POLS 231 (502): Introduction to World Politics
Professor Ahmer Tarar
Fall 2013
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:45 - 10:00 a.m., 1003 Allen Building

Office: 2045 Allen Building
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:40 - 11:40 a.m. and by appointment
Office Phone: 845-2628
Email: ahmertarar@pols.tamu.edu
Web: http://people.tamu.edu/~ahmertarar/ (link to course webpage is here)

Course Overview:

World Politics (also called International Relations or International Politics) is a major field of Political Science dealing with all aspects of the relations between countries, including political, military, diplomatic, and economic relations. In this course, you will be introduced to the major approaches to the study of International Relations and study topics such as the causes of war, the determinants of economic relations between countries, and the role of international institutions such as the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, students should have the ability to:

Course Requirements:

The class grade will be based on two exams (multiple-choice, non-cumulative) and one research paper. The research paper requires you to use some of the concepts/theories examined in the course to analyze/explain a war or international crisis. More details about the research paper will be given in a memo that will be posted on the course website.

Each exam will account for 35% of your grade, and the research paper will account for 30% of your grade. Late papers will lose 20% of credit per day late, unless you have a university-excused absence or documented emergency.

There will be no extra credit assignments at the end of the course, and so if you want to do well, do well on the regular assignments.

The exams can cover anything that is covered in class, as well as anything in the assigned readings.

Make-up exams will only be given if you have a university-excused absence or documented emergency.

Unless there ends up being a curve (depending on overall student performance at the conclusion of the course), the standard grading scale will be used: 90-100% for an A, 80-90% for a B, 70-80% for a C, 60-70% for a D, and below 60% is a failing grade.

Textbook:

The following textbook is required and is available at the bookstores (you might be able to find it at a cheaper price from online vendors such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble).

Students With Disabilities:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Disabilities Services in Room B118 of Cain Hall, or call 845-1637.

Course Materials/Copyright Statement:

The handouts used in this course are copyrighted. By “handouts,” I mean all materials generated for this class, which include but are not limited to syllabi, quizzes, exams, lab problems, in-class materials, review sheets, and additional problem sets. Because these are copyrighted, you do not have the right to copy the handouts, unless I expressly grant permission.

Plagiarism Statement:

The Aggie Honor Code: "An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do." As commonly defined, plagiarism consists of passing off as one’s own the ideas, words, writings, etc., which belong to another. In accordance with the definition, you are committing plagiarism if you copy the work of another person and turn it in as your own, even if you should have the permission of the person. Plagiarism is one of the worst academic sins, for the plagiarist destroys the trust among colleagues without which research cannot be safely communicated. If you have any questions regarding plagiarism, please consult the Aggie Honor System Office website (http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor) or the latest version of the Texas A&M University Student Rules, under the section “Scholastic Dishonesty.”

Tentative Course Schedule:

The following is the list of topics and readings that we will cover. These are tentative and subject to minor changes, depending on how things progress (I might add some things, and might delete some things). Any changes will be announced in class and will be reflected in the online version of the syllabus (at the course website), which should be consulted regularly.

Week of:

8/27-8/29 - Introduction to World Politics, and A Brief History of the Modern International System of States

9/3-9/5 - Understanding Interests, Interactions, and Institutions

9/10-9/12 - Why Are There Wars?

9/17-9/19 - Domestic Politics and War

9/24-9/26 - Continue above topics

10/1-10/3 - Continue above topics

10/8-10/10 - Continue above topics

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10/15-10/17 - International Institutions and War

10/15-10/17 - Civil War and Terrorism

10/22-10/24 - International Trade

10/29-10/31 - International Financial Relations

11/5-11/7 - International Monetary Relations

11/12-11/14 - The Global Environment

11/19-11/21 - Continue above topics

11/26-11/28

12/3-12/5 - No class