INTL 5510: Theories of International Relations

Course Description

An examination of historical and contemporary theories in international relations; the role of political, economic, ethnic, religious and other belief systems or philosophical approaches within the global system. Course requirements include two sets of study questions, five student-to-student discussion requirements, one conflict analysis paper, and one peer-review writing assignment.

Course Objectives

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

To gain a conceptual understanding of the key concepts, uses, and implications of the major theories in International Relations.
To become familiar with the scholarly literature in the field of International Relations.
A familiarity with the key thinkers who made significant contributions to the field.
To critically analyze international events and policies through the use of various theoretical and ideological approaches.
To conduct research on an international conflict using one or more of the theoretical approaches examined in the course.
To develop research competencies using Webster's Internet resources.

Prerequisites

Have a bachelor's degree and be willing to work independently at the graduate level.
Have sound analytical reasoning skills.
Have graduate level written communications skills.

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.

Discussions:
Student "active" participation in online discussions is mandatory. It is expected that students' comments should integrate their own experience with the topic. Discussion dialogue should always be substantive, thoughtful, respectful, and meaningful with the instructor and other students. Discussion questions could be based on any course material such as weekly assignments and readings.

Video Requirement:
The student will be envolved in several weekly assignment involving video. In some cases, but not all, Real Player is required to view the video clips. Students MUST have the ability to view the video clips.

Weekly Study Questions:
Each week, students will work on "study questions" which consist of answering a series of questions from the course readings and video clips. Students are evaluated on the substantive content and the quality of their writing. These responses are not supposed to be a paper, but rather brief highlights of the readings. In many cases, there will not be a correct "answer," but rather a viewpoint or interpretation.

Conflict Analysis Paper:
This is a research paper on a recent or current international conflict. The analysis must be based upon one or more of the theories examined in this course. The professor will assign topics to students.

Participation:
The instructor reserves the right to drop any student enrolled in the course who fails to participate in class appropriately, e.g., nonparticipation in discussions and/or failure to submit assignments.

Policy Statements

I encourage students to plan ahead to avoid having to rush or turn assignments in late. If students know they will be out of town, have a family or medical emergency, or have other contingencies that interrupt their schedules, they should contact me as soon (or, for planned events, as far in advance) as possible. We can then agree on when a late assignment will be submitted. If students fail to contact me, late assignments will be docked two percent per day after the normal submission date. I will not accept late assignments turned in later than one week after the submission date.

Webster University strives to be a center of academic excellence. As part of our Statement of Ethics, the University seeks 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.

This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

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