Course syllabus - High Point University

COURSE TOPIC SCHEDULE AND MAJOR ASSIGNMENT DEADLINES
The typical reading load in this class is 75-100 pages each week, which should be completed
before the applicable seminar. Please consult the on-line version of this document for more
detail and links to your readings and assignments. Many of the readings will be
downloaded and require a password to be opened: icecream
UNIT I: UNDERSTANDING STATE BEHAVIOR
January 9 (M)—Introduction to the course
January 11 (W)—What is the study of “International Relations” about
January 13 (F)—Getting started with some basic concepts
January 16 (M)—Martin Luther King Day, no class
January 18 (M)—What are the defining qualities of “the modern state system”
January 20 (F)—How has the international system of global power evolved in the in the 20th C
January 23 (M)—Leaders, the sociopolitical structures, or the international system: How do “levels” of
analysis help us to predicts what countries do
January 25 (W): How can the theories of “realism” and “liberalism” help us to predict state actions
January 27 (F)—Is international politics what we (or at least what those of us of who are well off) choose to
make it “Marxist” and “constructivist” theories of state behavior
January 30 (M)—Is globalization a new international system with different rules of state behavior
February 1 (W)—How is globalization transforming states and societies in the developing world
February 3 (F)—Examination 1
UNIT II: INTERNATIONAL REGIMES, BEHAVIOR, & INSTITUTIONS
February 6 (M)—Who needs international organizations What are the alternatives
February 8 (W)—Why and how contemporary war is waged
February 10 (F)—Is there an international solution to national insecurity
February 13 (M)—Paper 1 is due electronically and in hard copy by the start of class
February 13 (M) & 15 (W)—How does the United Nations work and what does it do
February 17 (F)—Can we make the United Nations work better to reduce international conflict
February 20 (M)—Is there an international solution to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
February 22 (W)—How and to what extent do international regimes regulate the global economy
February 24 (F)—How do (and should) international institutions respond to economic crises )
February 27 (M)—Why do countries trade, and how do global institutions shape economic exchange
February 29 (W)—To what extent is global development really an “international” issue
March 2 (F)—Why are some poor countries benefiting from globalization while others are not
March 5, 7, & 9—No class: Spring break
March 12 (M)—Are there international solutions to problems of development and underdevelopment
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