PSC 116G: Introduction to International Politics
Spring 2015
Instructor: Prof. Marc Hutchison
Lecture Times
Office: 223 Washburn Hall
Section 0001: MWF 12:00 – 12:50pm
Office Hours: MWF 10:15-11:15am, or by appt.
Section 0002: MWF 1:00 – 1:50pm
Office Phone: (401) 874-4054
Location: CBLS 100 – Auditorium
Email: mlhutch@uri.edu
Class Website: Sakai
Teaching Assistants: Please refer to your TA’s individual syllabi for contact information and office hours.
Course Catalog Description: Nature of the state system, foundations of national power, means of exercising
power. Cooperative interactions between states. Current international problems.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to be an introduction to global politics. We will examine various theoretical perspectives used
to explain the interactions between actors at the international level. Additionally, we will discuss some of the
contemporary issues facing the global community. Topics include international conflict, global trade and finance,
international organizations and international law, terrorism, global environmental challenges, and foreign policy
decision-making. This class is not a survey of contemporary international history nor is it a discussion of current
events. While both of these elements are incorporated in the general framework of the course, we will rely on
theoretical perspectives, ideologies, and debates to understand patterns and trends throughout global politics.
COURSE GOALS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
General Education: Global Responsibilities (full coverage)
1. Understands one’s identity within the global context by recognizing global political commonalities and
differences through the comparison of practices and perspectives.
2. Applies knowledge of patterns in global politics to interact appropriately with people from other countries and
regions of the world.
3. Explain international political issues and their implications by adopting the perspectives of citizens from other
countries and regions of the world.
General Education: Social and Behavioral Science (full coverage)
1. Identify core concepts and leading theories in international politics such as the state, non-state actors, collective
action, realism, anarchy, power, conflict, liberalism, prisoner’s dilemma, international cooperation, comparative
advantage, the North-South Gap, tragedy of the commons, and sustainable development.
2. Recognize the core concepts and theories relevant to understanding political phenomena such as international
conflict, international terrorism, foreign policy, global trade, and international finance.
3. Applies core concepts, theories, and level of analysis needed to best explain historical patterns and current trends
in global politics.
4. Compare and contrast the logic and evidence used the leading major theories of international politics, such as
realism, liberalism, economic structuralism, constructivism, and expected utility theory.
5. Critically evaluate leading major theories of international politics by examining their strengths and weaknesses.
General Education: Grand Challenge (full coverage)
1. Explores multiple complex issues in areas of contemporary significance including international conflict,
terrorism, peace and nonviolence, human rights, international trade and finance, global poverty, international policy,
environmental degradation, climate change, and sustainable development.
2. Relies on several disciplinary perspectives including, most notably, political science, economics, history, peace and
nonviolence studies, and environmental studies.
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3. Examines the multitude of ethical challenges associated with different aspects of international politics, including
conflict and the use of deadly force, combating human rights abuses across the world, global poverty and the human
and environmental tradeoffs of economic development, while offering students the opportunities to apply ethical
frameworks when considering the consequences of alternative actions to these international challenges.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
The textbook bundle is available through the University Bookstore.
 Joshua S. Goldstein and Jon C. Pevehouse. 2013. International Relations. 10th Edition. Boston:
Pearson. (ISBN: 9780205971367)
 2015. Global Issues: Selections from CQ Researcher. 2015 Edition. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.
(ISBN: 9781483364537)
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS
The response cards (i.e. clickers) are available through the University Bookstore and MyPoliSciLab can be accessed
online.
 TurningTechnologies Response Card: You are required to bring this with you to every class. Failure to
do so will result in being marked absent for that class. No exceptions. Please see the section on attendance
for further details. These can be purchased through the University Bookstore.
 MyPoliSciLab: Students purchasing the textbook from the book store also receive free access to the
textbook’s MyPolisciLab interactive website. This site contains an interactive e-book, chapter glossaries and
summaries, video activities, simulations, sample quizzes, and more. Your bundle will include instructions on
how to sign up for MyPolisciLab but you can also find the instructions in your ‘Resources’ folder in Sakai.
