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After World War II there was a brief interlude when the United States led governments and peoples throughout the world in the belief that a new era of peace, disarmament, and the rule of law could emerge through working together in the United Nations. The cold war soon blighted that vision, and the world was frozen for forty years in the balance of nuclear terror. The end of the cold war and the demise of the Soviet Union caught most people by surprise, and they were followed by a brief period of euphoria in which optimistic notions circulated, many of them inspired by the apparent success of the first Gulf War.
Among them were President George H. W. Bush’s “new world order,” Madeleine Albright “assertive multilateral,” and a short-lived but widespread belief that the UN had at last come into its own. The century ended in general disillusionment over he prevailing disorder and violence. The events of September 1 1, 2001, and the reaction of the administration of President George W. Bush have so far dominated the twenty-first century discussion of world order. Restart’s statement reflects the concerns of this course.
The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon over a decade ago, on September 1 1, 2001, brought into sharp relief a new configuration of world power and opposition. After the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, there had been much talk of a New World Order, emphasizing globalization, a ingle model of export-oriented economic development, liberalizing, human rights, democracy, and a global war on terrorism. Notions of a New World Order typically did not incorporate possible sources of opposition, or, when they did, it was with apocalyptic ideas like “the clash of civilizations. Some theories assumed that the dominance of the new order meant an “end to history,” that is, an end to the struggles between major powers and systems of thought that had marked international relations historically. September 1 1 demonstrated that we have not reached the end of history or a world without struggle, but it also demonstrated that imply dividing the world into clashing civilizations misses the new global configuration of power and opposition.
The post-WI 1 world has been marked by a single superpower, the United States, which played an aggressive military role globally (especially after its invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 and, now, through drone warfare in multiple countries). It also has taken on outsized political and economic roles in the world. The post 9/1 1 world has also seen the emergence of key non-state actors, including ethnic groups, al-Qaeda, and many more. Since 2011, a key region, the Middle East and North Africa, has seen unprecedented popular uprisings, with citizens expressing pent-up anger against authoritarian regimes.
The sass have been a period described by the word “globalization” but rife with powerful forms of localism. The purpose of this course is pulls. With that goal in mind, the course first will analyze the earlier configuration of power that marked the second half of the twentieth century, how and why it crumbled, and how its disintegration laid the foundation for today. The main emphasis is on the creation of global economic interdependence in the twentieth century in a world politically divided.
The interdisciplinary approach of the course stresses the interplay between two global structures, the world market and the hierarchy of states, and how the interplay of these structures has generated rules governing international life, “winners,” who have gained from these rules, and “losers,” who have felt the rules slighted them. In the latter part of the course, we will look at the structure of the world political-economy in the first decade of the twenty-first century, the role of imperial America, and events in the Middle East, including the recent popular uprisings and civil strife.
Requirements of the Course and Assignments: This course is designed to greatly improve students’ critical-analytic reading abilities and their academic writing capabilities. To help students reach higher levels, the course requires substantial reading and writing throughout the term. Every student is expected to fulfill the following requirements: 1 . Readings. Students must read the assignments listed in the course schedule below prior to the Tuesday Section of the listed week (in Week One only, one reading will be due Tuesday and others, before the Thursday Section).
The readings are presented somewhat differently from the methods used in many other classes. The assigned readings present the authors’ own interpretations of how the twentieth century (or a part of it) unfolded. Their interpretations are important. As the course is interdisciplinary, the book authors include an economist, Stilling, who is a Nobel Prize winner; a leading political scientist at Harvard, Friend; an award-wining international historian from Columbia, Manager; and a noted historian of the Middle East, Kelvin. Interpretations in the assigned books often clash with those given in lecture, and they may contradict each other.
In other words, students will have to make their way through conflicting stories f the making of the 21st century. Because the authors’ interpretations are given as the authors presented them from beginning to end, they frequently do not line up chronologically or topically with the week-by-week class lectures. But students are challenged to compare and contrast over the course of the quarter the various narratives they hear in lecture and read in the books. Besides the books, there are some other additional secondary readings required. Additionally, the assigned documents will help students learn to read primary sources.
The readings will be discussed by students and Task in weekly Sections. Students are required to bring to section the books being discussed, as well as printouts of ALL additional required documents and readings assigned for the week. 2. Short Papers. Each student will write three short essays of approximately 1-1/2 double-spaced, typewritten pages (12 point New Times Roman type, one-inch margins). The first paper will be on a reading assigned in Week Two, Francis Fauvism, “The End of History. ” Part of the class session on Friday, January 17, will be on writing this paper.
