Course Syllabus
I.
Basic Information
Name
of Institution: Department of
International Studies (DIS),
Institute of
Foreign Languages (IFL),
Royal University of
Phnom Penh (RUPP)
Course
Instructor: Lak Chansok[1]
(LCS) (email: chansok2011@gmail.com)
Academic
Date: (Semester I, 2014-2015)
Course
Title: Power, Actors and
Order in International Relations
Course
Code: IS405
Credit
Units: 3 (17 weeks: 45
hours)
II.
Course Description
This
course – Power, Actors and Order in International Relations – specifically
introduces students the nature of power, roles of both state and non-state
actors, and order in international relations which have generally been considered
as the domain of states. To equip students with better understanding about
power, actors and order in international relations, this course will provide
students with both theories and practices based on a variety of articles and
journals (see a list of those articles/journals in ‘textbook and supplementary
readings’ section below).
To
well understand this subject, this entire course is divided into 13 themes
addressing different aspects, ranging from introduction to structure, power,
actors and agency in international relations, development of state and
non-state actors to the understanding of forced migration and other
non-traditional security issues in connection to the states.
Specifically,
the first three themes are about the structure, power, actors and agency in
international relations. The fourth deals with development of the sovereign
states. The fifth addresses domestic politics and foreign policy of the states
in connection with the non-state actors in international relations. The sixth
is all about the dependence and independence of international organizations,
and the seventh is about the rise of transnational actors. The last six themes
are about global governance/civil society, intrastate conflicts, forced
migration, failed states, terrorism/insurgency, as well as cultures,
counterfactuals and other worlds.
III.
Learning Outcomes
This
course is designed for students to achieve three important learning outcomes as
follow:
·
Understand,
explain, and demonstrate various topics or issues relevant to the power
politics, state and non-state actors, and order in international relations.
Those topics/issues will be analytically studied from both theoretical and
practical perspectives;
·
Critically
analyze many minor and major issues relevant to power politics, actors and
order in international relations, starting from the engagement of states in
international organizations to the occurrence of both traditional and
non-traditional security issues, such as terrorism, insurgency, communal
conflicts in Africa, and just name a few;
·
Enable
students to create knowledge or/and theories in explaining those events after
their synthesis and critical evaluation; and
·
Psychologically
construct and identify students’ interest in exposing themselves to various
issues with regards to power, actors, and actors in international relations,
which is of help to prepare them for their future intense and analytical
assessment of the past and ongoing international affairs as well as for their
senior thesis in semester two of year four.
IV. Textbooks and
Supplementary Readings
The
compiled textbook[2]
entitled ‘Power, Actors and Order in International Politics’ will be
used as the core textbook for this course. This textbook consists of the
following e-books’ articles and journals:
James C. S. (1988).
Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have
Failed (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press). Ch2 “Cities, People, and
Language.” 53-83.
Michael Barnett and
Raymond Duvall (2005) “Power in International Politics” International
Organization 59(1): 39-75.
James Fearon and
Alexander Wendt (2002) “Rationalism v. Constructivism: A Skeptical View” in
Walter Carlsnaes, Thomas Risse, and Beth A. Simmons (eds) Handbook of
International Relations (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE): 53-73.
Christian Reus-Smit
(1997) “The Constitutional Structure of International Society and the Nature of
Fundamental Institutions,” International Organization, 51(4): 555-589.
Alexander Wendt (1987)
“The Agent-Structure Problem in International Relations Theory.” International
Organization 41(3): 335-70.
Robert Keohane (2009)
“Political Science as a Vocation.” PS April 2009. 359-363
David A. Lake (2008)
“The State and International Relations” in Reus-Smit and Snidal (eds) The
Oxford Handbook of International Relations (Oxford: Oxford University
Press): 41-61.
Charles Tilly (1992) Coercion,
Capital, and European States: AD 990-1990 (Oxford: Basil Blackwell) Ch1
“Cities and States in World History.” 1-37.
