GINT 710
INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
(and Globalization)
Fall 2010 W 3:35-6:05 PM Gambrell 123
Jerel Rosati & Scott Davis
Department of Political Science
Gambrell Hall 420
777-2981 (777-3109, main office, 777-8255, fax))
fall2010poli710@gmail.com (Class Email Address)
rosati22@gmail.com (Personal Email Address)
http://www.cla.sc.edu/poli/faculty/rosati/index.htm (Rosati website)
davisst4@email.sc.edu (scott’s email)
Please read the syllabus carefully forWehave given great thought to the development of this course.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This is a course designed to provide the student with an introduction and overview of global politics and
America’s role in the world. Students will be exposed to a wide-range of knowledge and thought about historical patterns,
politics, and the dynamics of global affairs, as well as learn about its impact on everyday human life. In addition, students
will acquire familiarity with key concepts and approaches developed by scholars and practitioners in international studies in
order to make sense of world politics. Another purpose is to help the student sharpen their "skills" as a critical thinker, an
analyst, and an effective communicator.
The course focuses not only on acquiring knowledge and understanding of globalization historically and in the
present, but into the twenty-first century. It is hoped that by the end of the semester you will find the course to be
informative, interesting and enjoyable.
REQUIREMENTS
Students will be evaluated through class participation and written essays. The intent behind these requirements is
to have you study and think about the course material throughout the semester--to provide you with numerous opportunities
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to demonstrate the knowledge you have acquired and to get feedback--in order to maximize your ability to learn and grow
as a student.
1. Class Participation (10%). In order to get the most out of class, you must be prepared when you come to class.
Students are required to complete the readings prior to class meetings and to come to class ready to discuss them. You are
also expected to keep abreast of current international issues.Weexpect everyone to participate actively in the discussion of
the day.
You may also be asked to complete very short exercises, usually written, in class and out of class revolving around
communicating an understanding of the readings. SHOULD YOU MISS A CLASS, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR
LEARNING WHAT WENT ON IN CLASS FROM YOUR CLASSMATES.
2. Written Assignments (30% each). All assignments are to be completed on time. Late assignments will have to
meet higher expectations. Further information about the written essays is provided at the end of the syllabus.
Missing an assignment or examination. If you cannot fulfill a requirement by the due date, as a matter of
courtesyWeexpect that you will contact me (or the POLI office, 7-3109) WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THE DUE DATE and
provide a legitimate explanation (e.g., medical illness) with evidence eventually provided. Assignments which are allowed
to be completed after the due date will be expected to meet higher standards given the additional time granted.
IT RULES
No labtops are allowed and all cell/smart phones should be off, unless you have emergency needs.
GRADES
Your grade will be based, not on how well you do compared to others in the class, but on the quality of
substantive knowledge, quality of analysis, and effective communication demonstrated--in other words, the level of
understanding demonstrated. An A represents "excellence"; a B+ represents "very good"; a B represents "good". Grades
below B indicate that the level of work in the course is below the level expected of graduate students. Therefore, you
should work together and help each other out.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY AND STRATEGY
The class will be structured around a class dialogue in which information, knowledge, and thought will be
generated through lecture/background, discussion, and, in particular, the Socratic method. Wewill often play the role of
provocateur and advocate to stimulate participation. The class dialogue emphasizes the importance of student participation
and active learning as a means to improve one's skills, interest, information, knowledge, and, ultimately, understanding. In
essence, class discussions will consist of an active exchange between the student and professor. When deemed necessary,
background will be provided for some of the more difficult material and to provide appropriate context.
The class is organized around the required readings and their topics. Weexpect every student to come to class
prepared and participate. Every student should be able to summarize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate each assigned
reading by addressing the following questions:
1. What is the author's purpose?
2. What is the basic theme(s) or argument(s) of the reading?
3. What are the most important historical events, information, concepts, etc. discussed in the reading?
4. How does this reading relate to the other readings and to the central themes & topics of the course?
5. How powerful or weak is the argument and the evidence? Why?
Students also are encouraged to offer comments or questions which contribute to class discussions on a regular basis.
PLEASE NOTE. THERE IS CONSIDERABLE READING SINCE THIS IS A GRADUATE COURSE. WeEXPECT
YOU TO DO ALL OF THE READING IN A TIMELY FASHION.
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Please come to class on time and be courteous at all times.
