BALANCE OF POWER - POLI 298H
Section EC
FALL 2011
This syllabus is subject to change and any changes will be posted in the Announcements
section of the course website.
Disclaimer: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the
content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.
INSTRUCTOR
The instructor for this course is Dr. Julian Schofield.
CONTACT INFORMATION – The Head Teaching Assistant for this course is TBA.
Allow for a 24 hour response time during the week (Monday-Friday). Teaching Assistants check
their messages once over the 48 hour weekend period and are not available on statutory or
university holidays.
If your communication with the TA is delayed by more than 24 hours, please re-send the e-mail
and CC your professor: julian.schofield@sympatico.ca as soon as possible.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the basic concepts associated with the
balance of power. This is an ancient concept, associated with realpolitik practices of national
diplomacy that date back thousands of years. However, the precise meaning of the balance of
power has varied across different times, and this course seeks to create a dynamic environment
within which students can unpack these concepts. The course consists of two parallel activities
– a discussion board, within which students read a selected reading and respond to a critical
question, and a dynamic simulation, in which students examine balance of power concepts.
Your ability to understand the material is the end product of this course.
OBTAINING REQUIRED MATERIAL

The material for POLI 298H consists of the required textbook and the POLI 298H course
website which contains the course lecture videos, resource centre and additional course
materials.

Required Textbook
o Michael Sheehan, The Balance of Power (London: Routledge: 1996),ISBN: 0-41511931-6.
o Once you are registered for the course, you can purchase your textbooks online
from the Concordia Bookstore or in person at the McConnell Building, 1400 de
Maisonneuve Blvd. West. Please note that textbooks ordered online from the
Concordia Bookstore will be shipped only 5 working days from the date the order
was placed.
COURSE WEBSITE, USERNAME & PASSWORD

Your eConcordia account will be valid until the end of the term for which you are
registered.

Your account will allow you to access the online course material, which includes videos,
notes, discussion boards, all graded course components, useful links, readings and many
more resources from the course website for the duration of the term.

The course website can be accessed at www.econcordia.com
EASTERN TIME ZONE

Please note that ALL dates and times are set for the North American Eastern Time Zone
and that Quebec uses Eastern Standard Time and Eastern Daylight Time as per the
appropriate dates. All students, including distance learners, are required to meet the
deadline requirements according to these times. No exceptions will be made.
DISCUSSION BOARD – Available as of 3:00 p.m. on SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

The discussion board is a versatile tool in an online course. It is akin to putting up your hand
in class, but with a bonus: each and every student can read questions and the various
answers posted, at their leisure.

To access your TA’s name, contact information and your group assignment number, click on
the Discussion Groups link in the left-hand side menu of your eConcordia account.

Once the discussion board is made available as per the date listed above, you will be
assigned to a group and a TA within 24 hours of obtaining your eConcordia username and
password.

If you have not been assigned to a group within 24 hours of obtaining your eConcordia
username and password, send an e-mail with your name, student ID number and the name
of the course you are taking to discuss@econcordia.com and you will be assigned to a group
within 24 hours.
GUIDELINES FOR POSTING ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD

Do not post your telephone number, student ID, or any other personal information on the
discussion board.

Read the other postings to confirm that your question has not already been answered.

The Discussion Board is meant for the academic discussion of the course material. Keep
postings pertinent to the course material. Questions pertaining to grades, technical issues
or questions of a personal nature must be addressed directly to your TA via e-mail. Posts of
this nature will be removed by the Forum Administrator.

Of vital importance is respectful behavior on the discussion board. Refrain from making
offensive statements and derogatory comments. For example, students must never insult
another person or teaching assistant in a discussion.

Students who fail to respect these rules will be asked to leave the discussion. It is within our
discretion and authority to edit or remove any posting at any time. Please see the Code of
Rights and Responsibilities.
OFFICE HOURS

There are no official physical office hours for this course; however your TAs will log on to
the discussion board and respond to your posts and emails within 24 hours.

Your TAs will also have virtual office hours wherein they will be logged onto the discussion
board at a predetermined date and time to answer your questions in real time. The virtual
office hours schedule will be made available the second week of the course.
COMMUNICATION

You will be communicating with your assigned Teaching Assistants and eConcordia
personnel via e-mail.

