Syllabus IR 271 PO 171 Fall19 PDF

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Boston University IR271 / PO171 Introduction to International Relations Professor: Kaija Schilde Office: 156 Bay State Road, #402 E-mail: [email protected]

Class Location: HAR 105 Class Time: T-TR 11-12:15

Student appointments: Tues 12:15-1, Wed 10:30-12:45

make appointment to come to my office hours by clicking link above, or going to https://schilde-pardeeschoolofglobalstudies.youcanbook.me For any logistical course questions, email your TF first. Teaching Fellows: Zeying Wu [email protected] Florian Bodamer [email protected] Elvis Kim [email protected] Clyde Wang [email protected] Humans and human societies face many challenges today and throughout recorded history. Why is there no world state? If there is no authority in the world, how do problems and issues get resolved? Why do wars start? Why do states trade? Is conflict endemic or can a peaceful world be created? Why do economic crises occur? This course will introduce you to the study of International Relations, the interdisciplinary subfield of multiple social sciences and history concerned with the instability that comes from the fact that there is no global authority to coordinate and address global problems. The course will simultaneously explore the big questions and theoretical frameworks in the study of International Relations and also offer conceptual tools for understanding global challenges. For example, are humans fundamentally bad? Can war be eliminated? Where does political stability come from? How does economic activity lead to cooperation or conflict? The class has two main objectives. First, as it focuses on big questions, it provides a more interactive format to examine the fundamental structures and problems that permeate global politics. Second, it will use the concepts learned to shed light on contemporary issues. For example, we will explore the likelihood of a US-China War, evaluate the Iranian nuclear weapons program, and try to understand the Civil War in Syria. In short, the course outlines the biggest issues in international politics and how different actors tend to interpret and approach these issues. Course Learning Outcomes:  Develop comprehensive understanding of core theories of international relations.  Understand key problematiques in international relations, including issues related to security, peace, international law and organization, international political economy, and ethics.  Demonstrate ability to apply IR theories as analytical lenses to understand international relations issues and challenges.  Demonstrate knowledge of historical, social, and legal contexts that are necessary to understanding of current and historical IR issues. Hub Learning Outcomes: 1

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Social Inquiry I: Students will develop their understanding of key concepts and theories in international relations as well as their ability to use them to analyze actual institutions, events, and policy choices. Students will understand international relations as an interdisciplinary endeavor whose theoretical perspectives are drawn from political science, economics, sociology, and other social scientific approaches. Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy: By analyzing the ways in which different states, societies, and religious/cultural traditions interact within the international system, students will understand the extent of the diversity among national systems and societies, as well as the diversity of international organizations and the varied norms they embody. Students also will encounter the creation and development of transnational identities and societies often embodied in nongovernmental organizations and transnational activist networks.

Read/follow the ‘international’ sections of these sources:  The New York Times  The Washington Post  The Economist  The BBC  The Wall Street Journal  The Financial Times Twitter It is hard to keep up (in general, but particularly at this point in time) on the changing policies, events, and examples relevant to IR. One way to do so is to follow experts and officials directly on Twitter. If you are not on Twitter (https://twitter.com/), please sign up. Once on Twitter, please follow me @kaijaschilde (https://mobile.twitter.com/kaijaschilde). I will regularly retweet relevant material (from academic journals, policy journals, relevant blog posts, etc) to the class via the hashtag #BUIntroIR2019. I may include material from these posts into the test material. When I do, it will show up on a study guide first. Required Books: Lamy et al, Introduction to Global Politics, Fifth Edition (Oxford, July 2018), ISBN: 9780190904654 or ebook 9780190904661 o Companion Website (study guide, links, flashcards, etc) o You need this by week 2. There is no legitimate reason to have it later. o Purchase or rent at BU bookstore, Amazon, google books, vitalsource o Average prices: new $75, used $50, rent $37, ebook $39. 1) Lewis, Jeffrey. The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States: A Speculative Novel (available in ebook, paperback, audiobook, published August 2018) o You do not need this until week 9. There is time to purchase this later. o Used and new under $10. Or sign up for audible special and get audiobook Other assigned readings are either available on Blackboard or hyperlinked off the syllabus. Readings should ideally be read before the day they are assigned on this 2

