Political Science 3:
Introduction to International Relations
Richard Johnson
rajohnson[at]ucdavis.edu
Office Hours: M/W 3-4pm and by appointment
The Course
The primary purpose of this course is to develop the student’s ability to understand and
analyze the relations between states and international actors with broad theoretical and
historical contexts. This course is not about current events, foreign policies of different
presidents, or normative aspects of international politics. However, your short papers
can be on any of these topics. We start by examining the different levels of analysis for
the first midterm. For the second midterm, we will cover foreign policy decision-making
along with different areas of political economy and institutions. The last section of the
class will focus on the security dilemma and conflitt between states.
Reading
Bruce Russett et al. 2010. World Politics: The Menu for Choice NINTH Edition.
Note: This is not the newest edition, as of 3/5/12 there are 54 used copies on Amazon.com from $4.48.
Lectures
No laptops will be allowed in lecture without written permission from the Student Disability Center. Studies have shown that writing notes, as opposed to typing, is a more
effective way to commit information to memory. Also, I know when I take a computer to
classes, I cannot keep off the internet.
Grading
Everyone wants/needs a particular grade for a number of reasons; however, grades cannot
be magically changed at the end of the quarter. If you need a particular grade for any
reason, e.g. prevent academic probation, top 10 law school hopes, prevent dismissal from
the university, prevent dismissal from the university and being deported, get off academic
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probation, you should talk to me early and often. All of these reasons have been used in
previous courses when no changes were possible.
Grades will be computed on the following distribution of points out of 1000 points:
Short Paper 1 10% 100 pts.
Short Paper 2 10% 100 pts.
Midterm Exam 1 25% 250 pts.
Midterm Exam 2 25% 250 pts.
Final Exam 30% 300 pts.
If you wish to dispute the grading of any assignment or exam please submit a formal
250-500 word explanation of why you believe you deserve more points. Including citations
and page numbers will help your case. Disputes are allowed for only ONE week after the
assignment is returned.
There are no makeup exams for this course. Students missing an exam for a good
reason (e.g. illness with a doctors note specifically stating you were too ill to take an
exam that day, military service, and incarceration; these have all been used in the past)
without prior permission will have their grade prorated to the next exam’s score.
Final exams will not be given early, despite it being scheduled on the last day of finals
week. However, I understand we are in a quarter system and new employers/internships
are typically used to people being able to start earlier in the summer; with proof of new
employment or an internship starting during finals week, the final may be moved earlier
in the week.
Course Outline and Reading
I would recommend skimming the reading before lecture dates and fully reading after
lecture dates.
April 2: NO CLASS because I have a conference to attend.
April 4: Introduction to Class and Setting the Stage of International Relations
Russett et al., Chapters 1-3
April 9: System Level Factors: Starts Slow, but Gets Better!
Russett et al., Chapter 4
April 11: Power and Influence Relations: Stuff Gets Real...
Russett et al., Chapters 5
April 16: Role and Individual: Are some leaders crazy?
Russett et al., Chapter 7
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April 18: Review Session
Short Paper 1 Due
April 23: Midterm 1 - Everything from above is fair game.
April 25: Foreign Policy: Why did that happen?
Russett et al., Chapter 6
April 30: Political Economy
Russett et al., Chapter 12
May 2: Economic Interdependence
Russett et al., Chapter 13
May 7: IGOS and International Law
Russett et al., Chapter 10
May 9: Integration and Globalization
Russett et al., Chapter 14
May 10: Review Session Time and Place TBA
Short Paper 2 Due
May 14: Midterm 2 - Primary focus on stuff since first midterm, does not
mean total focus!
May 16: The Security Dilemma: Don’t worry, it relates to war.
Russett et al., Chapter 9
May 21: Continued.
May 23: Military Conflict: War Stuff.
Russett et al., Chapter 8
May 28: Continued.
May 30: Causes of Peace: The Opposite of Conflict!
Russett et al., Chapter 11
June 4: Arms Transfers in the International System
No Reading
June 6: Review Session
June 14: FINAL EXAM 6-8pm, thus oversleeping is the worst excuse for
showing up late ever!
Short Papers
Two short papers are required for this course. Each paper is to be 3 pages long with a
12 pt font (for the record, I hate the arial font) and 1” margins. The goal is to to apply
theory(ies) to current or recent events. You can write on any topic you choose from that
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section of the course. These are not meant to be difficult, but will require more thinking
about application than you expect. You will probably find it takes longer for you to come
up with your idea and argument than it does to write-up the paper. All sources must
be cited in a standard format that includes page numbers when applicable, including the
textbook.
You will be graded on application of theory, argument, and style of writing.
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