Hendrik Spruyt (1994)
“Institutional Selection in International Relations: State Anarchy as Order” International
Organization 48(4): 527-557.
Graham Allison and
Philip Zelikow (1999) Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile
Crisis 2nd ed (New York: Longman) Introduction and Conclusion.
1-12, 379-407.
Robert D. Putnam (1988)
“Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Level Games” International
Organization 42(3): 427-460.
Kenneth W. Abbott and
Duncan Snidal (1998) “Why States Act through Formal International
Organization.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 42 (1): 32.
Michael Barnett and
Martha Finnemore (1999) “The Politics, Power, and Pathologies of International
Organizations” International Organization 52(4): 699-732.
Margaret E. Keck and
Kathryn Sikkink (1998) Activists Beyond Borders. Advocacy Networks in
International Politics. (Ithaca: Cornel University Press) Chapter 1
“Introduction” 1-38
Joshua Busby (2007)
“Bono Made Jesse Helms Cry: Jubilee 2000, Debt Relief, and Moral Action in
International Politics,” International Studies Quarterly 51 (2):
247-275.
Rebecca Hamilton (2011)
“Creating the Outcry: Citizen-Driven Political Will for Genocide Prevention in
the US Context” Ius gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice
7 (3): 269-277
Alex de Waal (2008)
“The Humanitarian Carnival: A Celebrity Vogue” World Affairs, Fall.
Avant, Deborah D.,
Martha Finnemore, and Susan K. Sell (2010) “Introduction: Who Governs the
Globe?” In Who Governs the Globe?, edited by Deborah D. Avant, Martha
Finnemore and Susan K. Sell. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mary Kaldor (2007) “The
Idea of Global Civil Society” in Mary Kaldor, Human Security: Reflections on
Globalization and Intervention (Cambridge: Polity Press.) 134-152.
Ann Florini (2004) “Is
Global Civil Society a Good Thing?” New Perspective Quarterly 21 (2):
72-77
Severine Autesserre
(2009) “Hobbes and the Congo: Frames, Local Violence, and International
Intervention.” International Organization 63(2): 249-80.
Mary Kaldor (2007) New
& Old Wars: Organized Violence in a Global Era (Stanford: Stanford
University Press) Introduction 1-14
David Keen (2008)
Complex Emergencies (Cambridge: Polity Press) Chapter 1. 11-24.
Stathis N. Kalyvas
(2001) “New and Old” Civil Wars: A Valid Distinction?” World Politics,
54 (Oct). 99-118.
Jeffrey Gettleman
(2010) “Africa’s Forever Wars: Why the Continent’s Conflicts Never End” Foreign
Policy, March/April.
Gil Loescher, Alexander
Betts, and James Milner (2008) “Protection, Solutions, and UNHCR’s Core
Mandate” in Gil Loescher, Alexander Betts, and James Milner The United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: The Politics and Practice of Refugee
Protection into the Twenty-First Century (Milton Park: Routledge) 98-120.
Phil Orchard (2013)
“Governing Forced Migration” in David Williams and Sophie Harman (eds) Governing
the World? The Practice of Global Governance (London: Routledge)
Robert I. Rotberg (ed)
(2003) State Failure and State Weakness in a Time of Terror (Washington
D.C.: Brookings Institution). Ch1: 1-28.
Charles T. Call (2008)
“The Fallacy of the ‘Failed State’” Third World Quarterly 29(8):
1491-1507.
Ayse Zarakol (2011)
“What Makes Terrorism Modern? Terrorism, Legitimacy, and the International
System” Review of International Studies 37 (5): 2311-2336.
James Fearon (1991)
“Counterfactuals and Hypothesis Testing in Political Science,” World
Politics 43 (2): 169-195.
Alexander Wendt and
Raymond Duvall (2008) “Sovereignty and the UFO” Political Theory 36 (4):
607-633.