syllabus. My lectures assume you have engaged with the material. All week readings should be complete before the Friday discussion section. Software and Courseware: In this class, we will use three platforms: Blackboard learn, Top Hat, and Campuswire. Blackboard is for course documents such as additional readings and accessing course grades through grade center. Top Hat will be our in class presentation and response system, attendance system, and testing platform. Campuswire functions as a peer-to-peer network for asking and answering any logistical questions about the class. Top Hat: Note: our Course Join Code is 388940 We will be using the Top Hat (www.tophat.com) classroom response system in class. You will be able to submit answers to in-class questions using Apple or Android smartphones and tablets, laptops, or through text message. In addition to allowing for immediate response to questions in class through your device, we will be using Top Hat with Secure Test to allow us to go paperless and run exams online from any personal or mobile device (ie. your phone or laptop) in an online, secure testing environment. If you leave the exam browser during a test, you will be automatically locked out of the test. You can visit the Top Hat Overview within the Top Hat Success Center which outlines how you will register for a Top Hat account, as well as providing a brief overview to get you up and running on the system. Top Hat will require a paid subscription, and a full breakdown of all subscription options available can be found here: www.tophat.com/pricing. Should you require assistance with Top Hat at any time, due to the fact that they require specific user information to troubleshoot these issues, please contact their Support Team directly by way of email ([email protected]) or the app support button. Again, if you have ANY PROBLEMS, do not email me, email [email protected] Campuswire For course logistics, we use Campuswire. That means that if you are trying to figure out any questions about tests, schedules, study groups, reading links, etc, you will go to Campuswire to ask or answer those questions. For practical questions, you must first post any inquiries to Campuswire before emailing your TF. Signup: https://campuswire.com/p/G0C038E51 + code 4903 COURSE GUIDELINES The course is presented in lectures and in discussion sections. Lectures on Tuesday and Thursday introduce concepts and ideas, briefly link concepts to readings, and provide ideas that supplement the readings. Professor Schilde will lecture and interact with the class via Tophat questions and Q&A discussions. There will also be a live discussion board on Tophat during the class where students can ask and vote on

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important questions that Prof. Schilde or the Teaching Fellows should further clarify regarding the lecture. Discussion sections meet each Friday and are led by Teaching Fellows. Discussion sections provide a smaller group format to discuss concepts of the course, review assigned readings in detail, and address questions and exercises posed by the Teaching Fellows. Lecture Sessions:  Laptops and tablets are allowed. TFs will monitor the room for inappropriate use of devices during class, such as activity that is distracting to other students.  Attendance: MANDATORY for both lecture and discussion sections. o You are responsible for checking your attendance on TOPHAT and making sure there are no errors. o If you had any problems with attendance, do not email me, email [email protected] they will address the issue and correct it. o If you have attendance problems, take a picture of the lecture screen with the code of the day and send it to tophat support as evidence you were in class.  People get sick. Planes are delayed. Do not email me with attendance issues. If you need help with tophat attendance issues (or legitimate absences such as university activity travel schedules), please contact your TF to manually alter the tophat attendance input. You must maintain an 84% attendance rate on TOPHAT to get full attendance credit at the end of the semester. That gives you room for some missed classes.  I will use TOPHAT to query you during class for participation and knowledge. This is reflected in your tophat participation grade.  Click the link at the top of the syllabus to schedule an office hours appointment with me. Office hours are how to interact with your professor better, no need to have any pressing reason, just come talk about anything you want to.  When emailing me (or any professor), be sure to start the email with a formal salutation (e.g. “Dear Professor Schilde”). Professors are not teachers, they are globally recognized experts who create knowledge on the topic, and this is the beginning of your adult professional life. Please use formal email etiquette with your TFs, as well, unless they invite you to address them otherwise.  If you miss a lecture or come late, please do NOT ask me what you missed. It will be your responsibility to obtain this information from other students. You can use Campuswire for this, if you wish. After you obtain notes from others, if you are uncertain about particular points, I welcome you to come see me in office hours, and I will provide clarification. Again, you are responsible for taking that initiative.  Exams must be taken on the scheduled date. No make-up exams will be given without coordinating with your TF and providing a valid letter documenting an illness or some other emergency.  Read and take notes on assigned texts before each lecture meeting. The lectures will review build on the readings, and are not exactly the same as the readings. The lecture notes are available for review after class, but not for downloading.

