COURSE NUMBER: INTS 205

COURSE NUMBER: INTS 205
COURSE TITLE: Introduction to International Studies
INSTRUCTOR: J.R. Lacharite
OFFICE HOURS: 15:30 – 18:00 Wednesdays or by appointment
OFFICE: 3039 – Third Floor, Administration Building
PHONE NUMBER: 960-5597
E-MAIL: [email protected]
For more on International Studies at UNBC: http://www.unbc.ca/internationalstudies
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
International relations (IR) is one of the most complex and interesting areas of study in the
social sciences. This course is designed to introduce students to the key concepts and
issues associated with international studies and global politics. In particular, class lectures
will focus on the competing theoretical perspectives in IR, issues of state sovereignty and
security, conflict resolution among state actors and the global political economy. This course
also examines issues related to global governance and globalization, the importance of nonstate actors in international affairs, the post-9/11 security environment and matters
concerning human rights, ecological sustainability and the case for humanitarian intervention.
It is hoped that this course will give students a useful framework with which to analyze and
evaluate contemporary global issues. Similarly, it is hoped that this class will help students
develop their capacity for logical and critical thinking through readings, and more importantly,
through ‘student to lecturer’ and ‘student to student’ interaction.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
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To introduce students to the study of international relations.
To foster a critical understanding of contemporary issues in global politics.
To provide students with a solid background in the major theoretical perspectives in
the field of IR, including recent critical ones.
To foster an understanding of the ‘actors’ and ‘institutions’ that shape international
relations.
To develop the student’s ability to present his/her views in an articulate manner and to
write analytically rigorous essays.
To build confidence through class participation and tutorials.
To foster a greater enthusiasm for the study of international relations.
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REQUIRED TEXTS:
Hughes, Barry, Continuity and Change in World Politics, 4th Edition (Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2000).
Joanne Buckley, Fit To Print: The Canadian Student’s Guide to Essay Writing, Fifth Edition
(Scarborough: Nelson and Thomson Learning, 2001).
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADE WEIGHTING:
Assignment
Tutorial attendance and participation
Due Date
Grade Weighting
N/A
10%
Mid-Term Exam
Week 6 (13/10/04)
20%
Major Essay (2000 words)
Week 12 (24/11/04)
30%
TBA
40%
Final Exam
Extensions policy: Extensions on assignments are not permitted, except in case of illness
or due to serious extenuating circumstance. In the event of illness or serious extenuating
circumstance, the student must inform the instructor before the due date and provide
documented evidence of the illness or serious circumstance. In addition, the student must
also provide the instructor with a draft of his or her assignment at the time of the illness or
serious circumstance that indicates that substantial progress has already been made towards
a final product. Assignments that are not submitted on the due date will receive a grade of
zero.
Exam Policy: Please note that the term ends on the final day of the exam period NOT on the
last day of classes. Students are advised not to make arrangements to travel on a date prior
to the final exam as scheduled by the Registrar. The instructor will not hold early exams for
the purpose of accommodating travel requests.
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION:
This course consists of one mid-term exam, one final exam and one major essay. The midterm exam will cover the lectures and reading materials from Week 1 through to Week 6. It
will be held on October 13, 2004 and will consist of short answer questions. The final exam
will cover the entire course and will consist of short answer and essay questions.
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One 2000 word essay is required for INTS 205 as well. The topics are listed at the end of
this course outline. Please read the questions carefully and seek clarification on anything
that you do not understand. Note that essay drafts will not be looked at prior to the essay
due date.
Finally, a 10 percent participation grade has been assigned to the tutorial component of the
course. Your grade will be based on your attendance and participation in tutorial discussions.
Attendance will be taken every week starting on Thursday September 16, 2004.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
Week 1 – Introduction and Orientation
Note: No tutorials scheduled for Thursday or Friday.
Required Reading: Hughes, Chapter 1.
