GOVT 300: Introduction to World Politics

Spring, 2009

Dr. L. Mari Centeno

LMCENTENO@adams.edu
Office Hours: M-Th, 11-12 and by appointment
ES 332, 719-587-7923

This course examines the history, theories and controversies of international

relations.

Throughout the semester students will:

• Recognize and critically assess the dominant and critical theories of
International Relations, structures and processes of International
Relations, and contending conceptualizations of current issues in world
politics.

• Demonstrate an ability to engage in well-informed debate.

• Demonstrate an ability to comprehend and critique the literature of the

discipline.

Required Texts

Mingst, Karen A. 2008. Essentials of International Relations, 4th edition. New York.
Norton.

Mingst, Karen A. (ed.). 2008. Essential Readings in World Politics, 3rd edition. New
York. Norton.

Course Requirements
(Total = 100%)
Reading Quizzes 20% (4 at 5% each)
Reading Critiques 30% (3 at 10% each)
Debates 20% (2 at 10% each)
Simulations 30% (3 at 10% each)

Reading Quizzes (4 at 5%): Short answer quizzes will cover the assigned readings.
See schedule for quiz dates.

Reading Critiques (3 at 10% each): Critiques must tie together the assigned readings
of each section by identifying underlying themes and/or comparing and contrasting the
various articles. I expect students to address the readings with a critical eye. Critiques
will be discussed in class on the dates they are due. The lowest grade of 4 will be
dropped.

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 Requirements:
• Minimum length of 1 page text (not including references)
• Stapled, double-spaced with one-inch margins, and typed in a
12-point font
• Page numbers

Debates (2 at 10% each): Debates require students to work in teams to present sound,
well-researched arguments. Each student must also submit an outline of
arguments/points and references.

Requirements:
• 1-2 pages, including references
• Stapled, double-spaced and typed in a 12 point font
• Minimum of 3 academic/legitimate sources

All students must be present during every debate/simulation. 2 points will

be deducted from the final grade of any student absent (without an official
excuse) from debates/simulations.

Simulations (3 at10% each):

Simulations of historical and current events require students to work in teams to
research, analyze and prepare positions. The lowest grade of 4 will be dropped.

• The Cuban Missile Crisis. Students, working in teams, will represent 1 of 3

historical positions on missiles in Cuba. Each team must submit an outline of
arguments/points and references.

Requirements:
o 1-2 page, including references
o Stapled, double-spaced and typed in a 12 point font
o Minimum of 3 academic/legitimate sources

• Memo to Hillary Clinton. Each team must offer foreign policy advice to the
incoming Secretary of State.

Requirements:
o 3-5 pages text (not including references)
o Stapled, double-spaced and typed in a 12 point font
o Minimum of 3 academic/legitimate sources

• The United Nations. Students, representing different member states, will

prepare position papers and work with one another to compose a General
Assembly draft resolution on a given topic.
Requirements:

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 o 1 page position paper per student
o Draft resolution
o Stapled, double-spaced and typed in a 12 point font

• Responding to Terrorism. Students, working in teams, will represent 1 of 3

positions on how the U.S. should respond to terrorism. Each team must submit
an outline of arguments/points and references.

Requirements:
o 1-2 page, including references
o Stapled, double-spaced and typed in a 12 point font
o Minimum of 3 academic/legitimate sources

See Schedule for debate/simulation dates.

Writing Standards
Please see the HGP Writing Assessment Rubric at:
http://faculty.adams.edu/~ercrowth/hgprubric.htm

• All papers must be typed in a 12-point font, double-spaced with one-inch margins
and stapled.

• The spell-check is not a substitute for proofreading. Points will be deducted for
sloppy writing.

• Non-scholarly sources, with the exception of newspaper articles and

organizational websites (such as that of the WTO), will not be accepted.
Internet sources should come from sites with URLs ending in .gov or
.edu. Avoid .com sites, with the exception of some online journals
such as foreignpolicy.com.

