GVPT 401 Problems of World Politics

Description | Textbooks | Readings | Global Politics Links | WebTycho Login

Description

We will study the major themes of world politics in the new millennium: the promise and problems of globalization, the changing character of sovereignty, and the need to find global solutions to pressing global problems. The course explores such topics as debates over globalization, the rise of trans-sovereign problems, gender and world affairs, and such global security issues as terrorism, the cyberthreat, nuclear proliferation and control, organized crime, and the drug trade.

Since this course is so interlocked with current events, and especially because it is an upper level course, students will be encouraged to suggest topics that we will cover. The schedule of themes and discussions is not set in stone. Please inform the class and the instructor of your particular interests.

The weekly units from last term included a general discussion of the major issues in the context of American dominance and discussions of the role of international organizations (UN, ICJ, IMF), gender and world problems, the Bush Doctrine and the invasion of Iraq, ethnic conflict in the Balkans, ethno-religious conflict in the Middle East, the legacy of the Cold War, the War on Terror, globalization and the end of nation states, and the Southeast Asian tsunami.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

*identify and critique global issues, how these issues intersect, and the origins of these issues within the theoretical or historical context that unites current challenges

*describe and analyze globalization, the rise of nonstate actors, and the effects on sovereignty

*describe and evaluate the various policy proposals to manage global issues which cross state borders and include state and nonstate actors, public and private sectors

*assess the changing roles of nonstate actors, including intergovernmental organizations, non governmental organizations, and multinational corporations

*assess current theories about sovereignty, whether it is changing or as powerful as ever

*compare and contrast the thinking about global problems in light of the attacks of September 11, 2001

This course also has more abstract goals common to all the classes I teach, but which are especially pertinent to an upper level class on topics of such immediate importance. In keeping with my teaching philosophy, students will practice forming and formulating informed opinions on complex issues. Students practice using written expression on several levels - in the semi-formal environment of online written discussions/debates, in the more formal setting of structured essay writing, and when writing a research project. The research project will also serve to further hone students' skills on the collection and organization of information.

Assignments include a research paper (see my policy on research papers and research guide), a position paper from the perspective of a country other than America on a current issue, two exams and constant class participation weekly conference discussions of issues. Background for the discussions consists of readings from the textbooks and, occasionally, scholarly articles or other online resources.

Textbooks

Nye, Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History (4th ed.), 2003.

Rourke, Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in World Politics (11th ed.), 2003.

Readings

Most of the readings for this class are in the textbooks. Here are a few of the articles we discussed last term and may use again in a future section of this class:

Caprioli, Mary:

Gendered Conflict. Journal of Peace Research Vol. 37 No.1 (2000), 51-68.

McCartney, Paul T.:

American Nationalism and U.S. Foreign Policy from September 11 to the Iraq War. Political Science Quarterly Vol. 119, No. 3 (2004), 399-423.

Roy, Arundhati: Tide? Or Ivory Snow? Public Power in the Age of Empire. Speech given in San Francisco on 16 August, 2004.
Stukuls-Eglitis, Daina:
. Draft supplied by author from August, 2001.

Global Politics Links

The first time I taught the course "Problems of World Politics", I required the students to find links to international organizations and other useful webpages for this class. They put together the following list, to which I have added a few of my favourites.

Political and Financial Organizations

The United Nations This world organization needs little introduction.
United Nations Research Guide This website is designed for people researching information of UN related topics. It covers reports, resolutions, meeting records, sales publications, and press releases.
International Monetary Fund Latest publications of IMF, be careful, some of the publications have to be purchased. All and all if you don't know a lot about IMF, this is a good place to start.
World Bank homepage There are several areas worth exploring, but most importantly there is a portion devoted to research, such as the policies, working papers, programs and projects of the world bank.
European Union Here is the homepage of Europe’s pride, one of the worlds biggest multinational projects. For more on the EU, see Gateway to the European Union
Oil Producing and Exporting Countries A predominantly Middle Eastern organization, though it's members include Venezuala and Indonesia. This is an important organization considering the record prices of oil and the importance of the energy market in world politics.
Association of South East Asian Nations
A regional trade organization.
North American Free Trade Organization. There doesn’t appear to be a homepage, but this is a good reference with links to information on NAFTA, another important regional trade organization.

Military Organizations and Alliances, Peacekeeping

NATO NATO was formed in 1949 to counter the Soviet threat. What is it for now? Check it out.
Peacekeeping Links A useful resource for international peacekeeping operations. There are several links for peace keeping missions and organizations.

Cultural, Human Rights and Aid and Development Organizations

Directory of Development Organizations Government, Private Sectors, NGO's
Directory of Relief Organizations
UNESCO This a link to the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization site which is as close to a bird’s eye view of global affairs as it gets. You can find just about any topic of international interest here.
Doctors Without Borders Known worldwide under the French name, Medecin Sans Frontieres, they provide health care all over the world and report on human rights concerns.
Amnesty International This is probably the most widely known human rights watch group.
World Health Organization The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency for health. It was established on 7 April 1948. WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.
World Vision World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty.
Humanitarian Agency of the United Methodist Church. UMCOR's mission is to alleviate human suffering with open minds to all religions and open hearts to all people. UMCOR is a humanitarian, non-proselytising agency of the United Methodist Church.

Collections of Links on Other Webpages, Directories, Research Guides, Data

Union of International Associations. Resources and links to many organizations.
World Fact Book. Includes country profiles, economy overviews, political parties and representatives, international disputes, international organization participation, etc.
Official Online World Statistics Free and easily accessible statistics from official sources, sorted by country and region.
The Edwin Ginn Library at the Fletcher School, Tufts University This site has a list of links of current and past international political problems and relations.
Special Forces Search Engine This site is a reference cite utilized by the contractors currently deployed in Iraq as well as special forces operators.

Treaties and Documents

Foreign Affairs Scholarship, International Law

European Journal of International Law Peer-reviewed analysis and essays.
Foreign Affars A good scholarly resource.

The United States in World Affairs

The United States Department of State
100 Milestone Documents Be sure to read the section on why these 100 documents were chosen for the Milestone Documents website.
The Constitution of the United States of America

Pages on other individual countries

German-foreign-policy.com with current articles on German foreign policy in several languages, including issues which are off the front page