'Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.' - John Donne<\/p>
DESCRIPTION<\/strong><\/p> War and peace, justice and power \u2013 these are age-old topics of the politics among nations. This course examines these concepts by emphasizing areas and issues in the world and evaluating the theories for understanding international politics.<\/p> This introductory course critically addresses the current state of international relations, i.e. the relations between and among states. Through a combination of seminars, group presentations, course readings and discussions, the course aims to provide students with an introductory understanding of international relations. Beginning with theoretical views of inter-state relations, the course examines the actors and institutions involved in managing the affairs of states. In order to achieve this understanding of international relations, you will examine puzzles that challenge our current understanding of international relations, learn conceptual tools that inform your ability to make sense of these puzzles, and participate in practical exercises that require you to implement the skills you will acquire.<\/p> Class time is divided among lectures, presentations, workshops, and a simulation. To facilitate fluency in the conceptual language used in international relations discourse, time will be provided throughout the term to discuss, debate, and better comprehend these issues. In order to do well in the course you must complete the assigned course readings before each class, take good notes on readings and lectures, develop critical thinking skills during workshop days, and actively participate throughout the semester.<\/p> OBJECTIVES<\/strong><\/p> POLICIES<\/strong><\/p> 1. Participation- It is expected that you will attend each class session, arriving on time and having prepared to discuss the readings. The quality of your contribution is more important than the quantity of contributions to class discussions. Clear references to readings and class concepts is a necessary component of participation. Listen carefully and respond effectively to other students in a courteous, relevant, and engaged manner. Contribute to out-of-class group assignments. The use of technology that distracts from your learning and that of your fellow classmates is not acceptable.<\/p> 2. Attendance- Note that attendance is not participation but a prerequisite for it. In the unlikely circumstance that you need to miss a class, make sure to contact me in person<\/strong>. Full attendance is an integral part of a liberal arts education and all students are expected to be present. Excused absences are defined as class sessions missed due to illness, conflicts with significant academic activities and\/or family emergencies.<\/p> 3. Care- Approach all of your course work with care, especially your written assignments and oral presentations. All papers should be turned in on time (or you should contact me before the due-date to discuss very rare instances in which you cannot meet a deadline). Late papers will receive the deduction of one letter grade per day late. All papers should be double-spaced with standard margins and Times New Roman 11 pt. font. All papers should include your name, my name, and course title on the first page and all subsequent pages should be numbered. To receive full credit, papers need to be written using Turabian (Chicago) footnotes<\/a>. Be sure to take the time to proofread your work for spelling, grammar, sentence structure and flow.\u00a0 All written work needs to be in paper form.\u00a0 Do not send an electronic copy as this does not constitute having turned in the assignment.<\/p> 4. Commitment- As the Academic Catalog suggests, students should spend approximately 2-3 hours of study time for each hour of class time.\u00a0 This means that a Mon\/Wed\/Fri class period should receive about 2-3 hours of your time out-of-class for each period. I have designed the class accordingly and advise you to make a note of this as you prepare your study schedule for the term. Please note, however, that we will be engaged in a Model UN simulation in November\/December. This requires additional time when it is most valuable to you. While time has been set aside during class to prepare for the simulation, significant time will be required outside of the classroom.<\/p> 5. Assistance- As your professor, I am your first resource for academic assistance and am happy to meet with you during office hours or at a time mutually arranged. In addition, St. Olaf College provides a number of additional resources. The Writing Center<\/a> and the Academic Support Center<\/a> are good places to turn if you require assistance with the quality of your written work, time-management or study skills, and tutoring. The ASC employs both professional and student staff to assist students with study strategies, time management, analytical reading, note-taking, writing, math, test-taking, and problem solving. The ASC also provides services for students with disabilities and learning differences ranging from visual and hearing disabilities to Attention Deficit Disorder. If you have a diagnosed disability, please provide that office with a copy of your documentation in order to receive the support you need. If you are concerned that you might have an undiagnosed disability, make an appointment by calling x3288.<\/p> 6. Disability Accommodations- It is St. Olaf College policy to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. Course materials are available in alternative formats to persons with disabilities upon request and documentation. If you have alternative testing requirements, it is your responsibility to meet with me in person during office hours in order to discuss your course needs.<\/p> 7. Communication- One of the great benefits of a liberal arts campus like St. Olaf is the opportunity to meet with your professors and discuss academic issues.\u00a0 I seek to maintain the integrity of that relationship.\u00a0 Therefore, I request that you contact me after class or during office hours.\u00a0 E-mail should be used for emergencies- it should not be used for classroom management issues, sending completed work, or asking substantive questions regarding the course.\u00a0 Learning to ask questions is part of the education process.\u00a0 Please seek me out in person! If my office hour schedule does not work with your schedule, it is appropriate to contact me via email to schedule an alternative meeting time.<\/p> 8. Assessment- St. Olaf College Catalog describes grades in the following way. Please click on each description for a detailed explanation of grading. Specific assignments are available here<\/a>.<\/p> Superior Achievement (A or A-)<\/a> 9. Conduct- One of the great goals of education is to learn to conduct oneself honorably in intellectual affairs. At the very least, honorable conduct in this course means that you will not turn in any work as your own that was written by someone else. Plagiarism is a serious affront to the life of the academy. If you have questions, please consult The Book<\/a>.<\/p> 10. Changes- I consider this webpage and the accompanying reading schedule to represent a contractual commitment between you (the student) and me (the instructor). Together, these documents constitute the syllabus for the course. However, there are moments in a course when it becomes necessary to make changes in order to accommodate intellectual interest or manage current events. In these unlikely events, I will inform you of changes to the syllabus at the earliest possibility.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-19","page","type-page","status-publish","post-password-required","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lotta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lotta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lotta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lotta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lotta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19"}],"version-history":[{"count":58,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lotta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6850,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lotta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19\/revisions\/6850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lotta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Good Achievement (B+, B, B-)<\/a>
Adequate Achievement (C+, C, C-)<\/a>
Limited Achievement (D+, D, D-)<\/a>
Inadequate Achievement (F)<\/a><\/p>