COURSE NAME: International Issues I
PROFESSOR: Olga Aikin. Email: oaikin@iteso.mx.
CREDITS:
BCD 2 TIE 2
CLASSROOM SESSIONS:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 a
13:00 hrs.
PROGRAM: Undergraduate Program in International Relations. LANGUAGE: English
TERM: Fall 2012.
DEPARTMENT of Socio-political and Legal Studies.
COURSE DESCRIPTION.
In times of change people wonder about how the world works. Events after the Cold War
and 9/11 was such a time: conventional wisdom begged to be reinvented after the relative
stability and predictability of the Cold War period. Critical questions emerged and
policymakers still look for the right answers: What has changed in the XXIst Century world
politics and what remains the same? Will the future look like the past? Will China´s rise
rebalance the international order? What are the main forces behind current key issues such
as the arab revolts, genocide of migrants in Mexico, conflict over border fences or wars
over water resources? An inevitable spread of democracy? Globalization and the
information revolution acted out by intelligent networks that might be civil or uncivil?
Asymetric economies? Rival cultures within a clash of civilizations? Power politics?
Others?
In this course students will learn to explain the structure of the international system and
analyze, through different theoretical lenses, the meaning and impact of some critical
events and phenomena that shape our current world order. Through arguing, critical
thinking, group discussion and inquiry into current policy making, students will also be
able to offer solutions to important international problems. In this course we use different
analytical techniques, but the inductive method will be given priority: through specific
cases within the local realm, we will look for regional and global impact and will reach
some of the key debates and questions that underlie the IR discipline.
This course completes the profile of the international relations student. The course and the
activities programmed during the semester will enhance the four competences related to
your IR program, although multidisciplinary analysis of complex international issues
will be the most highlighted. Through the courses of International Theory Relations I and II
the students already acquired good knowledge of the basic IR theories available to interpret
world dynamics. In this course we will deepen this knowledge and apply skills to examine
geographical, geopolitical, sociological and economical aspects of the issues examined.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE:
Through the empirical and theoretical analysis of specific local and global issues, students
will be able to interpret world dynamics and assess different outcomes in policy making.
SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Concerning the academic content of the course:
1. Explain implicit assumptions of theory that are embedded in any explanation of an
event in global politics.
2. Develop the ability to use theories in an inquiry into current realities.
3. Learn the limits of theory in helping us to understand the world.
4. Learn to formulate questions on specific issues as a way of bringing up contending
viewpoints and different possible outcomes to a situation.
5. Analyze the processes (structural, political, economical) that underlie the examined
issues.
6. Assess policy making in specific issues and propose alternatives.
Concerning the development of skills proper to Internationalists:
7. Refine oral and written skills in English (applicable only when program is
implemented in English).
8. Refine critical and analytical skills.
9. Improve the ability to synthesize large amounts of information through individual
and group work.
10. Use international relations vocabulary (key terms and phrases used in the
discipline).
PREVIOUS COURSES
Fullfilment of the courses IR Theory I, IR Theory II and International Issues I is highly recommended
before taking this program due to the fact that the present course is a practical application of the former.
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TOPICS.
1. One World, many theories: alternative views in International Relations.
Questions:
-
What kinds of vision have different theories and paradigms of IR over the basic
nature of world politics?
Why are International Relations theories important?
Are realism, liberalism and constructivism today´s main paradigms? Do they
account for world dynamics?
Does feminism matter?
Is constructivism well understood in dominant IR academic literature?
Readings:
Walt, Stephen. “International Relations: One World, Many Theories”. Foreign Policy,
Spring 1998.
Snyder, Jack (2010). “One World, Rival Theories”, in Mingst and Snyder, Essential
Readings in World Politics. New York: Norton
2. What is the New World Order?
Questions:
3
-
-
What are the main forces that drive today´s world? Democracy? Power politics?
Globalization? the Information Revolution? Rival cultures within a clash of
civilizations?
Is structure more pervasive that process?
Is ideology more pervasive that the distribution of power?
Is today´s world Unipolar? Multipolar? Both?
Readings:
Basic:
Hook, Steven and Spanier, John (2010). “Conclusions: America´s Reckoning”, in American
Foreign Policy since World War II, CQ Press, Washington DC.
Fukuyama, Francis (1992). El Fin de la Historia y el último hombre. Barcelona: Editorial
Planeta S.A.
Castells, Manuel (1999) “Introducción: nuestro mundo, nuestras vidas”, en La Era de la
Información (Vol. II, El poder de la Identidad). Madrid: Siglo Veintiuno editores.