Daniel W. Drezner
(2011) Theories of International Politics and Zombies (Princeton:
Princeton University Press). Ch 8: “The Social Construction of Zombies”: 67-76.
Other supplementary reading materials can also
be found at IFL’s Self-Access Center (SAC).
V. Procedures
and Requirements
Throughout the entire course,
students will be assigned to do several tasks to accomplish their studies of IS405: Power, Actors, and Order in
International Relations. The following
list contains several items that are strongly expected to be carried out by the
students:
·
Final
examination at the end
of the semester – covering numerous points studied throughout the course. Those
points are key concepts or terms, some comprehension questions (and
short-answer questions if deemed fit) and a critical-thinking question or essay
on one of the topics provided by the course instructor. Details on structure
and contents of the final examination will be explained in more detail in the
due time.
·
Two
progress tests – aiming
to assess students’ learning progress and understanding of what they have been
studying in the course. The tests are to be comprehensive in nature and
effective in practicality and assessment. The tests will most involve key concepts
or terms as well as short and critical thinking questions to help students
reflect on the materials they have been studying since the beginning of the
course. Further details will be explained at least one week prior to the test
dates.
·
One
written assignment (group or individual) – the themes of the assignment will be provided by the course
instructor who teaches this subject, and the students have the freedom to
choose any topics of their interest within the given themes. Topics then need
to be finalized with the consent of both the lecturers and the students. The
students are supposed to carry out a number of tasks to achieve the good
assignment’s score, namely drafting, collecting data, student-lecturer
counseling, peer-editing, and presenting. At the nearly end of the semester,
the students have to present their paper in front of the class.
·
Chapter
presentation – the
students working in groups will have an opportunity to present/debate a topic
of their interest in a specific chapter of the compiled textbook. Such a
presentation/debate should be purely academic and non-political so as to trigger
their analytical skills as well as to improve their knowledge.
·
Class
participation –
students are highly encouraged to proactively or at least actively participate
in a variety of in-class activities, including in-class group discussions,
debate, homework, reflection, quizzes, etc. Several short quizzes—informed or
surprised—will take place throughout the course to keep the students alert and
prepared for the lessons.
VI. Methods
of Instruction
The
course will be conducted through a series of lectures, presentations, debates,
Q&A sessions, movies/documentaries, and hopefully a number of small
competitions. Student-center approach is preferred since such method
enables more input from the students and can generate more interaction in
class. Besides providing some key concepts and explanation during lectures,
lecturers also act as guidance, providing necessary help and advice for the
students.
VII. Grading
Criteria/Assessment
·
On-going
Assessment: 60%
-
Progress
Test 1&2: 20%
-
Written
Assignment: 10%
-
Paper
Presentation: 10%
-
Chapter
Presentation: 05%
-
Class
Participation:
15%
·
Final
Examination: 40%
·
Total:
100%
VIII. Course Outline
and Schedule
The sessions are planned
as a coherent series, and students will gain a full understanding of the
dynamic political and socio-economic development in Southeast Asia only if they
attend the class regularly.
|
Week
|
Contents
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
1
|
·
Class commencement
·
Course orientation/introduction
v Course description
and objectives
v Course
requirements/instruction methods
v Course outline and
assignment/test schedules
· Written
Assignment, Chapter Presentation and Group Selection for Assignment &
Presentation
v Introduction to Assignment
& Presentation
v Group Selection for
Assignment & Presentation
|
|
|
I.
Theoretical Underpinnings
|
||
|
2
|
· Theme
1: Introduction: Power and Actors in International Relations
v Chapter
1: Cities, People and Language
v Chapter 2: Power in
International Relations
v Review
and Q&A
|
Lecture
|
|
3
|
· Theme
2: Structure, Actors and Agency in International Relations (I)
v Chapter
3: Rationalism v. Constructivism: A Skeptical View
v Chapter
4: The Constitutional Structure of International Society and the Nature
of Fundamental Institutions
v Chapter
5: The Agent-Structure Problem in International Relations Theory
v Review
and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
Major
Assignments (Group/Topic Selection)
|
||
|
4
|
·
Theme 3: Structure, Actors and Agency in
International Relations (II)
v Chapter
6: Political Science as a Vocation
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
II.
