Instructor: Melanie Kolbe
E-mail: mkolbe@uga.edu
Section: 97-342
Class Time: MWF, 3:35-4:25
Office: Candler Hall, B02 Location: Candler Hall, 115
Office hours: Tuesday, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm and by appointment
Course Description
“Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program
[…]. But I believe that, as a species, human beings define their reality through suffering and misery. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from.”
Agent Smith ( The Matrix , 1999)
With increasing globalization and internationalization modern states, economies and cultures have become more tied to each other and interact now in a complex global environment. While this has opened manifold opportunities in trade, information flows and international cooperation, the global community also faces various political issues, ranging from economic instability, to human rights abuses, to environmental degradation, to international terrorism.
This course will serve as an introduction to a variety of global issues and provide you with a brief overview over international actors and the major theories in international relations. INTL
1100 serves as an introductory course to the international affairs major, but it will also be of interest to students of political science, economics, sociology and other majors.
Required Book
Lamy, Steven, John Baylis, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens (2012/2013). Introduction to
Global Politics: Second Edition. Oxford University Press
The Lamy text is available for purchase at the UGA Bookstore. However, you may save money if you purchase the book online. I have found that the better prices are from www.amazon.com
; particularly the independent merchants that sell used copies. When purchased used online, prices begin at about $54 (shipping not included).
Please note that I reserve the right to add articles and news stories to the syllabus as we proceed in the course.
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Course Objectives (Knowledge and Skill Dimension)
The primary goal of this course is to provide students with the conceptual background of international politics. But it also seeks to actively analyze, apply and evaluate knowledge on international affairs. Students will be provided with a set of analytical tools to understand and critically analyze contemporary issues in international politics, but also evaluate what is written in the newspaper or said in the news. Upon passing INTL 1100, you should:
 Have a clearer understanding of the assumptions and logic that underpin different theoretical approaches to international politics.
 Be able to criticize and evaluate political outcomes based on what you learned in this class.
 Be prepared to pursue further study or work in related topics such as human rights, economic development, international conflict, global security or international organizations.
 Develop a better understanding how global forces shape your personal and professional life.
 Be able to communicate findings with more effective written and verbal communication skills.
Course Objectives (Caring and Development Dimension)
In addition, upon passing this section INTL 1100 you should (ideally):
 Consider yourself to be an informed, critical consumer of political information.
 Connect approaches from global politics to real life events and try to understand them using these approaches, realizing that there are some more or less useful ways of when and how to employ these theories.
 Be able to engage in critical debate with your peers on class topics.
 Value hearing the opinions of your peers.
How to Maximize Your Learning Experience
These are not surefire ways to earn an ‘A’, but they will definitely help you get the most out of the class.
1.
Be prepared to read, think and discuss… A LOT.
2.
Be open to new ideas, and support or refute claims by using evidence and logic. Please read the following article prior to coming to our first session: http://theconversation.com/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978 .
3.
Know that I have very high expectations of your work, and that you should too.
4.
Schedule appointments to meet with me to discuss your progress, writing, and understanding of course material. Check my availability on http://doodle.com/mkolbe .
I am always willing to help.
5.
Plan to come to class every day, and remember, “To be ‘early’ is to be on time, to be
‘on time’ is to be late, and to be ‘late’ is unacceptable.”
If this section of INTL 1100-H doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, that’s okay! Just take the steps to switch to a different section before the Drop/Add deadline January 10, 2014.
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Course Format
Team-Based Learning
Throughout the term you will work in small teams on several in-class activities. There are many benefits to collaborating with others, including having the advantage of multiple perspectives, having many eyes to check for flaws and confounds, and collaboration simply makes analyzing politics and discussing solutions more interesting! Furthermore, pedagogical research shows that students perform better when working together than when working alone. More details to follow in the syllabus.
Interactive Lecture
A major feature of this class will be an emphasis on class participation in form of discussing assigned chapters, critically reflect on theoretical approaches and actively engage with your peers. Thus, it will be essential that you carefully read assigned readings prior to class. Treat the assigned readings like homework assignments. Just as you would have to solve math problems for your homework in your math class, you have to read (not skim!) the assigned work, highlighting passages and taking notes on them.
Participation
Participation is an essential and mandatory component of this course. You are expected to (1) come to class having read the assigned material and contribute meaningfully to class discussions, (2) follow news pertinent to our topics, and (3) attempt to critically reflect on concepts and problem-sets we encounter. Turning any class from a ‘dry’ lecture into an exciting, but insightful seminar requires collective and interactive participation of each student. Thus, the quality of your learning experience is determined by lively and polite exchange of thoughts and criticisms.
