WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES
SIERRA VISTA CAMPUS
Wayland Mission Statement: Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically
challenging, learning-focused, and distinctively Christian environment for professional success, and service to God
and humankind.
Course Title, Number, and Section: International Relations, POLS 4302, SV01
Term: Fall 2014; August 18, 2014 – November 1, 2014
Instructor: Mr. Kevin Austin
Office Phone Number and WBU Email Address: (520) 366-2299; kevin.austin@wbu.edu
Office Hours, Building, and Location: By appointment
Class Meeting Time and Location: All classes are on Thursday’s from 5:30 – 9:10 P.M. at Bldg. 21112, Christy
Ave., Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613
Catalog Description: Relations among nations with emphasis on national power, American foreign policy,
diplomacy, international law, and international organization.
Prerequisite: POLS 2301, American Government
Required Textbook(s) and/or Required Material(s): International Politics on the World Stage, 12th Edition,
Copyright 2008; Author: Rourke, John T.; Publisher: McGraw-Hill; ISBN: 0-07-340388-1 / ISBN-13: 978-0-07340388-5.
Optional Materials: None required
Course Outcome Competencies: For a statement of goals, a quote from K.J. Holsti will suffice:
“The purpose of this (course) is to help the (student) understand the diverse phenomena of international politics
and, in so doing, to think critically and analytically about the world. Now, of course, the term ‘understood’ had
different connotations. I will take it to mean that the (student) will (1) obtain a few new facts; but more important,
he or she will (2) see the similarity of processes in international politics and foreign policy, even when events are
separated by decades; (3) be able to place facts in some sort of framework so that they connect better with each
other; and (4) learn to appreciate the difficulties involved in explanations of foreign policies and international
politics. This should result in a healthy skepticism toward those plans that...supposedly explain something as
complicated as the motives of Chinese, American, Soviet (now Russian,), or Indonesian foreign policies.”
Attendance Requirements: Sierra Vista Campus
External Campuses
Students enrolled at one of the university’s external campuses should make every effort to attend all class meetings.
All absences must be explained to the instructor, who will then determine whether the omitted work may be made
up. When a student reaches that number of absences considered by the instructor to be excessive, the instructor will
so advise the student and file an unsatisfactory progress report with the external campus executive director/dean.
Any student who misses 25 percent or more of the regularly scheduled class meetings may receive a grade of F in
the course. Additional attendance policies for each course, as defined by the instructor in the course syllabus, are
considered a part of the university’s attendance policy. A student may petition the Academic Council for exceptions
to the above stated policies by filing a written request for an appeal to the executive vice president/provost.
Disability Statement: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is the policy of
Wayland Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be excluded from participation in,
be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the
university. The Coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator of students with a disability and
should be contacted concerning accommodation requests at (806) 291- 3765. Documentation of a disability must
accompany any request for accommodations.
Course Requirements and Grading Criteria:
Readings: You will need to read the assigned chapters in the textbook, as scheduled below, before each class.
Quizzes: There will be quizzes on the course readings.
Homework: Five page information paper on an International Relations topic. Topics must be preapproved.
Oral Presentation(s): Will be assigned on the first day of class.
Final Exam: There will be a Comprehensive Final Examination on October 30, 2014.
Method of Determining Course Grade:
Quizzes: 12%
Paper: 25%
Oral Presentation(s): 25%
Comprehensive Final Exam: 25%
Class Participation/Current Events: 12%
End of Course Survey: 1%
The University has a standard grade scale:
A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F= below 60, W = Withdrawal, WP = withdrew passing, WF =
withdrew failing, I = incomplete. An incomplete may be given within the last two weeks of a long term or within
the last two days of a microterm to a student who is passing, but has not completed a term paper, examination, or
other required work for reasons beyond the student’s control. A grade of “incomplete” is changed if the work
required is completed prior to the last day of the next long (10 to 15 weeks) term, unless the instructor designates an
earlier date for completion. If the work is not completed by the appropriate date, the I is converted to an F.
Student grade appeals:
Students shall have protection through orderly procedures against prejudices or capricious academic evaluation. A
student who believes that he or she has not been held to realistic academic standards, just evaluation procedures, or
appropriate grading, may appeal the final grade given in the course by using the student grade appeal process
described in the Academic Catalog. Appeals may not be made for advanced placement examinations or course
bypass examinations. Appeals limited to the final course grade, which may be upheld, raised, or lowered at any
stage of the appeal process. Any recommendation to lower a course grade must be submitted through the Executive
Vice President/Provost to the Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee for review and approval. The Faculty
Assembly Grade Appeals Committee may instruct that the course grade be upheld, raised, or lowered to a more
proper evaluation.
Tentative Schedule:
August 21, 2014: Introductions; Review Course Requirements and Expectations; Assign Homework and Oral
Presentations; Current Events; Review International Relations Articles, along with a course overview.
August 28, 2014: Current Events; Chapter Quiz; Review Quiz; Oral Presentations; Review of Chapter 1, Thinking
and Caring about World Politics, and Chapter 2, The Evolution of World Politics.
September 4, 2014: Current Events; Chapter Quiz; Review Quiz; Oral Presentations; Review of Chapter 3, Levels
of Analysis and Foreign Policy, and Chapter 4, Nationalism: The Traditional Orientation. (Select Paper Topic/
Title Page Due)
September 11, 2014: Current Events; Chapter Quiz; Review Quiz; Oral Presentations; Review of Chapter 5,
Globalization: The Alternative Orientation, and Chapter 6: Power, Statecraft, and the National State: The
Traditional Structure. (Bibliography Due)
September 18, 2014: Current Events; Chapter Quiz; Review Quiz; Oral Presentations; Review of Chapter 7,
Intergovernmental Organizations: Alternative Governance. (Twenty-five typed facts (sentences) regarding your
topic due)
September 25, 2014: Current Events; Chapter Quiz; Review Quiz; Oral Presentations; Review of Chapter 8,
International Law and Human Rights.
October 2, 2014: Current Events; Chapter Quiz; Review Quiz; Oral Presentations; Review of Chapter 9, Pursuing
Security. (Paper Due)
October 9, 2014: Current Events; Chapter Quiz; Review Quiz; Oral Presentations; Review of Chapter 10, National
Economic Competition: The Traditional Road.
October 16, 2014: Current Events; Chapter Quiz; Review Quiz; Oral Presentations; Review of Chapter 11,
International Economics: The Alternative Road.
October 23, 2014: Current Events; Chapter Quiz; Review Quiz; Oral Presentations; Review of Chapter 12,
Preserving and Enhancing the Biosphere.
October 30, 2014: Oral Presentations if Necessary; After Action Review; Comprehensive Final Examination.