POLITICS 15A: INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Spring 2017

Tuesday and Friday 12:30-1:50

Schwartz Hall, 112

Instructor E-mail Room Office Hours

Lucy M. Goodhart lgoodhar@brandeis.edu Golding Judaica 23 Tuesday 2:10 - 4

Teaching Fellows E-mail Room Office Hours

Christiana Botticello cbott@brandeis.edu Rabb 227 Friday, 11- noon

Khaula Kaiser kkaiser@brandeis.edu Rabb 356 Friday, 11 - noon
Lan Ngo ngodilan@brandeis.edu Rabb 326 Weds, 1 2pm
Merima Tricic merimatricic@brandeis.edu Rabb 313 Monday, 5-6pm

Learning Goals

This course introduces the academic study of international relations. Prior coursework in
international relations is not required. During the course, students will:

1. Learn the theories that help us to explain the behavior of states, the characteristics of the
international system and the conditions of war or peace.
2. Develop an empirical grounding in international relations by covering important events
and trends, including the outbreak and aftermath of wars, developments in the global
economy, and the growth of international institutions.
3. Gain confidence in critical thinking by examining contending theoretical perspectives and
interpretations.
4. Build a foundation for future study in upper-division international relations courses in
the Politics Department (courses numbered POL 160-POL 180).

Course Website

You will also find a copy of this syllabus on the Latte. Under each section image there are links
to electronic readings, activities and assignments. Additional handouts will be posted on Latte
during the semester and powerpoint slides will be posted shortly after each lecture.

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Discussion Sections

There is a required 50-minute section each week, staring the week of January 24th. Participation in
section is a crucial learning tool. You will receive an index card on the first day on which you will
write down your top three choices of section time.

Section Day Time Block TF Location

1 Monday 12-12:50 E Khaula Kaiser Olin-Sang 104
2 Tuesday 11- 11:50 H Lan Ngo Olin-Sang 212
3 Wednesday 2 2:50 K Lan Ngo Shiffman 002
4 Thursday 10 10:50 C Merima Tricic Shiffman 125
5 Friday 10 10:50 G Christiana Botticello Shiffman 202

Course Requirements and Grading

Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum
of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections,
preparation for exams, etc.). Course requirements and their weighting are as follows:

1. Regular attendance at section 5%

2. Active participation in section and class 10%
3. Two op-ed exercises for 10 % each 20%
4. Midterm examination in class on Friday, March 10th 25%
5. Diplomatic strategy memo and reflection for simulation exercise 15%
6. Final examination on Thursday, May 11th 25%

Attendance and participation in class and section

Regular attendance at section means that you come to every discussion section. Each teaching
fellow, or TF, will maintain an attendance sheet and it is your responsibility to ensure that the TF
knows you are present. If you have an unexpected event that makes it impossible for you to attend,
you should alert the TF by email. You should seek my permission if you expect to be absent for
more than two sections. If you attend each section, you will receive a perfect score.

Active participation in section and class means that you take part in discussion in section, in ways
that enrich the conversation and contribute to the understanding of your peers. In class,
participation implies that you engage in discussions and activities, asking questions and
contributing to debates. If you prefer not to speak in public, please email me to let me know this
at the start of the semester and I will arrange for you to show your participation via written
contributions. Half of your participation will be assigned based on your performance in section
and half based on your performance during class sessions.

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Midterm examination
The midterm exam will be held in class on Friday, March 10th. It will cover course material
through Tuesday, March 7th and will include identification questions and a choice of essay
questions. The final exam will be similar in structure to the midterm and will cover the material
for the entire course. I reserve the right, in either the midterm or the final, to include a map question,
which may be required. You will be notified in advance if the exam will include a map question.

Op-ed Exercises
You will write two op-ed (opinion editorial) pieces, of approximately 600-800 words each. For the
first op-ed, you will be asked to argue why the study of World War One is relevant to our
understanding of peace and security today and to link that argument to at least two of the theoretical
approaches we have covered. That op-ed is due on Tuesday, February 14th.

For the second op-ed, you will respond to and take issue with an existing op-ed, which will be
provided at the time of the exercise. You will develop and justify your own viewpoint, separate
from that of the original author, on how the US, or another power, should respond to a particular,
contemporary issue. That op-ed will be due on Tuesday, April 4th. Both op-eds will be submitted
in hard copy in class.