Never use the dictionary or encyclopedia (including Wikipedia) as a

source.

• Plagiarism is a serious offense. According to the College Handbook: “All

students are expected to practice academic honesty. [He/she] should refrain from
any form of cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the
College” (42). Therefore:

• Any phrases,
paraphrases, terms, concepts, facts and/or figures applied from other sources
must be cited correctly. All phrases or sentences that are not in your own
words must be in quotation marks.

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 • Sources must be cited
within the text and included in a reference page at the end of your work.
• Please see the
College’s definition of plagiarism at
http://www2.adams.edu/library/plagiarism/plagiarism.php
• Plagiarism will result
in a failing grade for the assignment. Second, or more serious first
offenses will result in a failing grade for the course and notification sent
to the Provost.

Citation format: I require the citation format used by the American Political Science
Association (APSA). If you have questions about formatting please ask. Do not use
MLA or other citation formats. Below is a sample paragraph of the format I require.
Note the parenthetical citations within the text:

Excerpt from:
McCormick, John P. 2006. “Contain the Wealthy and Patrol the Magistrates: Restoring
Elite Accountability to Popular Government.” American Political Science Review
100(2): 148-164.

Ancient democracies assumed that law and public policy would not express the

common good unless large numbers of nonwealthy citizens participated in government

by holding office themselves. Wealthy citizens, despite promises to the contrary, were

expected to pursue their own interests, and not those of the general populace on

ascension to office—–a danger exacerbated in electoral systems where the wealthy

monopolize offices. To avoid the “aristocratic effect” of election (Manin 1997, 42–93),

ancient democracies assigned most magistracies by citizen-wide lotteries or “sortitions”

and observed frequent rotation in office (Hansen 1991, 230–31; cf. Duxbury 1999). In

keeping with the egalitarian aspirations and distrust of oligarchy characterizing such

regimes (Ober 1993), lottery conducted over the entire citizenry ensured that the

wealthy and notable would have little chance of governing to an extent exceeding their

percentage of the citizenry; it guaranteed that offices would be distributed randomly

among all classes. Moreover, the regular and frequent turnover of office ensured that

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wealthy magistrates could deploy their greater financial resources neither to ensconce

themselves in an office nor to influence or determine the appointment of like-minded or

similarly interested successors. As straightforward sortition became increasingly rare in

Western popular governments, republics attempted to ameliorate the aristocratic effect

of elections and ensure wider distribution of offices in two alternate ways: by combining

election with lottery-like randomization measures and/or by establishing class-specific

eligibility stipulations for specific offices.

References

Allen, Danielle S. 2000. The World of Prometheus: The Politics of

Punishment in Democratic Athens. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University
Press.

Adams, John. [1790] 1805. Discourses on Davila. In The Works of

John Adams, ed. C. F. Adams. Boston, MA:Massachusetts Historical
Society, 280–304.

Aristotle. 1997. In ThePolitics,Trans. and ed. P.L. P. Simpson. Chapel

Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.

Arnold, Douglas A. 1993. “Can Inattentive Citizens Control Their

Elected Representatives?” In Congress Reconsidered, ed. L. Dodd
and B. Oppenheimer. Washington, DC: Congress Quarterly Press.

Wantchekon, Leonard. 2004. “The Paradox of ‘Warlord’ Democracy.”

American Political Science Review 98 (1): 17–34.

___________________________________

*To cite a website:

Within the text: (Author date (if available), page number (if available))

For example: (CIA 2006, 2)

I understand that in many cases a page number will not be available. Do your
best to adhere to this model as much as possible.

In the Reference Page:

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Author. Date (if available). “Title in quotation marks.” Organization or publisher.
Date accessed.
URL

For example:
CIA World Factbook. 2006. “Venezuela.” Central Intelligence Agency.
Accessed December 20, 2006.
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ve.html

________________________________________
All direct quotes must be contained within quotation marks and cited properly.
Quotes longer than 4 lines should be single spaced, indented and in a 10 pt. font.

