POLS 231 Syllabus from Canvas (Roblyer, F2020, 18 Aug) PDF

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Download POLS 231 Syllabus from Canvas (Roblyer, F2020, 18 Aug) PDF

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COURSE SYLLABUS Dr. Dwight Roblyer, Ph.D. / Fall 2020

Course Information Course Number: Course Title: Section: Time: Location: Credit Hours:

POLS 231 Introduction to World Politics 500 12:00-12:50pm (Registrar-assigned time; course will be asynchronous) Online 3

Instructor Details Instructor: Office: Phone: E-Mail: Office Hours:

Dr. Dwight Roblyer, Ph.D., Aggie Class of '84 and '09 (working from home all semester) 979-845-7693 (forwards to my cell phone) [email protected] I will be available to students in several ways, as stated below:

1. I will host a Group Zoom every MWF at noon when no exam is scheduled that day. Attendance is optional. Because of the size of the section, this will be the primary way I interact with students this semester. Students may bring questions or just listen in. I will also ask questions to create discussion. 2. I will announce groups of appointment slots for 10-minute Private Zooms for the following week on each Sunday evening. I will include scheduling instructions in those announcements. 3. If you need to talk with me and cannot attend a Group or a Private Zoom, please email your request to me. I will get back with you to figure it out. If you want to meet with me, I want to meet with you!

Course Prerequisites and Description There are no prerequisites for this course. “Can you believe what Country A just did?” “Why in the world would Organization B react as they did? “Why is there war?” “Why is there not war?” Together, we will explore the wildness and surprises, as well as the mundane predictability, of the many political actors on our international stage. We will do so using the tools of political science, a discipline that often employs the term “international relations” instead of “world politics.” Often times, however, I think that other terms may be more apt in describing international interactions—terms such as “Playground Bullying,” “Best Friends Forever?,” “Why Nations Should Have Attended Kindergarten,” or “Coming Together Just in the Nick of Time.” Putting all flippancy aside, it is world politics these days that determines who grows rich and who becomes poor, who eats and

who starves, who dies and who lives. Working together, we will discover that using the right tools we can find patterns, meaning, and even some predictability in past and present events on that world stage. The overall goal of the course is to help you build a firm foundation of understanding of the who’s, when’s, how’s, and why’s behind the real-world political dramas and to equip you with some beginner’s tools and approaches that can help you analyze future events to dispel the mystery and confusion that often hide their rationales and indicators. In this way, I can help you become the best international citizen, business leader, government official, non-profit agent, and/or whatever other role(s) that you will take on.

Course Learning Outcomes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Identify key actors and institutions in world politics and explain their roles and incentives. Understand the varying interests of different state, transnational, and non-state actors. Discuss the major causes and effects of international conflict and cooperation. Think analytically and critically about international interactions. Demonstrate the ability to apply this knowledge to current world problems and readiness to continue learning about issues that should matter to individuals following or interacting in the realm of world politics.

Required Items Internet Access - The more reliable, the better. High speed is not a necessity. Have a backup plan in the event your primary means is not available. Textbook World Politics: Interests, Interactions, and Institutions, 4th Edition (2019), by Frieden, Lake, and Schultz, W.W. Norton and Company. This book is readily available at the TAMU MSC bookstore, but you are welcome to obtain it via whatever vendor you choose. New copies from the TAMU MSC bookstore include free access to Norton’s online study tool, Inquisitive. You may also use an electronic edition. The publisher has a special deal that includes the textbook and their online study tool for $40. If interested, see https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393675092. Norton’s online study tool, Inquisitive, is not required for the course. Used copies of the textbook are likely not to require free access to that tool. I will be incorporating a lot of the content of that tool into the course separately. However, if interested, you can purchase access separately at https://digital.wwnorton.com/worldpol4. Packback - We will also be using Packback Questions every week of the semester, starting with Week 3. The cost of access to this curiosity community will be $25/student.*# Follow the registration instructions posted in Week 1 on Canvas. We will use this platform to discuss

course material by asking questions, thinking through answers, improving thinking skills, and scoring participation points. *If you are in a serious financial bind and don’t have funds for this fee, or if your financial aid payment is delayed and you need more time, please email me. # The cost may be lower for any of you who have used or are using Packback in other classes. See Packback Product Pricing.

