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Department of Politics
University of Winnipeg
41.2100 / 6 Global Politics (2004-2005)
Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays 8:30-9:20am
Room 2M77
Instructor: Brent Sasley
Office: 6L18
Office Phone: 786-9444
Office Hours: Mondays, 2:30-3:30pm; Wednesdays, 9:30-10:30am; or by appointment
E-mail: brent.sasley@shaw.ca
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:
Every day, we are influenced by the global politics that take place all around us. The
way we live our life in our society, economy, and polity is heavily influenced by events
that take place in our own country, in those of other countries, and by the interactions of
actors in international relations.
Global politics (or international relations) is about the interplay between various actors
(states, international organizations, multinational corporations, communal groups,
militant movements, etc) in the international system and their continual search for
wealth, power, influence, security, and authority. This course aims to provide students
with the theoretical and conceptual tools necessary for a comprehensive understanding
of past, current, and future global political interactions; as such, it is not a course on
current events, though these will of necessity be mentioned and at times discussed as
part of the overall course themes. A secondary, though no less important, objective is to
train students to conduct scholarly research and writing, and to think critically about
issues and concepts discussed throughout the course.
REQUIRED TEXT:
Readings will be on reserve at the library. Students should keep up with the readings,
as this will provide more understanding of the material covered in the lectures. Note that
the midterm and final exam will be based on both the lectures and the readings.
COURSE FORMAT:
The course is composed primarily of lectures; beginning in November there will be one
session each week devoted to a seminar. Seminars are mandatory; students are
required to participate in the discussions, as the material from them is relevant to both
the course material and to the course assignments and exams. The course is divided
into 6 broad sections: (1) Introduction and creation of the contemporary international
system; (2) Theories and approaches; (3) Foreign policy; (4) International politics; (5)
International political economy; and (6) Issues in global politics. Note that, depending on
time constraints, some topics listed here might not be covered.

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ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADE DISTRIBUTION:
Beginning in November 2004 there will be one seminar per week. Attendance and
participation during the discussions are mandatory. Students will be graded on both the
quantity and the quality of their contributions, in terms of answering questions, debating
with the instructor and other students, and so on. Seminars are worth 10% of the final
grade. The syllabus lists the topics for discussion, related to the material of that week.
No specific readings will be assigned for seminar classes.
There will be an in-class midterm test (15% of the final grade) on Friday, November 19,
2004 at 8:30am. This will cover the material up to and including the review on
Wednesday, November 17. A final three-hour exam (30% of the final grade) will be
written at the end of class, during the universitys exam period, on Friday, April 11, 2005
from 1:30-4:30pm. This will be cumulative, taking into account everything studied from
the beginning of the course.
The format for the midterm exam is: one short-answer ID section, and one long-answer
essay section. The format for the final exam has an added section: one short-answer ID
section, and two long-answer essay sections. Students may not use books, notes, or
anything else to help write their exams.
The first term paper (20% of the final grade) is due on Monday, November 29, 2004.
Students will utilize the theoretical and conceptual tools studied in class to analyze a
current interstate conflict. It should be 10-12 pages in length. The second paper (25%
of the final grade) is due on Monday, March 28, 2005. Students will examine a specific
research question and provide an analytical, not descriptive, answer. It should be 12-15
pages in length. Late papers will not be accepted, without a valid medical excuse and
doctors note. Computer, printer, and car troubles are not valid excuses.
Both papers are research assignments; therefore students are expected to consult a
minimum of five scholarly sources per paper. Both the first and second papers must be
typed or word-processed. Papers cannot be emailed ina hard copy must be
provided; students should also be sure to keep a copy of their assignments for
themselves. Papers handed in late will be penalized one percentage point per day
off the mark received out of the total worth of the assignment (e.g., for the first term
paper, 1% per day off whatever grade is given out of 20%). Finally, topics for both
papers will be provided; if students wish to choose an alternate topic they must first
consult with the instructor, and receive explicit agreement on their chosen
subject. Papers dealing with topics not on the approved list or without the instructors
agreement will be returned unmarked and graded as a zero. Once a student chooses
his/her own topic, it cannot be changed without consulting the instructor again.
At some point, one class will be given over to a discussion of what is expected in a
paper for this class. As well, the specific nature and topics of each assignment will be
discussed. Students are expected to use proper structure, grammar, and citations in
their assignments; how students make their arguments is as important as what they

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argue. For technical material, see Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term
Papers, Theses, and Dissertation (Chicago: University of Chicago Press), sixth edition
or later. For help on how to write a paper, see:
http://members.tripod.com/%7Elklivingston/essay
http://www.bham.ac.uk/english/bibliography/students/essay.htm

Participation:

10% (Throughout the course)

Midterm exam:

15% (Friday, November 19, 2004, 8:30am)

First paper:

20% (Due Monday, November 29, 2004)

Second paper:

25% (Due Monday, March 28, 2005)

Final exam:

30% (Friday, April 11, 2005, 1:30pm)

GRADING SCALE:
A+:
A:
A-:
B+:
B:

90-100%
85-89%
80-84%
76-79%
70-75%

C+:
C:
D:
F:

63-69%
56-62%
50-55%
0-49%

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT AND OFFENCES:

Academic misconduct and plagiarism are serious offences and will not be tolerated.
Penalties will range from failure on an assignment or failure in the course, to suspension
or expulsion from the university. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty in which a
student submits another person's published or unpublished work as their own, either in
its entirety or in part. Published work includes written, electronic, or other forms. Other
acts of plagiarism include: not giving recognition to the author for phrases, sentences, or
thoughts, and submitting the same work for evaluation in more than one course. All
suspected cases of plagiarism are forwarded to the Senate Academic Misconduct
Committee for determination. For further elaboration on forms of academic
misconduct and plagiarism, as well as the appeals process, students should review the
University of Winnipeg's Academic Regulations and Policies, which are in part outlined
in Section VII of the University of Winnipeg 2004-2005 General Calendar, p. 47-55.
Note that the final date to withdraw without academic penalty from this course is
January 21, 2005. If you are considering withdrawing because of trouble with the
material or assignments, I encourage you to come see me and perhaps we can resolve
the problem.

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COURSE SCHEDULE:
Monday, Sept. 13:

Introduction to course

No readings.
Wednesday, Sept. 15:

Why study IR; Short history of the international system

Allen Sens and Peter Stoett, Global Politics: Origins, Currents, Directions, 2nd ed.
(Nelson Thomson Learning, 2002): 22-52.
Friday, Sept. 17:

Rosh HashanahNo class

Monday, Sept. 20:

What is expected in a paper for this course; Topics for first

paper handed out

No readings.
Wednesday, Sept. 22:

The Cold War

No readings.
Friday, Sept. 24:

The post-Cold War world

Michael Cox, International History Since 1989, in The Globalization of World

Politics, 2nd ed., eds. John Baylis and Steve Smith, 111-137 (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2001).
Monday, Sept. 27:

Main actors in global politics

No readings.
Wednesday, Sept. 29:

Main actors in global politicscontinued

Daniel S. Papp, Contemporary International Relations: Frameworks for

Understanding, 4th ed. (New York: Macmillan College Publishing Company,
1994): 114-134.
Friday, October 1:

Power in international relations

No readings.
Monday, October 4:
No readings.

What is theory; Idealism

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Wednesday, October 6: Realism
Barry Buzan, The Timeless Wisdom of Realism? in International Theory:
Positivism and Beyond, eds. Steve Smith, Ken Booth, and Marysia Zalewski, 4765 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996).
Friday, October 8:

Liberalism

No readings.
Monday, October 11:

Thanksgiving DayUniversity closed

Wednesday, October 13: Institutionalism; Marxism; Post-positivism

No readings.
Friday, October 15:

Postmodernism; Critical Theory; Gender; Constructivism

Robert Jackson and Georg Srensen, Introduction to International Relations:

Theories and Approaches, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003): 248259, 274-279.
Monday, October 18:

Levels of analysis: System

J. David Singer, The Level of Analysis Problem in International Relations, World

Politics 14, no.1 (October 1961): 77-92.
Wednesday, October 20: Levels of analysis: State and individual
Mark Brawley, Turning Points: Decisions Shaping the Evolution of the
International Political Economy (Ontario: Broadview Press, 1998): 81-95; 109121.
Friday, October 22:

Levels of analysis and the Cold War

No readings.
Monday, October 25:

The role of ideas; Models of decision making

Glenn P. Hastedt, American Foreign Policy: Past, Present, Future, 5th ed. (New
Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2003): 244-253.
Wednesday, October 27: Objectives of foreign policy
Kalevi J. Holsti, International Politics: A Framework for Analysis, 4th ed. (New
Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1983): 123-143.

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Friday, October 29:

Sources of foreign policy

No readings.
Monday, Nov. 1:

Guest speaker: Lloyd Axworthy

On foreign policy making in practice

Kalevi J. Holsti, International Politics: A Framework for Analysis, 4th ed. (New
Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1983): 313-358.
Wednesday, Nov. 3:

Instruments of foreign policy

No readings.
Friday, Nov. 5:

Seminar: What instruments of foreign policy seem most

appropriate in the context of contemporary global politics?

Monday, Nov. 8:

Conflict in the international system

James E. Dougherty and Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr., Contending Theories of

International Relations: A Comprehensive Survey, 5th ed. (New York: Addison
Wesley Longman, 2001): 188-201.
Wednesday, Nov. 10:

Conflict in the international systemcontinued

No readings.
Friday, Nov. 12:

Seminar: Is conflict between states inevitable? Why or why

not? Which types of conflict are most dangerous and
relevant for contemporary global politics?

Monday, Nov. 15:

Cooperation in the international system

No readings.
Wednesday, Nov. 17:

Review for midterm test

Friday, Nov. 19:

Midterm test

Monday, Nov. 22:

War

Kalevi J. Holsti, The State, War, and the State of War (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1996): 1-18.

