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Class Information:
Political Science 10, Online Section 4190
Room: SOCS 212
Orientation Meeting: Wednesday, August 31, 6-8pm
Welcome to Poli Sci 10. Because this is an on-line class we will be using two different on-line resources for this course. One, is the MyPoliSciKit resource that accompanies the textbook and includes chapters quizzes, videos, flashcards etc. The second resource is called CourseCompass and that is a course-management platform that allows me to teach this course on-line and to communicate with you on-line.
Unfortunately, the two resources are not connected and for that reason we will have to register for each of them separately. While this is a bit cumbersome it is not difficult and you will only have to do it once. It should not take more than 10 minutes. It is important that you remember to use the same log-in name and password for both products.
Part I: Register for MyPoliSciKit
1) Go to www.MyPoliSciKit.com
2) Under ‘First Time Users’ click on ‘Students’
3) Select your textbook – Goldstein/ Pevehouse International Relations 10/e
4) Click ‘register’ if you have your code included at no extra charge with your textbook in the bookstore or click ‘buy access’ ($33) if you bought it elsewhere or have a used textbook.
5) If you clicked register then at the next screen select whether you have a Pearson account – most likely ‘No’.
6) Enter your access code in the boxes at the bottom
7) Follow the screen directions by entering a log-In name and password. **Be sure to write these down since you will also need to use this same info below to register for CourseCompass.
8) At the last screen you will see a ‘Join a Class’ button. Click on that button.
9) Enter your ClassID = cm994845
10) Confirm your class info is correct and hit next. You are done with Part I.
Part II: Register for CourseCompass
After you have registered for MyPoliSciKit your instructor will send you an access code to register for CourseCompass.
1) Go to www.CourseCompass.com
2) Under ‘Register’ click ‘Student’
3) In the CourseID box enter = munoz24414
4) Click continue
5) Confirm the course info is correct
6) Select ‘Use an Access Code’ at the bottom and then hit next.
7) Enter the CourseCompass access code given to you by your instructor *Your MyPoliSciKit access code you used in Part I is different and will not work here*
8) Click next and accept the privacy policy
9) Do you have a Pearson Account – Click YES
10) Enter the Log-in name and password you used in Part 1 above.
11) All of your info will already be filled in so just hit next at the bottom
12) Click ‘Log-in’ under the MyLab/ Mastering New Design banner
13) You will now see the course on your left. Click on it to enter.
Tech Support:
Technical Support http://247pearsoned.com
All Products: 800-677-6337
Course Policies:
COURSE OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES
“An introduction to the study of International Relations in our time is an introduction to the art and science of the survival of mankind.” (Karl Deutsch). This quotation suggests both the importance of studying contemporary international relations and the immensity of the task. As we progress through the second decade of the 21st century, a wide range of international relations phenomena forces us to ask critical questions in trying to unravel the complexity of the world today. Now that the world of two superpowers is gone, will the logic of great power competition result in another world war? More so, why do states seem to continue going to war with one another? How will the war on terrorism continue to evolve in the years to come? What role do nuclear weapons play in world politics today? Will the global economic order continue to establish itself or collapse under competition between the United States, Europe and Japan? What role will China play in this? Are we seeing the “end of history” and triumph of liberalism or is it being replaced by a new “clash of civilizations” defined by religious and ethnic loyalties? What impact will the continued turmoil in the Middle East will have on the stability in the international system? In attempting to answer these questions throughout the semester, we will explore the different theoretical perspectives that have dominated and continue to dominate the discipline. A primary goal of this course is for students to learn to formulate their own opinions, that is, analyze, and conceptualize about international politics while drawing from different perspectives.
I encourage you to keep up with current events, since one of the required assignments for this course will be for you to turn in a political journal towards the end of the semester. The journal will comprise of articles in relation to the material you will have learned in the course. You can easily prepare for this by reading the major newspapers, i.e., Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, by watching the major news channels, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, Fox Network, etc, and by going to the different news websites.
After completing this course you will have a deeper understanding of the political processes and institutions of our system of government in relation to U.S. international politics. Throughout the course, and related to everyday events, you will be able to see the impact that international events, i.e., global war on terrorism, Middle East peace process, immigration issues, the global economy, nuclear proliferation, etc. have on domestic politics. More specifically students should meet the following objectives:
1. Identify and discuss the major approaches to the understanding and practice of international politics.
2. Describe and examine the principal historical elements that established the framework within which nations now interact with one another.
3. Evaluate the major elements of national power.
4. Assess the components of power in selected countries.
5. Analyze the causes of war.
6. Compare the strength and weaknesses of the principal approaches to maintaining and/or restoring peace among nations.
7. Define and assess significant reasons for conflict.
8. Explain and discuss the role of economic issues in international relations, their impact on diplomacy, war, and peace, and the central role they play in relations between the developed and developing nations.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s):
-In a written assignment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the major theoretical approaches to studying international politics including but not limited to: Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, Feminism, etc.