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Take good notes on both lectures and readings. I will use slides as a visual outline for the lecture, and they get posted after class, but they will include only a bare outline of the material. You will not pass the class if you study only from the slides! Instead, you should take notes that identify main points and supporting examples in your own words.

Discussion Sections:  Come prepared to discuss the readings assigned that week. The most important readings to discuss, clarify, and work through are the ones that are not from the textbook. Consider the textbook the basic starting point, and the other readings the real stuff, where you may not fully understand what you are reading, but the purposes of the discussion section is to help you clarify the themes and takeaways of these readings. These additional academic articles are often the most challenging to read and understand, so expect that and don’t let it panic you.  There will be a discussion comment due weekly for your section discussion board. Sometimes, but not always, it will include a prompt or exercise for your review or response, but if there is no prompt or question, just respond with a general comment or question. Your roughly 300-word minimum response is due the night before your Friday class, or Thursday night. You will be able to see all of the responses from your section. You must discuss at least two readings in your response. This will allow you and your teaching fellow to start the conversation knowing where everyone is coming from. Recommended Courses: You will note that throughout the syllabus I have a recommended course section. If the weekly subject, region or state is interesting to you and you want more of it, you can take more courses on the subject! Exams and Grading: 1. First In-class Midterm Exam – IN CLASS October 17 (20%) 2. Second In-class Midterm Exam – IN CLASS – November 21 (20%) 3. Final Exam – See BU Exam Schedule for date (I DO NOT KNOW IT) (30%) Grades: Midterm Exam I Midterm Exam II Final Exam In class Tophat participation Lecture attendance TF Section

20% 20% 30% 10% 10% 10%

Grading Scale: A 93+ A90-92 B+ 88-89 B 83-87 B80-82 C+ 78-79 C 75-78

Other: Disabilities: Boston University is committed to providing equal access to our coursework and programs to all students, including those with disabilities. In order to be sure that 5

accommodations can be made in time for all exams and assignments, please plan to turn in your accommodations letter as soon as possible after the first class, but no later than 14 days from the first exam/assignment. After you turn in your letter, please meet with your TF to discuss the plan for accommodations so we can be sure that they are adequate and you are supported in your learning. If you have further questions or need additional support, please contact the Office of Disability Services ([email protected]). Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and will be punished in accordance with BU’s Academic Conduct Code: http://www.bu.edu/academics/resources/academic-conduct-code/

PART I: Understanding Global Politics and International Relations Week 1 Tues Sept 3 A careful review of the syllabus and a discussion of the expectations we have for students in this class. Week 1 Thurs Sept 5: Introduction: What is International Relations? What is a Theory? – What is international relations? How do we study international interactions? How do we use theories to understand international relations among states? What is a state? What are the different levels of analysis?     

Lamy and Masker – Introduction to Global Politics, Pages 2-21 Snyder, One World, Rival Theories, on BB Drezner, Theories of International Politics and Zombies, pp. 1-10., On BB. Where Is Intro to IR When You Need It? Robert Jervis, “Policy Series: President Trump and IR Theory” + Michael Barnett “Response”

Week 2 Sep 10-12: What are the Global Problems and who are the Global Actors Today? What is globalization? What is the relationship between states and non state actors? What is the role of the state in the international system? What is the role of the US in the global system? What is the Global System, is there order to all of this? Is this just a passing US-led order?       