Huntington, Samuel, “The Clash of Civilizations”, in Foreign Affairs, 72:2 (Summer 1993), pp. 2249.
Nye, Joseph. “The Future of American Power”, in Foreign Affairs, (November/December 2010)
Mearsheimer, John (2001). “Great Power Politics in the Twenty-first Century”, in Nau, Henry (ed)
International Relations in Perspective. Washington: CQPress.
Further reading:
Nye, Joseph (2003). “A New World Order?”, in Understanding International Conflicts; an
introduction to Theory and History. Longman, MA, 2003.
Nye, Joseph (2003). “Origins of the Great Twentieth-Century Conflicts”, in Understanding
International Conflicts; an introduction to Theory and History. Longman, MA, 2003.
Youtube videos:
Conversations with History (Berkeley University) http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/conversations.
Conversation with (a) Manuel Castells, (b) Joseph Nye, (c) Kenneth Waltz, (d) John Mearsheimer.
3. China: the emerging global power.
Kew words: peaceful rise, policy of harmony, containment, peaceful development, aid-for-oil
strategy, balance of trade policy, structural constraints.
Questions:
4
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How will China´s rise rebalance the international order?
Will China´s rise be peaceful?
Will China overthrow the existing order of become part of it?
The rise of China can be seen as the onset of an Asian-centered world?
Will China become a democracy?
How could Sino-U.S security and economic conflicts be solved?
Readings:
Basic:
Flamini, Roland (2010). “U.S.-China Relations”, in Global Issues. Washington: CQ Press.
Further reading:
Ikenberry, John (2008). The Rise of China and the Future of the West :
Can the Liberal System Survive? Foreign Affairs , January/February.
Glaser, Charles (2011). Will China´s Rise Lead to War? Foreign Affairs, march/april.
Jisi, Wang (2011). China´s search for a Grand Strategy. Foreign Affairs, march/april.
Christensen, Thomas (2011). The Advantages of an Assertive China. Foreign Affairs,
march/april.
Womack, Brantly (2009). China between Region and World. The China Journal, no. 61, pp.
1-20. Sidney: Contemporary China Center, Australian National University.
4. Border Fences, migration and development: the most critical social issues of the
21st Century?
Questions:
-
Can the US-Mexico fence stop Mexican migration into de U.S?
Will the US economy be affected if Mexican migration decreases?
Does the fence affect bilateral relations between Mexico and U.S government?
What is the relationship between migration and development?
Is migration a negative social/political/economical phenomenon?
Who does migration benefit? Recipient countries? Countries of origin? Both?
Readings:
Basic:
Karaim, Reed (2010). “America´s Border Fence”. In Issues for Debate in American
Foreign Policy. . Washington: CQ Press.
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Staudt, Kathleen (2009). “Violence at the Border: Broadening the Discourse to Include
Feminism, Human Security and Deeper Democracy”, in Staudt, Payan and Kruszewski
(eds), Human Rights Along the U.S-Mexico Border. Tucson: The University of Arizona
Press.
Tezanos, José Félix. Nuevas tendencias migratorias y sus efectos sociales y culturales en
los países de recepción (Reis). Curso Jeff
Wise, Márquez y Puentes (2010). Elementos para replantear el debate sobre migración,
desarrollo y derechos humanos. Folleto AGP.
Youtube videos:
The Border Fence: Where it is and how it works
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdvnWmgySrE
Walls of Shame US-Mexico (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkX2Us287qs&NR=1
5. Invisible victims: transit migration in Mexico.
Key words: national interests, globalization of organized crime, co-development
Questions:
What international forces and trends shape the migration phenomenon in Mexico?
What kind of policies should the Mexican government take to address the problem of
transmigration in the country?
What is Mexico´s national interest vis-à-vis migration from Central America?
Considering organized crime groups are the most prominent attackers and HR violators of
migrants, what should be done to curb their influence?
Is transit migration a regional problem and should be faced as such? Who should be
involved in it if we agree that it is in fact a regional problem?
Bibliography:
Washington Office on Latin America (2010). A Dangerous Journey through Mexico:
Human Rights Violations against Migrants in Transit. www.wola.org.
Amnesty International (2010), Invisible Victims, Migrants on the Move in Mexico,
Youtube video: Las Patronas
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6. Women´s rights and the feminization of World Politics
Questions:
Has globalization been good for women?
Has the rise of fundamentalism increased honor killings and therefore violence against
women?
Have international treaties and international campaigns for women´s rights really improved
women´s life?
Do women have a different approach to politics?
Readings:
Tickner, Anne. “A Critique of Morgenthau´s Principles of Political Realism”. In Art and
Jervis, International Politics.
