Syllabus PDF

Title Syllabus
Author Ariella Joffe
Course Introduction to International and Area Studies
Institution University of California Los Angeles
Pages 6
File Size 199.5 KB
File Type PDF
Total Downloads 78
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Summary

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Description

IASTD 1 Introduction to International and Area Studies Instructor: Adam Moore Room: WG Young CS 76 Email: [email protected] Office: Bunche Hall 1157 Office hours: Monday 10-11 (or by appointment) TAs: Clare Beer and Ani Shahinian Emails: [email protected] and [email protected]

Course description and objectives IASTD 1 is designed to introduce students to the international studies curriculum. The goal is to illuminate the profoundly international and regional character of the world we live in, and to cover a number of contemporary issues and challenges with global implications. Most of these topics can be studied in greater depth in upper division thematic courses at UCLA. And many of them will reappear in upper division area-studies focused courses as well. This class is divided into two parts. The first section covers political and economic issues central to international studies such as democratization and economic development. The second half of the course focuses on social and cultural issues with a global significance such as transnational migration and climate change. Course requirements and expectations This course places an emphasis on continuous engagement with the lectures and readings. There are two primary elements to the course work and expectations. 

Section participation and weekly response papers Sections will be structured like a discussion seminar. Active participation is expected, and it is assumed that everyone will come to class ready to discuss the readings and lectures. Attendance in sections is required. To facilitate this students are expected to write weekly 350-500 word (approximately 1.52 pages double-spaced) response papers that address an argument, debate, topic or set of topics from the readings and lectures. Response papers will be based upon questions provided by the instructor that deal with each week’s topics and readings. Responses are to be posted to the section forum no later than 5pm each Saturday. These short papers are designed to encourage close reading and analysis of the texts and lectures, and to facilitate section discussions. A note on section grading: In total there are seven weeks of response papers and section discussions in the course, which means that there are 14 distinct participation and paper scores. Grades, however, will be based on the 13 highest paper/participation scores. In

other words, everyone in the class gets one ‘pass’ where due to whatever factor—illness, conflicting travel plans, a big assignment due in another course, etc.—you either do poorly, miss a section or do not complete a response paper. 

Midterm and final exams: The midterm and final exams will consist of true-false identification questions and short essays. Students are required to answer the latter section of the exams in full and complete sentences (i.e., no bullet-point answers will be accepted). There will be no rescheduling of the midterm or final exams save for serious medical emergencies, which must be documented.

Basis of grades Response papers and section participation: Midterm exam: Final exam:

30% 35% 35%

Grading scale: 100- 93 = A 92.9-90 = A89.9-87 = B+ 86.9-83 = B 82.9-80 = B79.9-77 = C+ 76.9-73 = C 72.9-70 = C69.9-65 = D+ 64.9-60 = D 59.9-0 = F A note on academic honesty: Academic honesty and integrity is expected at all times. Academic dishonesty, including but not limited to plagiarism, cheating and other forms of misconduct, will NOT be tolerated. Cases of academic dishonesty will result in a zero for the assignment and otherwise be handled according to University guidelines Please be aware that if you miss a lecture for any reason you are responsible for the material covered. Lectures will be podcast and lecture slides posted on the class website. In my experience, however, students who attend lectures end up with a better understanding of the material than those reliant upon podcasts and slides. Finally, this course is taught with the assumption that everyone here is an adult and responsible for their own education. Therefore, while students are expected to attend class and read all assigned materials, attendance will not be taken. Attendance is mandatory, however, for sections. Required and recommended books There is one required book for this class:

Paul Collier, The bottom billion: Why the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it In addition to this book selected readings will be posted on the course website. Readings are listed in the class schedule section of the syllabus outlined below. Additional readings may be assigned during the course.

Class schedule Part I: Politics and Markets Day 1: Introduction to the class: September 22 Week 1 Day 1: Globalization (political and economic): September 27 Reading: Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye, “Globalization: What’s new? What’s not? (And so what?)” Foreign Policy. 2000 Day 2: Explanations for uneven economic development—i.e., why are some countries rich and others poor? September 29 Reading: Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, “So close and yet so different” (Chapter 1). Why nations fail: The origins of power, prosperity and poverty, 2012 Reading: Jared Diamond, “What makes countries rich or poor?” The New York Review of Books, 2012 Week 1 Mon/Tues sections: Introduction to section activities and expectations Week 2 Day 1: The politics and economics of development: October 4 Reading: William Easterly, “Planners versus searchers” (Chapter 1). The white man’s burden: Why the West’s efforts to aid the rest have done so much ill and so little good, 2006 Reading: Chris Blattman and Paul Niehaus, “Show them the money: Why giving cash helps alleviate poverty.” Foreign Affairs, 2014 Day 2: Development ‘traps’: What are they, and can they be overcome? October 6 Reading: Paul Collier, “What’s the issue?” (Part 1), “The traps” (Part 2) and, “The instruments” (Part 4). The bottom billion, 2007