You are required to include the following information in all your e-mail communication:
o Full name
o Concordia student ID number
o Course name and number pertaining to your inquiry

Save a copy of all e-mail correspondence for the duration of the term and until the final
letter grade for your course has been posted in your MyConcordia portal.
If the TA does not respond within 24 hours then re-send the correspondence to the TA and CC
the professor: julian.schofield@sympatico.ca

We strongly encourage you to use a Concordia University e-mail account or an account from
a provider such as Sympatico, Videotron, etc.
o Free e-mail accounts such as Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. are NOT recommended and
very often lead to communication problems.
o You can obtain a LIVE@EDU e-mail account through your My Concordia Portal by
clicking on the link titled “Personal Services” followed by “Computer Accounts &
Passwords”.
o For more information about these accounts and other services offered by
Concordia’s IITS department, you may visit CC-207 or H-925 or
http://helpline.concordia.ca/.
o Your e-mail address must be registered in your MyConcordia Portal as well as in
the Student Profile of your My eConcordia Portal.
ANNOUNCEMENTS

Important information regarding the course will be communicated to you via the
Announcements Section of the course website.

The announcements are located in the centre of the main page upon logging in to your
eConcordia account. Please make sure to read the postings on a weekly basis.
GRADED ASSESSMENTS
COMPONENT
GRADE %
Discussion Groups
30
Simulation Participation
10
Simulation Report: Hypotheses Outcomes
5
Mid-term Exam
10
Paper Proposal
5
Paper
20
Final Examination
20
MID-TERM EXAM
The mid-term exam is an online exam. Questions will be posted on the course website and
students will have a period specified in the agenda of this course outline in which to answer
them; the questions will require very precise answers. The exam will be comprised of a list of
approximately twenty multiple-choice questions. The criteria for correct answers will be the
best possible answer, not simply the correct answer. The questions are somewhat tricky in this
respect because of the open book nature of the mid-term exam.
You will have access to the mid-term questions on the date specified in the agenda. The exam
must be submitted by the deadline indicated in the agenda in order to obtain a grade.
Instructions on submitting your answers will be posted with the mid-term questions.
PAPER PROPOSAL AND PAPER
Students are required to complete a course paper. This is a 1,500-word researched and detailed
analysis of an historical period or region approved by the professor (not including footnotes or
bibliography). Approval is obtained by submitting a paper proposal (use the format posted on
the website) to the professor, who will respond with a “yes” or a “redo”. Webster library has
social science research librarians available to assist students in the reference section (2 nd floor).
ONLINE DISCUSSION CONFERENCES
Students will be marked for cogent, coherent and quality participation in one of ten
alphabetically organized online discussion conferences. Students must participate frequently (34 postings/lesson). Students may not post more than once per day; this compels the student to
spread their responses out over a week and facilitates an interactive debate. The assignment of
your discussion group will be listed on the website and will begin on the date indicated in the
Weekly Planner. The topic of discussion will consist of the reading for that week, and will focus
on a critical question. Participation in the discussion group is mandatory, and half of the
participation grade will be awarded for specific reference to the assigned readings. Both the
instructor and the Teaching Assistants will ensure that the discussion remains focused and
reflects the readings for the particular segment. Be interactive; this is a discussion about the
critical questions, so take the time to read the comments of others and respond to them with a
substantiated argument. You must answer that segment’s critical question in the first post, and
the remaining posts are expected to be your responses to the opinions of your discussion group
colleagues. The average length of comments should be 10 lines (for a total of 30 lines per
subject). Therefore, no winging it without reference to the readings, and no opinions without a
logical argument related to some principle mentioned in the text or the critical question. Keep
the discussions focused on the critical question – we will erase comments, however true, that
stray from the subject, engage in polemics, or are normative. To save time and as back-up, you
are required to keep a record of all of your postings. To facilitate the reading of others (spelling
and grammar mistakes) you should write the discussion up in a word-processor and then copy
and paste it to post it (type and save all your work in a Word document). Students may not save
up discussions for later periods, may not post on Saturday without a legitimate reason given to
the TAs (this is the fallback emergency participation day), and may not post on Sundays at all.
Students are encouraged to e-mail the TAs individually for feedback on how to improve and
raise the grades within a ten-day delay after a segment is complete and their grade posted.
BALANCE OF POWER SIMULATIONS
The course work is accompanied by a balance of power simulation. The specific rules as well as
a tutorial about the simulation are posted on the site. The professor reserves the right to reassign a student to a different game. Each simulation consists of a game of seven students each
playing one of seven states in a simulation of early twentieth-century Europe. Students must
access the simulation section on the site and they will be provided with a game name and
password, which they will then use when signing up to play the game. Students will be assigned
states at random. Students are awarded grades for submitting move orders to the computer, at
a minimum, every Monday and Thursday. The computer logs all submitted orders. Students
may play more frequently if they wish. Students are graded with full marks for participation,
not winning or for the quality of their play.
SIMULATION REPORT: Hypotheses Outcomes
The simulation report is to be submitted at the conclusion of the course and is to use the
simulation played to address the list of balance of power hypotheses provided on the website.
In effect, you are to address issues like balancing and bandwagoning and to discuss whether
and when they occurred within the simulation.
POLICY ON EXTENSIONS AND LATE SUBMISSION

Any request for an extension must be received before the deadline or it will not be
accepted. In fairness to all students, there will not be any exceptions to this policy.