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Wednesday, Nov. 24:

Warcontinued

No readings.
Friday, Nov. 26:

Seminar: Is war a legitimate institution in international

relations? Should it remain a viable policy option for states?

Monday, Nov. 29:

First paper due

The laws of war

No readings.
Wednesday, Dec. 1:

The causes of war

Jack S. Levy, Domestic Politics and War, in The Origin and Prevention of Major
Wars, eds. Robert Rotberg and Theodore Rabb (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1989).
Friday, Dec. 3:

The causes of warcontinued

No readings.
Monday, Dec. 6:

Seminar: What makes war so prevalent in the international

system? Can we ever excise war from the global community,
or is the creation of laws of war the best we can hope for?

Wednesday, January 5: Arms races and alliances

No readings.
Friday, January 7:

International regimes and organizations

Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to

Theory and History, 5th ed. (New York: Pearson, 2005): 165-174.
Monday, January 10:

International law

No readings.
Wednesday, January 12: International political economy (IPE): Context & approaches
Robert Gilpin, The Political Economy of International Relations (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1987): 25-54.

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Friday, January 14:

IPE: Trade and US leadership

Joshua S. Goldstein, International Relations: Brief Second Edition (New York:

Pearson Longman, 2004): 178-203.
Monday, January 17:

IPE: Monetary relations

David N. Balaam and Michael Veseth, Introduction to International Political

Economy, 3rd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005): 166-187.
Wednesday, January 19: IPE: North-South relations
Sunil Kukreja, in David N. Balaam and Michael Veseth, Introduction to
International Political Economy, 3rd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall,
2005): 331-358.
Friday, January 21:

Seminar: Does the North have a responsibility to the South

to aim for a greater redistribution of global wealth? Why or
why not?

Monday, January 24:

IPE: Debt

Mark Charlton, ed., International Relations in the Post-Cold War Era, 3rd ed.
(Scarborough, Ontario: Thomson Nelson, 2002): 387-420.
Wednesday, January 26: IPE: Globalization and regionalization
No readings.
Friday, January 28:

Seminar: Is the international political economy coming closer

together or cracking more apart? Is globalization good or
bad for the world?

Monday, January 31:

Movie: The Long Road to War

Wednesday, February 2: Moviecontinued

Friday, February 4:

Seminar: The American invasion of Iraq and its aftermath

Monday, February 7:

Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

Darryl Howlett, Nuclear Proliferation, in The Globalization of World Politics, 2nd

ed., eds. John Baylis and Steve Smith, 415-439 (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2001).

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Wednesday, February 9: American hegemony
G. John Ikenberry, Liberal Hegemony and the Future of American Postwar
Order, in International Order and the Future of World Politics, T.V. Paul and
John A. Hall, eds., 123-145 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999).
Friday, February 11:

Seminar: Should the US take the lead role in meeting global

security or non-security challenges to the international
community? Is this desirable? Why or why not?

February 14-18:

Reading weekNo classes

Monday, February 21:

Information & communications technology and global politics

No readings.
Wednesday, Feb. 23:

Film on the technological transformation of war

No readings.
Friday, February 25:

Humanitarian interventionism

Michael Walzer, The Argument about Humanitarian Intervention, Dissent 49,

no.1 (Winter 2002): 29-37.
Monday, February 28:

Guest speaker: Lloyd Axworthy

On the practice of humanitarian interventionism

Wednesday, March 2:

TBA

Friday, March 4:

TBA

Monday, March 7:

Ecopolitics

Kendall W. Stiles, Case Histories in International Politics, 3rd ed. (New York:
Pearson, 2004): 169-183.
Wednesday, March 9:

Population growth

No readings.
Friday, March 11:

Seminar: Do global environmental and population issues

warrant serious attention? Where should they rank in
comparison to military and security-based global issues?

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Monday, March 14:

International terrorism

No readings.
Wednesday, March 16:

International terrorism and al-Qaeda

Audrey Kurth Cronin, Behind the Curve: Globalization and International

Terrorism, International Security 27, no.3 (Winter 2002/03): 30-58.
Friday, March 18:

Seminar: How much of a threat is international terrorism, as

represented by al-Qaeda? What can be done to prevent or
avoid such attacks in the future?

Monday, March 21:

Conflicts of the future

K.J. Holsti, The Coming Chaos? Armed Conflicts in the Worlds Periphery, in
International Order and the Future of World Politics, eds. T.V. Paul and John A.
Hall, 283-310 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999).
Wednesday, March 23:

Culture in global politics

Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations? Foreign Affairs 72 (Summer

1993): 22-49.
Friday, March 25:

Good FridayUniversity closed

Monday, March 28:

Second paper due

Canada in the international system

No readings.
Wednesday, March 30:

Guest speaker: Lloyd Axworthy

On Canada in the international system

Friday, April 1:

The future of global politics

Ian Clark, Globalization and the Post-Cold War Order, in The Globalization of
World Politics, 2nd ed., eds. John Baylis and Steve Smith, 634-648 (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2001).
Monday, April 4:

Seminar: The future of global politics

Tuesday, April 5:

Review for final exam