Actors in the International System
|
||
|
5
|
· Theme
4: The Development of the Sovereign State: Why the State? Why Sovereignty?
v Chapter
7: The State and International Relations
v Chapter
8: Cities and State in World History
v Chapter
9: Institutional Selection in International Relations: State Anarchy as
Order
v Review and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
6
|
·
Theme 5: Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy
v Chapter
10: Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Level Games
·
Review and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
Progress
Test I
|
||
|
7
|
· Theme
6: The (In)dependence of International Organizations
v Chapter
11: Why States Act through Formal International Organizations
v Chapter
12: The Politics, Power, and Pathologies of International Organizations
·
Review and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
8
|
·
Theme 7: Rise of Transnational Actors
v Chapter
13: Transnational Advocacy Networks in International Politics:
Introduction
v Chapter
14: Bono Made Jesse Helms Cry: Jubilee 2000, Debt Relief, and Moral
Action in International Politics
v Chapter
15: The Humanitarian Carnival: A Celebrity Vogue
·
Review and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
9
|
·
Theme 8: Beyond the State: Global Governance
and Civil Society
v Chapter
16: Who Governs the Globe?
v Chapter
17: Is Global Civil Society a Good Thing?
·
Review and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
First
Draft of Major Assignment Submission
|
||
|
III.
Decline of The State?
|
||
|
10
|
·
Theme 9: The State and Communal Conflict
v Chapter
18: Hobbes and the Congo: Frames, Local Violence and International
Intervention
v Chapter
19: New and Old Civil Wars: A Valid Distinction?
v Chapter
20: Africa’s Forever Wars: Why the Continent’s Conflicts Never End?
·
Review and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
Progress
Test II
|
||
|
11
|
·
Theme 10: Forced Migration
v Chapter
21: Protection, Solutions and UNHCR’s Core Mandate
·
Review and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
12
|
·
Theme 11: When States Fail?
v Chapter
22: Failed States, Collapsed States, Weak States: Causes and Indicators
v Chapter
23: The Fallacy of the ‘Failed States’
·
Review and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
Final
Draft of Major Assignment Submission
|
||
|
13
|
·
Theme 12: Terrorism, Insurgency and the
(Post)-Modern State System: Non-State Actors as Transnational Agents
v Chapter
24: What Makes Terrorism Modern?
Terrorism, Legitimacy and the International System
·
Review and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
14
|
·
Theme 13: Cultures, Counterfactuals and Other
Worlds
v Chapter
25: Counterfactuals and Hypothesis Testing in Political Science
v Chapter
26: Sovereignty and the UFO
·
Review and Q&A
|
Presentation
and
Lecture
|
|
15
|
·
Major Assignment Presentations
v Group Presentations
·
Review and Q&A
|
Group
Presentation
|
|
16
|
·
Final Examination Review
·
Teaching Assessment
|
Review
and Assessment
|
|
17
|
·
Semester Exam Preparation Break
|
|
|
Final
Examination
|
||
Note: This course outline is subject to change if/when deemed necessary.
[1] Lak Chansok is currently a full-time
lecturer at Department of International Studies, Institute of Foreign Languages
of Royal University of Phnom Penh. He is also research fellow at Cambodian
Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), a young leader of Pacific Forum
CSIS Young Leader Program, and a member of Council for Security Cooperation in
Asia Pace (CSCAP Cambodia).
[2] Within this compiled textbook, all of
articles and journals can be downloaded in ‘Power, Actors and Order in
International Relations’ section on RUPP’s Moodle (http://rupp.edu.kh/moodle/course/category.php?id=47). However, all the reading materials
thereof are strictly protected by the copy rights of authors and thus can be
used only for the academic purpose.
No comments:
Post a Comment