Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Spring 2008
MWF 09:30AM-10:20PM at GR2.302
Course Objectives∗:
• To learn international relations (IR) theory
• To apply IR theory to gain understandings over world politics
• To acquire knowledge in relevant international issues
• To instill in the student’s mind the sense of being a global citizen
Plus, there are online articles accessible via UTD library or Internet. Refer to Course Calendar on
pages two through four.
THE CONTENT OF THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. In case of any change in the
syllabus content, the instructor will make an announcement in class and/or through WebCT. Students
are responsible for keeping up with such an announcement.
Letter Grades:
A+ (97-100%), A (93-96%), A- (90-92%); B+ (87-89%), B (83-86%), B- (80-82%); C+ (77-79%), C (73-76%), C-
(70-72%); D+ (67-69%), D (63-66%), D- (60-62%); and F (Below 60%).
∗
The course objectives and evaluation process listed herein seek to meet academic benchmarks for the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges (SACS). For further information, visit
http://sacs.utdallas.edu/sacs_home.
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Quiz:
There will be total twelve pop quizzes throughout the semester. Each quiz consists of five multiple
choice questions. A quiz will take place in the first three minutes of class. Hence, it is imperative that
you be in class on time or you may miss a quiz if there is one in any given day. We will be meeting
forty-four times in this class throughout the semester. Each quiz will evaluate your understanding on
the content of the previous class, including lecture, a video or a guest speaker presentation. A quiz on
Friday will be from Wednesday’s material, one on Wednesday from Monday’s and one on Monday
from Friday’s of the previous week. For this reason, class attendance is strongly encouraged. Quiz is
worth ten percent of your semester grade. If you miss class, come to class late or leave early, you
will be only hurting yourself. In case of some dire emergencies (e. g., death in family, serious health
problems, etc.), which force you to be absent from class, the instructor might waiver some of your
quizzes. However, he may ask you to turn in some supporting documents.
Exams:
An exam will evaluate students’ knowledge over class lecture, required reading assignments and
current international events. Even if he or she is absent, a student is still responsible for every piece of
information covered in class. The instructor will not give the copies of his lecture notes to
students. You must take your exams in class on the dates scheduled by this syllabus. Make your
plans accordingly. In case you have to miss an exam, you must keep the instructor informed ahead of
time. Be prepared to present supporting documents in case you are requested to do so.
Each of the first two exams will consist of five identifications, five current event questions and one
essay. The essay is worth two-thirds of an exam. The identifications and current event questions
together constitute one-third of an exam grade. Presented as multiple choice questions, the current
event section will ask about major international news from two days prior to the day of the exam.
Bring a blue book and a blue/black pen to take your exam. Please write as legibly as possible.
This course’s final exam consists of one hundred multiple choice questions. It is cumulative and
covers everything from the first day of the semester. The questions on the final exam will be very
similar to what you will have seen on the quizzes throughout the semester. For your final exam, you
will have your lecture notes as well as your quizzes as your study guides. Hence, there is another
reason for attending class regularly. Bring #2 pencils, an eraser and an 8½” ×11” pink Scantron
sheet (Form No F-1712-PAR-L) on the day of the final exam.
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Class Rules:
Although they may seem common sense, I will nonetheless outline some fundamental rules in
class:
! Thou shall respect thy fellow classmates and professor.
Besides this basic rule above, there are some specific rules in Professor Nakamoto’s class:
! Turn off your cellular phone. That means you!!! Every cellular phone in the classroom must
remain turned off for the duration of the class period.
# The first two offenses will result in verbal warnings.
# However, a third or more offense will result in two-point deduction from your semester
average every time your cell phone rings in class.
# If you answer a call in class, you will automatically lose two points even if it is your first
offense.
! Please do not eat in class. If you are hungry, eat before or after class.
For further questions over class rules, visit “Student Discipline and Conduct” at the home page of The
University of Texas at Dallas at http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/dishonesty.html.
Academic Dishonesty:
Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism cheating on examinations, is not tolerated. For any
question over the definition of academic dishonesty, refer to The UTD’s “Student Discipline and
Conduct” at the website above.
Disability Accommodations:
Please let the instructor know of any need for disability accommodation. The instructor will do
everything to facilitate students’ learning in this course.
Class Calendar:
I. Levels of Analysis
07JAN Introduction
• Class Objectives, Rules and Semester Overview
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21JAN MLK HOLIDAY
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II. INTERNATIONAL INTERACTIONS
22FEB Radicalism
• Mingst, 68~72; 91~98; & 262~268.
• Wallerstein, Immanuel, “The Rise and Future Demise of World Capitalist System: Concepts for
Comparative Analysis,” in Mingst & Snyder, eds., 130~137.
25FEB Radicalism
• Johnson, Chalmers, “Blowback,” The Nation, October 15, 2001, (posted on September 27, 2001).
Also accessible at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20011015/johnson.
27FEB Mercantilism
• Mingst, 260~262.
• Gilpin, Robert. “International Political Economy,” in Mingst & Snyder, eds., 402~410.
29FEB Mercantilism
MID-TERM GRADE DUE AT 10:00AM
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19MAR Inter-governmental Organizations (IGO)
• Rachman, Gideon, “Death of Enlargement,” in Purkitt, ed., 91~94.
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14MAY
FINAL GRADES DUE AT 10:00AM
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Source:
Paul R. Viotti and Mark V. Kauppi. 1993. International Relations theory:
Realism, Pluralism and Globalism. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, p. 10.
Mingst, Karen A. 2004. Essentials of International Relations. 3rd. ed. New York: W. W.
Norton.
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Corresponding School of
Thoughts in International Liberalism/Neo-liberal Radicalism
Realism
Relations Institutionalism
Fundamental • Conflictual
• Harmonious • "Zero sum" game
Assumptions on the • Conflictual
• "Positive sum" game • The core's
Nature of International • "Zero sum" game
Economy • Cooperation possible exploitation
• States as being
through bargaining, of the periphery and
economically
compromise and semi-periphery
predatory among
haggling to attain
each other
Equilibrium
Analytic Unit(s) or
Various economic State Economic classes
Primary Actor(s)
Actors Actors across the world
Relationship between
Primacy of politics
Economics and
Economics should over economics Economics determines
Politics
Determine politics for the purpose of politics
state power
Theory of Change
Shift in distribution of Tendency toward
Dynamic equilibrium power among states disequilibria in CWS
Sources:
Gilpin, Robert. 1987. The Political Economy of International Relations. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Gilpin, Robert. “The Nature of Political Economy.” In Mingst, Karen A. and Jack L. Snyder. 2004. Essential Readings in
World Politics. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton: 403-410.
Paul R. Viotti and Mark V. Kauppi. 1993. International Relations theory: Realism, Pluralism and Globalism. New York:
Macmillan Publishing Company.
Disclaimer: This handout for classroom and non-business use only
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