Syllabus
Political Science 107: Introduction to International Relations
Fall 2006
Linthicum Hall 114
Instructor:
Email:
Phone:
Office hours:
Vittorio N. Galasso
vgalasso@towson.edu
(office) 410-704-3440; (cellular) 302-740-5011
Linthicum Hall Rm. 301k; Monday & Wednesday 10:00 – 11:00
Overview & Objectives
This course is designed to equip students with the conceptual tools needed to understand the
study of world politics. We live in an exciting period of history. The world is getting smaller, moving
faster, and becoming interconnected in ways never experienced before. The highly globalized world of
the present has generated more wealth, scientific innovation, and cross-national cooperation ever
witnessed in history. Yet at the same time the prospects of war, terror, and environmental degradation
still generate an aura of uncertainty regarding our epoch. Adding to both the excitement and the fear of a
smaller and interconnected globe is the fact that world politics does not occur in far off places. Decisions
made by states, multinational corporations, terrorist organizations, and non-governmental organizations
have a direct impact on your life. The rapid barrage of information emanating from cable news, the web,
and other forms of communication has in part transformed many people into “informed” global citizens.
However, while there may be a multitude of individuals who know of the events that are occurring in the
world, many still do not understand what is happening. That is, there’s a huge difference between being
up to date on the news (which is a good thing) and being able to explain why events happened; and what
consequences they may bring. The goal of this class is to help you to be to able to analyze global events
and changes within a theoretical and systematic framework. Regardless of whether you are an
international studies major, these skills are increasingly becoming pertinent for the modern individual to
successfully take part in an ever shifting, dynamic, and “flat” world.
While this course may be an introductory one, it is by no means an “easy” course. The content
and the readings I have selected are meant to both challenge and stimulate you intellectually. Due to
how the class is structured you will essentially need to read just about everyday. However, the readings
are diced up nicely. So, if you read each day it will not be overwhelming. You MUST do the readings! I
can’t stress how crucial this is. The easiest way to do poorly in this class is to not complete the assigned
readings. If you do not do the readings, then you will not understand the lectures. And if you do not
understand the lectures, then you will be lost. Some weeks the reading will be heavy (between 50-200
pages spread across the three classes for the week), and other times it will be light. Some of the
theoretical material will seem alien and difficult for you to grasp. My suggestion is to just plow throw it,
absorb as much as you can, and I will make every effort in class to explain the relevant ideas. Rest
assured that some of the most brilliant political theorists often have a hard time wrapping their heads
around some of these concepts. However, I promise that theory can be a lot of fun once you are able to
engage in it!
Required Texts
Mingst, Karen A. Essentials of International Relations. 3rd Edition, 2004.
Friedman, Thomas L. The Lexus & The Olive Tree. 2000.
All other readings will be made available to you via the library e-reserves and the internet.
Ba, Alice & Hoffmann, Matthew J. “Making and Remaking the World for IR 101: A Resource for
Teaching Social Constructivism in Introductory Classes.” International Studies Perspective. No. 4,
2003. pp. 15-33.
Finnemore, Martha. “Constructing Norms of Humanitarian Intervention.” The Culture of National
Security. Ed. Katzenstein, Peter J. Columbia University Press: New York, 1996. pp. 153-185.
Friedman, Thomas J. “How The World Became Flat: While I was Sleeping.” The World is Flat. Farrar,
Straus and Giroux: New York, 2006. pp. 3-50.
- “Flattener #1” pp. 50-58; “Flattener #2” pp. 59-76; “Flattener #5” pp. 126-136.
Keck, Margaret & Sikkink, Kathryn. “Transnational Advocacy Networks in International Politics.”
Activists Beyond Borders. Cornell University Press: Cornell, 1998. pp. 1-39.
- “Transnational Networks on Violence Against Women.” pp. 165-199.
Lynn-Jones, Sean M. & Miller, Steven E. “Preface.” The Perils of Anarchy. MIT Press: Cambridge, 1995.
pp. ix-xxi.
Nye, Joseph. “Neorealism and Neoliberalism.” World Politics. Vol. 40 (2), 1988. pp. 235-251.
Russett, Bruce. “The Fact of the Democratic Peace.” Debating the Democratic Peace. MIT Press:
Cambridge, 1996. pp. 58-82.
Waltz, Kenneth. “Political Structures.” Theory of International Politics. Mcgraw-Hill: Boston, 1979. pp.
79-102.
Walzer, Michael. “Challenges to the Just War Theory.” Harvard International Review. Spring 2004. pp. 3638.
Assignments
Your grade in this course will be determined by two exams; a short paper plus presentation; and
a final short paper. The two exams will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions.
The short paper and presentation will be conducted as follows: You and a partner (I will make a
list; however feel free to partner with whomever you choose. Just let me know ahead of time) will select
a topic based on an international current event which you have recently seen in the news. Using the new
conceptual tools that you have acquired from the readings & lectures you and your partner will write a
five page paper analyzing this topic. Each group will present their work and analysis on November 17 th
& 24th for about five minutes. I am eager to help you with selecting a topic, so don’t hesitate to approach
me. Good topics might include the various dynamics of the recent Israeli-Hezbollah war; the declining
security situation in Iraq; the impact of global warming (or any ongoing global environmental crisis).
Included in your paper and presentation should be at least four news articles relating to the topic (they
should be your main source of information). They should not all be from the same source (two from the
same source is acceptable). Please look at news organizations such as The New York Times; The Economist;
The BBC News (my favorite); The Washington Post; The Washington Times; The Los Angeles Times. All of these
organizations have websites with free content to view.
