COURSE DESCRIPTION

Offered during the last academic semester of the twentieth century, Global Issues is a course aimed at introducing students to the events, trends, and problems facing citizens and leaders in an increasingly interdependent world. The course is designed to inform, to provoke, and most especially to inspire you to think seriously about pressing political, economic, social, and ecological concerns in the contemporary world. Assuming no prior knowledge of international relations or comparative politics, the course targets a multidisciplinary audience: students in business, education, and arts and sciences. Upon completion of the course, all students will emerge with a more sophisticated understanding of important core concepts (e.g., sovereignty, identity, development, sustainability, security), with a greater awareness of alternative perspectives to interpreting and resolving global dilemmas (e.g., population growth, environmental degradation, transnational crime flows), and with an enhanced confidence in your own ability to articulate informed positions on important issues.

Among the questions we will ask are the following:

• Are nuclear weapons necessary to preserve global stability?
• Is "modernization" distinct from "Westernization"?
• Are we witnessing a shifting balance of power between civilizations (Western, Asian, Islamic)?
• What forces threaten the sovereignty of the nation-state?
• Is economic integration (NAFTA, European Union, etc.) necessarily a "good thing"?
• Is there a role for ethics and morality in foreign policy?
• Can capitalism coexist with environmental protection?

TEXTS AND COURSE MATERIALS

The following books are required and are available at the university bookstore:

CNN http://www.cnn.com/

The New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/

The Washington Posthttp://www.washingtonpost.com

For additional Internet sites, you should see the Global Affairs Resource Page for this course at: http://www.gsu.edu/~polwmd/Global.htm
 
 

CLASS FORMAT

Most class sessions will combine some mix of lecture and discussion/debate. All students should come to class having read the assigned reading for the day. However, class lectures may not always simply repackage the reading material and may, instead, expand well beyond the reading to related themes or tackle the themes of the reading in different fashion. In other words, lectures will complement the readings, not provide a substitute for doing them. Current events will be discussed throughout the course and may also be part of the exams. Additionally, we will on occasion make use of video resources and guest speakers.

ASSISTANCE

I encourage you to make good use of my office hours (MW, 3:00-4:30). If these hours conflict with your own schedule, please call or e-mail to arrange an appointment. If you show up unannounced at my office outside of scheduled hours, unfortunately I will not be able to be of much help.

Teaching Assistant. Cecilie Lilletvedt, a graduate student in the political science program, will serve as teaching assistant for this course. She will assist in course preparation, grading, and mentoring. If you have a pressing concern and cannot reach me, you can contact her at cillel@yahoo.com. If there is sufficient demand, Ms. Lilletvedt may hold study sections for interested students on occasion throughout the semester.
 
 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING SYSTEM

Students will be evaluated along four dimensions. A midterm exam and a final exam will determine one half of your grade. The remaining 50% will be determined by quiz scores (25%) and performance on three written assignments (25%).

Quizzes. As a means both of testing your reading comprehension and of requiring consistent attendance, unannounced quizzes will be given from time to time. They will be based on the assigned readings. There will be no make-ups for missed quizzes. Missing a quiz for medical reasons or for attending an official university sponsored inter-collegiate event (but not a practice) will be excused only when accompanied by a written note from the attending physician (one week following absence) or team coach (one week prior to event).
 

Class Participation. Students must complete the assigned readings on time, and actively participate in class discussions.

Position Papers. There are twelve in-class debates scheduled during the semester, each of which is based on a Yes/No Issue in the Rourke book. You will sign up early in the semester for three of these debate themes. On the day of the debate you must come to class with a three-page position paper setting out an argument for your position on the issue. All debaters will then help contribute to an informed debate on the subject. The rest of the class will be invited to join in with provocative questions and comments.

See Sign-Up Sheet for Positions Papers

Examinations. Two in-class examinations, consisting of a midterm exam and final, will constitute 50% of each student's grade. The exams will consist of a mix of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Material discussed in class and material covered in required readings will appear on the exams.

Quizzes 25%

Position Papers
Paper 1 5%
Paper 2 10%
Paper 3 10%

Midterm 20%

Final Exam 30%
 

SCHEDULE

August 23 Introduction

August 25 Globalization and Interdependence

Do Serious Threats to U.S. Security Exist?

Rourke, Issue 1 (pp. 2-21)

• R. James Woolsey, "Threats to United States National Security"
• Carl Conetta and Charles Knight, "Inventing Threats"

September 8 Evolution of the Nation-State System

• Dominic A. Tarantino, "Principled Business Leadership"
• Manuel Velasquez, "International Business, Morality, and the Common Good"

September 20 Setting the Pace? America’s Transition to the Global Market

• James P. Grant, "Jumpstarting Development"
• The Economist, "The Kindness of Strangers"

• Murray Weidenbaum, "American Isolationism versus the Global Economy"
• Gregory Algo, "The World Economy, Market Imperatives and Alternatives"

• Robert S. Ross, "Enter the Dragon"
• Greg Mastel, "Beijing at Bay"

October 18 The Psychology of Enemy Making

Does the World Need to Have Nuclear Weapons at All?

Debate 5

Rourke, Issue 8 (pp. 136-147)

• Tom Bethell, "No Nukes America"
• George Lee Butler, "Eliminating Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Scourge of Nuclear Weapons"

Will Creating a Palestinian State Promote Peace in the Middle East?

Debate 6

Rourke, Issue 2 (pp. 22-41)

• Herbert C. Kelman, "Building a Sustainable Peace"
• Douglas J. Feith, "Wye and the Road to War"

Should a Permanent UN Military Force Be Established?

Debate 7

Rourke, Issue 9 (pp. 148-171)

• Joseph E. Schwartzberg, "A New Perspective on Peacekeeping Lessons from Bosnia and Elsewhere"
• John F. Hillen III, "Policing the New World Order: The Operational Utility of a Permanent U.N. Army"

November 3 Principles and Values in the Global Arena

Should Foreign Policymakers Minimize Human Rights Concerns?

• Alan Tonelson, "Jettison the Policy"
• Michael Posner, "Rally Round Human Rights"

Would World Affairs Be More Peaceful if Women Dominated Politics?

Debate 9

Rourke, Issue 14

• Francis Fukuyama, "Women and the Evolution of World Politics"
• Mary Caprioli, "The Myth of Women’s Pacifism"

November 15 Ecological Problems in Perspective

Should the Kyoto Treaty Be Supported?

Debate 10

Rourke, Issue 17 (pp. 310-325)

• Bill Clinton, "Kyoto Conference on Climate Change Reaches Agreement to Limit Emission of Greenhouse Gases"
• J. Kenneth Blackwell, "The Kyoto Protocol: Using Provisional Science for a World Power Grab"

November 29 Population Explosions and Immigration

Readings on Reserve at Library South:

Jennifer D. Mitchell, "Before the Next Doubling," World Watch (1998)

Rourke, Issue 13 (pp. 240-252)

• Eyal Press, "Clinton Pushes Military Aid: Human-Rights Abuses Lap It Up"
• Barry McCaffrey, "Hemispheric Drug Control: Fighting Drug Production and Trafficking"

Rourke, Issue 11 (pp. 208-221)

• Beth K. Lamont, "Establishing an International Criminal Court"
• Lee A. Casey and David B. Rivkin, Jr., "Against an International Criminal Court"

December 8 Making Sense of Disparate Trends…and Projecting the Future

Note: This course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary.

Note: Students are responsible for the information contained in the University’s Academic Honesty policy.

Note: The last day to drop and receive a "W" is October 15.