The Simulation Exercise

The simulation exercise will have two components: the actual simulation and a written component.
You will be divided into various groups representing the Permanent Five members at the United
Nations Security Council (UNSC). At the introductory session, you will be provided with a crisis
scenario, which requires the intervention of the UNSC. Your objective is to negotiate and seek
passage of a draft UNSC resolution. Participation in the simulation exercise is mandatory.

There are two parts to the written component: a diplomatic strategy memo and a reflection paper.
Prior to the actual negotiations of the draft resolution, you will be required to provide input into
policy deliberations on your diplomatic strategy. This input will be given in the form of a three-
page memo which you will submit on Latte by April 26th. This memo accounts for ten percent of
the grade. After the exercise, you will write a one-page reflection on the lessons for your team.
This will also be submitted on Latte, before the final class, on May 2nd.

Grading
Assignments will be graded out of 100 points according to the following scale: A (95 and above);
A- (90-94); B+ (87-89); B (83-86); B- (80-82); C+ (77-79); C (73-76); C- (70-72); D (67-69). A
score of less than 63 is regarded as a fail. Final scores and grades will be computed by weighting
each assignment by the percentage given on the previous page.
Please keep the following course policies in mind during the term:

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Electronic devices
Please turn off your phone in class. Because note-taking on laptops has been found to be less
effective for retaining knowledge than handwritten notes, I strongly discourage the use of laptops.
The exceptions are students who find that laptops are particularly helpful to their learning style.
Anyone who is found to use their laptop in a manner that disrupts their own learning or that of
others will not be permitted to use their laptop for a two-week period and will be assigned a public
participation exercise, most likely involving the recitation of a poem to class at the next session.

Illnesses and personal emergencies

If an illness or emergency prevents you from taking a scheduled exam, you must inform me by e-
mail or phone before the exam.

Late submission
Assignments submitted after the due date will be penalized two points per day, except in cases of
a documented illness or personal emergency.

Final exam date

University rules prohibit instructors from offering early final exams. Students requiring a make-
up final exam should be advised that the conflict resolution block, as scheduled by the Registrars
Office, is on the afternoon of Thursday, May 11th.

Student athletes
If your participation in intercollegiate athletic competition conflicts with any of the requirements
for the course, please provide me with a letter from the Director of Athletics stating the dates of
these conflicts no later than Tuesday, February 14th.

Disability statement
If you need academic accommodations because of a documented disability, please make sure that
I receive your letter of accommodation no later than Tuesday, February 14th. For questions please
contact Beth Rodgers-Kay in Academic Services at 6-3470.

Academic integrity
I expect you to adhere to the highest academic integrity. Any instance of academic dishonesty will
result in referral to the Department of Student Development and Conduct. Academic dishonesty
includes: buying papers; borrowing papers; lending papers; using a paper in two classes without
the permission of both instructors; plagiarism, either by quoting without including quotation marks
or paraphrasing without citation; and using or accessing electronic devices during an exam. If you
have questions about academic integrity, consult the Academic Integrity Resources on the LTS
website. Always feel free to ask your TF or me about these issues.

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Readings and Course Materials

Textbooks
Textbooks are available for purchase or rental at the university bookstore. They are also on reserve
at the Library. Purchasing used versions of these texts, or the earlier edition, is a wonderful way to
save money and will give you the same insights as the current edition.

Karen A. Mingst and Ivan M. Arreguin-Toft, Esstentials of International Relations, Seventh edition
(W. W. Norton, 2017). This text will be referenced as M&A in the course schedule.

Robert J. Art and Robert Jervis, International Politics: Enduring Concepts and Contemporary
Issues, Thirteenth edition (Pearson, 2017). This will be referenced as A&J in the schedule.

Online Materials
Any reading not from one of these two textbooks is generally available as a link on the Latte course
page. These readings are designated (ER) for electronic reading in the course schedule. Study
guides listing important terms, concepts, people, and events from lectures on the causes of war and
peace will also be posted to Latte.

Additional Readings
The course schedule indicates additional readings that are recommended for those students who
have a particular interest in a given topic. They are not required but will enrich your understanding
and give you additional viewpoints.