For the final paper I would like you to use the information that you have learned in this class and
speculate as to what the world will look like in the near future. Specifically, I want you to tell me
whether you think that the world of nation states, which has characterized the international system since
the seventeenth century, is currently shifting into another epoch? If so, how do you know? That is, what
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are the indicators that this shift is happening. If not, why not? What are the forces keeping the nation
state as the preeminent actor in world politics. This paper should be six pages long.
Guidelines for all written assignments: All written assignments must meet these requirements: Double
spaced; 12 point font; black text; single sided. Citations must be noted (though I do not care which
method you use; only that it is standardized throughout). While I do not expect you all to be marvelous
writers, I do expect clarity in your thoughts, as well as organization, and attention to grammar.
Academic honesty& course policies
Students caught cheating on an exam in any way will receive a grade of F for the
course. Plagiarism is the use of someone else's ideas or words in part or in total without proper
academic attribution. Students caught plagiarizing on an assignment will receive a grade of F
for the assignment. To protect yourself against a claim of plagiarizing, you should retain
documentation that indicates where you found your ideas, early drafts of assignments, and
notes that show the progress of your work. I will not take attendance; however you are expected to come
to class prepared to participate in daily discussion. Participation counts for 10% of your grade. Late
assignments will not be accepted unless arrangements have been made prior to the due date.
Grades
Fist exam
Second exam
Partner paper &
presentation
Final paper
Participation
25%
25%
20%
20%
10%
Course Outline
August 28th – Monday - Overview & introduction.
August 30th – Wednesday
 What is international relations as a field of inquiry?
Mingst, Chapter 1
September 1st - Friday
 The Rise of the Modern International System: The emergence of a world of territorial states.
Mingst, Chapter 2. pp. 17-34
September 4th - Monday
 No classes schedule
September 6th – Wednesday
 The Interwar years; The Cold War
Mingst, Chapter 2. pp. 35-54
September 8th - Friday
 The Post Cold War years: The Epoch of Globalization
Friedman, “Opening scene”; chapters. 1-4
September 11th – Monday
 globalization (continued)
Friedman, chapters 5-7
September 13th - Wednesday
 globalization (wrap-up)
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
Thinking Theoretically – Theories of IR
Mingst, pp. 55-61
Waltz, pp.1-17 (theories?)
September 15th - Friday
 Realism
Mingst, pp. 65-70; 83; 86-94; 101-102; 106
Brown, Lynn-Jones, & Miller, Preface
September 18th – Monday
 Liberalism
Mingst, pp. 62-64; 84-85; 105
September 20th – Wednesday
 Social Constructivism – An alternative approach
Mingst, pp. 74-75; 95; 106
Ba & Hoffmann, “Making and Remaking the World For IR 101: A Resource for Teaching Social
Constructivism in Introductory Classes”
September 22nd – Friday
 An example of a constructivist analysis
Finnemore, “Constructing Norms of Humanitarian Intervention” (In Katzenstein’s The Culture of
National Security).
September 25th – Monday
 **First Exam**
September 27th – Wednesday -Oh Boy! More Theory 
 Neo-Realism – An offshoot of realism
Waltz, pp. 79-102
September 29th - Friday
 Neorealism & neoliberalism compared
Nye; “Neorealism & Neoliberalism”
October 2nd - Monday
 Democratic Peace Theory – An offshoot of liberalism
Russett, “The Fact of Democratic Peace”
Friedman, chapter 12
October 4th – Wednesday - War & Strife
 Why war? What does it look like?
Mingst, pp. 198-216
October 6th – Friday
 Just War Theory; How we handle war.
Mingst, pp. 217-234
Waltzer, “Words of War: Challenges to the Just War Theory”
October 9th – Monday - International Political Economy
 Mingst, pp. 233-256
October 11th – Wednesday
 Mingst, pp. 257-273
October 13th – Friday - International Organizations (IOs)
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
Intergovernmental Organizations
Mingst, Chapter 7 pp. 159-166
October 16th - Monday
 The U.N.
Mingst, Chapter 7 pp. 167-180
Charter of the United Nations (online) http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/September 26th –
October 18th - Wednesday
 The World Trade Organization (WTO)
“What is the WTO?” From the WTO website:
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/whatis_e.htm
October 20th – Friday
 The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Reading TBA
October 23rd – Monday - Nongovernmental Organizations
 Mingst, pp. 180-197
October 25th – Wednesday
 Human Rights Watch
Reading TBA
October 27th – Friday
 Greenpeace
Reading TBA
October 30th – Monday
 Something Technical
Reading TBA
November 1st - Wednesday - NGOs At Work: Transnational Advocacy Networks (TANs)
 Keck & Sikkink, chapter 1
November 3rd - Friday
 Keck & Sikkink, chapter 5
November 6th – Monday
 **Second Exam**
November 8th – Wednesday - Resistance to the new global epoch
 The Backlash
Friedman, chapter 15
November 10th - Friday
 The Groundswell
Friedman, chapter 16
November 13th - Monday
 FILM: “This is What Democracy Looks Like”
November 15th - Wednesday
 FILM: “This is what Democracy Looks Like”
November 17th – Friday
 Presentations
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November 20th – Monday
 Presentations
November 22nd – Wednesday
 No classes scheduled (eats lots of turkey; or tofurkey)
November 24th – Friday
 No classes scheduled
November 27th – Monday - Issues in World Politics
 Health & Disease
Mingst, chapter 10 pp. 273-295
November 29th – Wednesday
Mingst, chapter 10 pp. 296-306
December 1st – Friday - Is the World “Flat?”
Friedman, pp.3-50; Flattener #1; Flattener #2; Flattener #5
December 4th – Monday
Friedman, pp. 261-323
December 6th – Wednesday - Global Governance
Hoffmann & Ba article
December 8th – Friday
g.g. discussion
December 11th – Monday - course Wrap up
December 13th – Final papers due, 12 p.m.
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