NATURE OF THE COURSE
One ultimate purpose of higher education and the offering of this course is to broaden your knowledge and
understanding about the world around you--to learn about things that you probably don't know much about and to think
about things that you haven't given much thought to. At the same time,Werecognize that many individuals hold strong
beliefs and feelings about things that involve the world and, in particular, the country you are from (such as the U.S.)--often
based more on faith and emotion rather than substantive knowledge. Therefore, some of the material in this course may be
controversial and will challenge you to think about many beliefs and assumptions you hold (and have rarely examined).
Your role is to act as student, social scientist, or policy analyst, not policymaker, activist, or true believer. The
purpose of the class is to better understand the contemporary nature of world politics, regardless of what your feelings and
opinions are about that reality. Learning and understanding are to be accomplished through the accumulation of
information and knowledge and reliance on an open and critical mind.
Hopefully, this course will increase your knowledge by having you acquire:
i) lots of information,
ii) appreciate the complexity and contradictions of reality,
iii) recognize patterns and make generatizations supported by evidence, and
iv) recognize and think about different views (including our views).
These are the building blocks to knowledge and understanding.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS (should you be interested)
Jerel Rosati is a Professor of political science and international studies and has been a member of the Department
of Government and International Studies at Carolina since 1982. He enjoys learning in general. His intellectual interests
range from American politics and history, United States foreign policy, the Vietnam War and the sixties to the dynamics of
world politics, global change and the rise and decline of civilizations. His area of specialization is the theory and practice of
foreign policy, focusing on the United States policymaking process, decision-making theory, and the political psychological
study of human cognition.
He has been Fulbright Senior Specialist in Argentina based out of the University of San Andreas in Buenos Aires,
a Visiting Professor at Somalia National University in Mogadishu, and Visiting Scholar at China’s Foreign Affairs College
in Beijing. He also has been a Research Associate in the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division of the Library of
Congress's Congressional Research Service, President of the International Studies Association's Foreign Policy Analysis
Section, and President of the Southern region of the International Studies Association. He is the author of over forty
articles and chapters, as well as five books including The Carter Administration's Quest for Global Community: Beliefs and
Their Impact on Behavior, The Power of Human Needs in World Society, Foreign Policy Restructuring: How Governments
Respond to Global Change, The Politics of United States Foreign Policy (4th edition and translated in Mandarin Chinese,
German, and Russian), and Readings in the Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy (also translated in Mandarin Chinese). In 2002
he was the original Program Director and Academic Director of a six-week U.S. Department of State Fulbright American
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Studies Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy for 18 scholars-practitioners from all over the world (which completed its sixth and
final year in 2007)
He has been awarded the Outstanding Professor of the Year in the Humanities and Social Sciences by the South
Carolina (Honors) College, the Outstanding Teacher in International Studies in the Department of Government &
International Studies, Excellence in Teaching by the University of South Carolina Alpha Chapter of the Mortar Board
Honor Society, and Outstanding Teacher in Political Science by the American Political Science Association and Pi Sigma
Alpha (The National Political Science Honor Society). In addition to the usual undergraduate and graduate students, he has
also been awarded, and participated in, a number of instructional grants at the state and federal level (usually through the
U.S. Department of State) as Academic Director, Field Director, and/or Project Director where he has taught students and
scholars from all over the world, including Argentineans, Bulgarians, Chinese, Israelis and Palestinians, Somalis, Master’s
of International Business students, and high school teachers.
He enjoys travel, athletics, music, reading, food and spirits, family and friends, good company, and relaxing. His
father had duo-citizenship (American and Italian), and fought in World War II (on the allied side); his mother was born and
raised in Florence, Italy and came to the United States as a war bride; and he retains close family in Italy. He came of age
during the early seventies as an undergraduate at U.C.L.A when the events surrounding the Vietnam War and Watergate
reached a crescendo, which had a profound impact on his intellectual and personal development to the present day. He has
three children (girl-boy-girl), all of which have graduated or go to Clemson University. During the last few summers, he
taught courses on “Understanding Politics Through Film” and “The Vietnam War,” was a major participant in the six-week
Fulbright American Studies Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy (which included two-week field trips in Washington, D.C.,
New York, and Los Angeles), has conducted field research twice in Colombia (for two fascinating weeks each) as part of a
Witness for Peace delegation member and then delegate leader. He also recently visited Cuba for the first time, Argentina
twice as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of San Andreas in Buenos Aries teaching and lecturing on American politics
and U.S. foreign policy, and spent two weeks with his family in Florence, Italy where my son was doing a study abroad.
