CPW4U World Politics Instructor: Mr. Melnyk Email: Phone: (905)940-8840 Ext.470

CPW4U World Politics
Instructor: Mr. Melnyk Email: Phone: (905)940-8840 ext.470

COURSE DESCRIPTION
"It is the principal of rational discourse, of tolerant debate that this course is dedicated" -Adapted from Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in World Politics

The purpose of this course is to help you develop the analytical skills with which to refine your understanding of world politics. You will be introduced to the intellectual tools, such as core concepts and schools of thought, in order to make sense of the complex world of international politics. As this is an introductory course, a broad range of contemporary topics will be explored, including the role and importance of state and various non-state actors, the management of international conflict, the promotion of international order, the international political economy, including the economic disparities between the countries of the North and South, and salient current issues/trends, such as globalization and environmental degradation.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS FOR THE COURSE
-Present ideas, understandings, and arguments effectively in a variety of contexts (e.g., in role plays, interviews, simulations, debates, group presentations, seminars), using graphic organizers and displays (e.g., graphs, charts, images);
-Write clear, coherent, and logically organized reports, papers, and essays that include correctly documented citations and bibliographies, demonstrate academic honesty, and avoid plagiarism.
-Think creatively and analytically to develop potential resolutions to a series of given issues and issues that they select;
-Work effectively both individually and in groups; Demonstrate the ability to seek and respect the opinions of others;

REQUIREMENTS (Essential Evidence)
1) Attend all lectures and small group section meetings, having read the material beforehand.
2) Prepare, deliver and lead a Presentation, Seminar and Debate (1 period).
3) Meaningful role in International Relations Simulation
4) Meaningful role in United Nations Simulation
5) Take the in-class midterm examination.
6) Develop and Write one analytical paper.
7) Take the final examination.

ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION

All Evaluation based on the 4 Areas of the Achievement Chart
T: Thinking/Inquiry
A: Application
C: Communication
K: Knowledge

COURSE WORK: 70% FINAL EVALUATION: 30%

NOTE: SOME ASSESSMENT COMPONENTS MAY BE ALTERED DEPENDING ON TOPIC INTEREST, CLASS DEMAND OR TIME CONSTRAINTS. STUDENTS WILL BE MADE AWARE OF ANY CHANGES WITH AN UNDERSTANDING THAT MODIFICATIONS ARE IN THEIR BEST INTEREST.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (IR) SIMULATION

The simulation aims to provide students with a hands-on approach to World Politics. Over a 3 week period, by playing roles of different world leaders, organizations and media outlets, students will experience some of the dilemmas and issues involved in World Politics and will be able to test for themselves the applicability of different theoretical positions involved in the analysis of international relations.

Students will also benefit by actively learning

1. how to develop strategy and implement it,
2. about the use and importance of diplomacy in attempting to reach one's objectives,
3. how to write up position papers, and
4. how to negotiate.

To play these roles students will be given access to the Internet and the World Wide Web.

Each role/country will be played by a students or small group, who will research that role prior to the start of the simulation and then write up a ROLE PROFILE. This in-turn will be put on the IR Simulation Website so that other players can find out information about that role.

The object of the game for the students is to reach the objectives they set out in their Role Profile and enhance the position of their role in the game. They do so by contacting relevant players through the mail system, utilizing diplomacy, threat, coercion etc., as warranted by the specific conditions of their role ie. playing in character.

The simulation begins with a SCENARIO to which the different roles react. The Scenario, written up by the lecturer & controllers in-charge, is set up in accordance with real world events adding fictional (or potentially plausible future - "what if...") events.

Our simulation this semester will be set around the ______.

The simulation ends with a CONFERENCE, like a UN General Assembly Meeting, at which players will present position papers of their role and negotiate agreements to resolve (if possible) any outstanding issues arising during the simulation.

After the Conference students will submit a ROLE SUMMARY which is an evaluation of
(a) how well they believe their role went during the simulation; and
(b) how well they personally played that role.

