Saturday, August 24, 2019
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Introduction to International Relations - Graduate Course - Fall 2019 - Shanghai University
Instructor:
Tugrul Keskin
Office: East Campus,
College of Liberal Art
Cell: 86+15000-465734
Office
Hours: Tuesday 1:00 – 4:00 PM or by appointment
A developing
country that wants to develop its economy must first of all keep natural
resources in its own hands.
- Deng Xiaoping
- Deng Xiaoping
China will never seek hegemony or expansion – no matter what stage of
development it reaches.
China’s socialist democracy best for
Chinese people’s interests, no need to copy the political system of other
countries. 19th National Congress of the
Communist Party of China – Xi
Course Description and Objective
The focus of this course is global and comparative politics. Therefore,
the major themes of the course relate directly to comparative political changes
and conflicts in the 19th, 20th and 21st
centuries. In order to understand global politics, we need to explore the historical
legacy of international relations and economic transformation. Today’s
paradigms were created in relation to specific events in the past, and now continue
to fuel political conflicts and international relations. At the beginning of
the 20st century, there was a modern and bureaucratic state structure
in Europe, which emerged as a consequence of the industrialization of the late
18th century. The 18th and 19th century’s
patterns of industrialization then fueled domestic migration and the migration
of rural populations to the big cities, which led to mass urbanization and the
creation of the nation-state.
During and after the industrialization process, the emergence of the
nation-state led to the formation of nationalism and national identities, as we
know them today. This was also a product of the domestic market, and was used
in order to develop and expand capitalist interests. The decline of religious
identities has thus been replaced with the rise in national identities.
According to Karl Marx, the state and nationalism were necessary mechanisms of
exploitation, used to protect the interests of the bourgeoisie – or upper
classes. Nationalism became a new ‘religion’ and a mechanism to represent the collective
consciousness.
At the time of the 20th century economic revolution, we
witnessed rapid social changes, such as women’s participation in the workforce,
an increase in education across all sectors of the population, the popular use
of visual and print media, and the emergence of the nuclear family, among
numerous other trends. Changes such as this led to a flourishing multi-party
system democracy. However, the new economic system was also the engine of these
changes and has continued to reproduce itself for the sake of the free market
economy.
Today, capitalism has moved to a new stage in its development in the
second part of the twentieth century. The political system of the nation-state
changed because old style bureaucratic structures created obstacles for the new
free market economy. Therefore, the role of the nation-state has since weakened
and this has led to the formation and predominance of powerful transnational corporations.
In this course, we will observe, analyze, and understand the
consequences of this transformation in comparative perspective. Every concept
and phenomenon will be explored within the disciplines of Sociology, Political
Science, International Relations and Global/International Studies. As an
introduction to these disciplines, the purpose of the course is to develop a
foundational knowledge of these fields, enhanced analytical skills, and to
develop a terminology that is relevant to a broad understanding of the
economic, social and political transformations of our time.
Learning Outcomes (Tugrul Keskin):
By
the end of the course, you will have enhanced your:
§
Critical
thinking in relation
to international studies
§
Ability
to question dogmas and taboos in today’s societies
§
Consciousness
of differing perspectives and diversity
§
Understanding
of world issues and trends
§
Understanding
of the impact of colonialism and imperialism in developing
nations
You also will increase your knowledge
concerning:
§
Resources
in your potential discipline
§
Resources
specific to your region
§
Traditional
information sources
§
Alternative
information sources
§
Knowledge
of relevant methodologies
Learning Outcomes
Core Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate an understanding
of world politics within the context of globalization, as well as developing
the skills and attitudes to function as “global citizens.”
Specific Outcomes:
- Demonstrate knowledge of global issues, processes, trends and systems (i.e. economic and political interdependency among nations; environmental-cultural interaction; global governance bodies).
- Can articulate an understanding of her/his culture in global and comparative context; that is, recognizes that her/his culture is one of many diverse cultures and that alternate perceptions and behaviors may be based in cultural differences.
- Demonstrates an understanding of the meaning and practice of political, military, economic, and cultural hegemony within states and within the global system.
- Demonstrates an understanding of how her/his field is viewed and practiced in different international contexts.
- Uses diverse cultural perspectives and frames of reference, including those of the media, to think critically and solve problems.
- Uses information from other languages and other countries to extend their access to information and experiences.
- Interprets issues and situations from more than one cultural perspective.
