: D

0-59: F

Literature

Books, readings, and lectures: This course employs a wide range of materials and activities
including articles, book chapters, documentaries, lectures, videos, and text books that address
current and past trends in world politics. The articles and book chapters will be posted on each
Week, along with videos and professionally filmed video lectures. It is also important to note
that the weeks are split into two parts: The first part (Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs.) and the second
(Friday, Sat., and Sun.). This dichotomy is only to guide you on which materials come first. The
three principal books, which students must purchase from the university bookstore or an online
source, are the following:

5
Jackson, Robert and George Sorensen. 2019. Introduction to International Relations: Theories
and Approaches. 7th ed. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 9780198803577.
DIGITAL ISBN-13: 9780192525451. ISBN-10: 0198803575

Or any back copy that is cheaper!

Additional materials on Canvas

Due to the rapid evolving nature of the course subject, particularly with the Covid-19 crisis,
lectures, videos and readings will be updated with ample notice

Important Dates

Quizzes: Open every Friday

Discussion posts: Every Friday and Monday morning (8:00 am)
Virtual Debates: Depends on the one you choose
Midterm Exam: Open Tuesday June 16 to Friday June 19
Final Paper: June 26 (11:59pm)
Final Exam: June 23 to June 26

Course Schedule

Week 1 (May 18): Introduction to Global Politics, Utopian Liberalism, and Classical Realism

First part of week (Monday to Sunday): Videos on The Colombian Student Protests by Ripley
and The U.S. is propping up a dictatorship in Honduras

Second part of week (Friday to Sunday): Jackson and Sorenson: “Why Study IR,” pp. 1-26
and “IR as an Academic Subject” (“Utopian Liberalism”). Genest: “Introduction: What is
International Relations Theory?” pp. 1-11. Waltz (1959) Man, the State and War, pp. 12-27.
Jackson and Sorenson: “Why Study IR,” pp. 1-26 and “IR as an Academic Subject” (“Utopian
Liberalism”).

In-class video: Italian Invasion of Ethiopia (Abyssinia) 1935

Week’s lectures

The Rise of ISIS (54:00)

Week 2 (May 25): Classical Realism, Neorealism, Behaviouralism

First part of week (Monday to Thursday): Jackson and Sorenson: pp. 36-39; “Realism,” pp. 59-
69. Genest: “Realist Theory,” pp. 41-44, Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War,
49-57, Machiavelli (1513), The Prince, pp. 58-6; Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations pp. 63-

6
 75. Genest: “Neo-Realism,” pp. 44-48 and Waltz “Structural Realism after the Cold War.”
Jackson and Sorenson: “Waltz and Neorealism,” pp. 73-92.

In-class video: Mearsheimer and China (2008)

Week’s lectures

Second part of week (Friday to Sunday): In Jackson and Sorenson: “The Voice of
Behaviouralism in IR,” pp. 39-41, “Neorealism,” pp. 44-49 and pp. 69-94, “Methodological
Debates,” pp. 278-286. In Documents Cunningham, Deutsch and Singer summary.

Video: Ted Talk: Bueno de Mesquita and Predicting Iran’s Future

Week 3 (June 1): Liberalism

First part (Monday to Thursday): Jackson and Sorenson: “Liberalism,” pp. 96-124. Genest:
“Liberal Theory,” 123-132 and Nye (1993) “Interdependence and Power,” pp. 154-163;
Keohane, “Cooperation and International Regimes, p. 163; and Keohane “The Globalization of
Informal Violence,” p. 176. In course documents: Thomas L. Friedman (1996), “Foreign
Affairs Big Mack I.”

Video: A Brief Summary of the history of European Union enlargement (2010)

Week’s lectures

Second Part (Friday to Sunday): In Genest: Hugo Grotius, “On the Law of War and Peace, p.
133; Woodrow Wilson, “Fourteen Points,” p. 138. In Documents: “Assessing the United
Nations.”

Video: International Law

Week 4 (June 8): Constructivism

First Part (Monday to Thursday): Jackson and Sorenson: “Social Constructivism,” pp. 159-179.
Genest: “Constructivism,” pp. 259-261. Genest: Wendt (1992) “Anarchy is What States Make
of it,” pp. 281-311. BBC (2018) “Catalonia's bid for independence from Spain explained” and
“Catalonia Just Voted for Independence From Spain.”

Documentary: Identities: Culture and Nationality in Europe Today

Week’s lectures

Video: Duck and Cover

Second Part (Friday to Saturday): Review: PBS Documentary: Ukraine in Crisis

Week 5 (June 15): International Political Economy and Foreign Policy

7
 First part (Monday to Thursday): Jackson and Sorenson: “International Political Economy,”
pp. 181-205. “Development and Underdevelopment in the Third World,” pp. 205-223. Genest:
“Class System Theory,” pp. 191-200; Wallerstein (1984), “The Capitalist World Economy,”
pp. 213-224. Genest: Fukuyama (1989), “The End of History,” pp. 393-411. “Neo-liberal
Economic Reforms,” (2011), pp. 1-2. Ripley (2014) “North-South Relations”

Week’s lectures

Second part (Friday to Sunday): Jackson and Sorenson: “Foreign Policy,” 225-248. Genest:
“Decision-Making Process Theory,” 444-449; Allison (1967), “Essence of Decision,” pp. 460-
485.

Week 6 (June 22): Post-Modernism and Clash of Civilizations

First Part (Monday to Thursday): Jackson and Sorenson: “Post-positivism Methodologies,” pp.
286-296. Genest: “Introduction,” 257-259 (“Post-Modernism”). In course documents: Kreamer
(1994), “Sons of Liberty: Patriots or Terrorists,” pp. 1-4. Chomsky (2001), “The New War
Against Terror,” pp. 240-256.

Genest: “The Civilizationists,” pp. 377-381; Huntington (1993), “The Clash of Civilizations,”
pp. 412-423.

Week’s lectures

Cold War Hysteria, Rocky and Bullwinkle - Minisode 09, and Wartime Disney Propaganda,
and World War I Propaganda