Week 2 Mon/Tues sections: weekly response papers and discussion Week 3 Day 1: Inequality: October 11 Reading: Nancy Birdsall, “Why inequality matters: Some economic issues.” Ethics and International Affairs, 2001 Day 2: Democracy and democratization: October 13 Reading: Thomas Carothers, “The end of the transition paradigm.” Journal of Democracy, 2002 Reading: Larry Diamond and Leonardo Molino, “The quality of democracy: An overview.” Journal of Democracy, 2004 Week 3 Mon/Tues sections: weekly response papers and discussion Week 4 Day 1: Authoritarianism and democratic backsliding? October 18 Reading: Nancy Bermeo, “On democratic backsliding.” Journal of Democracy, 2016 Reading: Pippa Norris, “It’s not just Trump. Authoritarian Populism is on the rise in the West. Here’s why.” Washington Post, 2016 (March 11): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/03/11/its-not-just-trumpauthoritarian-populism-is-rising-across-the-west-heres-why/ Day 2: Intra-state wars, weak states and international intervention: October 20 Reading: Gareth Evans and Mohamed Sahnoun, “The responsibility to protect.” Foreign Affairs, 2002 Reading: Charli Carpenter, “Don’t call this a humanitarian intervention.” Foreign Policy, 2013 Week 4 Mon/Tues sections: weekly response papers and discussion Week 5 Day 1: Global governance: A challenge to state sovereignty? October 25

Reading: James Ferguson and Akhil Gupta: “Spatializing states: Toward an ethnography of neoliberal governmentality.” American Ethnologist, 2002 Day 2: Midterm: October 27 Week 5 Mon/Tues: weekly response papers and discussion

Part II: Society and Culture Week 6 Day 1: Culture and globalization: November 1 Reading: John Tomlinson, “Globalization and culture” (Chapter 1). Globalization and culture, 1999 Day 2: Religion, identity and society: November 3 Reading: Samuel Huntington, “The clash of civilizations?” Foreign Affairs, 1993 Reading: Philip Jenkins, “The Christian revolution” (Chapter 1). The next Christendom, the coming of global Christianity, 2007 Week 6 Mon/Tues sections: no sections this week Week 7 Day 1: Transnational migration: November 8 Reading: Roger Waldinger, “Immigrant transnationalism.” Sociopedia.isa, 2011 Reading: Hein de Haas, “International migration, remittances and development: Myths and facts.” Third World Quarterly, 2005 Day 2: Demography and society: November 10 Reading: Phillip Longman, “Think again: Global aging.” Foreign Policy, 2010 Reading: “By choice, not by chance: Family planning human rights and development.” United Nations Population Fund (selected sections), 2012 Week 7 Mon/Tues sections: weekly response papers and discussion Week 8

Day 1: Human rights in global and local contexts: November 15 Reading: Sally Merry, “Culture and transnationalism” (Chapter 1). Human rights and gender violence: Translating international law into local justice, 2006 Reading: “By choice, not by chance: Family planning human rights and development.” United Nations Population Fund (selected sections), 2012 Day 2: Human trafficking (Ani Shahinian): November 17 Reading: TBD Week 8 Mon/Tues sections: weekly response papers and discussion Week 9 Day 1: No class (Thanksgiving holiday) Day 2: No class (Thanksgiving holiday) Week 9 Mon/Tues sections: no sections this week (Thanksgiving holiday) Week 10 Day 1: Climate change and human societies (Clare Beer): November 29 Reading: Richard Matthew, “Climate change and human security” (Chapter 7). Climate change: What it means for you, your children, and your grandchildren, 2007 Day 2: Nationalism and national identity: December 1 Reading: Michael Billig, “Flagging the homeland daily” (Chapter 5). Banal nationalism, 1995 Week 10 Mon/Tues sections: weekly response papers and discussion Final exam: December 7...


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