Background Reading on Historic Events

It is particularly important that you are attentive to the lectures on the major instances of conflict
that we cover in the section, The Causes of War and Peace. In many cases, the factual material
that you will use to mount an argument about these events will be covered best in lecture, and there
is limited historical coverage in the two textbooks. The study guides for this section will highlight
the material that you should know. In addition, however, I recommend the following materials.
Books in this section have been selected on the basis of their authority and brevity:

On World War One: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/origins_01.shtml.

John Keegan, The First World War, 2000.

On World War Two: Anthony Beevor, The Second World War, 2013.

On the Cold War: PBS Documentary: The Cuban Missile Crisis At the Brink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI3GZUryOX0

Robert McMahon, The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction, 2003.

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 COURSE SCHEDULE

NB: Page numbers in this course schedule refer to the seventh edition of Mingst and Arreguin-Toft. If you are using
the sixth edition, I refer you to the concordance on Latte, which links page citations here to the relevant pages in the
sixth edition. Any readings form Art & Jervis listed here, and which are not in the twelfth edition, are available
electronically on Latte.

January 17th Introduction

M&A, Chapter One, pp. 3-19.
Peter Singer, Is Violence History New York Times, op-ed., October 6th, 2011 (ER).

THEORY

January 20th Theory Overview

M&A, Chapter Three, pp. 71-105.
Jack Snyder, One World: Rival Theories, (ER).

January 24th Anarchy and the International System

M&A, Chapter Four, pp. 107-131.
John Mearsheimer, Anarchy and the Struggle for Power, in A&J (and ER).

January 27th Power and Polarity

M&A, Chapter Five, pp. 133-179.
Joseph Nye, What is Power in Global Affairs? in A&J (and ER).

Additional: Robert Jervis, Cooperation under the Security Dilemma in A&J (and ER).

January 31st State Preferences and Constructed Understandings

M&A, Chapter Six, pp. 181-207.
Michael Doyle, Kant, Liberal Legacies, and Foreign Affairs, in A&J.

Additional: Elizabeth Saunders, What a President Trump means for Foreign Policy, Monkey Cage, Nov
2016; Stephen Wortheim, Trump and American Exceptionalism, Foreign Affairs, Jan 2017.

THE CAUSES OF WAR AND PEACE

February 3rd Lead Up to WWI

M&A, pp. 23-38, 263-277.
Stephen Walt, Alliances, Balancing and Bandwagoning, in A&J.
Frank McDonough, pp. 3-23, The Origins of the First and Second World Wars, 1997. (ER)

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February 7th WWI: Causes and Conduct
Robert Jervis, Offense, Defense and the Security Dilemma, in A&J.
Scott Sagan, 1914 Revisited: Allies, Offense and Instability, International Security,1986. (ER)

February 10th Interwar Years

Dale Copeland, Economic Interdependence and War, in A&J.
Alan Alexandroff and Richard Rosecrance, Deterrence in 1939, World Politics 29:2, 1977. (ER)
Frank McDonaugh, pp.43-67, 69-89, Origins of the First and Second World Wars, 1997. (ER)

February 14th Causes of WWII

M&A, pp. 38-44.
James Fearon, Rationalist Explanations for War, in A&J.
Scott Sagan, The Origins of the Pacific War, Journal Interdisciplinary History, 18:4, 1988. (ER)

February 17th Post WWII Settlement

M&A, pp. 318-324.
Suggested Post-Surrender Program for Germany (Morgenthau Plan), 1944 (ER)
Robert Keohane, After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy,
Chapter Four, 1984. (ER)
Bruce Russett, John Oneal, and David Davis, The Third Leg of the Kantian Tripod: International
Organizations and Militarized Disputes, 1950-85, International Organization, 52:3, 1998. (ER)

February 20 24 Midterm Recess (no class)

February 28th Early Cold War

M&A, pp. 55-56.
Robert Art, The Four Functions of Force, in A&J.
George F. Kennans Long Telegram, 22 February 1946 (ER).

