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Harold K. Jacobson Lecture: Tue.,Th., 11 a.m.-noonOffice: 3038 ISR N S AUDHours: Monday, 11:00 am - noon and by appointmentPhone: 764-7108e-mail: hkj@umich.edu
This course explores the principles that shape interactions and outcomes in the global political system and illustrates these principles with examples drawn from history and contemporary world politics.
The course begins by examining approaches to the study of world politics. It then analyzes the development and basic structural features of the contemporary global political system. Factors that shape the foreign policy behavior of states are considered next. The following section analyzes techniques of foreign policy behavior: the use or threat of use of military force; economic sanctions and blandishments; and diplomacy and negotiations. The penultimate section considers processes and problems of international collaboration. The course concludes by exploring the future of world politics.
Administrative Guidelines and Course Requirements
Students will expected to attend all of the lectures and all of the meetings of their discussion sections and to turn assignments in and to take the mid-term and final examinations at the scheduled times. Students who cannot take examinations at the scheduled times for medical reasons must produce valid medical excuses. Students who are enrolled in the honors section will be expected to complete work beyond that listed on this course outline.
There is a home page for the course. It can be found at: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~libite/webpage.html Students should consult the course home page: regularly.
All administrative matters will be handled by Mr. Pierre-Francois Landry, the administrative assistant. These include such matters as drop/adds, section changes, make-up exams, and grade complaints. Only if an issue cannot be resolved with Mr. Landry should it be brought to Professor Jacobson.
Dropping and Adding Sections
There is a ceiling of 25 students in regular discussion sections. The honors section is limited to 20. All overrides must be approved and signed by the administrative assistant. He will be available immediately after the first three lectures to handle scheduling problems. To avoid financial penalties, adds and drops must be processed at CRISP no later than 27 January 1998.
Grading and Course Requirements
Assignments, examinations, and papers will be given the following weights in determining students' final grades for the course:
The format and nature of the examinations will be announced in advance. As mentioned above, students are expected to take the examinations at the scheduled times.
Students will be required to prepare two papers of from 1,500 to 2,000 words in length on topics related to the material covered in the course. Students should choose the topics for their papers in consultation with their section leader. The first paper will be due the first meeting of the discussion section in which the student is enrolled that occurs during the week that starts 15 February 1998, the second paper, the first meeting of the discussion section that occurs during the week that starts 5 April 1998. Students who do not submit their papers at the scheduled time will suffer grade penalties. The paper assignments do not apply to students enrolled in the honors section. Instead, they will be required to produce a collaborative research project. A preliminary research design will be due 16 February 1998 and the final product on 6 April 1998. Details concerning this assignment will be announced in the section.
Grading Complaints
Students should discuss any disagreement concerning grading with their discussion section leader. In the event that an appropriate resolution of the disagreement cannot be achieved, an appeal may be made to the administrative assistant. This must be done within two weeks of receipt of the grade. The administrative assistant will appoint a second reader who will independently grade the assignment in question.
Staff Roster
The staff roster giving office location, hours, and telephone numbers for each of the discussion section leaders will be distributed separately.
Writing Standards
Students should follow a standard manual of style in the preparation of written work. Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 6th ed. 1980) is a commonly used authoritative guide.
Required Reading
The required readings for this course include three basic texts:
2. Thomas D. Lairson and David Skidmore, International Political Economy: The Struggle for Power and Wealth (Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 2nd ed. 1997); and,
3. Bruce Russett and Harvey Starr, World Politics: The Menu for Choice (New York, NY: W. H. Freeman and Company, 5th ed. 1996) Copies of these texts have been placed on reserve in the Undergraduate Library. Students may, however, find it more convenient to purchase copies so as to have them available for their individual use. The least expensive editions of these texts are available in the local bookstores.
The required readings also include several articles. These articles have been placed on reserve in the Undergraduate Library. They have also been printed as a course pack that may be purchased from Michigan Document Service, 1119 A South University, Ann Arbor.
Current events will be used to illustrate the broad principles of world politics that will be considered in the course. Students will be expected to keep abreast of current developments in world politics by regularly reading a high quality daily newspaper such as the New York Times or the Financial Times.
Students will be expected to complete the required readings by the date for which they are assigned.
Suggested Readings:
Students who are unfamiliar with the history of world politics since World War II are encouraged to read Peter Calvocoressi, World Politics Since 1945 (London: Longmans, 6th ed., 1991). Those interested in ethnic conflicts should read Ted Robert Gurr and Barbara Harff, Ethnic Conflict in World Politics (Boulder, CO: Westview, 1994). War, edited by Lawrence Freedman (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994), is a helpful broad introduction to military issues. Political aspects of international economic issues are covered in: Robert S. Walters and David H. Blake, The Politics of Global Economic Relations (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 4th ed. 1992); and, Joan Spero and Jeffrey A. Hart, The Politics of International Economic Relations (New York, NY: St. Martins, 7th ed. 1997). Joseph S. Nyeís Understanding International Conflict: An Introduction to Theory and History (New York, NY: 1992) provides an informative overview of several issues that will be considered in this course.
I. The Study of World Politics
8 January--Introduction to the Course
13 January--Approaches to the Study of World Politics
Thomas D. Lairson and David Skidmore, International Political Economy: the Struggle for Power and Wealth (hereafter referred to only by the authorsí last names), Chapter 1, pp. 1-12.
II. The Contemporary Global Political System
15 January--The Nation-State System
20 January--Nationalism
22 January--Non-State Actors
27 January--The Contemporary Global Political System and Some Alternatives
III. Factors that Shape the Foreign Policy Behavior of States
29 January--Categorizing Foreign Policy Behavior: A Typology of Goals
3 February--Systemic Factors that Shape Foreign Policy Behavior
5 February--Societal Factors that Shape Foreign Policy Behavior
10 and 12 February--Economic Factors that Shape Foreign Policy Behavior
17 February--Political and Governmental Factors that Shape Foreign Policy Behavior
19 February--Idiosyncratic Factors that Shape Foreign Policy Behavior
IV. Instruments and Techniques of Foreign Policy Behavior
24 February--Power and Influence
10 and 12 March--Military Instruments and War
17 and 19 March--Economic Instruments
17 March:
24 March--Diplomacy
V. Processes and Problems of International Collaboration
26 March--Problems of Collaboration and the Functions of Institutions
31 March and 2 April--Conflict Management and Resolution
7 and 9 April--Collaboration to Facilitate Economic Growth and Development
14 April--Collaboration to Promote Justice and Human Dignity
16 April--Collaboration to Protect and Enhance the Global Environment
VI. The Future of World Politics
21 April--The Future of World Politics
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