Seminar and Debate Topics: From Taking Sides
The Seminar/Debate is a three part Culminating Activity that will be completed in groups of four split into two pairs (each pair taking one of the sides of the issues listed below).

Day 1. Presentation: A standard classroom presentation to inform the class about your issue. You will present as a group of four, attempting to deliver an unbiased political, economic and social history of the region/issue.

Day 2. Seminar: The class will be split into sub-group seminars with each side leading a sub-group presenting their side of the debate.
Debate: You and your partner will lead a debate.

Questions to Ask When Examining a Position

Critical thinking questions developed by the psychology department at SalisburyStateUniversity.
PART 1. Global Trends

ISSUE 1. Is Economic Globalism a Positive Trend? YES: International Monetary Fund/Michael W. Bell, from "Globalization: Threat or Opportunity?" International Monetary Fund Issue Brief NO: Scott Marshall, from "Imperialist Globalization," Political Affairs

ISSUE 2. Should Greater Global Governance Be Resisted? YES: Marc A. Thiessen, from "When Worlds Collide," Foreign Policy NO: Mark Leonard, from "When Worlds Collide," Foreign Policy

ISSUE 3. Will State Sovereignty Survive Globalism? YES: Stephen D. Krasner, from "Sovereignty," Foreign Policy NO: Kimberly Weir, from "The Waning State of Sovereignty," An Original Essay Written for This Volume

PART 2. Regional

ISSUE 4. Should the United States Seek Global Hegemony? YES: Robert Kagan, from "The Benevolent Empire," Foreign Policy NO: Charles William Maynes, from "The Perils of (and for) an Imperial America," Foreign Policy

ISSUE 5. Is Russia Likely to Become an Antagonistic Power? YES: Ariel Cohen, from "Putin's Foreign Policy and U.S.-Russian Relations," Heritage Foundation Backgrounder NO: Anatol Lieven, from "Against Russophobia," World Policy Journal

ISSUE 6. Is China an Expansionist Power? YES: Aaron L. Friedberg, from "The Struggle for Mastery in Asia," Commentary NO: Nicholas Berry, from "Is China an Aggressive Power?" The Defense Monitor

ISSUE 7. Should Israel Take a Hard Line With the Palestinians? YES: Daniel Pipes, from "Israel's Moment of Truth," Commentary NO: Herbert C. Kelman, from "Building a Sustainable Peace: The Limits of Pragmatism in the Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations," Journal of Palestine Studies

ISSUE 8. Should Sanctions Against Iraq Be Continued? YES: Walter B. Slocombe, from Statement Before the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. Senate NO: Sophie Boukhari, from "Embargo Against Iraq: Crime and Punishment," UNESCO Courier

PART 3. Economic Issues

ISSUE 9. Is the Capitalist Model for Third World Development Destructive? YES: Vandana Shiva, from "Is `Development' Good for the Third World?" The Ecologist NO: Bill Emmott, from "Is `Development' Good for the Third World?" The Ecologist

ISSUE 10. Does the International Monetary Fund Do More Harm Than Good? YES: John Cavanagh, Carol Welch, and Simon Retallack, from "The IMF Formula: Generating Poverty," The Ecologist Report NO: Michel Camdessus, from "A Talk With Michel Camdessus About God, Globalization, and His Years Running the IMF," Foreign Policy

PART 4. Military Security and Intervention Issues

ISSUE 11. Should U.S. Military Spending Be Increased? YES: Henry H. Shelton, from "Force, Forces, and Forecasting: Preparing America's Armed Forces for an Uncertain Future," Remarks Made to the National Press Club, Washington, D.C. NO: Carl Conetta, from "Toward a Smaller, More Efficient, and More Relevant US Military," Project on Defense Alternatives Briefing Paper

ISSUE 12. Is There a Great Danger From Chemical or Biological Terrorism? YES: James K. Campbell, from Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information, Committee on Intelligence, U.S. Senate NO: Jonathan B. Tucker, from "Chemical and Biological Terrorism: How Real a Threat?" Current History

