WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
POLS 228-1: FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (11842)
Spring 2016
MWF: 1:00 pm – 1:50 pm
MG312
Dr. Daniel Ogbaharya
Office: Morgan 411B
Office Phone: 298-1349
Email: DG-Ogbaharya@wiu.edu
Office Hours: TuThF 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
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What is this course about?
This is a course about war and peace, human rights, international law, and international
political economy. What are the causes of war? How can war be avoided? Should the United
States enter a conflict to prevent Genocide? Why is economic inequality between nations
increasing? These are some of the questions that we will examine in the course of the semester.
From Ukraine to Syria, violent conflict appears to be on the rise in today’s world. Yet we
also inhabit a world that is knit together by trade, technology, and information. We live in a
“global village,” to use a phrase that journalists often invoke to describe the extent to which
every facet of life in today’s world is interdependent. Most of our basic necessities are
transported from far-flung places around the world. We wear clothes made in different
continents. From sweatshops in Bangladesh to call centers in India, the world economy functions
like a spider’s web. Thanks to the information age, physical distance is no longer a costly barrier
to communication. The Internet age has enabled us to communicate instantaneously and
inexpensively.
Yet the “Global Village” is not entirely peaceable. Increased cross-cultural
interconnection has not necessarily eradicated violence around the world. Some scholars contend
that economic globalization – increased trade and exchange among countries – tends to
antagonize and marginalize the cultures and societies of the developing world by making the rich
richer and the poor poorer, thereby sawing the seeds of conflict. We will survey these debates
concerning globalization, its multifaceted processes, and the challenges it poses for both the
developed and developing world.
The first part of the course will expose you to the different theories and debates in
international relations regarding the nature of the international system. We will explore three
different schools of thought in international relations: Realism, Liberalism, and Marxism. In the
second part of the course, we will apply these theories and perspectives to various issues in
international politics. These include human rights and humanitarian interventions, global
inequality, environmental issues such as Green House Gases (GHG), international trade,
international governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, transnational
terrorism and human trafficking. The last part will focus on the rise of global powers such as
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, collectively known as BRICs, and what
implications this may have for international peace and security.
What will you learn?
Upon successful completion of the course, you will:
 Appreciate the importance, complexity, and fluidity of international politics
 Understand and apply theories of international relations to key issues and debates
 Develop critical thinking skills, including the ability to interpret international events
through the lenses of international relations
Course Requirements
Required Texts: Global Politics: Engaging a Complex World by Mark Boyer, Natalie
Hudson & Michael Butler (1st Edition: 2012: McGraw Hill). ISBN-10: 0078024811
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Modification Statement: I reserve the right to alter and/or add readings wherever
appropriate, and to modify course requirements. I will notify you in writing in advance
about any changes to the course assignments and course schedule that may arise.
Course Evaluation
Your grade for this course will be assessed based on:
Grade Distribution
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Attendance and Participation
In-class activities
Reading Quizzes and Film Responses
World News Presentation
Essay on Terrorism
Course Exams I (40) and II (60)
Foreign Policy Paper
Points
20
30
50
20
30
100
50
Total
300
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Grading Scale
Points
300 – 266
265 – 250
249 – 233
232 – 216
215 – 200
199 – 183
182 – 166
165 – 150
149 – 133
132 – 116
115 – 100
Below 100
1. Attendance and Participation (20 pts.)
Attendance and active participation in class and group discussions will make up 20 points of
your final grade. Too many unexcused absences will obviously undermine your final grade. You
can miss class up to three times without penalties. Each additional unexcused absence will incur
a 2-point deduction from the total 20 points assigned for Attendance and Participation. You
should inform me in advance preferably via email if you are unable to attend a class. If you
cannot attend class because of medically supported illness and/or institutionally recognized
obligation, it remains your responsibility to do the readings and complete the required
assignments. No-make up exams or quizzes will be allowed except in proven cases of medical or
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family emergency. Make-up exams may incur point deduction. In addition to regular attendance
and active participation in class discussions, you will have to complete occasionally assigned
course work in a timely and sufficient manner. You should come to class having read the
assigned readings and adequately prepared to discuss the salient concepts, terms, and arguments
covered in the readings. Please arrive on time and don’t leave until class has ended unless you
have notified me in advance. You should also remain in class when a film is being shown. Since
I use WIU’s attendance tracking system, I may not distribute attendance sign up sheet in each
and every class.