Groups I will randomly assign every student to a 6-person group early in the semester. Because of the sheer size of my courses, I cannot accept requests to change group memberships. Due to uneven enrollment numbers or late drops, a few groups may have only 4 or 5 members. I intend for the creation of these student groups to be a decision with multiple "pros" and few, if any, "cons." Your activities in the groups will not be assigned group grades. Instead, the groups are a de-facto set of peers you have to ask questions of, study with, obtain feedback from, and maybe even socialize with. Usually an activity will ask for individual members to do some task, then bring their interim results to present to, and discuss with, the group. All 6 members of a group may not be able to meet at the same time, so multiple sub-group meetings of twos or threes may be needed. Each group will automatically have access to their own calendar, announcements, etc. Be creative and work together to make your group work well for all of its members. You may have other students outside your group with whom you want to do these things, and that is fine! However, remember that though you may not feel any need for the group, there may be others assigned to your group who need you! Texas A&M is a huge campus, but with the isolation and distance associated with an online course and amplified by a pandemic, I feel that intentional "grouping" is likely to help many students. Please put your Aggie Spirit to good work and build a great environment within your group!

Canvas and Course Activities Following the best practices for online delivery, this course consists of many individual activities that will work together to support your efforts to master the course material. These activities appear within weekly modules within Canvas. We will be using Canvas as our learning management system because its structure and capabilities are designed to optimize courses like this one. Below are brief descriptions of the types of activities built into this course. Lecture Videos - These will be the traditional Powerpoint-slide-and-talking-head videos you have probably seen before. Each one should be relatively short at 15-20 minutes. The Powerpoint file will also be available for download. Videos and Readings - These will present additional information as needed. Completion-Credit Activities - These will not be scored, but will earn you credit for completion and submission. There will be many of these activities throughout the semester. You will

sometimes work alone and sometimes in your groups (or sub-groups). However, each student will compose their own submissions and be granted individual credit for those. •

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Understanding Checks - These will follow each of the lecture videos and pose several questions to help you assess how well you have learned the material presented in that video. You may work with other students on this activity, as well as submit your answers for completion credit only. I will not review or score your work submission, but I will be glad to answer questions and offer explanations while you are working on the activity. Chapter Quizzes - These will be multiple-attempt opportunities to further check your mastery of the material Simulations and Controversies - These will be group activities after which you will submit your individual responses to the questions posed.

Packback Posts - These will be assigned during most of the weeks of the semester and will be accomplished on the Packback website. I expect you to post one question and two responses on this moderated discussion board weekly. All posts must be related to course material. Additional rules are laid out in the assignment. These are graded activities and I will drop the two lowest scores before calculating your course grade. Exams - There will be 5 of these, each covering the new material since the previous exam. This will also be true for the last exam that is given during the final exam period. All questions will be multiple-choice or true-false. My exams are designed to gauge your understanding of the material, not familiarity or ability to recall memorized facts. You may use your course materials when taking the exam, but you should not allow that to replace learning the material--the short time limit on each exam will only allow you to look up a few answers, if any. I will drop the lowest of your 5 exam scores when calculating your course grade.

Course Communications Because of my military background, I believe in the critical value of clear, timely communication within a team. Therefore, you will likely receive more messages from me than you have from other faculty members. This is intentional. However, I also work very hard to send only important updates, notices, and recommendations. Announcements sent through Canvas will be my primary means of broadcast communication. You must check Canvas for any new announcements at least once a day. If I announce a change to the schedule, an assignment, or some other aspect of the course, I will expect that within 36 hours of the announcement that all of you will have been notified. I welcome your emails, but I will need your help. Every subject line in every email should start with your course, followed by the reason you are contacting me. For example: • • •

Subject: POLS 231 - Request for excused absence Subject: POLS 231 - Help with Activity 0.5 Subject: POLS 231 - Urgent request for phone appointment

My office phone number is permanently transferred to my cell phone. If there is an urgent matter or an emergency, you may call me directly. Otherwise, I prefer that we use emails to schedule phone calls in advance. I leave my phone on, even when sleeping, so please be aware of the time of night before you press DIAL.

Grading Policy I will assign letter grades at midterm and at course end using the following procedure. I will first calculate numerical grades, rounding only to two decimal places (00.00). I will then assign letter grades by strictly following the generous cutoffs below. This rubric is non-negotiable! A = 89.50 – 100 B = >79.50 and 69.50 and 59.50 and...