International Conflict The Origins of Global Fury Afghanistan and the Origins of Global Fury - Spring 07 Afghanistan and the Origins of Global Fury - Fall 06 Cuba and Haiti Religious Revolutions and violence Haiti and the Caribbean Contemporary Issues in International Relations Introduction to International Relations South Asia in a Global and Historical Context Politics of the Third World

Seeing "War of the Worlds": Global politics through Popular films Music of the African Diaspora Worlds of Music Musical Meaning in a Global Context Politics and Literature

Global Political Economy of Oil Understanding Capitalism Foundations in the Political Economy

Ideas and Ideology Love, Hate and Sexual Desire Under Colonialism Junior Year Honors Seminar: Cultural Encounters, 1999-2000

Fall 1994
PSC 124.100
Introduction to International Relations

Naeem Inayatullah
Jonathan Bach
Lynda Barrow
Catherine Smith

1. Course Format: This class will meet together at Maxwell Auditorium on Mondays and Wednesdays 11:45 to 12:40. In addition discussion sections will meet either on Thursday or Friday. The times and places of the discussion sections are:

Dis 101 Friday 11:45-12:40 Lyman 126

Dis 102 Friday 11:45-12:40 Hinds 204

Dis 103 Friday 1:55-2:50 Lyman 320

Dis 104 Friday 1:55-2:50 NCCI A1

Dis 105 Thursday 4:00-4:55 AG 203

Dis 106 Thursday 5:00-5:55 AG 203

Dis 107 Thursday 6:00-6:55 AG 203

These sections are not interchangeable. The Teaching Associates have designed each discussion section differently. In addition, all your work will be evaluated and graded by one Teaching Associate throughout the term. After you have made all your scheduling changes (all section changes must be done through the registration process), you are required to stay in the section on which you have settled.

2. Purpose: Our aim is to engage in posing questions: How can we think, rigorously, creatively, purposefully and with precision about the relations between nations, states, cultures, and individuals? How can each of us better understand our role in participating in the central global problems of our times? How can we begin to think about creating solutions to these problems? How can we respond to ways of thinking that strike us as politically or ethically repulsive, that are alien to our thinking, or that threaten to undermine our way of life?

These are some of the central questions of this course. Within the context of these themes we have three goals: 1) To help you more clearly understand your own values and thinking process. The goal is never to change your values, nor to reject your thinking. Rather, by the end of the course we hope that a) you will begin to understand why you hold your specific values and b) to recognize the themes which characterize your thinking process. 2) To share with you our understanding of schools of thought which have either provoked our thinking or helped us arrive at tentative answers to the above questions. The goal is never to compel you to simply validate the global vision provided by these schools. Rather, we present them so that you can help us assess the worth of their visions. 3) To help you to arrive at a judgment about the ethics of our actions in the world. Thinking and understanding usually suggests a change in our life style or world view. This is one reason why learning is both dangerous and fulfilling. In combination, these three goals amount to the idea that rather than "covering" something altogether new in this process we hope we will be "uncovering" what in some ways we already knew.

3. Readings: In their different ways each Teaching Associate will ask you to create a relationship with the textual material. However, as the lead instructor, I have selected the readings. It might be useful to understand how and why I selected them. Since the course is designed around our own thinking I see the purpose of the textual material as very different from that in other courses. I have selected texts which provoke in me intense responses, represent a neglected but significant world view, or which contain what I think is a type of wisdom. While I hope we will read all the materials, the purpose of our reading is not to "cover" the texts. Rather, I hope we will use the texts to create an internal and class wide conversation. That is, I see the texts as useful and important to the degree that they provoke our response.

Bibliography

*Allende, Isabel House of Spirits (New York: Bantam, 1982)

Bauer, P. T. in Equality, the Third World, and Economic Delusion, (Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1981):

o"The Grail of Equality," pp. 8-25.

o"Western Guilt and Third World Poverty," pp. 66-85.

o"The Lesson From Hong Kong," pp. 185-190.

*Blaut, J. M. The Colonizer's Model of the World (New York: Guildford, 1993).

Bull, Hedley "DoesOrderExistinWorldPolitics," from Bull's Anarchical Society (New York: Columbia University Press, 1977).

Lind, William S. "DefendingWesternCulture," Foreign Policy, No. 84, Fall 1981. pp. 40-50.

Luce, Henry R. "TheAmericanCentury," Transaction 31, 5, July-August 1994, pp. 4-11.

Hobbes, Thomas "OftheNaturalConditionofMankind," from Leviathan, ch. 13.

Mernissi, Fatima "Introduction:TheGulfWar:FearandItsBoundaries," in Islam and Democracy: Fear of the Modern World, (New York: Addison-Wesley, 1992) pp. 1-10.

Pratt, Minnie Bruce "Identity:SkinBloodHeart," in Yours in Struggle: Three Feminist Perspectives on Anti-Semitism and Racism, (New York: Long Haul Press, 1984), pp. 11-63.