Additional: Amatzia Baram, Deterrence Lessons from Iraq: Rationality Is Not the Only Key to
Containment, Foreign Affairs 76 (July-August 2012)

March 3rd Cold War Escalation

M&A, pp. 56-60, 278-281, 297-310.
Trachtenberg, Proliferation Revisited: A Review of Scott Sagans and Kenneth Waltzs, The
Spread of Nuclear Weapons A Debate Renewed, 2002. (ER)

Additional: Thomas Schelling, The Diplomacy of Violence, in A&J.

March 7th Cold War Resolution and its Consequences
M&A, pp. 60-69.

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 Robert Jervis, The Era of Leading Power Peace, in A&J.
John Ikenberry, Michael Mastanduno, and William Wohlforth, Unipolarity, State Behavior, and
Systemic Consequences, World Politics, 61:1, 2009. (ER)

Additional: Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man, The National Interest, 1989, and
Sam Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Foreign Affairs, 1993.

March 10th: In-class Midterm

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

March 14th Civil and Ethnic Conflict

World Bank, Shape of Violence Today, in A&J.
Robert I. Rotberg, The Failure and Collapse of Nation-States: Breakdown, Prevention, and
Repair, in When States Fail: Causes and Consequences, 2003, 1-10 and 20-27 (ER).
Barry Posen, The Security Dilemma and Ethnic Conflict, Survival, 35:1, 1993. (ER)

March 17th Human Rights

M&A, pp. 240-259, 363-393.
Martha Finnemore, Changing Norms of Humanitarian Intervention, from The Purpose of
Intervention. (ER)
Steven Ratner, International Law: The Trials of Global Norms, in A&J.

Additional: Emilie Hafner-Burton and Kiyo Tsutsui, Justice Lost! The Failure of International Human
Rights Law to Matter Most where Needed Most, Journal of Peace Research, 44:4, 2007.

March 21st International Organizations and Intervention

M&A, pp. 210-228, 291-297.
Jon Western and Joshua Goldstein, Humanitarian Intervention Comes of Age, in A&J.
Alexander Downes, To the Shores of Tripoli? Regime Change and its Consequences, in A&J.
Caroline Hartzell and Matthew Hoddie, Crafting Peace through Power Sharing, in A&J.

March 24th Terrorism

M&A, pp. 281-291.
Bruce Hoffman, What Is Terrorism? in A&J.
Audrey Kurth Cronin, Ending Terrorism in A&J.
Mia Bloom, Devising a Theory of Suicide Terror, Chapter Four in Dying to Kill: The Allure of
Suicide Terror (Columbia University Press, 2005). (ER)
Additional: Herbert Lin, Cyber Conflict and National Security, in A&J.

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March 28th Nuclear Proliferation
William C. Potter, The NPT and the Sources of Nuclear Restraint, Daedalus 139:4, 2010.
Barry Posen, We Can Live with a Nuclear Iran, New York Times, February 2006.
Matthew Kroenig, Time to Attack Iran: Why a Strike is the Least Bad Option, Foreign Affairs,
2012.
Kenneth Waltz, Why Iran Should Get the Bomb, Foreign Affairs, 2012.

Additional: Nuno Monteiro and Alexandre Debs, The Strategic Logic of Nuclear Proliferation,
International Security, 39:2, 2014.

March 31st The Rise of China

Robert Art, The United States and the Rise of China, in A&J.
Michael Cox, Power Shifts, Economic Change, and the Decline of the West? in A&J.
Avery Goldstein, First Things First: The Pressing Danger of Crisis Instability in US-China
Relations, International Security, 37:4, 2013.

April 4th US Grand Strategy

Stephen Brooks, John Ikenberry, and William Wohlforth, Lean Forward: In Defense of American
Engagement, Foreign Affairs, 92:1, 2013.
Barry Posen, Pull Back: The Case for a Less Activist Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, 2013.
Hal Brands, Breaking Down Obamas Grand Strategy, The National Interest, June 23, 2014.
Daniel Drezner, Does Obama have a Grand Strategy? Foreign Affairs, 90:4, 2011.

April 7th No Class

April 10 18 Spring Recess (No classes)

April 21st Introduction to Simulation Exercise

UNSC Resolution 1973 (2011) on Libya (ER).
UNSC Resolution vocabulary (ER).

April 25th & 28th Simulated UNSC Meetings

May 2nd Course Review

May 11th Final Examination Tentatively Scheduled 1:30-4:30