INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
Bluefield State
College
POSC 405—SPRING 2013
Sections 1 & 2
CRN: 20388 & 20389
IVNWE
Colin S. Cavell, Ph.D.
Course Room No.: PHYSED P202F & HEC W17
Class W: 4:00 p.m. – 6:50 p.m. (16:00-18:50) INTERNET:
ccavell@bluefieldstate.edu
Office Hours: TBA Office No.: B120
VOICE: 304.327.4034 (W) 512-924-2364 (M)
Study of the major concepts and
approaches in world politics and analysis of process, institutions, problems of
war and peace, and contemporary trends.
PR: POSC 200.
Grading
Policy: 20% for Attendance*; 20% for the Class
Presentation; 20% for the Midterm Exam; 20% for the Research Paper; and 20% for
the Final Exam. A Guidelines sheet will be distributed outlining the
requirements for your Class Presentation and for your Research Paper.
Grading
Scale: 90-100=A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D; 0-59=F. These numerical scores correspond to the
following evaluations: “A” = Excellent;
“B” = Good; “C” = Satisfactory (NOTE: A
grade of “C” or better is required in major courses); “D” = Poor (passing,
except in major courses); “F” = Earned Failure (removed only by repeating the
course; upon successfully passing the course, the first grade is “excluded”
from grade point average. The second
grade is “included” in the recalculation of the grade point average); and “I” =
Incomplete.
Learning
Outcomes: Upon completion of POSC 405, students should
be able to read and provide an immanent critique of texts; to articulate
arguments and examine their flaws; be familiar with the basics of logical,
ethical, and dialectical reasoning; be familiar with essays, both pro and con,
regarding world politics, theories of world politics, international decision
making, rivalries and relations among the great powers, the global South in a
world of powers, non-state actors and the quest for global community, the
threat of armed conflict to the world, the pursuit of power through arms and
alliances of armed aggression to the world, the quest for peace through
international law and collective security, the globalization of international
finance, international trade in the global marketplace, the demographic and
cultural dimensions of globalization, the promotion of human development and
human rights, and the global responsibility for the preservation of the
environment.
Academic
Integrity Policy: Academic
integrity is expected of all students. This means that all work for this class
must be undertaken and completed by you alone without collaboration from
others. Any dishonesty in the performance of course work, such as plagiarism or
cheating in other forms, will be reported. In the event the student is charged
with some form of dishonesty, the Student Discipline Policy will be followed.
The full text of the BSC Academic Honesty Policy can be found at: http://www.bluefieldstate.edu/academics/academic-honesty-and-proctoring.
In addition, students should be aware that research paper assignments may be
submitted to Turnitin by the instructor for the purpose of checking for
possible plagiarism. Submitted assignments will be included in the BSC
dedicated database of assignments at Turnitin and will be used solely for the
purpose of checking for possible plagiarism during the grading process during
this term and in the future.
Attendance
Policy*: Attendance in class is mandatory. It is the student’s responsibility to sign
the attendance sheet each day of class; failure to sign the attendance
sheet—even if in attendance—will be counted as an absence. “When the number of clock hours of willful
absences exceeds the number of semester
hours of credit, the instructor will notify the Registrar that the student has
exceeded the permissible number of absences and should be withdrawn from
class.” Students with Excused Absences
must submit to me a hard copy of the campus publication The Bulletin announcing your allowed absence in order to get credit
for the day(s) of your absence. “It is
the responsibility of the student to…provide supporting documents for
institutional and unavoidable absences” (Bluefield
State College Academic Catalog 2012-2014, p. 55). As well, you are expected to follow the
syllabus and accordingly be prepared for each day’s class. This means that you must read the
pre-assigned readings before class so that you will be prepared to discuss and
debate in class the subject matter scheduled for that day and answer questions
related to the issues being covered. NOTE: TURN OFF all cell phones during class.
* Absence from class may be made up by preparing a two-page, typed (i.e. using maximum 12 point font size and maximum
double-spaced text with one-inch margin on all sides), summary on the missed material scheduled to be covered the
day(s) of your absence. The summary must
be in your own words and must not be copied material from the text(s),
the internet, or any other source(s). All
summaries must be turned in to me by the last day of classes if you want
credit for your absences.