The grade you earn will reflect the amount and quality of your participation as well as your attendance. It should be common sense that you cannot earn a great participation grade if you are not attending class. Below I defined what reflects different qualities of comments, and provide a table* of what kind of activity earns what grade.
Comment Quality:
 “High”: Comments show reflection about the reading or the discussion at hand, contribution through strong points and/or adding value to the discussion by stating their opinion based on factual knowledge.
 “Satisfying”: Comments show engagement in class discussion, willingness to “take a guess”, and ability to link previous lecture material to discussions at hand as well as expressing opinions.
 “Low”: Comments show engagement in class discussion, but student never contributes to the added value or demonstrates knowledge from the readings – they are just working for that tick mark.
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Grade Earned if …
A Student participates consistently , their comments show that they have read the
A- material beforehand and/or their comment quality is very high, and they have not missed class more than twice unexcused.
Student participates every other day , their comments show that they have read the material beforehand and/or their comment quality is very high, and they have not missed class more than twice unexcused.
B+ Student participates every day, but shows low comment quality (just talks for participation points) and/or has missed class more than twice unexcused.
OR:
B
Student participates every other day, their comment quality is satisfying, and they have not missed class more than twice unexcused.
Student participates, but not regularly. However, they are clearly following the conversation and being thoughtful about it, and they have not missed class more than twice unexcused.
B-
C+
Student participates but not regularly, seems distracted most of the time, and/or has missed class more than twice unexcused.
Student has never participated, but they have not missed class more than twice unexcused.
C
C-
Student has never participated and missed more than twice unexcused.
I truly hope no one does worse than C.
*Please remember that these are only guidelines for grading, not every student case neatly fits into any one category.
I know that there are some students who are not yet ready to speak up a lot. To still show me that you have done the readings and can reflect on them on a university-appropriate level, I will offer every student the option to replace participation with eLC journal entries on the assigned readings. However, the same grading rules apply. Further information follows in class.
Assessments a.
Readiness Assessment Measures (RAMs): To show me that you are ready to contribute to the day’s and/or week’s lecture and discussion, I will randomly administer 5-question
RAMs on the assigned article(s) or textbook chapters for that day. Students who arrive on time will have 5 minutes to complete the RAM. The lowest grade will be dropped.
Students who miss more than one RAM and have proper documentation will take an alternative form of assessment. Without proper documentation, students will earn no credit and no alternative make-up. No exceptions. b.
Group Project: One group project will be assigned over the course of the semester.
Working in teams of two to three students, you are tasked to create a creative synthesis of one of our topics. You are encouraged to pick a global issue of your choice. Every project will consist of a group meeting with me (mandatory!), a short presentation of your topic in class, and a final presentation at the end of the semester. All of them will be graded. More details follow in class.
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c.
Midterm Exam: The midterm exam will test your recall of important concepts and class-discussions, but also aim at testing mastery of the class material. It will consist of identification terms, matching, short answer, and essay questions. . It will cover the material from all sections leading up to the final. If you have a scheduling conflict with another exam or face more than three examinations (not tests or quizzes) on a day, you are entitled to have your exam rescheduled. However, it requires your action to contact me two weeks prior to the date to accommodate you appropriately. d.
Final Exam: The final exam will resemble the midterm and be cumulative. 2/3 of the questions will be on the second half of the semester, 1/3 of the questions will be on the first half.
The breakdown of your grade will be as follows:
15% = General participation
10% = RAMs
25% = Midterm exam
20% = Final project
30% = Final exam
I do not give extra credit past the last assignment, but rather offer extra credit opportunities throughout the term. In what I call your ‘bonus point bank’ you can collect extra credit that will apply to your final grade.
Grade scale:
A 100-93 B 86-83 C 76-73
A- 92-90
B+ 89-87
B-
C+
82-80
79-77
C-
D
72-70
69-60
F Below 60
**If you have a disability and require reasonable classroom accommodations,
I am happy to oblige. Please see me after class or make an appointment.**
Classroom Policies
Use of Laptops & Other Electronic Devices
I will make my lecture material available on eLC after every day of class. On top of that, you are required to take additional notes during class. This is manageable without a laptop and unless it is required for legitimate medical reasons (e.g., vision, motor coordination) I will insist on closing your laptops (in-class activities excluded). Having bad handwriting is not an acceptable reason! In addition, smart/cell phones should be set to silent, not vibrate.
