INTL 5400: International Political Economy

Course Description

The main text is subtitled, "Understanding the International Order." That should be the student's main goal. Understanding requires theory, concepts, and cognitive knowledge, and here not only normative but ideological factors intervene. Hence, the learning goals reflect the instructor's conviction that how we understand economics is itself political, and that student's must show some familiarity with several frameworks for understanding capitalism as it functions in different national environment and in the form of globalization.

Course Objectives

Listed below are the long-term objectives you should be striving towards as a participant AND contributor in this course:

Students show familiarity with key macro-economic concepts used in the political economy literature.
Students can describe the major issues regarding the state's relationship to global capitalism in the post Cold War era.
Students can assess the extent to which economic globalization is enhancing or putting in peril the prospects for peace.
Students can debate the extent to which economic imperialism remains a major feature of the international economic order.

Prerequisites

Minimally, students should have general knowledge of major theories of international relations (realism and liberalism are especially important) and be informed in general about world events. Students should be competent in writing well-organized expository essays. No prior knowledge of economics is assumed. Students are expected to have a "news habit," meaning that they regularly read news on major world events.

Course Materials

Please go to MBS Direct to find the appropriate textbooks for this course.

Please be aware when purchasing your textbooks that the International versions of the text may differ from the Domestic (North American) version required for your course.

Click here for more information about textbooks for online courses..

Course Activities

The course will be conducted entirely online. Students are expected to participate in all course activities as assigned by the instructor. Course activities may include extensive reading, papers, presentations, discussions, quizzes, and/or group projects.

Policy Statements

Ethics and Plagiarism:
(Adapted from the syllabus of Prof. Britt Marie Schiller): Plagiarism is the dishonest practice of using another person's words of ideas as your own without crediting them. You must always credit the source of your quotes and your paraphrases if they are not common knowledge. For essays, full citations should be provided when you utilize sources beyond assigned readings; you may simply refer to the author and page number for assigned materials Seek guidance from me if you are not sure whether or how to credit someone. Deliberate (e.g., stealing an essay from a website -- or buying one) plagiarism will result in severe penalties. Note also, using large excerpts or simply paraphrasing the text book also constitutes plagiarism, even if in these cases it is clear that you are not intentionally doing so.

Ethics:
Webster University strives to be a center of academic excellence. As part of our Statement of Ethics, the University strives to preserve academic honor and integrity by repudiating all forms of academic and intellectual dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism, and all other forms of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and is subject to disciplinary action. The University reserves the right to utilize electronic databases, such as Turnitin.com, to assist faculty and students with their academic work. Students who are discovered cheating or committing plagiarism will be awarded a failing grade for the course, and may be subject to dismissal or further discipline.

The syllabus and course schedule are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

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