Withdrawal
Policy: Academic
Withdrawal from the course prior to the deadline date for withdrawal as
published within the academic calendar is accomplished by securing a change in
schedule form and having it signed by appropriate persons. Blank copies of the change in schedule form
are available in the offices of the Registrar, the Vice President for Academic
Affairs, the Dean and the advisor. After
obtaining the required signatures, the student must submit, prior to the
deadline date, the change in schedule form to the Office of the Registrar.
Disability
Services Statement: BSC is committed to full inclusion of all
students. Students who, by nature of a documented disability, require
classroom, equipment, testing or assignment accommodations should contact the
Student Support Services at 304.327.4227 to request accommodations before the
start of the semester. Your immediate attention to these arrangements is necessary
to assure a positive learning experience.
Free Tutoring Services Available: BSC offers Smarthinking
free online tutoring for all BSC students in the following subjects: Math; Accounting, Managerial; Accounting,
Financial; Writing (all subjects); Grammar; Microeconomics; Macroeconomics;
Statistics; Spanish. Chemistry, etc. This service is free and available 24
hours a day to all BSC students. Go to http://www.smarthinking.com/ and
follow these instructions.
Required Texts:
Kegley Jr., Charles W. and Shannon L. Blanton. 2013. World Politics: Trend and Transformation,
2013 - 2014 Update Edition, 14th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Publishing, [Cengage Learning] [ISBN-13:
9781111830106] 624 Pages Paperback.
Recommended Supplemental
Text:
Allen,
John L. and Christopher J. Sutton. 2013. Student Atlas of World Politics [Paperback] ,
Tenth Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education [ISBN-13
9780078026201], 240 pages.
***This class
is web-enhanced and students will be able to access supplemental materials on
the BSC BlackBoard website, including chapter outlines, chapter PowerPoint
summaries, etc.***
Jan. 21: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (College Closed)
Jan. 22: Classes begin for Spring Semester
Jan. 23: Exploring
World Politics
Readings:
Kegley & Blanton Ch. 1
Main
Themes: Nature of the international
political system; governmental types; role of international law; constitution
(written and unwritten); separation of powers; role of media and civil society,
formulation of governmental policy.
Explain Syllabus: Go over class requirements, required books, in-class presentation,
research paper, midterm and final exams.
Jan. 30: Theories of
World Politics
Readings: Kegley & Blanton Ch. 2
Feb. 6: Theories
of International Decision Making
Readings:
Kegley & Blanton Ch. 3
Feb. 13: Rivalries and
Relations Among the Great Powers
Readings: Kegley &
Blanton Ch. 4
Feb. 20: The Global South in a
World of Powers
Readings:
Kegley & Blanton Ch. 5
Feb. 27: Nonstate
Actors and the Quest for Global Community
Readings:
Kegley & Blanton Ch. 6
Mar. 6: MIDTERM
EXAM [Wednesday]
Mar. 11: Mid-Semester grades due to Registrar
Mar. 11-15:
Spring Break (No Classes)
Mar. 20: The Threat of
Armed Conflict to the World
Readings: Kegley & Blanton Ch. 7
Mar. 27: The Pursuit of
Power Through Arms and Alliances of Armed Aggression to the World
Readings: Kegley & Blanton Ch. 8
Apr. 1-12:
Pre-Registration for Summer & Fall Semester courses
Apr. 3: The Quest for
Peace Through International Law and Collective Security
Readings: Kegley & Blanton Ch. 9
Apr. 10: The
Globalization of International Finance
Readings:
Kegley & Blanton Ch. 10
Apr. 12:
Last Day to Withdraw from course/college with a grade of "W"
Apr. 17: International
Trade in the Global Marketplace
Readings: Kegley & Blanton Ch. 11
Apr. 24: The
Demographic and Cultural Dimensions of Globalization
Readings: Kegley & Blanton Ch. 12
May 1: [Research Papers Due] The Promotion of
Human Development and Human Rights
Readings: Kegley & Blanton Ch. 13
Assignment:
Research Papers Due today. Hand in a
hard copy of your Research Papers to me in class and send me an electronic copy
by email as a Microsoft Word attachment.
May 8: [In-Class Presentations Due] Global
Responsibility for the Preservation of the Environment
Readings: Kegley & Blanton Ch. 14
May 10: [Last day of classes. All course work
MUST be completed by this date. No submissions will be accepted after this
date.] Looking Ahead at Global Trends and Transformations
Readings: Kegley & Blanton Ch. 15
Assignment: Complete all readings.
May 15: FINAL
EXAM [Wednesday]
May 20:
Final grades due to Registrar electronically