Time Schedule:
Daniel P. Berliner
POL S 203
Seattle Campus
The world community, its politics, and government. Offered: AWSpS.
Class description
This course is intended as an introduction to the principles and foundations of international relations. It will apply theoretical and analytical concepts to such topics as war, peace, and humanitarian interventions; trade, globalization, and economic development; as well as the international political dimensions of human rights and environmental issues. The primary goals of the class are to give students familiarity with important issues in international politics today, and to give students the analytical and theoretical tools to understand those issues and apply to new ones.
Student learning goals
Apply theories and concepts of international relations to historical and current events.
Understand different approaches to why countries do or do not go to war.
Understand different approaches to globalization and its effects.
Appreciate the roles played in international politics not just by states, but also by international organizations, multinational corporations, and non-governmental organizations and activist groups.
Better understand foreign policy choices facing the United States today.
General method of instruction
Lecture, reading, and discussion.
Texts: -World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions, by Jeffry Frieden, David Lake, and Kenneth Schultz. -A selection of additional articles which will be available through the course website. -Keeping up with current events through regular reading of a major daily news source (such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC News, or similar) is required.
Recommended preparation
No prerequisites necessary.
Class assignments and grading
Students will be evaluated on the basis of two midterms, a final exam, and participation in quiz sections.
Grade breakdown: 25% Midterm 1 25% Midterm 2 30% Final 20% Participation