Orwell, George "ShootinganElephant," A Collection of Essays, (New York: Hartcourt, 1954).

Stavrianos, L. S. "EraofDefensiveMonopolyCapitalism,Revolution,andNeoclonialism," chapter 19 of Global Rift: The Third World Comes of Age, (New York: William Morrow and Company, 1981), pp. 433-484.

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, (New York: Penguin Books, 1954):

"Pericles' Funeral Oration," pp. 143-151.

"The Melian Dialogue," pp. 400-408.

Tilly, Charles "NationalSelf-DeterminationasaProblemforAllofUs," Deadalus, 122, 3, 1993, pp. 29-33.

Waltz, Kenneth "ExplainingWar" excerpted from Waltz's Man, the State and War, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1959).

*= available at the Orange Student Book Store on Marshall Street.

The rest of these materials are in the Reader that is available at the Orange Student Book Store.

4. Outline With Readings:

I. Introduction and Expectations (Week One)

-This syllabus

-William S. Lind, "DefendingWesternCulture"

-Minnie Bruce Pratt, "Identity:SkinBloodHeart"

-Henry R. Luce, "TheAmericanCentury"

II. Political Realism (Weeks Two through Five)

1. Political Idealism and Realism

2. The Historical Origins of Political Realism

3. Anarchy and the 'State of Nature'

4. The Nature of States

5. The Balance of Power

6. International Order

7. International Society

8. The (Implicit) Conservative Ethics of Political Realism

9. Critique: The Wisdom and Blind Spots of Political Realism

-Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War:

"Pericles' Funeral Oration," pp. 143-151.

"The Melian Dialogue," pp. 400-408.

-Thomas Hobbes, "OftheNaturalConditionofMankind"

-Kenneth Waltz, "ExplainingWar"

-Hedley Bull, "DoesOrderExistinWorldPolitics"

III. Political Economy (Weeks Five through Ten)

1. The Historical Origins of the Marxist Orthodoxy

2. Orthodox Versus Neo-Marxism

3. The Nature and Dynamism of Capitalism

4. The Status of States within Capitalism

5. The Global Division of Labor

6. Exploitation

7. The History of the Expansion of the Global Division of Labor

8. The Radical and Liberal Ethics of Political Economy

9. Critique: The Wisdom and Blind Spots of Political Economy

-L. S. Stavrianos, "Era of Defensive Monopoly Capitalism, Revolution, and Neocolonialism"

-P. T. Bauer, in Equality, the Third World, and Economic Delusion

"The Grail of Equality," pp. 8-25.

"Western Guilt and Third World Poverty," pp. 66-85.

"The Lesson From Hong Kong," pp. 185-190.

Blaut, The Colonizer's Model of the World

IV. Political Culture or Speculating on a Synthesis: (Weeks Eleven through Twelve)

1. Politics and Economics as Culture

2. From International Relations and Political Economy to Cultural Interaction

3. The Role of Individuals in the World

4. "Self" and "Other" Inside and Outside

5. Cultural Contact

6. Knowledge, Love, Conquest, and Power

7. The Possibility of Cultural Conversation and Learning

8. Critique:

-Fatima Mernissi, "Introduction:TheGulfWar:FearandItsBoundaries"

-Minnie Bruce Pratt, "Identity:SkinBloodHeart"

*Isabel Allende, House of Spirits

V. Thinking About Closure (Last Week)

-William S. Lind, "DefendingWesternCulture,"

-Henry R. Luce, "TheAmericanCentury,"

-George Orwell, "ShootinganElephant,"

-Charles Tilly, "NationalSelf-DeterminationasaProblemforAllofUs,"

5. Lectures: The subject matter of the lectures will depend upon the needs of the class. I am always willing to leave my script to pursue more interesting topics. Because the lectures are designed to be interactive, it becomes impossible to know what will be discussed in a particular session. The conversational process both in discussion and at lectures is at the heart of what we will try to do. If for some reason you cannot follow the lectures or do not find them worthwhile please let me know. You may also suggest what I can do to meet your expectations.

6. Assignments: Note well that all evaluation and grading will be done by a single Teaching Associate throughout the term. The assignment scheme is rather complex so it may be worth your while to examine this section carefully.

1)We have divided the term into three evaluation periods. Assignments are due at the end of each period:

Assignments turned in after these dates will not be accepted.

2)Within each block there are 5 or 6 ways to present assignments. You may select one, and only one, of these tracks per period. However, if you wish, you may change tracks between periods.

3) The Tracks:

-One Essay on a topic of your selection plus an intellectual Journal;

-An Essay on a topic of your selection with an outline and rough draft;

-An Essay on a topic of your selection;

-An Essay or a set of essays analyzing and criticizing course readings of your selection;

-A set of 10 short essays analyzing and criticizing aspects of course lectures, presentations, and discussions;

-An assignment outside the scope of the above options determined in written agreement between you and your Teaching Associate.