It is imperative, therefore, to read the Fauvism article carefully before the January 17 class session. The paper is due in section on Tuesday, January 22. The second and third papers can be on any readings to help you make your point. A presentation of opposing points of view and making a comparison of two works can lead you to good paper topics. In short, students are encouraged to compare and contrast different authors’ ideas, even as the main focus is on a single reading. ) Papers may comment on how the author uses words, the construction of the argument, types of evidence, methods, etc.
What the paper should NOT do is write about the topic of the reading; rather it should write on owe the reading treats or approaches its topic. For example, you would not want to write on the Cold War but on how Manager approaches the topic of the Cold War. The essay is to be submitted in person at the Tuesday Section meeting on the week the student chooses during weeks 2-9 of the quarter, as long as the paper is on the reading assigned for that week; no late submissions will be accepted and no papers will be accepted in which the student is not in attendance in the section. 3. New York Times. Every student must read the New York Times daily. . Research Paper. Each student will complete a research paper?typed, double- spaced, 12 point New Times Roman type, one-inch margins?on a country of his or her choice and approved by the TA. Each paper will focus on a topic that falls in the period from World War II to the present. The aim is NOT to write on current events but on events or trends in the past that can help give essential background for understanding today’s news. Library research using scholarly books and Journals (not newspaper articles) will be the backbone of the assignment (at least three journal articles and two books should be used heavily in the research).
Each paper ill be organized around something puzzling in that country political, economic, or social experience at some time in the latter half of the twentieth century or the first few years of the present century. That puzzle will be expressed in a “why question,” which will be substantiated by qualitative or quantitative evidence. Students will develop an answer to that “why question,” which will be the argument of the paper, including further evidence to support that argument. A number of aids are available for researching and writing your papers.
The most important is your TA. You also can receive help from SOUL reference librarians. The Jells/Political Science writing center http://depth. Washington. Du/surprise/index. HTML can be of great assistance. The Center is in Gown 111. Please note that the tutors in the Writing Center can help you with problems of organization, clarity, composition, and grammar only; they are not equipped to comment on the substantive content of your paper. You can also receive feedback on your paper ideas and substantive content at CLUE sessions.
All papers must be written in MS Word, double-spaced, using Times Roman 12 point font. The due dates for the paper are as follows (late papers will be penalized): a. A 1-2 page research proposal with references. Librarians will be in class on January 10 and 17 helping you get started on your paper, explaining what is entailed in a research proposal, detailing the precise assignment, and offering practical lessons on undertaking the research. The research proposal is due in class on January 16. D. First draft (approve. 5-6 pages), due on February 6.
Papers must be sent via email to your TA and members of your study group by 5:00 p. M. , February 6, for peer comments by other Study Group members. Members of the Study Group will provide Track function in MS Word. Members should provide general comments and inter- linear comments in the text itself. E. Second draft (approve. 6-8 pages), revised by incorporating the suggestions and criticisms of the Study Group members, due in TA mailbox in Thomson 411 on February 17 by 5:00 pm (the doors to the mailbox close at 5:00). F.
Third and final draft (approximately 8-10 pages), revised and expanded by incorporating the suggestions and criticisms of the TA and Study Group members, due March 3, 5:00 pm, in Tat’s mailbox, Thomson 411 (or you may give the paper to your TA in person after lecture on that day). 5. Quizzes. In place of a mid-term, there will be weekly quizzes in the course, mostly geared towards that weeks reading. The quizzes are motivational tools to help students keep up with the reading. The quizzes will be available for you to take and submit on the course website each Monday, 5:00 pm to midnight. . Final Exam. The final exam, Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 2:30-4:20 pm, in our regular classroom, will include short and long essay questions and identifications. A series of long essay questions will be available before the exam, from which two questions will be selected to actually appear on the exam. Questions will include materials from lecture, readings, and the New York Times. There will also be a geography question (see below). Students may bring a single page of personal notes to the exam.
All students must bring blue books to the exam. 7. Maps. Everyone must learn the basic political map of the world, as well as natural sites, such as bodies of water, that have been critical to international relations. There will be a map section on the final exam. Consult atlases and maps online regularly! 8. Study Groups. All students will participate in Study Groups to be formed the first week during Section. Study Groups should meet face-to-face at least once a week to discuss readings, papers, and ideas. They are important sounding boards.
Each Study Group will also set up an e-mail list, including all its members, as a way to communicate frequently about assignments, readings, and ideas presented in lecture. Final grades will be determined on the following basis: 2nd paper draft 10% Paper proposal 2% Peer review of others’ papers 4% 3rd paper draft 25% Three response papers 21% (total) Pop quizzes 18% (total) Final exam 20% Participation in section is highly valued: the computed grade from the factors above will be adjusted up to 0. Grade points up or down on the 4. 0 scale based on participation in sections.