It is your responsibility to ensure that if you are unable to complete your work by the
deadline or write an exam on the assigned date, you must request an extension beforehand
via e-mail to the attention of your Teaching Assistant.

Extensions will be granted only to students who are able to provide a reasonable and
verifiable medical note before the deadline. Medical notes must include dates within which
you are excused from work/school.

In the case of emergencies, it is your responsibility to notify your Teaching Assistant via email as soon as the issue arises in order to determine the course of action required for the
matter at hand.

Organize your time effectively to ensure that you submit your work on time. Any work
submitted after the deadline is considered late and will NOT BE GRADED.

Vacations and travel plans (work-related or otherwise) are not considered valid reasons for
late submissions of or an inability to complete assignments, quizzes and exams.

Please note that you are responsible for the version of the work you upload to the website.
If you upload the incorrect version of your work to the website, you can resubmit the
correct version prior to the deadline. If you fail to meet the deadline, the version of your
work located on the website is the one that will be graded. In addition, please note that it is
your responsibility to ensure that your assignment is received before the deadline. Should
you be unable to submit your work via the website you must submit your work via e-mail to
your TA before the deadline. Please give yourself enough time for online submissions to
send your assignments via e-mail should a technical issue arise.
FINAL EXAMINATION: DATE AND LOCATION TBA

The final examination is an in-class written exam.

Official Exam week is determined by Concordia University and the date and location of the
final exam is scheduled within that week. It is the responsibility of the student to verify the
date/time/location and room assignment for the final exam posted in their MyConcordia
Portal. The final exam date will not be posted on the eConcordia website.

Do not schedule flights or vacations until the official examination date is released. Vacations
and travel plans are not considered a valid reason for a deferral request.
EXTERNAL EXAMS – OUT-OF-REGION STUDENTS
•
If you are NOT located in the Montreal area and cannot attend the final exam at
Concordia, eConcordia can assist you in making arrangements to write the exam at a university
in your region.
•
External exams are written on the exam date set for the course by the Concordia Exams
Office.
•
You can obtain an External Exam Request Form as well as all pertinent instructions in
the External Exam link in the Student Menu of your eConcordia portal. All requests for an
external exam are to be submitted via e-mail to: exams@econcordia.com.
•
For more information about the external exam option, please call 514-848-8774 or 1888-361-4949.
•
The external exam request deadline for the final exam is indicated in the MyAgenda tab
of the course website.
•
Late requests will NOT be accommodated. ALL fees incurred to write an external exam
are the responsibility of the student. Fees vary per institution; please contact your institution
for applicable fees. It is the responsibility of the student to inquire about the fee with the
Institution prior to scheduling the exam.
GRADES

In order to view your grades throughout the semester, click on the My Grades link in your
eConcordia portal.

It is your responsibility to ensure your work has been received (to be verified as outlined in
your assignment instructions), and to contact your TA via e-mail for clarification if you have
any questions concerning your grades.

Your final letter grade for the course will be posted in your MyConcordia Portal at the end
of the term.
Administrative Issues:
Current university policy is that there is no professorial discretion with regard to incomplete
assignments -assignments not received before a reasonable time before the required date of
grade submission must proceed through regular grade change channels. Late assignments will
not receive comments. I cannot replace one poorly done assignment with another assignment
arrived through a private arrangement with a student - I am required by the university to
apply the syllabus. Significant changes to the syllabus require unanimous consent of students
and professor. Please do not bombard the professor with twitter-like emails. For letters of
recommendation, drop the required pre-filled forms (including my name, title, etc), stamped
and addressed envelopes, your transcript, letter of intent, and instructions. You will receive a
much better letter of recommendation if I know who you are. I will only mail out letters of
recommendation, and not hand them back to students, nor will I produce letters for
non-specific purposes.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
The technical requirements for accessing the online material are listed within the course
content and on our main website:
http://www.econcordia.com/home/elearning.aspx?section=224 .
If your existing hardware does not meet the requirements, you may experience a lower level
of quality and accessibility to our website and course content.
TECHNICAL ISSUES – eConcordia Help Desk

For any technical questions or inquiries (login or account issues), or if you are having
difficulty accessing the eConcordia site, please contact eConcordia's Help Desk at:
 helpdesk@econcordia.com  514-848-8774 or toll free 1-888-361-4949

At eConcordia we take every possible measure to ensure that your e-learning experience
runs as smoothly as possible. There may be times, however, when you encounter
technical difficulties that are simply beyond our control. This can include unforeseen
network, server or connectivity issues.