- Can articulate differences among cultures; demonstrates tolerance for the diverse viewpoints that emerge from these differences.
- Demonstrates a critical understanding of the historical origins of the nation-state, and its current role in the global system.
- Can apply the key theoretical concepts in the field to interpret global issues.
- Exhibits an ongoing willingness to seek out international or intercultural opportunities.
Required Readings:
- The Making of Global International Relations: Origins and Evolution of IR at its Centenary. Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan. Cambridge University Press, 2019. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/making-of-global-international-relations/FB7779C9914127CBDBE200481494BA7E
- Readings in Globalization: Key Concepts and Major Debates. Edited by George Ritzer and Zeynep Atalay. 2010, Wiley-Blackwell.
The
book for Final Paper:
- The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations. Edited by John Baylis, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens. 2008, Oxford University Press.
Recommended Readings:
- John J. Macionis and Ken Plummer. 2012. Sociology: A Global Introduction. Prentice-Hall.
- Leslie Sklair. 2004. Globalization: Capitalism and its alternatives. Oxford University Press.
- Sheila L. Croucher, 2004. Globalization and Belonging: The Politics of Identity in a Changing World, Oxford: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.
- John Mearsheimer. 2003. The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. New York: W.W.
Norton &
Company.
5. Judith Blau and Mark Frezzo. 2011. Sociology and Human Rights: A Bill of Rights for the Twenty-First Century. Sage. http://www.sagepub.com/books/Book235439
- David Harvey. 2006. A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Oxford University Press. http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Politics/PoliticalTheory/ContemporaryPoliticalThought/?view=usa&ci=9780199283279
- Jeffry A. Frieden. 2007. Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century. W.W. Norton. http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=8193
- J. Timmons Roberts, Amy Bellone Hite. 2007. The Globalization and Development Reader. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
- J. R. McNeill. 2011. Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the 20th Century World. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
- Naomi Klein. 2007. The Sock Doctrine. New York, NY: Metropolitan Books.
- William I. Robinson. 2004. A Theory of Global Capitalism: Production, Class, and State in a Transnational World. Baltimore, MD: The John Hopkins University Press.
- Richard P. Appelbaum and William I. Robinson. 2005. Critical Globalization Studies. New York, NY: Routledge.
13. Samuel Martinez. 2009. International Migration and Human Rights: The Global Repercussions of U.S. Policy. University of California Press.
http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520258211
Recommended Movies and documentaries:
- The War On Democracy - John Pilger
- The Secret Country by John Pilger
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzjW6RjQQi4
- The New Rulers of the World John Pilger
- Ten Canoes (2007)
- Citizen Kane (1941)
- The Fountainhead (1949)
· Death of a Salesman (1985)
- Fight Club (1999)
- Pleasantville (1998)
- American Beauty (1999)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ycmmJ6rxA8
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Beauty_%28film%29
- The Truman Show (1998)
- The Corporation (2003)
- Treble Army – Lullabomb
- Animal Farm - George Orwell - 1954
- Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
- 1984 - George Orwell
- Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
- Brazil - 1985
- 12 Monkeys - 2009
Course Philosophy:
The goal of this course is to
become familiar with the social, political and economic underpinnings of
International Relations. The success of this course depends on your continued
and sustained reading and participation. The course will be based on a
four-dimensional method of learning, and this includes inquiry and critical
thinking; communication; and will draw on the diversity of human experience;
and ethics and social responsibility. First, I would like you to critically
analyze what you learn in this class or have learned so far through the media
and your education, because in today’s world, truth is a relative concept.
Throughout human history, critical thinking is one of the most important
factors that have contributed to human development. In order to become
active, self-motivated, and empowered learners and future leaders, you will
need to have the ability to think critically, and therefore your criticism,
feedback and suggestions are necessary. Second, I would like for you to enhance
your writing and oral communication skills in this course. Therefore, it is
important to clearly elaborate your arguments in class discussion as well as in
the written assignments.
Third, we are each part of the
human mosaic, and all have different experiences based on our unique social,
political and economic differences. We can all learn from and respect each
other and benefit from our diversity. Please try to learn from and understand
those with different perspectives from your own. Lastly, we need to learn that
we are all part of this intellectual community and part of a larger society,
and all have social and ethical responsibilities to our family, community,
classmates, and humanity. We live in a globalized world and therefore, we need
to be aware of events in our community, and the world today. In order to
enhance our knowledge, we must critically examine our social, political and
economic environment in order to apply this knowledge to our experience.