Attendance and Absences
You are allowed two absences for any reason (e.g., your cousin’s/best friend’s wedding, your cat/dog had to go to the vet, you just don’t feel like coming, etc.). Beyond that you must provide proper documentation addressing the absence. If you plan to/ know you will miss class and have a valid official excuse (e.g., sports for UGA, medical, academic) or case of
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hardship (e.g., eviction from your place of residence or attendance at a funeral), please contact me ahead of time and provide me with proper documentation in each and every case. If you plan on observing religious holidays, please talk to me after our first session . Undocumented absences as well as repeated tardiness (i.e., more than 10 minutes late) may result in a lowered overall grade in the course. If you come more than 20 minutes late to class, I will ask you to leave the room and you will be counted as absent. If you chose to take one of your ‘free’ absences, please keep in mind that you are responsible for all lecture material, handouts, announcements, explanations of assignments, and other relevant details that you missed.
Missed RAMs and group activities cannot be made up in this cases. I have listed all dates for graded assessments in the syllabus schedule. Therefore, you will know in advance which days you should not miss under any circumstances.
Grade Appeal
If you feel that a RAM, essay or exam was graded incorrectly, send a written appeal to me within two days after that RAM, assessment or exam was returned. Students should keep copies of the assignments they turn in and retain graded RAMs until they receive their final course grade. eLearning Commons Use
Assignments, articles, announcements, and grades can be reached at eLearning Commons
(http://elc.uga.edu/). Please check the eLC at least once a day for updates of any kind.
Academic Honesty
As a University of Georgia student, you have agreed to abide by the University’s academic honesty policy, “A Culture of Honesty,” and the Student Honor Code. All academic work must meet the standards described in “A Culture of Honesty” found at: www.uga.edu/honesty. Lack of knowledge of the academic honesty policy is not a reasonable explanation for a violation.
Please contact me any time you have questions related to course assignments and the academic honesty policy.
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Week Jan
1 6
2
3
4
20
22
24
27
8
10
13
15
17
5
6
7
10
12
14
17
19
21
29
31
Feb
3
5
7
Course Topic
Course Introduction
Introduction to Global Politics
The Evolution of Global Politics
Realism and Liberalism
No class - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Realism and Liberalism (Cont.)
Critical Approaches
Tentative Course Outline
Reading (before class)
Lamy, Chapter 1: 3-11
Lamy, Chapter 1: 12-23
Lamy, Chapter 2: 27-39
Lamy, Chapter 2: 39-62
Lamy, Chapter 3: 69-83
Lamy, Chapter 3: 83-99
John J. Mearsheimer. 1994. "The False
Promise of International Institutions,"
International Security , Vol. 19, No. 3:5-49.
Lamy, Chapter 4: 103-115
Lamy, Chapter 4: 115-127
Global and Regional Governance
Nongovernmental Actors
Terrorism
Lamy, Chapter 6: 171-179
Lamy, Chapter 6: 179-199
Lamy, Chapter 6: 199-205
Lamy, Chapter 7: 209-216
Lamy, Chapter 7: 216-238
Lamy, Chapter 9: 283-291
Lamy, Chapter 9: 291-295
Lamy, Chapter 9: 295 -305
Note
Drop/Add over
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8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
24
26
Internet and Cybersecurity TBA
19
21
24
26
9
11
14
16
18
28
31
April
2
4
7
28
March
Exam Review
3
5
7
Midterm Exam
Human Rights and Human Security
10
12
No class -Spring Break
14
17
Lamy, Chapter 9: 306- 321
Lamy, Chapter 9: 321-328
Human Rights and Human Security (cont.) Lamy, Chapter 9: 328-340
Ignatieff, Michael. 2001.“Human Rights as
Idolatry“ in: Human Rights as Politics and
Idolatry . Anansi Press Ltd
Poverty, Development, and Hunger
Project Topic Draft Presentation
Migration and Immigration
Lamy, Chapter 13: 407-410
Lamy, Chapter 13: 410-424
Lamy, Chapter 13: 424-430
Away at MPSA
Migration and Immigration (cont.)
Environmental Issues
International Political Economy
TBA
Lamy, Chapter 14: 435-443
Lamy, Chapter 14: 443-452
Lamy, Chapter 14: 452-460
Lamy, Chapter 11: 347-361
Group meetings
Group meetings
Group meetings
Withdrawal Deadline March 20
Video must be uploaded by then
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16
17
21
23
25
28
29
May
2
Final Exam Review
No class - Reading Day
Final Exam
Lamy, Chapter 11: 361-371
Build your own study guide
3:30 – 6:30 pm
Last class session
**The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced by the instructor may be necessary.**
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