4) Explaining each track:

-Essay plus journal:

Length: The essay needs to be approximately 1500-2500 words.
The journal also needs to be approximately 1500-2500 words.
Form: Please consult writing suggestions on essays and on journals.
Points: a maximum of 20 for the essay; maximum of 20 for the journal.

- Essay with outline and rough draft:
Length: The essay needs to approximately 1500-2500 words
Form: Please consult writing suggestions on essays.
Points: a maximum of 30 for essay; a maximum of 5 each for the outline and rough draft.

Essay:
Length: The essay needs to approximately 2000-2500 words.
Form: Please consult writing suggestions on essays.
Points: a maximum of 40.

-Essay or a set of essays analyzing and criticizing course readings:
Length: The essay or essays needs to approximately 2500 words.
Form: Please consult writing suggestions on essays.
Points: a maximum of 40.

-10 short essays on lectures, discussions, and other presentations:
Length: Each short essay needs to be between 250-500 words long.
Form: Please consult writing suggestions on essays.
Points: A maximum of 4 points each.

7. Scale for total points in the course:

A = 111- and above
A-= 105-110
B+= 99-104
B = 90-98
B-= 84-89
C+=75- 83
C = 60 -74
C-= 55 - 59
D = 46 - 54
F = 45 and below

In calculating the final grade we reserve the right to improve a grade by bringing into consideration such things as general improvement, the excellence of any one assignment, attitudes and actions which are deemed to facilitate the learning experience, and creative and synthetic efforts.

8. The Evaluation Process and the Meaning of Grades: The course is designed to respond to the content and form of your writing on a regular basis. Instructors will comment both on the strengths and weaknesses of your writing. You are expected to respond to these comments during the instructor's office hours. The written comments and the oral conversation will help you to know what the instructor expects and will help the instructor to find out your needs and concerns. Evaluators always respond best to your needs if you show a concern for the ideas, an awareness of their criticism, and an appreciation for their efforts. Concentrate on these aspects of the conversational process and the grades will take care of themselves. Of course, disagreements are always a part of any conversation. I expect you to turn to me only if further conversation with the instructor seems too difficult. (You are always welcome to my office hours for other reasons or for no reason at all.).

Grades are assessed on bringing together two criteria. The first is absolute and external, the second is relative and internal. On the one hand, your work will be assessed on the basis of the norms of clarity, organization, coherence, logical flow, creativity, depth, and intensity. We have all been in the practice of teaching long enough to know how to make such judgments. On the other hand, each of you will be assessed according to your specific development. That is, each one of us is in a different situation in our educational process. Our assessment of your work will be based partly on your progress relative to your starting point in this course. While each instructor will think a bit differently on how to combine these two elements, I expect each will take both into account.

While evaluation can be a rewarding process, no one I know likes to assign grades. In this course, grades serve merely as shorthand for characterizing the evaluation process. They say nothing about your general capacity, your intrinsic worth as a human being, nor do they forecast your ability to grow and learn in the future. Keeping this in mind, here is what the evaluator may mean by assigning the following grades. A "C" means either that a barely adequate amount of effort is noticeable, or that effort is somewhat mis-focused or mis-targeted. A "B" means that good effort is coupled with a fairly good understanding of what is being asked. An "A" reveals both intense effort and remarkable achievement. At the other end of the scale, a "D" means either that an inadequate amount of effort is being put forth or that strong effort seems to have been mis-targeted. That is, there is little overlap between the evaluators expectations and the student's efforts. An "F" means little or no effort is noticed or that there is a complete misunderstanding about expectations. Receiving a "D" or an "F" means that you should see the evaluator as soon as possible.

Finally, keep in mind that the evaluation and grading process is reciprocal. You will always be evaluating our performance. We hope that you will also make this a regular process. You should know that your formal evaluation of us at the end of the term is significant in two ways. First, it affects our standing within the department and the university both socially and financially. Second, and more important, it is often seen as the best indicator of the effectiveness of our efforts. You need to let us know how intense and how much on target our efforts were. Your evaluation will directly influence how we teach future courses.

9. Office Hours for Naeem Inayatullah: Current Classes Page

10.Writing Suggestions for Essays:

I hesitate to offer a set of suggestions on writing essays because they may stifle your style. Also, you may be tempted to follow my suggestions to the letter thereby missing the overall point which has more to do with the attitude you bring to the writing and the tone you create. Nevertheless, I have decided to offer these suggestions because you may need and appreciate a certain amount of direction, and, because there is a particular style of writing - the style of an essay - which I wish to emphasize and which I hope you will add to your repertoire of skills. Please take these instructions as "suggestive" and make your own decision on whether you wish to follow them. I also would like to register a warning: While this style of writing may have great personal benefits it is not usually favored. The academy stresses a much more certain and assertive style.