-In a written assignment, students will discuss and critically analyze the causes of war within the international system of states.
Syllabus:
OUTLINE
*(All the Videos and Simulations are located in MyPolSciKit, all the Chapter Exams are in Coursecompass)*
Week I – August 31 – September 10 Introduction: The Globalization of International Relations and Challenges to the International System
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 1, Global Challenges in 2030, Videos “Arab Spring and the Egyptian Revolution”, “Tianamen Square”, The U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq” Simulation “Why Study International Relations?”, Exam Chapter 1
Week II - September 12 – September 17 Contending Theories in International Relations: Realism/Power Politics
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 2, Videos “Chamberlain’s Appeasement”, “Bin Laden Killed in Pakistan” Simulation “The Prisoner’s Dilemma: You are the Presidential Advisor”, Exam Chapter 2
Week III – September 19 – September 24 Contending Theories cont’d: Liberal and Social Theories
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 3, Videos “Anti-Globalization Protests”, “The Zapatista Rebellion”, Simulation “Using Theory: You are the New Prime Minister”, Exam Chapter 3
Week IV – September 26 – October 1 Foreign Policy and Decision-making
-Goldstein and Pevehouse , Chapter 4, Videos “The Cuban Missile Crisis”, “Obama’s Controversial Anti-Terrorism Policies”, Simulation “Conflict: You are The President”, Exam Chapter 4
Week V – October 3 – October 8 International Conflict and War
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 5, Videos “Building Peace in the Middle East”, “Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech”, Simulation “Military Force “You are a Strategic Analyst”, Exam Chapter 5
Week VI – October 10 – October 15 Military Force, Nuclear Weapons and Terrorism
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 6, Videos “Counterinsurgency and Legitimacy in Afghanistan”, “Western Arm Sales and the Rwandan Genocide”, Simulation “Military Force: You are a Military Commander”, Exam Chapter 6
Week VII – October 17 – October 22
MIDTERM EXAM
Week VIII – October 24 – October 29 International Organization, International Law and Human Rights
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 7, Videos “Global Governance and the ICC”, “The Crisis in Darfur”, Simulation “Human Rights: You are a Refugee”, Exam Chapter 7
Week IX – October 31 – November 5 International Political Economy (IPE): International Trade
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 8, Videos “Liberalizing Chinese-British Trade”, “US-China Trade Tensions”, Simulation “International Trade: You are a Trade Expert”, Exam Chapter 8
Week X – November 7 – November 12 IPE Cont’d: Global Finance and Business
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 9, Videos “IMF Conditionality and the Ireland Bailout”, “The Global Financial Crisis”, “The Mexican Peso Crisis”, Simulation “Business: You are a Financial Market Analyst”, Exam Chapter 9
Week XI – November 14 – November 19 IPE Cont’d: International Integration
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 10, Videos “EU Reluctance to Admit Turkey”, “The New European Union”, Simulation “Integration: You are a Citizen of Europe”, Exam Chapter 10
Week XII – November 21 – November 26 Environment and Population
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 11, Videos “Deforestation and the Brazilian Amazon”, “The Politics of Climate Change”, Simulation “Environmental Issues: You are an Environmental Consultant”, Exam Chapter 11
Week XIII – November 28 – December 3 The North-South Gap -Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 12, Video “Global Migration and Employment”, Simulation “The North-South Gap: You are a Coffee Farmer”, Exam Chapter 12
Week XIV – December 5 – December 10 International Development
-Goldstein and Pevehouse, Chapter 13, Videos, “China”s New Rich”, “Disaster Relief in Haiti”, “Kenya’s Developmental Challenge”, Simulation “International Development: You are the Minister of Trade, Exam Chapter 13
Week XV – December 12 – December 15
FINAL EXAM
*The instructor reserves the right to modify the above syllabus at his discretion. Should there be any changes needed to be made, students will be notified via email in advance*
Assignments:
Discussion Boards
As part of this course’s requirements, you will have to participate in a series of discussion boards throughout the semester. There will be 4 entries (each worth 10 points) that you will have to contribute to. In addition to your own contribution to the discussion you will also have to respond to at least one of your classmates’ contributions. You will have a week to respond to the topic. Check in the Announcements page every Monday morning to see whether a discussion board will be part of the assignments for that week. Each of the topics will be posted on a Monday morning and will close by the following Saturday at midnight (there will be an exception to the first topic since our first week is an expanded one, it will be posted on Wednesday, August 31, the day of our orientation meeting, and will close on Saturday, September 10.