PART 5. International Law and Organization Issues

ISSUE 13. Should the United Nations Be Given Stronger Peacekeeping Capabilities? YES: Lionel Rosenblatt and Larry Thompson, from "The Door of Opportunity: Creating a Permanent Peacekeeping Force," World Policy Journal NO: John Hillen, from Statement Before the Subcommittee on International Operations, Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate

ISSUE 14. Did the NATO Military Action Against Yugoslavia Violate Just War Theory? YES: William T. DeCamp III, from "The Big Picture: A Moral Analysis of Allied Force in Kosovo," Marine Corps Gazette NO: Bill Clinton, from Interview With Dan Rather, CBS News, April 5, 1999, and Interview With Jim Lehrer, NewsHour, June 21, 1999, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents

ISSUE 15. Should the United States Ratify the International Criminal Court Treaty? YES: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, from Statement Before the Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives NO: John R. Bolton, from Statement Before the Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives

PART 6. Normative, Social, and Environmental Issues

ISSUE 16. Would World Affairs Be More Peaceful If Women Dominated Politics? YES: Francis Fukuyama, from "Women and the Evolution of World Politics," Foreign Affairs NO: Mary Caprioli, from "The Myth of Women's Pacifism," An Original Essay Written for This Volume

ISSUE 17. Is Violence as a Form of Protest on International Political Issues Always Wrong? YES: Satish Kumar, from "Can the Use of Violence Ever Be Justified in the Environmental Struggle?" The Ecologist NO: Jake Bowers, from "Can the Use of Violence Ever Be Justified in the Environmental Struggle?" The Ecologist

ISSUE 18. Is Dangerous Global Warming Occurring? YES: Robert T. Watson, from Presentation at the Sixth Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change NO: Jerry Taylor, from "Global Warming: The Anatomy of a Debate," Presentation Before the JohnsHopkinsUniversity Applied Physics Laboratory

TAKING SIDES : Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in World Politics , Eleventh Edition

Information Required for Sign Up Sheet

Brainstorming Initial Ideas:

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENTS TO INSURE THAT ALL AUDIO/VISUAL EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN BOOKED WELL IN ADVANCE WITH THE INSTRUCTOR.

*THE INSTRUCTOR WILL PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH THE A/V EQUIPMENT REQUESTED.

ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS & TOPICS

You will be required to write ONE ESSAY during this course. No essay will be accepted without the process package! The essay must be typed, size 12 font, Times New Roman, 2000-2500 words on one of the following topics:

You will be required to write ONE ESSAY during this course.

No essay will be accepted without the Process Package:

Topic Selection

Research Notes

Thesis Formation

Essay Outline

Essay Rough Draft with Peer Editing

List A

1. Is 'Realism' still realistic and relevant?
2. Is Alexander Wendt right to argue that "anarchy is what states make of it" ?
3. Did NATO intervention in Kosovo indicate that 'Realpolitik' is giving way to 'Moralpolitik' among the major Western powers?
4. Is nuclear deterrence a viable security option for states in the 21st century?
5. Can collective security work?
6. Can international institutions overcome the security dilemma?
7. What contributions have feminists made to our understanding of world politics?
8. Do you agree with contemporary Marxist views that the modern world capitalist system is now entering a period of crisis?
9. A common argument is that the process of globalization is undermining state sovereignty. If this is the case, then what are the implications for the nature of war and conflict in the post Cold War era?
10. Will current "pre-emptive" American foreign policy lead to peace or conflict in the early 21st Century?
11. Will Canada be able to maintain its role as a peacekeeper in world affairs?

List B

Select a topic from Taking Sides: Controversial Issues in World Politics, 10th Edition

OR Crosscurrents: Contemporary Political Issues, 4th Edition.

List C

An agreed upon topic with the Instructor

Due Date:______

NO ESSAY WILL BE ACCEPTED OR EVALUATED WITHOUT THE PROCESS PACKAGE!! PLAGIARISM WILL RESULT IN A ZERO AND THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION WILL BE NOTIFIED.