He loves Argentina.
Scott Davis is a MAIS student from the United States (born and raised in Pawleys Island, South Carolina). His
primary field of study are International Relations and Foreign Policy of the Middle East, Islamic Studies and Arabic. Scott
earned a B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and
the Strategic Arts Program at the U.S. Army War College. He is a Major in the U.S. Army, having served in various
capacities as an Armored Cavalry Commander, Operations Officer and Strategist in numerous Army, Joint, and MultiNational Headquarters in Asia and North America. He served two combat tours as a military advisor embedded with Iraqi
forces throughout Iraq’s central and Anbar Provinces. He also served as senior analyst and strategist for the U.N.
Command, Combined Forces Command and US Forces Korea Commander. He has been the President and Vice-President
of US Military Strategists Association. Scott was selected for the Army’s Advanced Civil Schooling Program and began
studying at USC in the Fall of 2009. Scott was recently selected as a US representative to the NATO Defense College in
Rome, Italy and for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and will be assigned to NATO Headquarters following completion of
his Master’s.
He enjoys family and friends, the service, travel, Islamic history and classical philosophy (Umayyad, Abbasid,
Fatimid, Almohads and Almoravids, Mamluk, Ottoman), pre-historic and historical archaeology, and art history of the
Renaissance. His father was an executive and his mother a librarian. He has family living in the US, Korea and China and
he has lived with and traveled abroad with his family for the last several years.
CONTACTING ME AND INTERACTING
Please feel free to come see us before or after class. Otherwise, the best way is to communicate through class
email (which goes to rosati and davies) or our personal emails. If you have any questions or complications that we should
be aware, feel free to contact us.
Please check your emails, for we may send you articles and updates on the class.
* * *
THIS SYLLABUS REFLECTS THE EXPECTATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS YOU MUST FULFILL. WeEXPECT
YOU TO TAKE THE COURSE SERIOUSLY AND WORK HARD--WHICH IS, AFTERALL, THE KEY TO LEARNING AND
INTELLECTUAL GROWTH.
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REQUIRED BOOKS
1. Carr, Nicolas. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010.
2. Collier, Paul. The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
3. Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W. W. Norton, 1997
4. Esposito, John L. and Dalia Mogahed. Who Speaks for Islam: What A Billion Muslims Really Think. New York:
Gallup Press, 2007.
5. Friedman, Thomas L. The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization, 2nd edition,. New York:
Anchor Books, 2000.
6. Hedges, Chris. Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle. New York: Nation Books,
2009.
7. Roubini, Nouriel and Stephen Mihm, Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance. New York:
Penguin Press, 2010.
8. Shiva,,Vandana Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply. Cambridge: South End Press, 2000.
9. Starobin, Paul. Five Roads to the Global Future: Power in the Next Global Age. New York: Penguin Press, 2009.
10. Watson, Adam. The Evolution of International Society. New York: Routledge, 1992.
11. Emailed articles and updates. Additional readings may be on Course Website (CW) or emailed to you (free; just print
out). I will periodically send you a brief article on a contemporary issue to read via email. PLEASE CHECK YOUR
EMAIL REGULARLY FOR ARTICLES, REMINDERS, AND UPDATES FOR THE CLASS (try to keep it clean and
trash unnecessary emails so your “free” email account has enough space to get emails and attachments).
The course revolves around the required readings and are intended to be accessible and diverse so as to improve
your ability to acquire an understanding. The required readings for each week are specified under Course Topics and
Readings below.
The books should be available at the University Russell House bookstore, as well as the two off-campus
bookstores. If no books are at the stores, be “proactive”–inquire if and when they will come in. You can always purchase
them online (at www.barnesandnoble.com, www.amazon.com., www.powells.com, or www.abebooks.com, as well as
other websites), or through the telephone. If you’re still having problems, notify (email) me as soon as possible.
For those of you with little background in international relations or who are not up-to-date on the contemporary
study of international relations,Werecommend that you read or peruse the following excellent introductory textbooks:
*Doyle, Michael W. Ways of War and Peace. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997.
Hughes, Barry B. Continuity and Change in World Politics: Clash of Perspectives. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1991.
