IDST 375

THEORY AND PRACTICE IN THE POST-COLD WAR ERA

Beth Dougherty Spring 2008
x2084 MI 112B

BOOKS:

The following texts are available at the bookstore. When possible, they are also on reserve in the library, but the library does not own most of these titles because they are so new. All other readings are on reserve; I have included full citations so that you can also get the journal from the stacks or use an on-line data base if the reading is out at the reserve desk. International Organization & International Security articles are available on JSTOR. You will read all or most of each of these titles, so get a copy for yourself if at all possible.

Gaddis, John Lewis. The Cold War: A New History. Penguin (2005).

Ignatieff, Michael. American Exceptionalism and Human Rights.Princeton University Press (2005).

Pape, Robert. Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. Random House (2005).

Rivoli, Pietra. The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy. Wiley (2005).

Shore, Zachary. Breeding Bin Ladens: America, Islam, and the Future of Europe. Johns Hopkins (2006).

Thakur, Ramesh. The United Nations, Peace and Security. Cambridge University Press (2006).

REQUIREMENTS:

  1. Class Participation - 30% of the grade

    • This course will be organized and run as a graduate seminar, which means that the emphasis will be on student discussions and analyses of the assigned readings. Therefore, it is imperative that you complete the readings and familiarize yourself with the main points/issues they raise. Given the size of the group, we will sometimes need to spend part of the time in small groups, and then move into committee-of-the-whole. Everyone in attendance will receive credit for the small groups, but additional credit can be earned by participating in the whole group discussion. Simply attending class without actively taking part in the discussions will substantially lower this portion of your grade. It is a good idea to bring a copy of the readings with you to class

    • Given the weekly meeting schedule, you MUST attend class; if you cannot attend a class for some reason, you must inform Beth in advance. Make-up work will be assigned on an individual basis. Repeated absences will result in a zero for this portion of the grade, and I reserve the right to fail you for the course for excessive absences

    • Every member of the seminar will lead the group one time during the course. The first date is February 5. The seminar leader is expected to lead the class discussion for that week. You will pose questions to the group, and act as the “expert” in answering other student’s questions about the readings. You have complete freedom to structure the class as you wish, including doing small group activities or even a simulation. As necessary, one-two people may be the seminar leader for any given week. It is up to the individuals involved to determine how to divide up the readings between them. The discussion leader(s) must email discussion questions no later than 9am on Monday to the rest of the class, and everyone is expected to review those questions before coming to class that night

    • Every member of the seminar will peer review another student’s paper. This will be done anonymously, although you may identify yourself if you wish to, and I will distribute the papers. You will have one week to evaluate the paper. You will provide two copies of an overall assessment, discussing such questions as: Does the paper have a clear thesis? Is it logically organized? Can you follow the argument? What kinds of evidence/arguments are presented to support the thesis? Is the evidence persuasive? Are there issues the paper ignores or does not develop fully that deserve to be considered? Is there a suitable conclusion? You may also suggest additional sources if you are aware of them. This is NOT a proofreading exercise. You may make proofreading corrections if you wish, or simply note where sentences are poorly or awkwardly constructed, but your comments should be primarily substantive. You may make corrections and comments on the draft itself, but your overall assessment must be typed.

  2. Research paper - 50% of the grade

    3. You may choose any topic (in consultation with Beth), including issues / problems we do not directly consider in the seminar. There are intermediate deadlines you must meet during the course of the semester; failure to do so will adversely affect your grade. Deadlines are noted inside the syllabus. In particular, you MUST meet the March 28 deadline for the first completed draft. I will be happy to read your paper or portions thereof at any point during the term, given time constraints. Papers must be at least 22 pages in length, of high quality, and include both references and a substantial bibliography (a minimum of 20 sources, preferably books and journal articles). Please follow Chicago style guidelines.

  3. Research presentation - 20% of the grade

    4. You may choose to emphasize any aspect of the research you have conducted for your paper. You will have a total of 15 minutes to present your data, with extra time to field questions. I will strictly hold you to the time limit - at 15 minutes, you MUST STOP! Part of this grade will be based on peer evaluation forms. We will begin presentations on April 9. Two people will be scheduled for April 9 & April 16. The remaining presentations will be held on April 23 and April 30. We will need to schedule at least one extra meeting – preferably April 29 - to relieve the pressure of doing five presentations at a time. If you are doing honors, I strongly recommend you present April 9 or 16 so that you have practiced before you do your departmental defense.