When signing up for MyPolisciLab, you will need to provide the course key for this class.
o Course ID: hutchison96005
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING POLICY
CLASS PARTICIPATION (15%)
RECITATION (20%)
EXAM #1 (20%)
EXAM #2 (20%)
FINAL EXAM (25%)
CLASS PARTICIPATION (15%)
After the first two weeks of class, your daily participation will be recording using the TurningTechnologies Response
Card (i.e. clicker). You are required to purchase a clicker to record your attendance and in-class participation. Failure
to bring your clicker to class will result in being marked absent for the day, no exceptions. Clickers allow you to respond to
questions I pose during class, and your score will be noted based on that participation.
After the two week grace period, you will be assessed based on the number of correct “Pop Quiz” questions you
answer during each lecture period. The “Pop Quiz” questions will be clearly marked in the heading of the slide and
you will only be graded on your answers to those slides. Typically, I include 2-5 “Pop Quiz” slides during each lecture.
You do not receive credit for participation on days that you are absent.
Since your participation score is not based directly on showing up for class, each student is automatically awarded 8
participation points. These 8 points are equivalent to missing up to 3 classes without receiving a lower grade in
participation. I do not require written proof of legitimate absences. If you miss a bunch of classes - even for legitimate
reasons (e.g. genuine sickness, disability, or family emergencies) - your participation grade will suffer accordingly.
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Conversely, if you do not miss any classes and perform very well in answering the Pop Quiz questions, these automatic
points can act as ‘extra credit’ to your participation score.
In order to receive credit for participation, you will need to register your TurningTechnologies device id
code in Sakai by Sunday, February 1st. If you have not provided your device ID code by 2/1/15, then you will
NOT receive any credit for participation until you register the ID on Sakai. However, if you register your ID code by
the deadline, you will earn another 2 points for your participation score to use during the semester (for a total of 10
participation points).
To register your device ID, simply log in to Sakai and click on the TurningTechnologies link in the left hand column.
Click on the type of device you are registering and enter the id code. To avoid any confusion, I have posted an image
of where to locate the device id in Sakai. If you have any questions, please see your TA for assistance.
PLEASE NOTE: If you replace your clicker at any point during the semester, you must contact Professor
Hutchison.
The weekly reading assignments should be completed PRIOR to the beginning of class for which they are assigned.
By reading the assignments prior to attending class, you will be better prepared to absorb the weekly lectures as well
as participate each day. While the overall theme for each week will be the same for both the lecture and the reading
assignments, the material is not exactly the same. Some of the material in the book is not discussed in class and vice versa. However,
you are responsible on the exams for all material—both readings and lecture.
RECITATION (20%)
Your performance in your recitation session will count for 20% of your overall class grade. Each TA will provide
their recitation section with an individual syllabus detailing their expectations and grading criteria. It is imperative that
you attend and participate in your recitation session. Please note that we will not be holding recitations the very
first week of class from 1/21/15 to 1/23/15.
EXAMS (65%)
You will take three exams during the course of the semester. These exams will evaluate your knowledge of the
lectures, readings, and any other materials during the course. The format of the first two exams is a combination of
multiple choice and short essay/identification. The format of the final exam is a mixture of multiple choice, short
essay/identification, and an essay question. The essay portion of the final exam is cumulative.
If you miss an exam, you automatically receive a 10 point grade deduction on the makeup. To avoid a grade deduction,
you must (1) contact me and your TA no later than the day of the exam via a phone message or e-mail to inform us
of your absence and, (2) later when you meet with either me or your TA, provide the corresponding paperwork
substantiating your claims of illness, disability, or family emergency. Please note that makeup exams are always given
in a different format from the original exam. Furthermore, no makeup exams will be given after 10 days following the original
exam date.
Materials for the exams will be drawn from both lecture and the book. Please note that, while materials from lecture
and the book often overlap, a significant amount of information found in the book is not covered during lectures.
You will still be responsible for knowing this material. Typically, an exam includes about 60% drawn from lecture
and 40% drawn from the book.