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*Knutsen, Torbjorn L. A History of International Relations Theory. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992.
Mansbach, Richard W. The Global Puzzle: Issues and Actors in World Politics. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
*Especially recommended as a primer to understanding key theoretical developments in International Relations.
RECOMMENDED SOURCES (web addresses can be found at my website)
Following Contemporary Affairs. It is also expected that you will follow contemporary affairs through the
media during this semester more than you might normally be accustomed. You may want to sign up and receive FREE
email subscriptions to:
– The two most influential American media sources are: The New York Times at www.nytimes.com, register and
check The Daily Headlines (Daily Featured Section); or The Washington Post @ www.washingtonpost.com/;
-- on radio, National Public Radio have excellent news programs in the evening (“All Things Considered” at 4 to 6
pm on weekday evenings) and on weeks. They can be picked up throughout the state and the country. They are at
91.3 FM in Columbia (and between 88 and 92 wherever you are in the U.S.). Their website is @ www.npr.org/;
-- on TV, in addition to 60 Minutes, Frontline is the best investigative program on PBS on specific topics,
especially U.S. foreign policy and the Iraq War. It come on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. on S.C. ETV and they have
a terrific website @ www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ with lots of additional information and links—where
many of their one hour programs can be viewed online in their entirety.
– (for a European, especially British, perspective) The Economist at www.economist.com, check Politics This
Week, or BBC News at http://news.bbc.co.uk/, subscribe to BBC Daily Email;
-- for a powerful media voice in the Arab world see Al Jazeera @ http://english.aljazeera.net/News;
– (for perspectives from around the world) World Press Review at www.worldpress.org, check World Press
Review Newsletter. Newslink is probably the best website for accessing news sources throughout U.S. and the
world.
Other Recommended Sources. The national news--on network television--is strongly encouraged as well.
Additional recommended mainstream and alternative media sources for following contemporary affairs can be found on
MY WEBSITE.
COURSE TOPICS AND READINGS
[If you miss a class, you are responsible for contacting a classmate to find out the reading and class assignments.]
[Please bring the required readings with you to class for each session.]
HELPFUL INFORMATION:
– Each numerical topic below refers to one class session and lists the required (and recommended, if any) readings for
that session
– Read and be able to summarize the required readings
– Recommended readings are just that: recommended if you would like additional information and knowledge
– We will often begin the class or integrate within the class contemporary issues and the contemporary articles we will
mail you. Remember: you are responsible for staying abreast of contemporary affairs.
– For required articles sent by email or on the course website, print them out, read, and save.
– Sometimes you may be told to peruse as opposed to read. This means that you should quickly read/scan (do not read
word for word) the material for the main topic/major points/the thrust of the reading.
– PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR ARTICLES AND UPDATES ON THE CLASS
I. COURSE INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
1. Introduction and Overview
Week 1: 25 August 2010, Read over syllabus closely; come to next class with any questions.
FIRST MANDATORY EMAIL/INFORMATION ASSIGNMENT. Due by next class (1 September 2010).
Email BOTH OF US the following information as a list in the following numerical order (you cannot get a passing grade
unless you fulfill this assignment):
Put as your subject heading: POLI 710 email assignment.
1) name (as registered)
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2) social security #
3) phone numbers (home; work; cell; other)
4) email address [I HIGHLY RECOMMEND AVOIDING HOTMAIL GIVEN ALL ITS PROBLEMS]
5) major field of concentration
6) class (e.g., first year graduate)
7) M.A. or Ph.D. oriented?
8) career goal?
9) do you work during school? hours per week? what do you do?
10) home town (raised most of life)?
11) where have you traveled outside the U.S.? If not outside the U.S., then outside the southeast?
12) list three things that you love to do or are passionate about
13) describe your first “international political experience” (in person or through, e.g., t.v.)
14) What is your purpose getting a graduate degree and for your career goal? What would you like to accomplish
internationally?
15) Do you have a car to drive?
II. ORIGINS – ORIGINS AND HISTORICAL FOUNDATION OF THE INTERNATINAL SYSTEM
2. The Rise and Spread of Civilization and Human Societies
Week 2: 1 September 2010, Read prologue, parts I and II (pp13-191 +/- ~178 pages):
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W. W. Norton, 1997
3. The Rise and Spread of Civilization and Human Societies
Week 3: 3 September 2010, Read parts III and IV and epilogue (pp195-425 +/- ~230 pages) [not required to read “Who
are the Japanese?”]:
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W. W. Norton, 1997
4. The Ancient States System
Week 4: 15 September 2010, Read intro, chaps 1-12 (pp1-132 +/- ~132 pages)
Watson, Adam. The Evolution of International Society. New York: Routledge, 1992.