Foerstel, Karen (2011). Women´s Rights, in Global Issues. Washington: CQ Press
7. Femicide in Ciudad Juárez and the Cotton Field Sentence: New ways of doing
world politics?
Key words: Transnational Advocacy Networks, international human rights, feminism,
international institutions.
Questions:
Do Transnational Advocacy Networks have transformative power over government
policies?
Do human rights matter?
Does the Cotton Field sentence issued by de Inter-American Commission of Human Rights
make a difference on the Ciudad Juárez case?
Do feminist and constructivist views explain human rights conflicts?
Readings:
Keck and Sikkink (2010). “Transnational Advocacy Networks in International Politics”, in
Mingst and Snyder, Essential Readings in World Politics. New York: Norton.
Tickner, Anne (1992). “Engendered Insecurities: Feminist Perspectives on International
Relations”, in Gender in International Relations: Feminist Perspectives on achieving
Global Security. New York: Columbia Press University.
Youtube videos:
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Silencio en Ciudad Juárez (Discovery Chanel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if1x_OKMcXA&tracker=False&NR=1
Sentencia del Campo Algodonero (Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos). In
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFsoBN59v4o&tracker=False&NR=1
8- Envisioning the future of the Arab World.
Questions:
Is democracy possible in political islam?
Is democracy more important (or compatible with) security in the Arab World?
Will Al-quaeda consolidate its ability to operate in fragile arab states if power gaps appear?
Are the arab revolts altering the region´s strategic balance?
Readings:
Salem, Paul. “Arab Spring Has Yet to Alter Region´s Strategic Balance”, in Los Angeles
Time (may 9, 2011).
Zeraoui, Zidane (2009). Medio Oriente: La nueva geopolítica del poder. Irán y el equilibrio
regional. San José, Costa Rica: Editorial Universidad de Costa Rica.
9. Environmental conflicts: El Salto´s water pollution problem.
10. Global food crisis.
COURSE CALENDAR:
Sessión
Topic
14 ag
Introduction
to the course
16 ag
One World,
Many
Theories
Readings and class activities
21 ag
Ice breaker activity: creating a new identity/singing
Student´s expectation´s on the course
Knowledge Chart on Theories
Reading: Walt, Stephen. International Relations:
One World, Many Theories.
Class activities: clarify reading in home and expert
groups.
Lectio Brevis: cita con el Rector del ITESO.
23 ag
Home and expert groups complete chart on theories
28 ag
New
Order
World
Assignments
Reading report 1 (Stephen
Walt)
Reading: Richard Haas (2008), The age of nonpolarity.
Activities: Teacher´s presentation on basic concepts
of world dynamics (20 minutes). Home groups work
on assigned reading: create a map of international
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actors.
30 ag
New
Order
World
Readings:
Reading report 2 (each
student will read only one
of the 5 selected authors)
Fukuyama, Francis (1992). El Fin de la Historia y
el último hombre.
Castells, Manuel (1999) “Introducción: nuestro
mundo, nuestras vidas”, en La Era de la
Información (Vol. II, El poder de la Identidad).
Huntington, Samuel, (1993) “The
Civilizations”, in Foreign Affairs.
Clash
of
Nye, Joseph (2010). “The Future of American
Power”, in Foreign Affairs.
Mearsheimer, John (2001). “Great Power Politics in
the Twenty-first Century”, in Nau, Henry (ed)
International Relations in Perspective.
4 sep
6 sept
New
Order
China
World
11
sept
China
13
sep
18
sep
China
20sep
Border Fences
and Migration
China
Class activity: Home and expert groups clarify
reading and complete a chart of author´s contending
views.
Panel presentation on selected author by each group.
Reading: Flamini, Roland (2010). “U.S.-China
Relations”, in Global Issues
Class activities: Interview with Susan Shark on
China, home groups clarify reading.
Reading: Flamini, Roland (2010). “U.S.-China
Relations”, in Global Issues.
Class activities: teacher´s presentation on China.
Home groups prepare for role play
Class activity: Role play on hot issues in the U.SChinese agenda
Class activity: Role play on hot issues in the U.SChinese agenda
Basic reading: Karaim, Reed (2010). “America´s
Border Fence”. In Issues for Debate in American
Foreign Policy.
Extra reading: Staudt, Kathleen (2009). “Violence at
the Border: Broadening the Discourse to Include
Feminism, Human Security and Deeper
Democracy”, in Staudt, Payan and Kruszewski
(eds), Human Rights Along the U.S-Mexico Border.