2. In-Class Activities (30 pts.)
You will participate in in-class activities on various topics covered in readings and lectures. In
many cases, these activities are brief writing exercises on a particular topic covered during
lecture. Occasionally, you will participate in a group work in which you will be evaluated on
your individual contribution to the group and the overall performance of your group. You will
submit individual and group reports that clearly show the contributions you have made to the
discussion and presentation of the group assignment. Handouts and worksheets for group
discussions will be provided.
3. Reading Quizzes and Film Responses (50 pts.)
There will be Reading Quizzes (mostly short answers) for roughly ten weeks. Quizzes test your
comprehension of the central themes covered in textbook and supplemental readings. Quizzes
will mostly be given announced. They are open-book, meaning you can use the textbook.
Therefore, you should bring the textbook with you to every class. There will be other homework
and in-class assignments. Quizzes also include supplemental readings that I will assign in the
future and will be posted on Western Online. Sometimes, quizzes will include questions from
films shown in class or ones you have seen on your own as a homework assignment. Therefore,
you should make it a habit to take notes when you are watching a video clip or documentary in
class or on your own time. If you are late to class by more than 10 minutes on the day the quiz is
given, you will lose all points for that particular quiz unless you have notified me in advance that
you will come to class late. Quizzes may not be announced, but will be given prior to starting a
new topic so you should expect to take a quiz usually on Mondays. You should come to class
having read all assigned readings and fully prepared for Reading Quizzes.
4. World News Presentation (20 pts.)
In a presentation lasting for not more than 10 minutes (including time for questions), you will
discuss how two newspapers from two different continents have reported an international event
that is of interest to you. In your presentation, you will address the following questions:
1. How are the two newspapers different/similar in their coverage of the international
issue?
2. Is the news also reported in a major newspaper in the United States such as the New
York Times? If so, how similar or different is the coverage from the international
newspapers that you read?
3. What do the readers of the newspapers think of the news? You can retrieve comments
that readers post on the websites of the newspapers.
5. Essay on Terrorism (30 pts.)
You will write an essay of three pages on how the United States should respond to terrorist
organizations like the Islamic State. I will provide further instructions shortly.
6. Exam I (40 pts.) and II (60 pts.)
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There will be two exams. Exams will comprise fill-in-the blank, short-answers, and essay
questions. Exam questions will be drawn from assigned and supplemental readings, lectures,
class and online discussions, and documentaries/video clips shown in and out of class.
7. Foreign Policy Paper and Presentation (50 pts.)
In a paper of not less than five double-spaced pages (12 Times New Roman) excluding references
or works cited, you will analyze the foreign policy of the United States on an international topic
of your choice. I will have to see and approve a one page description of your chosen case study
and the topic of comparison. Your topic description should also contain a sample bibliography.
You will turn in your topic/country proposal by Wed., Feb.10. You will lose five points from your
final paper grade if you don’t submit a proposal.
A rough draft of the foreign policy paper is due on Friday, Apr. 8 The final revised and
compiled paper is due Friday, Apr.29. You will lose 10 points from the final paper grade if you
fail to turn in the rough draft. You will submit your rough draft and the final version both as hard
copy and electronically on Western Online. You will receive 10 additional points depending on
the extent and quality of the revision you put into the rough draft. I will also assess whether you
have incorporated the corrections and suggestions that I provided on the rough draft.
You should attempt to structure your paper in such a way that it relates and deals with these
core questions:
1. What are the different options that the United States has in dealing with the international
issue you have chosen?
2. Which one of the policy options you have discussed presents the best course of action
and why? Here you will have to make use of the different theories of international relations
that we will review early in the course.
3. What are the pros and cons of the option you have selected as the best course of action?
4. What are the domestic political actors that will either support or oppose the selected
policy option?