5. European and Global International Society
Week 5: 22 September 2010, Read intro, chaps 13-22 (pp135-276 +/- ~144 pages)
Watson, Adam. The Evolution of International Society. New York: Routledge, 1992.
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ESSAY #1 DUE. 27 September 2010 (Email and Hard Copy to Office Mailbox) Topic TBA.
III. THE CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY – COMPETING VIEWS
6. The Conventional Western-American Liberal View
Week 6: 29 September 2010, Read foreword, opening scene, chaps, 1-4, 6 & 7, 12-16, 18 & 20; peruse all other chapters
(+/- ~300 pages)
Friedman, Thomas L. The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization, 2nd edition,. New York: Anchor
Books, 2000.
Gray, John “The World is Round,” New York Review of Books (11 August, 2005): pp. 13-15)
7. An Alternative Developing Global World View
Week 7: 6 October 2010, Read intro, chaps 1-7, and afterword (pp1-128 +/- ~127pages)
Shiva,,Vandana Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply. Cambridge: South End Press, 2000.
Paul Harrison, Inside the Third World, chap 1, “The Cruel Sun: The Curse of the Tropics,” and chap 18, “The Unfair World
Economy,”
Epstein, Helen, “Time of Indifference,” New York Review of Books (12 April 2001): pp. 33-38 “Th
Leo Panitch, “Thoroughly Modern Marx,” Foreign Policy (May/June 2009), pp. 140-145
8. Another Alternative Global View
Week 8: 13 October 2010, Read preface, chaps 1-11 (ppix-xxiii and pp3-192 +/- ~205 pages)
Collier, Paul. The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2007.
Recommend Kenneth Maxwell, "Adios Columbus," New York Review of Books (28 January 1993): pp. 38-45
IV. Islamic Perspectives
9. The Middle East and the World
Week 9: 20 October 2010, Read intro, chaps 1-5 (ppix-xv and 1-166 +/- ~173 pages)
Esposito, John L. and Dalia Mogahed. Who Speaks for Islam: What A Billion Muslims Really Think. New York:
Gallup Press, 2007.
Hussein Agha and Robert Malley, “”How Not to Make Peace in the Middle East,” New York Review of Books (January 15,
2009)
William Dalrymple, “Pakistan in Peril,” New York Review of Books (February 12, 2009)
Robert D. Kaplan, “Pakistan’s Fatal Shore,” The Atlantic (May 2009)
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V. Understanding the Global Capitalist System and the Great Economic Recession
10. A Crash Course in Economic and Finance
Week 10: 27 October 2010, Read roubini and Mihm, intro, chaps 1-6 (pp +/- ~156 Pages)
Roubini, Nouriel and Stephen Mihm, Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance. New York:
Penguin Press, 2010.
11. A Crash Course in Economic and Finance
Week 11: 3 November 2010, Read intro, chaps 7-10, conclusion, and outlook ( +/- ~ 145 Pages)
Roubini, Nouriel and Stephen Mihm, Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance. New York:
Penguin Press, 2010.
Jeff Madrick, “”How We Were Ruined & What We Can Do,” New York Review of Books (February 12, 2009)
ESSAY # 2 DUE. 8 November 2010 (Email and Hard Copy to Office Mailbox) Topic TBA.
VI. THE FUTURE OF MODERNITY, GLOBALIZATION, AND HUMAN SOCIETIES
12. Five Roads to the Future
Week 12: 10 November 2010, Read intro, chaps 1-12, conclusion (pp1-323 +/- ~320 pages)
Starobin, Paul. Five Roads to the Global Future: Power in the Next Global Age. New York: Penguin Press, 2009.
13. The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Illusion
Week 13: 17 November 2010, Read chaps 1-5 (pp1-193 +/- ~190 pages)
Hedges, Chris. Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle. New York: Nation Books,
2009.
Alan Ryan “What Happened to the American Empire?” New York Review of Books (October 23, 2008)
THANKSGIVING BREAK NO CLASSES ON 24 NOVEMBER 2010.