Course Requirements
To prevent confusion later,
please read the following information:
Grades: Your grade for
this course will be based on your performance on the following components,
shown below with their dates and respective weights.
Item Date Weight (%)
Quizzes (5) 30.0
Weekly Class Presentations 20.0
Class Participation/Attendance 10.0
Newspaper Articles 10.0
The grading system in this class is as follows:
A 95-100
A- 90-94
B+ 86-89
B 85
B- 80-84
C+ 76-79
C 75
C- 70-74
D+ 66-69
D 65
D- 60-64
F (Failure)
Final Paper:
In this requirement, you will select a topic from The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to
International Relations. Edited by John
Baylis, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens. 2008, Oxford University Press.
and will write outline/development/future
projections of this topic. This paper should be at least 2000 words in
length. You will also use other academic sources (Books or journal articles) The
paper is last day of the class. No one will read or review the same topic. Your
selection must be approved and registered by me; therefore, you must contact me directly regarding your
selection. The deadline for selecting/registering your topic with me is
Sunday, 5th week of the class – Must be approved by the end of 5th
week on Sunday midnight. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Quizzes: You will have 5 quizzes. The quizzes will have 12
questions from each week’s class readings and discussions. Each Quiz is worth 6
points and each question is worth 0.5 point. You will find the schedule of
quizzes below. Please carefully review the quiz schedule. If you have schedule
conflict, drop the class. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not
hesitate to contact me directly. If you miss a quiz, this is your own
responsibility; therefore, you need to be careful and pay attention to this
syllabus. READ CAREFULLY!
Attendance: Regular
attendance is one of the most important parameters to successful completion of
the course requirements. If you miss more than 4 classes, you will not receive
an attendance grade. Excuses will not be
permitted for any reason.
Class
Participation: Each student must read the course materials before they
attend class and I expect them to participate in class discussion. Class
participation in the form of informed questions and comments will be taken into
consideration when determining your final grade. Additionally, the class
participation grade also depends on class attendance.
Weekly Presentations: Each week, two or three students will
be assigned a weekly topic from the readings. These students will summarize the
readings and prepare a content outline and 4-6 questions for the class, in
order to come prepared to lead the class discussion for 15 minutes. Each
student must always read the course materials before they attend class, and I
expect you to participate actively in the class discussion. I strongly
recommend that you present in earlier weeks rather than later in the semester,
because you may not find the right time available to present, and will loose
presentation points. Presentation dates are available on a first-come
first-served basis. The timeline for weekly presentations will be provided in
the first week of class. After we have filled in student names and finalized
the weekly presentation schedule.
Newspaper Articles: During the semester, you can bring 10
newspaper articles related with our class subjects. You cannot bring more
than one article in the same week. You will have to summarize these
articles in class and will find the recommended newspapers listed on http://internationalstudiesandsociology.blogspot.it/,
under the external links section.
Newspaper articles sent by email will not be accepted. Please bring it to class,
the first page of the printed/hard copy of the article. You can only bring an
article from the selected newspapers, posted on http://internationalstudiesandsociology.blogspot
and you will find them under links section. Some of the recommended newspapers
are The Guardian, Al-Jazeera, Democracynow.org, Financial Times, The New York
Times, The Wall Street Journal, Pravda, Haaretz, China Daily, and the
Economist. Please do not bring articles from local newspapers!
PLEASE
READ CAREFULLY!
Coming late to class: Late comers will not be accepted to class, so
be on time. If you are late for a class, please do not disturb your classmates
and me and do not come at all. Please also do not send an email or call me regarding your class
attendance. If there is a medical need, bring an official letter from a doctor.
Whatever the reason is, if you cannot come to class, this is your
responsibility. If you miss more than 4 classes, you will not receive an attendance
grade.
PLEASE
READ CAREFULLY!
Laptop and
cell phone policy: No laptops or cell phones will be allowed in this
class. Please turn your cell phone off before you come to class. If you use
the Internet/laptop or your cell phone during class, you will be asked to
leave.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES:
- Why a leading professor of new media just banned technology use in class
- Why you should take notes by hand — not on a laptop
- To Remember a Lecture Better, Take Notes by Hand
Responsibility: You and/or your parents pay tuition for this
class; therefore, you have responsibility to yourself and/or your parents.