Chapter Exams
There will be 13 chapter exams throughout the semester (each worth 20 points). They will include questions from the chapter and, when noted, also questions from either the video and multimedia section that are part of each chapter. Just like the discussion boards, the exams will be available for your to take starting on a Monday morning and will close by the following Saturday at midnight. There will be an exception to the first exam since it will be posted on Wednesday, August 31, the day of our orientation meeting, and will close on Saturday, September 10 by midnight (giving you a few more days than usual to complete the quiz). You will have 1 hour to complete each exam. All the chapter exams will have 20 questions except the first one which will have 25 questions, but only 20 points will be counted towards the total points against the grade, meaning that you can earn five extra points towards your grade early on in the first exam.
Midterm Exam (Monday, October 17 – Thursday, October 20)
There will be a Midterm Examination the week of October 17 - October 23. The exam will cover the material from chapters 1-6 and will be in essay form. There will be a 4 day window opening for you take the exam (it will be posted in the early morning of Monday, October 17 and will close by Thursday, October 20 at midnight). You will have 3 hours to complete the test, and once you start you must finish.
Term Paper
As part of the assignments for this course you will have to write a paper. The topics will be given to you in the next week or two. It will either be posted on the announcements page or send to you via a class email. It will be due on Sunday, December 4th and you will submit it to me via email. Send it to my email emunoz@elcamino.edu as a word document in an attachment. Write your name and section number within the Subject of your email, i.e., “Jones Paper 4190”. Once I receive it and I am able to open your attachment I will reply to you with confirmation. If you submit the paper and haven’t gotten a response from me within 48 hours email me again. It is your responsibility to make sure I have your paper and I am able to open the attachment.
Political Journal
This assignment consists of making 5 journal entries about international political events that will transpire during the semester. These can include articles in which the U.S. is involved or not. The journal will be due on Sunday, December 11, and you will submit it to me the same way as the paper, via email at emunoz@elcamino.edu
You will need to title the subject of your email with your last name and section number, i.e., “Jones Political 4190 ” and send it in a word document as an attachment. I will reply to your email once I have received it and made sure that I have opened the attachment. Just as the paper assignment, it is your responsibility to make sure that I have received your journal. If I haven’t replied to you within 48 hours email me again. Each journal entry should be structured the following way:
1. Journal Entry #1 , Journal Entry #2, Journal Entry #3, etc.
2. Electronic source: i.e., www.cnn.com, www.msnbc.com, www.news.yahoo.com, etc.
3. Specific Webpage: i.e., http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/Americas/7238214.stm
4. Title and date of the article: “Obama Touts Big Bold Action”, February 9, 2009
5. Summary of the article: here you should give the article’s title and provide a well rounded summary, at least a three to four paragraphs. Then, in a couple of paragraphs you should discuss how it relates to the course, and the specific topic covered during the semester. NOTE: Your five journal entries should be drawn from five different electronic sources, meaning five different websites. And they should all be submitted in one document, meaning send 1 attachment not 5 different attachments.
[Note: Later Journals will be accepted but they will be lowered by one letter grade]
Final Exam (Monday, December 12 – Thursday, December 15)
The final exam will take place the week of December 12 – December 15. The exam will will cover the material from chapters 7-13 and will be in essay form. It will have a 4 day window opening for you to take (it will be posted in the early morning of Monday, December 12, and will close by Thursday, December 15 at midnight). You will have 3 hours to complete the exam and once you start you will have to finish it.
GRADING SCALE Total (600 points)
Discussion Boards 40 points A 540-600
Term Paper 50 points B 480-539
Political Journal 50 points C 420-479
Midterm Exam 100 points D 360-419
Final Exam 100 points F 359 and below
Quizzes (13 X 20) 260 points
NOTE- If for some reason your computer malfunctions, freezes, loses power, loses the internet connection, any of these, while you are taking a quiz or a test, and doesn’t allow you to continue, you must email me immediately and tell me what happened, that way I can work with you in resetting the assessment so you can take it again. Also keep in mind that technology is great J but there are times where things happen that are beyond our immediate control, and it might take some time to fix them L
NOTE- Whenever emailing me, write down your name within the body of your email as well as the section number in which you are enrolled. That will speed up the process of replying to you. Give me at least 24 hours to respond to your questions.
NOTE- Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the Special Resource Center on campus as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Please contact me privately as well to discuss your specific needs and I will be happy to help.
NOTE- It is the students’ responsibility to drop themselves from this course. I will not drop students. Be aware of the deadlines as per the schedule of classes.
Course Material:
TEXTS
-International Relations, 10thEdition by Joshua Goldstein and Jon Pevehouse. Pearson Publishers, 2012 (With Access to MyPoliSciKit and Course Compass).
ISBN # 9780205074068
Online Resources: (useful websites)
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