14. What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains and Making Sense of It All
Week 14: 1 December 2010, Read prologue, chaps 1-10, epilogue (pp1-224 +/- ~220 pages)
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Carr, Nicolas. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010.
Puchala, Donald J. "International Encounters of Another Kind," Global Society 11 (1997): pp. 5-29.
Final Wrap-Up
ESSAY # 3 DUE. 6 December 2010 (Email and Hard Copy to Office Mailbox) Topic TBA.
RECOMMENDED READING
Caroline Morehean, “Women and Children for Sale,” The New York Review of Books (October 11, 2007)
Witold Rybczynski, “Shipping News,” The New York Review of Books (August 10, 2006), pp. 22-25
Janet Raloff, “The Ultimate Crop Insurance,” Science (September 11, 2004)
Bill McKibben, “Crossing the Red Line,” The New York Review of Books (June 10, 2004), pp. 32-36
Jim Hansen, “The Threat to the Planet,” The New York Review of Books (July 13, 2006)
Mark Sagoff, "Do We Consume Too Much?" Atlantic Monthly (June 1997), pp. 80-96
Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” The Atlantic (July/August 2008), pp. 56-63
Robert Kagan, “The End of the End of History,” The New Republic (April 23, 2008), pp. 40-47
Albert Huxley, A Brave New World and A Brave New World Revisited
Francis Fukuyama, “The End of History?” The National Interest (Summer 1989)
Charles Krauthammer, “The Unipolar Moment,” Foreign Affairs (Winter 1990/1991)
Benjamin R. Barber, "Jihad Vs. McWorld," Atlantic Monthly (March 1992), pp. 53-63
Samuel P. Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations,” Foreign Affairs (Summer 1993)
Robert D. Kaplan, “The Coming Anarchy,” The Atlantic Monthly (February 1994)
G. John Ikenberry, “Myth of Post-Cold war Chaos,” Foreign Affairs (May/June 1996)
Fareed Zakaria, “The Rise of Illiberal Democracy,” Foreign Affairs (November/December 1997)
Charles A Kupchan, “Life After Pax Americana,” Foreign Affairs (Fall 1999)
Robert Kagan, “Power and Weakness,” Policy Review (June/July 2002)
Additional Recommended Readings to Supplement Required Readings and for the Future:
E.E. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful: Economics as If People Mattered (New York: Harper & Row, 1973, 1999)
Chua, Amy. World on fire : how exporting free market democracy breeds ethnic hatred and global instability.
Doubleday, 2003
Kidder, Tracy. Mountains beyond Mountain: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmers. Random House, 2003 (the book is
about Paul Farmer, a Harvard Medical school MD who does work in Haiti and other places)
Robert K. Schaeffer, Understanding Globalization: The Social Consequences of Political, Economic &
Environmental Change (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005)
Geoffrey Barraclough, An Introduction to Contemporary History (Penguin, 1964)
Hugh Thomas, A History of the World (Harper, 1979)
Eric R. Wolfe, Europe and the People Without History (University of California Press, 1982)
Richard L. Rubenstein, The Cunning of History: The Holocaust and the American Future (Harper, 1975)
Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (Vintage, 1994)
Robert L. Heilbroner, The Worldly Philosophers
Leon Wieseltier, "After Memory," The New Republic (May 3, 1993), pp. 16-26
Robin Fox, "Fatal Attraction: War and Human Nature," National Interest (Winter 1992/93), pp. 11-20
Paul Kennedy, "Preparing for the 21st Century: Winners and Losers," New York Review of Books (February 11,
1993), pp. 32-44
Edward W. Said, Orientalism (Vintage, 1978)
Theodore H. Von Laue, The World Revolution of Westernization (Oxford University Press, 1987)
Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
William H. McNeill, "Decline of the West?" The New York Review of Books (January 9, 1997), pp. 18-22
James Kurth, "The Real Clash," The National Interest (Fall 1994), pp. 1-15
Richard E. Rubenstein & Jarle Crocker, "Challenging Huntington," Foreign Policy (Fall 1994), pp. 113-128
Benjamin R. Barber, "Jihad Vs. McWorld," Atlantic Monthly (March 1992), pp. 53-63
Bernard Lewis, "The West and the Middle East," Foreign Affairs (January/February 1997), pp. 114-130
Robert D. Kaplan, "The Coming Anarchy," The Atlantic Monthly (February 1994), pp. 44-76
David Rothkopf, "In Praise of Cultural Imperialism?" Foreign Policy (Summer 1997), pp. 38-53
Robert Heilbroner, "Reflections: The Triumph of Capitalism," The New Yorker (January 23, 1989), pp. 98-109
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Richard Rosecrance, "The Rise of the Virtual State," Foreign Affairs (July/August 1996), pp. 45-61
Mark Sagoff, "Do We Consume Too Much?" Atlantic Monthly (June 1997), pp. 80-96
Donald J. Puchala, "The History of the Future of International Relations," Ethics & International Affairs 8 (1994),
pp. 177-202
Donald J. Puchala, "International Encounters of Another Kind," Global Society 11 (1997), pp. 5-29.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
One of the primary requirements of this course will be periodic writing assignments. The basic objective of these
assignments is to improve your ability to understand what you have read, to improve your ability to reason, and to improve
your ability to communicate.