Passing or failing the class is not the main objective, rather that you learn
and improve your knowledge. Please read and try to understand the main concepts
of this class. If you are having difficulty, please do not hesitate to see me
and discuss your concerns!
Each year, almost more than a
million people graduate from Chinese and American public universities (see http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/).
As you will see from the statistics, the job market is very competitive;
therefore, students need to improve their knowledge, skill, and experience in
order to find a job they want. Learning is a lifelong process. An academic
institution like Shanghai University will provide you with an educational
discipline and methodology; everything else is up to you. You should study and
improve your skills, in order to compete with the rest of the graduates. While
you are in the program, you should apply for internships to obtain relevant
experiences before you graduate. Therefore, if you need a letter of
recommendation for an internship or job, please do not hesitate to ask me, if
you receive at least an A, A- or B+ grade from my class. Please also remember
that an undergraduate degree might not be enough to find the job you want; therefore,
you might need to apply to graduate school. In order to apply to graduate
school, you will also need to have a letter of recommendation. I am also happy
to advise you on graduate school or provide a letter of recommendation if you
receive an A, A- or B+ grade.
No Laptops and cell phones
will be allowed in this class.
Course Timeline
|
WEEK 1
|
Reviewing the class syllabus
1 - The World up to 1919: The
Making of Modern International Relations (Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan)
BOOK: Readings in Globalization
1 Introduction to Globalization
Debates.
1 Is Globalization Civilizing,
Destructive or Feeble? A Critique of Five Key Debates in the Social Science
Literature (Mauro F. Guillén).
Part I Political Economy.
2 Civilizations.
2 The Clash of Civilizations? (Samuel
P. Huntington).
3 Global Utopias and Clashing
Civilizations: Misunderstanding the Present (John Gray).
4 Can Civilizations Clash? (Jack
F. Matlock, Jr).
5 History Ends, Worlds Collide (Chris
Brown).
6 If Not Civilizations, What? Paradigms
of the Post-Cold War World (Samuel P. Huntington).
3 Orientalism, Colonialism, and
Postcolonialism.
7 Orientalism:
Introduction (Edward W. Said).
8 Orientalism and Orientalism in
Reverse (Sadik Jalal al-'Azm).
9 Postcolonialism and Its
Discontents (Ali Rattansi).
10 Said’s Orientalism: A Vital
Contribution Today (Peter Marcuse).
Documentary:
Edward Said - An Introduction to
Orientalism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aNwMpV6bVs
Edward Said On Orientalism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVC8EYd_Z_g
The Industrial Revolution | BBC
Documentary
|
|
WEEK 2
|
2 - International Relations up to
1919: Laying the Foundations (Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan)
Lecture: Overview
of Modern African Society and Politics by Tugrul Keskin
Documentary:
39 Cents - SNL
The New Scramble
for Africa | Empire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KM06hTeRSY
King Leopold II -
Death in the Congo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh8B1xbOEIA
|
|
WEEK 3
|
3 - The World 1919–1945: Still
Version 1.0 Global International Society (Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan)
BOOK: Readings in Globalization
4 Neoliberalism.
11 Freedom versus Collectivism in
Foreign Aid (William Easterly).
12 The Great Transformation: The
Political and Economic Origins of Our Time (Karl Polanyi).
13 Freedom’s Just Another Word .
. . (David Harvey).
14 Neoliberalism as Exception,
Exception to Neoliberalism (Aihwa Ong).
Documentary:
BBC Masters of Money Karl
Marx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyrhoHtSkzg
"Fight of the
Century": Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Round Two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQnarzmTOc
"Fear the Boom and
Bust": Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk
The Corporation
(2003)
|
|
WEEK 4
|
4 - International Relations
1919–1945: The First Founding of the Discipline (Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan)
BOOK: Readings in Globalization
5 Structural Adjustment.
15 Structural Adjustment in East
and Southeast Asia: Lessons from Latin America (Jim Glassman and Pádraig
Carmody).
16 The Social Consequences of
Structural Adjustment: Recent Evidence and Current Debates (Sarah Babb).
17 The Human Rights Effects of
World Bank Structural Adjustment, 1981–2000 (M. Rodwan Abouharb and David
L. Cingranelli).
18 How International Monetary
Fund and World Bank Policies Undermine Labor Power and Rights (Vincent
Lloyd and Robert Weissman).
19 Who Has Failed Africa?: IMF
Measures or the African Leadership? (Gerald Scott).