Globalization’s Wrong Turn: And How It Hurt America Forget the 800-pound gorilla: the United States is the 300,000-pound blue whale of IR scholarship More Diplomacy, Less Intervention, but for What? Making Sense of the Grand Strategy Debate Susan Pedersen, Destined to Disappear, Review of Robert Vitalis’ White World Order, Black Power Politics: The Birth of American International Relations (listen to podcast or read) Need some evidence of America’s waning influence? F-35 Sales Are America’s Belt and Road China Raises Threat of Rare-Earths Cutoff to U.S. 6

Week 3 Sept 17-19: International Relations and Global Politics: Competition or Cooperation? How do states relate to each other in the international area? Are we bound to be realists? What is the nature of mankind?  Lamy and Masker – Introduction to Global Politics, Pages 75-86  Drezner, Theories of International Politics and Zombies, “The Realpolitik of the Living Dead” pp. 37-50.  Morgenthau, Six Principles of Political Realism – On BB  Hobbes, Thomas, Leviathan The Natural Condition of Mankind, “ Chapter 13 – On BB  Kaplan, The Realist Creed – On BB  What Does Putin Really Want?  A World Safe for Autocracy? China’s Rise and the Future of Global Politics Week 4 Sept 24-26: Anarchy and (neo) Realism Why do states struggle for power? Once you get power is it that great? How does neorealism differ from classical realism? What is the difference between defensive and offensive realism?  Lamy and Masker – Introduction to Global Politics, Pages 87-97, 132-136, 21, 112115, 150-151  Finnemore – Legitimacy, Hypocrisy, and the Social Structure of Unipolarity: Why Being a Unipole Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be – On BB  Waltz, The Nature of Anarchy --On BB  Mearsheimer, Anarchy and the Struggle for Power – On BB  Ikenberry, Mastanduno, and Wohlforth – Unipolarity, State Behavior and Systemic Consequences – On BB Week 5 Oct 1-3: Can’t We all Just Get Along Anyway? Cooperation Under Anarchy and International Institutions – If the world is such a harsh place, why does cooperation happen? Under what conditions is cooperation more or less likely? Under what conditions do international institutions arise? Is there something about international institutions that changes the way states interact permanently? Case Study: European Union, the Euro, and Greece  Lamy and Masker – Introduction to Global Politics, Pages 87-112  Drezner, Theories of International Politics and Zombies, pp. 51-64.  Wilson, Community of Power vs. Balance of Power – On BB  Oye, The Conditions for Cooperation in World Politics – On BB  Doyle, Liberalism and World Politics – On BB  Farrell and Newman, Weaponized Interdependence  Iran unilateralism may undermine America’s financial hegemony  Gartzke, Capitalist Peace  

Recommended Course: International Institutions Recommended Course: Geneva + Brussels study abroad

Week 6 Oct 8-10: Learning to Love /Hate Each Other? Constructivism – Is a zero-sum self-help world inevitable? Can states move beyond self-interested cooperation to change for good? What is the role of norms, ideas, and identities in the international system?

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Lamy and Masker – Introduction to Global Politics, Pages 112-115 (review), 221222, 275-289 Drezner, Theories of International Politics and Zombies. chapter 8, 67–76 Wendt, Anarchy is What States Make of it – On BB Vucetic and Persaud, Race in International Relations, on BB Martha Finnemore and Kathryn Sikkink, “International Norm Dynamics and Political Change,” International Organization, 52, 4 (Autumn 1998), pp.887-917. On BB John Bolton is warning of a “Clash of Civilizations” with China. Here are the five things you need to know. MbS made USCIRF smile: Gatekeepers and Norm Erosion Appetite for Self Destruction, or three suicides and a funeral* Optional: o Samantha Power, Bystanders to Genocide and Frontline on the Rwandan Genocide. Recommended Course: IR 561 / RN 561 / PO 589 – Religion and International Relations

No class Tuesday October 15 (Monday schedule) Midterm Thursday October 17 Covers weeks 1-6 Week 7 October 22-24: Moving Beyond the “Isms” and Where to Look? Domestic Politics and Foreign-Policy Decision Making – If we want to understand how states interact where should we look? Role of individuals? Role of mass publics and domestic politics? Case study: Saddam Hussein and Iraq 2003, Rationality and Decision-making  Lamy and Masker – Introduction to Global Politics, Pages 137-158  Drezner (2011) Chapter 10 “Bureaucratic Politics: The “Pulling and Hauling” of Zombies,” 87–98 and Chapter 11 “We’re only Human: Psychological Responses to th...