There are three essays due over the course of the semester, each varying from three to four pages in length (typed,
double-spaced, with normal fonts and 1" margins). The essay should explicitly cite the readings (when quoting and making
other references) through the use of footnotes (or endnotes). The essay deadlines are specified under Course Topics and
Readings, and their topics will be communicated.
These papers will be graded based on the quality of the content and analysis as well as its written style and overall
presentation. Each paper should be as polished and professional in appearance and contents as possible. Do not be careless.
A sloppy paper reflects a sloppy thinker, and the grade for the paper will reflect this. Remember: you will be evaluated for
content, style, and quality of analysis. In short, you will be evaluated based upon the level of analysis and understanding
demonstrated in your writing.
Overall, each paper should be well-written and well-organized--in other words, clear and concise. It should have
an introductory section and a concluding section. The purpose behind the introduction and the conclusion is to
communicate/recapitulate the purpose and importance of the research question as well as promote a coherent overview of
the entire paper. The transition between one paragraph and another must be smooth, and the discussion within a paragraph
must be clear and concise. Each paragraph after the introductory section should discuss a key point or idea.
About Structure and Content. The essay should be composed of three basic parts: an introduction, the body of
the paper, and the conclusion.
i) introduction — You need to introduce the topic of the question you selected and mention how you plan to
address it.
ii) body of the paper — You should discuss the major points or factors that directly address the question. This
should flow naturally from the introduction. Historical and factual material should be integrated only if they
support your major points. Given the space limitations, do not get bogged down in detail or trivial points.
Emphasize analysis, not just description.
iii) conclusion—You should briefly summarize the major theme(s) of the essay and/or draw some concluding
implications.
About Style. The essay should be well-written and well-organized—-in other words, clear and coherent. The
purpose behind the introduction and the conclusion is to promote clarity and coherence. The transition between one
paragraph and another must be smooth, and the discussion within a paragraph must be clear and concise. Each paragraph
after the introductory paragraph should discuss a key point or idea. Therefore, THINK about what you are going to say and
how you are going to say it. THE BURDEN IS ON YOU to be as clear and understandable as possible.
Assume you are writing for a general and educated audience--do not assume that the reader has read the course
material or can make the links between the course material and the contemporary event. Do not say "here's what's in the
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reading" or "see how the two readings go together." You are responsible for communicating clearly and making these
connections.
The essay should explicitly cite the readings (when quoting and making other references) through the use of
footnotes (or endnotes).
You are encouraged to get feedback from others and consult The Writing Center in the Humanities Building (77078).
Have your peers critique your work before you turn it in.
Some DO's and DONT's.
1. Follow directions and guidelines above. READ MORE THEN ONCE AND CAREFULLY.
2. Have a cover page with your name, the class and essay title. Just staple the paper (no fancy covers please).
3. Avoid the first person (use of "I").
4. Do not identify with the U.S. government (avoid "we", "our", etc.), or any government
5. Have the first paragraph be an introductory paragraph that makes it clear to the reader what topic you are
addressing
6. Each paragraph should express one major idea or point.
7. Each paragraph should clearly follow from the previous paragraph.
8. End with a concluding paragraph.
9. The whole essay should be organized so that there is a logical progression from the beginning to end.
10. Discuss and cite the readings in support of the point that you are making.
11. Footnote all quotes and statements of fact (not just quotes).
12. Check your spelling, grammar, and sentence structure.
13. Keep within the page length limitations.
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