Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2020 - POL 141 D100

War, International Cooperation and Development (3)

Class Number: 7537

Delivery Method: Remote

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 8, 2020: TBA, TBA
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 11, 2020
    Fri, 3:00–3:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Explores causes and consequences of international political conflict, including war, terrorism, protectionism, nationalism, economic disparity, migration, and humanitarian crises. Evaluates how states and non-state actors navigate and influence these conflicts and the role of international law, diplomacy, and organizational cooperation. Analyzes worldviews on war, peace, human rights, and world order. Students who have taken POL 241 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Social Sciences.

COURSE DETAILS:

Fall 2020:

This course will be delivered online, using Canvas and Zoom. The lectures will be asynchronous and zoom recorded, meaning you can watch them in your own schedule. However, weekly discussion and tutorial groups will be in real time. Some of this time will be used to have discussions and for the instructor to ask questions. Make sure you know your group and time as attendance is mandatory.  Course instructions, communications, and assignments will take place through Canvas. Every week the professor and tutorial leader will create a one hour zoom session for consultations where students can drop in. All zoom invitations will be provided to students via Canvas. Inquiries by email will generally be answered within 24 hours. Appointments for individual questions should be requested via email.

Course Description:

This course explores big questions: why do states remain the most important actors in international politics? Why and how do states use both power and principle to determine their interests? What are the causes of conflict and war and the conditions for cooperation and peace? How do international law and organization affect how states act? Is world order possible, and if so on what terms and in what way?  We examine these questions by means of normative and historical international theory. The three worldviews or paradigms are international Realism, Liberalism, and Idealism/Revolutionism. Beside these normative traditions, we also consider the civilizational and cultural context of international politics, including the European/North American, Chinese, Indian, and Middle-East/Islamic perspectives.

Grading

  • Take home Mid-term 30%
  • Personal learning and interpretation Journal 20%
  • One essay (includes short proposal) 20%
  • Interactive group discussions with TA and/or Instructor with questions and short presentations (these are run via Zoom) 30%

NOTES:

(All late Assignments will receive a 10% penalty per day).

 

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Each student must have his/her own copy of these two textbooks. The first (Martin Wight is an e-book, available free of charge through the SFU Library. The second book you must buy direct from Amazon.ca in paperback.


1.  Martin Wight, International Theory: the Three Traditions (Edited by Gabriele Wight and Brian Porter), Royal Institute of International Affairs, 2002.

2.  Henry Kissinger, World Order, New York: Penguin Books, 2014.
ISBN: 978-0-14-312771-0

In addition to these two texts, there will be several assigned electronic journal readings via SFULIB or as indicated on Canvas.


Department Undergraduate Notes:

The Department of Political Science strictly enforces a policy on plagiarism.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2020

Teaching at SFU in fall 2020 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).