Grading Rubric for Foreign Policy Paper
Points
Introduction
5
Statement of the international issue
5
Discussion of theoretical perspectives
10
Analysis of policy options
15
Analysis of actors and stakeholders
10
Organization, Grammar and Citation
5
Total
50 points
Important Dates and Deadlines
Paper Topic
Essay on Terrorism
Exam I
Foreign Policy Paper (Rough
Draft)
Foreign Policy Paper
(Revised and Final)
Exam II
5
Wed., Feb. 10
Fri., Feb. 26
Fri. Mar. 11
Fri., Apr., 8
Fri., Apr., 29
Wed., May 11 @ 1 pm
Course Policies
1. Class conduct: Texting, any other usage of phone and lap tops, and other disruptive
behavior including sleeping while class is in session will not be tolerated and will cause you to
lose participation points in addition to other penalties. You may also be asked to leave the
classroom if, after several warnings, you continue to engage in disruptive behavior such as
excessive use of phone and other electronic devices. Repeated cases of late attendance will result
in significant reduction of participation and attendance points. Understandably, sometimes you
may not be able to be on time. If you are late, try to enter the classroom with as little disruption
to me and your fellow classmates as possible. Unless you have notified me in advance, leaving
early while class is in session is impolite and disruptive. It will not be tolerated! This rule
applies in all class sessions including those in which documentaries or films are shown.
2. Submission of assignments and papers: Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments
and papers must be submitted in hard copy. Hand written and emailed assignments will not be
accepted unless I approve first. In many cases especially the Case Studies, you will be required
to submit your assignments on Western Online. If so, I will give specific instructions.
3. Late assignments and papers: All late assignments and papers will incur point
deduction, 2 points for each day past the deadline. Assignments and papers overdue for more
than a week will not be accepted and will receive zero. Although late assignments and papers
submitted within a week after the deadline will be graded, I will not necessarily provide timely
grade or feedback. Students who submit their work on time will have the opportunity to revise
their work for a better grade. If you don’t submit your work on time, you will not receive grade
or feedback on time.
If you can’t make the deadline for medical reasons and/or officially recognized duty or
travel, please notify me prior to the deadline. You will also have to provide appropriate and
legitimate documents to support your absence or why you will not be able to turn in your work
on time.
4. Cheating and Plagiarism: Any case of cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. If
you cheat and/or submit a plagiarized work, you will fail the class. Plagiarism, a serious
academic offense, involves the use in part or whole of other people’s work, ideas, and phrases
without paraphrasing and/or giving full and proper credit. Please take time to familiarize yourself
with WIU’s standards of academic honesty: http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php
5. Extra Credit: There will be several opportunities to earn “extra credit” points. You are
allowed to earn up to 10 extra credit points. Extra credit opportunities will be announced in class.
You will not be able to take advantage of an extra credit opportunity if you did not attend class
on the day the announcement for such opportunity was made. In most cases, you will have to
turn in a one-page report on the event that you attended in order to earn extra credit points.
6. ADA Statement: “In accordance with the University policy and the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies
the instructor of the need for an accommodation. For the instructor to provide the proper
accommodations (s) you must obtain documentation of the need for an accommodation through
the Disability Resource Center and provide it to the instructor. Contact the Disability Resource
Center (DRC) at 298-2512 for additional services.”
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Course Calendar (Tentative)
NOTE: Additional readings and news items will be posted in Western Online.
Week
Date
Topic
1
1/20
1/22
Introductions and Syllabus
Basic Concepts and Theories of
International Relations
2
1/25-1/29
The International System
3
2/1 – 2/5
Globalization
4
2/8 – 2/10
5
6
7
8
10
11
12
13
Ch.3 (Boyer et
al.)
Ch. 4 (Boyer et
al.)
Ch. 5 (Boyer et
al.)
International Organizations
Foreign Policy Paper Topic Due
Wed., Feb. 10
February 12, Fri. -- Lincoln's Birthday -- No Classes/University Closed
2/15 – 2/19
International Peace and Security
Ch. 6
2/22 – 2/26
International Conflict
Ch. 7
Essay on Terrorism Due Fri., Feb.26
2/29 – 3/4
International Law
Ch. 8
3/7 – 3/11
International Political Economy
Ch. 9 & 10
Exam I: Fri., March 11
March 14-18, Mon.-Fri. -- Spring Break -- No Classes
3/21 – 3/25
Human Rights
Ch. 11
3/28 – 4/1
Global Environmental Politics
Ch. 12
4/4 – 4/8
Human Security
Western
Online
Foreign Policy Paper (Rough Draft)
Due Fri., April. 8
4/11– 4/15
Reforming the International System
Western
Online
14
4/18 – 4/22
World News Presentations
15
4/25 – 4/29
World News Presentations
Foreign Policy Paper (Revised and
Final) Due Friday, April 29
16
17
Reading
Assignment
None
Chapters 1 and
2 (Boyer et al.)
5/2 – 5/6
5/9 – 5/13
Final Exam Review and Conclusion
Final Exam Week
Final Exam: Wed., May 11 @ 1pm
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