Lecture: Overview
of Modern Middle East by Tugrul Keskin
Documentary:
Why We Fight?
John
Pilger - The New rulers of The World
|
|
WEEK 5
|
5 - The World after 1945: The Era
of the Cold War and Decolonisation (Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan)
Documentary:
The
Power Of Nightmares: Part 1 Baby Its Cold Outside (2004) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTg4qnyUGxg
The
Power Of Nightmares: Part 2 The Phantom Victory (2004) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QTaJ_ZVn-4
The
Power Of Nightmares: Part 3 The Shadows In The Cave (2004) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD1BRE-DBsA
|
|
WEEK 6
|
6 - International Relations
1945–1989: The Second Founding of the Discipline (Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan)
Lecture: Overview
of Modern Chinese Society and Politics by Tugrul Keskin
Documentary:
China
Rises - City of Dreams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pBK34t8XTI
China:
Time of Xi Episode 1 -- People’s Republic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEGp6y3uGlA
China:
Time of Xi Episode 2 -- Running China Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtfTXH5rq0
China:
Time of Xi Episode 3 -- All Aboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1lcPuQHMnc
|
|
WEEK 7
|
7 - The World after 1989:
‘Unipolarity’, Globalisation and the Rise of the Rest (Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan)
BOOK: Readings in Globalization
6 Nation-State.
20 Sociology and the Nation-State
in an Era of Shifting Boundaries (Donald N. Levine).
21 The Westfailure System (Susan
Strange).
22 Globalization and the Myth of
the Powerless State (Linda Weiss).
23 Globalization and the
Resilience of State Power (Daniel Béland).
24 Beyond Nation-State Paradigms:
Globalization, Sociology, and the Challenge of Transnational Studies (William
I. Robinson).
Documentary:
The
driving force behind far-right populism | DW Documentary
Monarchy
A Nation State
America's
Great Indian Nations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MazI9dFA6ME
|
|
WEEK 8
|
8 - International Relations after
1989 (Amitav
Acharya and Barry Buzan)
BOOK: Readings in Globalization
7 Transnationalism.
25 Transnational Practices (Leslie
Sklair).
26 Social Theory and
Globalization: The Rise of a Transnational State (William I. Robinson).
27 Revisiting the Question of the
Transnational State: A Comment on William Robinson's "Social Theory and
Globalization" (Philip McMichael).
8 World Systems.
28 The Modern World-System:
Theoretical Reprise (Immanuel Wallerstein).
29 Competing Conceptions of
Globalization (Leslie Sklair).
Lecture: Overview
of Modern Latin American Society and Politics by Tugrul Keskin
Documentary:
The
war on democracy (La Guerre contre la démocratie) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anoYvHTL13k
The
Colony: Chile's dark past uncovered | Al Jazeera
Crossing
Mexico's Other Border https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzEUHF1KPY8
|
|
WEEK 9
|
9 - The Post-Western World Order:
Deep Pluralism (Amitav
Acharya and Barry Buzan)
BOOK: Readings in Globalization
9 Empire.
30 Empire (Michael
Hardt and Antonio Negri).
31 The Global Coliseum: On Empire
(Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri interviewed by Nicholas Brown and Imre
Szeman).
32 Retrieving the Imperial: Empire
and International Relations (Tarak Barkawi and Mark Laffey).
33 Africa: the Black Hole at the
Middle of Empire? (David Moore).
34 The New World Order (They Mean
It) (Stanley Aronowitz).
35 Adventures of the Multitude:
Response of the Authors (Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri).
Documentary:
The
Divinity of Donald Trump: The Daily Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YFLBjR-swo
The
deceptive promise of free trade | DW Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnW9ZQtI1_E
The
myth of globalisation | Peter Alfandary | TEDxAix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUYNB4a8d2U
The
Cult of Materialism - Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wS7FB_buc8
|
|
WEEK 10
|
10 - Towards Global International
Relations (Amitav
Acharya and Barry Buzan)
Lecture: Overview
of Modern American Society and Politics by Tugrul Keskin
Documentary:
The
New American Century (Complete) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8v5aPkkrAI
The
Century: America's Time - 1941-1945: Homefront https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPP0ae2zrXY
The
Century: America's Time - 1960-1964: Poisoned Dreams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93iBar-VrqA
The
Century: America's Time - 1965-1970: Unpinned https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jET2qR8Y-Ng
Oliver
Stone - The Untold History of The US - How the US government works
|
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