Class activities: Video on borders, teacher´s
presentation on borders (based on Staudt); groups
prepare for debate working with Reed´s reading
addressing 2 questions: Would blocking all illegal
immigrants hurt or benefit the U.S economy? Is a
border fence the answer to the illegal immigration
problem?
Assignment: Power Point
Presentation on author
Reading report 3
China Relations).
(U.S-
Written
assignment:
Country´s position on issues
of agenda (3 pages)
Students
read
Karaim
Reed´s text on Border
Fences and bring the text to
the classroom.
9
25
sep
Border Fences
and Migration
Debate over U.S-Mexico Fence
Written
assignment:
position and arguments for
the debate on U.S-Mexico
Fence (3 pages).
27sep
Transit
Migration
Mexico
Transit
Migration
Mexico
in
Knowledge chart on transit migration
Video: Invisible Victims (Amnesty International)
Teacher´s presentation on transit migration.
Saturday 29 of sept: visit to FM4 and railroads
Reading: Amnesty International (2010), Invisible
Victims, Migrants on the Move in Mexico.
Special guests on migration: how to work on
migration issues from Guadalajara.
Olga: TANs (Transnational Advocacy Networks)
VISIT TO FM4
in
2 oct
4 oct
9 oct
Global
Crisis
Global
Crisis
Food
Documentary (TVE) on The Global Agro-industry
Food
Reading: Eric Holt-Giménez/Raj Patel (2010)
Rebeliones Alimentarias. Crisis y hambre de
Justicia. Barcelona: El Viejo Topo.
Special guest: Dr. Jaime Morales.
11 oct
Women´s
rights and the
feminization
of
world
politics.
Reading: Foerstel, Karen (2011). Women´s Rights,
in Global Issues. Washington: CQ Press.
Class activities: groups work on assigned reading
and answer questions ending up in Socratic
discussion.
16 oct
Migration
Asistencia a Jornadas sobre política migratoria
mexicana
18 oct
Femicide in
Ciudad Juárez
Reading: Keck and Sikkink (2010). “Transnational
Advocacy Networks in International Politics”.
Activities: Home groups work on readings.
Knowledge chart on Femicide. Video “Silencio en
Juárez”. Presentation on Ciudad Juárez.
23 oct
25 oct
30 0ct
Femicide in
Ciudad Juárez
1 nov
2008
world
financial crisis
2008
world
financial crisis
Research
project
Arab World:
Military
Intervention in
Iran?
Arab World:
6 nov
8 nov
13
nov
15
Assignment
on
transit
migration
related
to
“Jornadas sobre política
migratoria”.
Problem Tree on global
food crisis
VISIT TO ECOFARM IN
EL SALTO
Reading report (4) on
Women´s Rights
Students choose topic for
research.
.Olga goes to Congress
Olga goes to Congress (classes are compensated by
two previous field trips)
Violence against women: a “glocal” problem. How
to work on it?
Special guest on femicide
Documentary: Inside Job (2010), by Charles
Ferguson.
Panel on world financial crisis. Special guests
Home groups work on research project
Final essay progress report
Essay on the documentary
Inside Job
10
nov
20
nov
22nov
27
nov
Military
Intervention in
Iran?
Research
project
Research
project
Home groups work on research project
Home groups work on research project
Final essays
Final Grades
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Reading reports
Presentations and essays
Final Essay Progress Report
Final Essay
Participation in class
20
30
10
30
10
Participation in class includes interest in the course, participating actively and respectfully in the
issues debated in class, respect for the teacher and other students during their presentations and
taking an active part in team work.
Extra points may be awarded if students hand in extra reading reports.
It is the student´s obligation to strictly follow the course calendar and submit the assignments in
time. The teacher will not be reminding the group of this schedule, which is already included in the
program and in the moodle page of the course.
Plagiarism is not allowed and will be penalized. Please read the text on this matter. You can find it
in the moodle page (ETICA EN LA ESCRITURA).
DISCIPLINE AND ORDER
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


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Sessions start 10 minutes after 9:00 and end 10 minutes before 11:00. (M.D. 3.1.5).
Attendance will be registered in the course list. Once attendance has been registered, the
student who has missed it could enter class without an attendance record.
In order to be evaluated on the ordinary period, an 80% attendance is required and 60% is
required to sit the extraordinary test.
The use of laptops in class is not allowed, except when the class dynamic requires it.
The use of cell phones and other electronic devices is not allowed. Devices must be turned
off or set in silent mode.
Eating is not allowed in the classroom; it is possible to bring liquids (water, coffee), taking
care of the class equipment and materials (M.D. 3.4.1)
11
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