TOPICS

JAN 22 JUSTICE RICHARD GOLDSTONE: international justice, South Africa, Kosovo
  READING: Goldstone, excerpt from For Humanity: Reflections of a War Crimes Investigator; Goldstone, “Whither Kosovo? Whither Democracy?” Global Goverance 8, 2 (April-June 2002): 143-48 [ASAP].
JAN 29 THE IRAQ DEBATE: what went wrong, where do we go from here
  READING: The Iraq war book of your choice: Imperial Life in the Emerald City; Assassins’ Gate; Fiasco; State of Denial; Cobra II; or Hubris.
FEB 5 THE COLD WAR
  READING: Gaddis, The Cold War: a New History.
  Paper topics and preliminary bibliography (minimum ten sources) due
FEB 12 REALISM AND NEOREALISM
  READING: Stephen Brooks, “Dueling Realisms,” International Organization 51, 3 (Summer 1997): 445-77. John Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, Chapters 1-2, & 5 [on reserve]. William Wohlforth, “Realism and the End of the Cold War,” International Security 19, 3 (Winter 1994-95): 91-129. (For a review of Mearsheimer’s book, see Glenn Snyder, “Mearsheimer’s World - Offensive Realism and the Struggle for Security,” International Security 22, 1 (Summer 2002): 149-173).
FEB 19 INSTITUTIONALISM & THE DEMOCRATIC PEACE
  READING: John Mearsheimer, “The False Promise of International Institutions,” International Security 19, 3 (Winter 1994/95): 5-49. Keohane & Martin, “The Promise of Institutionalist Theory,” International Security 20, 1 (Summer 1995): 39-51. (The entire Summer 1995 issue is devoted to responses to Mearsheimer’s article). Bruce Russett & John Oneal, Triangulating Peace. New York: W.W. Norton (2001): 43-124 [on reserve]. Christopher Layne, “Kant or Cant: The Myth of the Democratic Peace,” International Security 19, 2 (Fall 1994): 5-49. Edward Mansfield & Jack Snyder, “Prone to Violence: The Paradox of the Democratic Peace,” The National Interest, 82 (Winter 2005): 39-46 [ASAP]. (An earlier version of Mansfield and Snyder is “Democratization and the Danger of War,” International Security 20, 1 (Summer 1995): pp. 5-38).
  Abstract due.....300 word maximum
FEB 26 CONSTRUCTIVISM
  READING: Alexander Wendt, “Anarchy is What States Make of It,” International Organization 26, 2 (Spring 1992): 391-425. Ted Hopf, “The Promise of Constructivism in International Relations Theory,” International Security 23, 1 (Summer 1998): 171-181. Audie Klotz, “Norms Reconstituting Interests: Global Racial Equality and US Sanctions Against South Africa,” International Organization 49, 3 (Summer 1995): 451-478. Robert Price, “Reversing the Gun Sights: Transnational Civil Society Targets Land Mines,” International Organization 52, 3 (Summer 1998): 613-644. Martha Finnemore & Kathryn Sikkink, “International Norm Dynamics and Political Change,” International Organization 52, 4 (Autumn 1998): 887-917. [For a review of Wendt’s theory see Dale Copeland, “The Constructivist Challenge to Structural Realism,” International Security 25, 2 (Fall 2000): pp. 171-200.]
MAR 12 THE ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS
  READING: Thakur, TheUnited Nations, Peace and Security.
MAR 19 THE ROLE OF THE US
  READING: Ignatieff, American Exceptionalism and Human Rights.
MAR 26 CHANGING DIMENSIONS OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
  READING: Roland Paris, “Human Security: Paradigm Shift or Hot Air?” International Security 26, 2 (Fall 2001): 87-102. Valerie Hudson & Andrea den Boer, “A Surplus of Men, A Deficit of Peace: Security and Sex Ratios in Asia’s Largest States,” International Security 26, 4 (Spring 2002): 5-38. Stefan Elbe, “HIV/AIDS and the Changing Landscape of War in Africa,” International Security 27, 2 (Fall 2002): 159-177. Michael L. Ross, “How Do Natural Resources Influence Civil War? Evidence from Thirteen Cases,” International Organization 58 (Winter 2004): pp. 35-67. Laurie Garrett, “The Challenge of Global Health,” Foreign Affairs 86, 1 (Jan-Feb 2007): 14-38 [on reserve].
  Complete draft of paper due...two copies, one for Beth and one for peer review
APR 2 TERRORISM PART I
  READING: Pape, Dying to Win.
  Peer review assessment due...two copies, one unsigned for the author, one with name on it for Beth
APR 9 TERRORISM PART II
  READING: Shore, Breeding Bin Ladens.
APR 16 GLOBALIZATION
  READING: Rivoli, Travels of a T-shirt.
APR 23 PRESENTATIONS
  FINAL PAPERS ARE DUE!!!!!
APR 29 PRESENTATIONS (extra class – date subject to confirmation or change)
APR 30 PRESENTATIONS

 

 

Beloit College // Beloit, WI 53511 // 608.363.2000
webmaster // Copyright © 2004