Week 2 – Overview of International Studies and International Relations
What is the study of International Relations? What are International Relations? How do they
differ from domestic politics? What should be the purpose of studying international relations
or world politics? What are the main issue shaping world politics today? What is theory and
why should we bother with it in the study of International Relations?
Required Reading: Hughes, Chapter 2.
Week 3 – Traditional Theoretical Approaches to the Study of International Relations
What are the main characteristics of Liberalism, Realism and Contructivism? What are the
main actors, structures and processes according to each perspective? Why do Realists see
international relations as essentially conflictual? Are they correct in their assessment? Are
Realists simply cynical apologists for violence and war? Are Liberals simply naïve utopians?
Why do they believe world is peace possible? How have neorealism and neoliberalism
improved upon their predecessors?
Required Reading: Hughes, Chapter 3.
Week 4 – Critical Theories
What does Marxism have to say about international relations? What are the main actors,
structures and processes according to Marxism? Why is Marxism critical of nation states and
interstate relations? What can Feminism contribute to an understanding of international
relations? What role does gender play? Is International Relations a masculine construction?
Do Marxism and Feminism have anything in common?
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Required Reading: Hughes, Chapter 11; and Jacqui True, “Feminism,” in Scott Burchill,
Andrew Linklater, Richard Devetak, Matthew Patterson and Jacqui True, Theories of
International Relations (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996), 210-244. (On Reserve).
Week 5 – Sovereignty and the Nation-State
What is the ‘state?’ Is it the same as the ‘nation-state?’ What is the meaning of sovereignty?
How are sovereign states different from other political organizations, such as city-states,
empires or medieval systems? How has nationalism impacted on the sovereign state?
Should nationalism determine individual identity and loyalty? Is nationalism a violent and
fragmenting force in international relations? Is the state past its use-by date?
Required Reading: Hughes, Chapters 4 and 7.
Week 6 – Causes of Insecurity and War (Midterm Exam – October 13, 2004)
Why do wars occur? Why do ‘failed states’ often erupt in violence? Are nationalism and
cultural difference sources of war? Is international peace possible? What are the sources of
instability and insecurity for states in the world today? How is security being redefined by
states?
Required Reading: Hughes, Chapters 5 and 6.
Week 7 – Globalization and the Global Economy: Origins and Issues
What is globalization? Why is it such a controversial concept? What are the driving forces
behind it? How is it changing the nature of states and markets? Is state sovereignty being
eroded? How is globalization changing the relationship between states and markets? Is it
producing greater integration or disintegration at the global level? Is it a force for peace or
conflict, freedom or inequality?
Required Reading: Hughes, Chapter 12.
Week 8 – Non-State Actors in World Politics
Apart from states, what other actors play a major part in international relations? Are
multinational companies more powerful than states today? What is the function of the United
Nations? How influential is the UN in international relations? What are ‘new social
movements?’ What are they striving for? Is there an emerging ‘global civil society?’ how
effectively can it check the state and states-system?
Required Reading: Hughes, Chapters 8 and 9.
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Week 9 – The New Security Environment
What are the new security challenges for states in today’s volatile security environment? Has
the threat of large-scale conventional warfare disappeared? Can anyone realistically
challenge the United States’ military power? Are ‘weapons of mass destruction’ a significant
threat to global peace and prosperity? To what extent do terrorists affect the nature of
international relations?
Required Reading: Hughes, Chapters 10 and 15.
Week 10 – Global Poverty and Environmental Politics
Is global poverty inevitable? What are the causes of poverty and inequality? Has the
‘economic gap’ between the North and the South closed at all over the past 60 years? What
influence has environmental politics had on international relations? Can global warming be
controlled without the participation of the United States? How effective is the Kyoto protocol?
Required Reading: Chapters 13 and 16.
Week 11 – Human Rights and Intervention
What are human rights and are they inalienable? Why have human rights become so
important in international relations? Does the protection of human rights erode state
sovereignty? Should human rights trump state rights? Under what conditions it is legitimate to
intervene in the domestic affairs of states? What are the practical problems involved in
humanitarian intervention?
