Political Science 1402: Introduction to International Politics.

Professor Stephen Dyson

Office: Oak 406
E-Mail: stephen.dyson@uconn.edu
Office Hours MW: 11:30-1.

Lecture Time and Place: LH 101. 10:10-11am MF.

Discussions: F

Course Purposes and Goals

International Politics is the study of relations between states, institutions, and other world actors.
It seeks to make a complex world understandable by developing theories about how the world
works and where we should direct our attention. These theories are creative acts of imagination,
based upon the intuition and learning of thinkers to whom we will be introduced.

As international relations theories are acts of creativity and abstraction, they are fundamentally
analogous to the creation of fiction, specifically speculative fiction about alternate or future forms
of political and social organization.

Both international relations theories and politically based fictions draw upon history and culture
for inspiration, and then try to explain historical and culture patterns of behavior. In this class, we
ground our work in international relations theory, we place these theories in their historical and
cultural reference points, and we critique / extend them by comparison with speculative fiction
that is especially rich in political content.

The goal is to work back-and-forth from history, culture, theory, and fiction to provide both an
entry point to this specialized academic discipline and a durable way of thinking about the social
world that carries over into other parts of the curriculum and into an engaged and reflective
intellectual life.

Required Texts

One text is required for this class and is available at the bookstore. All readings are in this text
unless otherwise indicated.

 Stephen Benedict Dyson. Otherworldly Politics: The International Relations of Star Trek,
Game of Thrones, and Battlestar Galactica. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015.

Assessment

The grade is calculated from three examinations – two take homes and a cumulative in-class final,
which will ask you to integrate class material and readings. In addition, a movie report
assignment is worth 5% and, once completed, an additional 4% (2 x 2%) of extra credit for
further reports is available. Finally, 15% of the grade is based upon attendance in lecture and
discussion sections and contributions to the discussion sections.

- Midterm One (25%)

- Midterm Two (25%)
- Final (30%)
- Movie attendance and report (5% - must attend and report on one. 2% extra credit for
attending and reporting on a second and third movie).
- Attendance and Participation (15%)

Class Polices:

Due Dates

The due dates for the exams and assignments are non-negotiable. No late work will be accepted.

Reading

Reading for each class is to be completed prior to the lecture session, where reasoned
commentary and discussion is encouraged.

Etiquette

Please don’t conduct private conversations or disturb the learning of others. Don’t text or use the
internet in class time – it’s tough not to do, I know, but it distracts those around you and can be
disheartening for me as I walk around the lecture hall seeking to engage with you.

What if I don’t like Speculative Fiction?

I’ll teach or show you the main points of the relevant fictions, in the same way that I will cover
the main points of the theories and the relevant history. Although we don’t have enough time
together to cover everything, and college classes provide frameworks for independent learning
rather than the delivery of blocks of facts, we can work toward a solid foundation and develop the
tools to learn more.

Occasionally, someone feels unwilling or unable to think about links between fiction and reality,
and prefers to drop the class in the first one or two sessions and chose a professor or course with a
different approach (1402 is offered every semester and sometimes in multiple versions in the
same semester, every prof. covers the basic theories, but every prof. also does it in a distinctive
way based upon their training, interests, the interests of the specific group of students, what’s
happening in the world at the time, etc). I won’t take it personally if this class is not for you, and
of course this is the precise purpose of the drop / add period.

MIDTERM ONE: DISTRIBUTED 2/22, DUE 3/3.

MIDTERM TWO: DISTRIBUTED 3/27, DUE 4/7.
MOVIES: 3/2; 3/20; 4/5, 7PM
MOVIE REPORTS: IN DISCUSSION SECTION FOLLOWING MOVIE.
FINAL EXAMINATION AS PER UNIVERSITY SCHEDULE.

Schedule

INTRODUCTION
1 Introduction to the course (1/18)
Required Reading:
Dyson, Preface and final section (“The Five Most Politically Relevant…”)

2 Worldbuilding (1/23, 1/25)

Required Reading:
Dyson, Chapter one

3. Types of thinking in International Relations. (2/1)

4. Idealism (aka Liberalism) (2/6)

Required Reading:
Dyson, Chapter two

WATCH: “The City on the Edge of Forever” (2/8)

4 Realism (2/13)
Required Reading:
(Dyson, Chapter two)
Watch outside of class: Game of Thrones, S1, E9: “Baelor”

5 Marxism (2/15)
Watch outside of class: “Snowpiercer”

6 Neorealism (2/20, 2/22)

Required Reading:
Dyson, Chapter three

7 Neoliberalism (aka Liberal Internationalism) (2/27)

Required Reading:
(Dyson, chapter three)

8 Constructivism (3/1)
Required Reading:
Dyson, Chapter 4.

MOVIE NIGHT (3/2): ARRIVAL

9. Similarity and Difference (3/6, 3/8)

Required Reading:
Dyson, Chapter 5

10. The Politics of Star Wars (3/20)

Required Reading:
Zoe Williams, “Why Star Wars is a Political Force to be Reckoned With.”
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/17/why-star-wars-is-a-political-force-to-
be-reckoned-with
MOVIE NIGHT (3/20): STAR WARS

OPEN MIC DAY – (3/22)

11 Crisis (3/27)
Required Reading:
Dyson, Chapter 6

WATCH: Battlestar Galactica, S1, E1: “33” (3/29).

12 The Politics of Game of Thrones (4/3)

Required Reading: Charli Carpenter: “Game of Thrones as Theory” Foreign Affairs,
March 29th 2012.

13 Science and Ethics in the International Politics of the Present / Future 1

(Weapons of Mass Destruction) (4/5)

MOVIE NIGHT 4/5: The Wrath of Khan.

14 Science and Ethics in the International Politics of the Present / Future 1

(Human Rights) (4/10)
Required Reading: Dyson, chapter 7, p. 115-122.

15 Science and Ethics in the International Politics of the Present / Future 2

(Drones)
Required Reading: Dyson, chapter 7, p. 123-130. (4/12)

16 Science and Ethics in the International Politics of the Present / Future 3 (Cyber
War) (4/17)
Watch outside of class: Zero Days.

17 Conclusion and Review ( 4/19, 4/24, 4/26)