GRADING SCALE
A
A-
100-94
93-90
B+ 89-87
B 86-83
B- 82-80
C+ 79-77
C 76-73
C- 72-70
D+ 69-67
D 66-60
F 59 or below
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Cheating and Plagiarism
Cheating and plagiarism are very serious crimes and will be handled in accord with university policy. Specific
information regarding definitions of cheating and plagiarism can be found at http://www.uri.edu/facsen/8.208.27.html. For students caught cheating during an exam, you will, at minimum, receive a 0 for the exam. Depending
on the infraction, further disciplinary action may ensue.
Classroom Decorum
I require all students to treat everyone in the classroom with respect. At times, we may engage in discussion of topics
for which students may possess strong opinions. While disagreement is crucial to healthy discourse, I will not tolerate
behavior that either impinges learning or results in personal attacks on others. At no time may any student insult or
single out any other person on the basis of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, ethnicity, or nationality, etc.
I will ask any student who commits such an offense to leave class and will dock their participation grade accordingly.
Furthermore, students planning to use my class period to text with friends, surf the internet, read the newspaper, study
for another class or in some other way be disruptive are encouraged to stay home. Although I allow laptops to be
used in class, I reserve the right to ban laptops in the future if I feel that class is being disrupted by rampant internet
usage during class.
Personal Electronic Devices
You should turn off, not simply silence, their personal electronic devices (i.e. cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, etc.)
prior to the start of class. Answering a cell phone, checking messages, or text messaging is prohibited. Furthermore,
personal electronic devices are NOT allowed during an exam under ANY circumstances. If you are caught
using/looking at such a device during an exam, you will receive an automatic 0 on the exam.
Students with Disabilities
Any student with a documented disability is welcome to contact me early in the semester so that we may work out
reasonable accommodations to support your success in this course. Students should also contact Disability Services
for Students, Office of Student Life, 330 Memorial Union, 874-2098. To learn more, you can also visit URI’s disability
services website at www.uri.edu/disability/dss.
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COURSE SCHEDULE*
* I reserve the right to change or modify any of the requirements or readings, if necessary, upon timely notification.
Date
1/21/15
1/23/15
Topic
Course and Syllabus Overview
The Study of International Politics
Reading
None
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 1
1/26/15
1/28/15
1/30/15
Brief History of the World
Brief History of the World
Brief History of the World
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 1
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 1
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 1
2/2/15
2/4/15
2/6/15
Realist Theories
Realist Theories
Alliances
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 2
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 2
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 2
2/9/15
2/11/15
2/13/15
Liberal Theories
Liberal Theories
The Democratic Peace
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 3
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 3
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 3
2/16/15
2/18/15
2/20/15
President's Day - No classes
The Democratic Peace
Social and Gender Theories
None
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 3
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 3
2/23/15
2/25/15
2/27/15
Exam #1
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
None
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 4
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 4
3/2/15
3/4/15
3/6/15
International Conflict
International Conflict
Military Force & WMDs
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 5
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 5
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 6
3/9/15
3/11/15
3/13/15
Military Force & WMDs
International Terrorism
International Terrorism
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 6
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 6
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 6
3/16/15
3/18/15
3/20/15
Spring Break
Spring Break
Spring Break
None
None
None
3/23/15
3/25/15
3/27/15
International Cooperation & The Prisoner's Dilemma
International Organization, Law, and Human Rights
International Organization, Law, and Human Rights
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 1, pgs. 76-79
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 7
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 7
3/30/15
4/1/15
4/3/15
Exam #2
International Trade
International Trade
None
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 8
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 8
4/6/15
4/8/15
4/10/15
International Trade
Global Finance and Business
Global Finance and Business
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 8
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 9
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 9
4/13/15
4/15/15
4/17/15
The North-South Gap
The North-South Gap
The North-South Gap
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 12
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 12
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 12
4/20/15
4/22/15
4/24/15
International Development
International Development
Environment and Population
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 13
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 13
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 11
4/27/15
4/29/15
Environment and Population
Review
Goldstein & Pevehouse, Chapter 11
None
5/8/15
5/11/15
Final Exam - 12pm Section (11:30am-2:30pm)
Final Exam - 1pm Section (11:30am-2:30pm)
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