Required Reading: Joseph Nye, Jr., “Interventions, Institutions, and Regional and Ethnic
Conflicts,” in Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History
(New York: Pearson-Longman, 2005). (On Reserve).
Week 12 – Beyond the Nation State?
Is the sovereign state a satisfactory form of political organization? Must political life be
contained in ‘national spaces?’ Can rights and duties be extended beyond the frontiers of the
sovereign state? Can democracy be globalized? Are we witnessing a trend towards global
governance?
Required Reading: Hughes, Chapters 17 and 18; and The Economist, “Is Government
Disappearing?” Globalisation and its Critics: A survey of globalization, September 29, 2001
(Handout).
Week 13 – Exam Review
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GUIDE TO ESSAY WRITING:
Developing excellent writing skills takes a considerable amount of time and practice. The
following ‘guide to essay writing’ provides several important tips to help you improve your
writing skills. Note that it does not try to be exhaustive.
1. Address the topic/question of the essay and try to avoid ranting. Also be sure to
examine the topic/question carefully—it may be designed to provoke or be based on a
questionable set of assumptions. Consult your lecturer if you have any doubts about
what is being asked;
2. Construct a thesis statement in your introduction. A thesis statement is a sentence
that establishes the point, main argument or direction of your paper. Be sure to make
it clear and concise;
3. Organize your essay coherently. Use an outline and subtitles to help structure lines
of inquiry and argumentation. Subtitles are standard in virtually all academic writing
and convey a sense of sophistication and thoughtfulness;
4. Do not simply reproduce the ideas and arguments of others. Likewise, do not write
essays that are entirely descriptive in nature. A degree of critical thought and
evaluation must be apparent in your work. In addition, essays must follow the rule of
evidence and logic. Unsupported assertions, sweeping generalizations and
superficial analyses will be penalized;
5. Use the library. This cannot be emphasized enough. Shoddy research is easy to
detect and reflects poorly on the writer. It is important to demonstrate that you have
read others’ findings and arguments. At the same time, however, you need to show
that you are making your own well-reasoned presentation;
6. Use Internet sources judiciously. Also, do not pad your bibliography. Only record
what you actually use;
7. Do not overdo quotations: many of the worst essays consist of undigested strings of
quotes which replace the students’ own summaries and analyses;
8. Avoid using ‘I’ or ‘me’ in your essay writing. It is too informal and not acceptable at
the post-secondary level;
9. Use correct English, correct punctuation and correct spelling;
10. Expect to write at least two drafts of your essay before submitting. No one ever
produces an exceptional ‘first-draft’ essay;
11. Make sure you reference your work properly. For this course, the Chicago
referencing style should be used for essay citations. Refer to the UNBC Department
of Political Science’s web-site (http://web.unbc.ca/politicalscience) for instructions and
examples;
12. Do not plagiarize;
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13. Hand your essays in on time. If you cannot hand them into your lecturer on the due
date, have the Department’s secretary date stamp your assignment—the stamp must
indicate clearly that you have, in fact, submitted your work on time; and
14. Keep your writing simple and to the point.
Major Research Essay:
2000 word essay: Value 30%
Choose one of the following:
1. To what extent has globalization produced greater integration or disintegration in
international affairs?
2. Does the multilateral approach to peace-keeping work? Should peace-keeping
operations continue to be carried out under the auspices of the United Nations?
3. In what ways has globalization eroded the powers of the ‘nation-state?’
4. The global system requires a dominant political, economic and military power in order
to maintain peace and stability. Discuss.
5. Does the anarchical international system breed fear, insecurity and war?
6. Can the protection of human rights be used to justify military intervention in sovereign
states?
7. Does a form of neo-colonialism prevail in the current global economic system?
8. The theoretical approach that best describes the nature of international relations is
liberalism. Discuss.
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