For example:

Benjamin Barber argues that the forces of globalization and localization are

simultaneous, parallel processes. He describes the dynamics of globalization as:

“…being borne in on us by the onrush of economic and ecological

forces that demand integration and uniformity and that mesmerize
the world with fast music, fast computers, and fast food—with MTV,
Macintosh, and McDonald’s, pressing nations into one
commercially homogenous global network: one McWorld tied
together by technology, ecology, communications, and commerce.
The planet is falling precipitately apart AND coming reluctantly
together at the very same moment.” (1992, 1).

Additional Information:

• Tardiness: DON’T BE LATE!! If some unavoidable situation (alien abduction,

etc.) forces you to be late please do not disturb the rest of the class as you enter.
Perpetual tardiness will be penalized with a 3% reduction of the final grade
for each infraction.
• All written assignments are due on their respective due dates at the beginning
of class.

o Penalties for late assignments:

 Absence and assignment submitted at end of class:
Deduction of one letter grade.
 Further deduction of one letter grade after each 24 hour
period.

• Constructive discussion in an academic setting requires respectful conduct.

Please turn off cell phones and beepers while in class (see me for exceptions).

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 Do not engage in private conversations, read the newspaper, or study for another
class while I or another student has the floor. After a warning, I will deduct 3
points for each infraction from the final grade of any student who behaves
disrespectfully in class.
• You are advised to keep copies of all your graded work in the event of calculation
errors. Grades cannot be changed without proof of error.

Schedule

1/13-1/20: Introduction
Read Section 1, “Approaches to International Relations” in Essentials of
International Relations
Read all excerpts in Section 1, “Approaches” in Essential Readings in World
Politics

Reading Critique due on 1/20

1/22-1/29: Historical Context

Read Section 2, “The Historical Context….” in Essentials of
International Relations
Read all excerpts in Section 2, “History” in Essential Readings in World
Politics

Reading Quiz on 1/22

Cuban Missile Crisis Simulation 1/22-1/29

2/3-2/19: Contending Perspectives

Read Section 3, “Contending Perspectives….” in Essentials of
International Relations
Read all excerpts in Section 3, “Contending Perspectives” in Essential Readings
in World Politics

Debate on 2/19

2/24-2/26: The International System

Read Section 4, “The International System” in Essentials of International
Relations
Read all excerpts in Section 4, “The International System” in Essential Readings
in World Politics

Reading Critique due on 2/26

3/3-3/10: The State

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 Read Section 5, “The State” in Essentials of International Relations
Read all excerpts in Section 5, “The State” in Essential Readings in World
Politics

Reading Quiz on 3/3

Memo to Hillary Clinton due on 3/10

3/12: The Individual

Read Section 6, “The Individual” in Essentials of International Relations
Read all excerpts in Section 6, “The Individual” in Essential Readings in World
Politics

Reading Critique due on 3/12

3/24-3/31: Intergovernmental Organizations, NGOs and International Law

Read Section 7, “Intergovernmental Organizations….” in Essentials of
International Relations
Read all excerpts in Section 7, “Intergovernmental Organizations….” in Essential
Readings in World Politics

Reading Quiz on 3/24

United Nations Simulation 3/24-3/31

4/2-4/14: War and Strife

Read Section 8, “War and Strife” in Essentials of International Relations
Read all excerpts in Section 8, “War and Strife” in Essential Readings in World
Politics

Reading Quiz on 4/2

Responses to Terrorism Simulation 4/7-4/14

4/16-4/23: International Political Economy

Read Section 9, “International Political Economy” in Essentials of
International Relations
Read all excerpts in Section 9, “International Political Economy” in Essential
Readings in World Politics

Reading Critique due on 4/23

4/28-Finals Week: Globalizing Issues

Read Section 10, “Globalizing Issues” in Essentials of International Relations

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Read all excerpts in Section 10, “Globalization….” in Essential Readings in
World Politics

Debates on 4/28-Finals Week