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that s/he saves a copy of all work to be
submitted through the system. This applies to any work sent via e-mail and uploads and
textbox submissions to the website. You are required to save copies of work on both a
computer hard drive and an external storage device (diskette, CD or USB key).

In the event that a technical problem does arise while submitting your work, please send
a copy of the error message you received in the body of your e-mail to
helpdesk@econcordia.com and one of our agents will assist you.
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE STATEMENT ON PLAGIARISM
The Department has zero tolerance for plagiarism.
1. What is plagiarism?
The University in its Academic Integrity and the Academic Code of Conduct defines plagiarism
as “The presentation of the work of another person as one’s own or without proper
acknowledgement.” (http://registrar.concordia.ca/calendar/17/17.10.html)
2. What are the consequences of getting caught? One of the following sanctions may be
imposed:
a) a written reprimand; b) a piece of work be re-submitted; c) specified community service at
the University of up to ten (10) hours per week for a specified period of time; d) a failing grade
for the piece of work in question or for the course, if applicable; e) a failing grade and
ineligibility for a supplemental examination or any other evaluative exercise for the course; f)
the obligation to take and pass courses of up to twenty-four (24) credits in addition to the total
number of credits required for the student’s program as specified by the Academic Hearing
Panel. If the student is registered as an Independent student, the sanction will be imposed only
if he or she applied and is accepted into a program; g) suspension for a period not to exceed six
(6) academic terms. Suspensions shall entail the withdrawal of all University privileges,
including the right to enter and be upon University premises; h) expulsion from the University.
Expulsion entails the permanent termination of all University privileges.
(http://registrar.concordia.ca/calendar/17/17.10.html)
For more information on this subject, see the Academic Integrity website of the University
found at: http://www.concordia.ca/academicintegrity.
To find out more about how to avoid plagiarism, see the “What is Plagiarism?” section of the
Academic Integrity website found at:
http://provost.concordia.ca/academicintegrity/plagiarism/ or have a look at the Political
Science Department’s Resources on Avoiding Plagiarism at:
http://politicalscience.concordia.ca/plagiarism_resource/.
STUDY SKILLS: YOUR GUIDE TO ONLINE LEARNING
At eConcordia we want you to succeed as an online learner. Whether you need help managing
your time efficiently, understanding your assignments, or writing exams, this self-directed
tutorial will provide you with tips on how to improve your study strategies. Furthermore,
reviewing this tutorial while taking a course will assist you in developing important skills such as
note taking, critical thinking, conducting research, and writing, which will ultimately contribute
to your academic achievements both online and in traditional settings.
COURSE EVALUATION
Approximately one week prior to the end of the term, you will receive an e-mail message asking
you to complete a course evaluation. Click on the link in the e-mail and follow the instructions.
Please note that all responses are completely anonymous and will be kept confidential. We
value your opinion; your feedback regarding your experience with eConcordia is greatly
appreciated.
See the Agenda on the next page.
POLI 298h – Balance of Power
Agenda
FALL 2011
All deadlines indicated are on the due date listed by 11:59 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.
Week 1: September 6 – September 11
September 7
Discussion Board opens at 3:00 p.m.
eC
Navigate the course website
Lesson 0 : Getting Started
Review the course outline
Week 2: September 12 – September 18
Review: Lesson 1: Introduction to Balance of Power
Read: “Introduction to Balance of Power”
! SEPTEMBER 16
RESPOND TO CRITICAL QUESTIONS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD
PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATION: PHPDIPLOMACY (PRACTICE PHASE)
Week 3: September 19 – September 25
!
!
September 19
DNE Date: Academic withdrawal deadline (with tuition refund)

September 19
Last day to add Fall-term courses:

! SEPTEMBER 22
PAPER PROPOSAL DUE
!
Review: Lesson 2: The Meaning of the Balance of Power
Read: Ch. 1 “The Meaning of the Balance of Power,” pp. 1-23
! SEPTEMBER 20
RESPOND TO CRITICAL QUESTIONS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD
PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATION: PHPDIPLOMACY (GRADED FROM THIS POINT
! SEPTEMBER 19 and ONWARDS)
SEPTEMBER 22
ORDERS DUE: SEPTEMBER 19 and SEPTEMBER 22
Week 4: September 26 – October 2
!
!
!
Review: Lesson 3: Intellectual Origins and Early Development
Read: Ch. 2 “Intellectual Origins and Early Development,” pp. 24-52
! SEPTEMBER 30
RESPOND TO CRITICAL QUESTIONS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD
! SEPTEMBER 26
PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATION: PHPDIPLOMACY
AND SEPTEMBER 29
ORDERS DUE: SEPTEMBER 26 AND SEPTEMBER 29
Week 5: October 3 – October 9
!
!
Review: Lesson 4: Balance of Power Politics
Read: Ch. 3 “Balance of Power Politics,” pp. 53-75
! OCTOBER 6
! OCTOBER 3 AND
OCTOBER 6
RESPOND TO CRITICAL QUESTIONS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD
PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATION: PHPDIPLOMACY
ORDERS DUE: OCTOBER 3 AND OCTOBER 6
!
!
Week 6: October 10 – October 16
October 10
University Closed - Thanksgiving

Review: Lesson 5: Balance of Power Systems

Read: Ch. 4 “Balance of Power Systems,” pp. 76-96
! OCTOBER 14
RESPOND TO CRITICAL QUESTIONS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD
! OCTOBER 10 AND
PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATION: PHPDIPLOMACY
OCTOBER 13
ORDERS DUE: OCTOBER 10 AND OCTOBER 13
Week 7: October 17 – October 23
!
! OCTOBER 17
!
MID-TERM EXAM POSTED
!
! OCTOBER 21
MID-TERM EXAM DUE
Week 8: October 24 – October 30
!
! OCTOBER 27
!
PAPER DUE
Review: Lesson 6: The Eighteenth Century: 1700-1815
! OCTOBER 28
! OCTOBER 24 AND
OCTOBER 27
October 30
Read: Ch. 5 “The Eighteenth Century: 1700-1815,” pp. 145-169
RESPOND TO CRITICAL QUESTIONS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD: MARCH 4
(DEADLINE)
PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATION: PHPDIPLOMACY
ORDERS DUE: OCTOBER 24 AND OCTOBER 27
DISC Date: Academic withdrawal deadline (without tuition refund)

!
!

Week 9: October 31 – November 6
Review: Lesson 7: The Nineteenth Century: 1815-1914
Read: Ch. 6 “The Nineteenth Century: 1815-1914,” pp. 121-144
! NOVEMBER 4
RESPOND TO CRITICAL QUESTIONS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD
! OCTOBER 31 AND
PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATION: PHPDIPLOMACY
NOVEMBER 3
ORDERS DUE: OCTOBER 31 AND NOVEMBER 3
Week 10: November 7 – November 13
!
!
Review: Lesson 8: Competing Perspectives
Read: Ch. 7 “Competing Perspectives,” pp. 145-169
! NOVEMBER 11
RESPOND TO CRITICAL QUESTIONS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD
! NOVEMBER 7 AND PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATION: PHPDIPLOMACY
NOVEMBER 10
ORDERS DUE: NOVEMBER 7 AND NOVEMBER 10
Week 11: November 14 – November 20
External Exam Application Deadline for final (Students NOT writing at
November 15
Concordia)
!
!
eC
Review: Lesson 9: The Nuclear Era and the Future of the Balance of Power
Read: Ch. 8 “The Balance of Power in the Nuclear Era,” pp. 170-191
! NOVEMBER 18
RESPOND TO CRITICAL QUESTIONS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD
!
! NOVEMBER 14
PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATION: PHPDIPLOMACY
AND NOVEMBER 17
ORDERS DUE: NOVEMBER 14 AND NOVEMBER 17
Week 12: November 21 – November 27
!
Read: Ch. 9 “The Future of the Balance of Power Concept,” pp. 192-205
Week 13: November 28 – December 4
November 28
Complete Course Evaluation
! DECEMBER 2
SIMULATION REPORT DUE
Week 14: December 5 – December 11
December 5
Last day of classes – Fall Term
eC
!

December 7 – December 22
Examination Period
Exam date, time and location to be posted in your MyConcordia Portal
This syllabus is subject to change and any changes will be posted in the Announcements
section of the course website.
Disclaimer: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the
content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.
