POLS 2401-900/004: Global Issues

Fall 2014; T/TH 2:30-3:45 pm; J101

Instructor: Dr. Stacey Mitchell

Email: ; Phone: x7449

Office Hours: T/Th: 10:30-12:30; on-line: Thursday 6:00pm-7:00pm

Office: J319

Course Description

Welcome to POLS 2401—Global Issues. This course is designed to provide you with an understanding and introduction to international relations, covering such issues as diplomacy, nuclear politics, war, secret intelligence, revolution, international development, debt, and dependence. Global issues is an introductory survey course that is designed to introduce students to numerous current issues confronting the world’s policy-makers and populations, as well as the relevant international relations theories used to explain them. Specifically, the course provides each student with an opportunity for diversity in that student’s educational program, and provides information that fosters community responsibility and global understanding.

Course Learning Objectives

Students will be able to

1.  Identify and describe some major political, economic, social and environmental issues confronting the global community.

2.  Evaluate major threats to peace and stability in the world today, and be able to discuss the underlying reasons for a lack of resolution.

3.  Evaluate the demographic, economic, and/or ethno-national dimensions to issues of development.

Grading and Course Requirements

Grading in this course will be based upon the following components:

·  Participation: 10%

·  Quizzes: 40%

·  Midterm: 25%

·  Final Exam: 25%

Grades will be scaled as follows:

·  A: 90-100%

·  B: 80-89.9%

·  C: 70-79.9%

·  D: 60-69.9%

·  F: 59.9% and below

Exams and Quizzes

The mid-term exam will consist of 25 multiple choice questions and will cover material from the first half of the semester. The final exam will also consist of 25 multiple choice questions and will cover material from the second half of the semester. I also give quizzes before some classes to make sure that students have done the reading. Each quiz will consist of 5 questions. NOTE: deadline to withdraw from the class is October 2, 2014.

Required Readings

The following textbook is required for this course and is available at the SPSU bookstore:

·  Kegley, Charles and Shannon Blanton, World Politics: Trends and Transformation, Updated edition (Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013-2014); ISBN: 978-1-111-83010-6

Ground Rules

First and most importantly, this course will require a great deal of reading and analysis, as well as participation in class. If you are not prepared to work hard, this may not be the course for you. Your remaining in this course will be understood to be an acceptance of the following ground rules:

·  All communication will be conducted through the D2L system. Please be sure to check it regularly for notifications and news, particularly if we have to cancel class because of weather, campus emergency etc.

·  Please turn off all cell phones before you come to class.

·  If you will be leaving class early, you must notify me before class. If you do not you will not receive credit for your attendance that day.

·  No make-up quizzes, tests or incompletes will be given without official documentation. I ONLY accept doctor’s notes, copies of court subpoenas, jury subpoenas and other official court documentation, as well as funeral notices, and notices for school-sponsored events. Any documentation you present to me must be presented in a timely manner and must include the date or dates you missed class—otherwise your absence will not be excused.

·  I do not accept as a valid excuse the following: job interviews, weddings, vacations, birthdays, other family events including births (unless of course it is you who is giving birth), and missing class because you have to work on something for another class or you have to take an entrance exam for grad school, law school, med school, or bartending school.

·  More than one unexcused absence will be taken by me as an indication that a student has little interest in this class. As such, two or more unexcused absences will count negatively against your overall grade.

·  I do not give extra credit. NO EXCEPTIONS.

·  In terms of your final grade, I DO NOT NEGOTIATE. I will explain your grade to you. I will not change your final grade.

Disruptive Behavior and Academic Dishonesty (as excerpted from SPSU’s Undergraduate Academic Catalogue – 2012-2013):

“A faculty member reserves the right to remove any student from his or her course if the student’s behavior is of a disruptive nature or if there is evidence of academic dishonesty. In instances of disruptive behavior and/or academic dishonesty, the faculty member will discuss the circumstances with the student(s) before taking final action. In the event the student cannot be reached, he or she will be given the grade of “Incomplete” until such time as he or she can be reached. The student shall have the right of appeal of the faculty member’s decision

·  first to the faculty member’s Department Chair

·  then to the appropriate School Dean,

·  and, if necessary, to the Vice President for Academic Affairs

Removal from a course under this provision will result in a grade of “F.” A grade of “F” issued under these circumstances shall not be superseded by a voluntary withdrawal, and will be included in the student’s cumulative grade point average calculated for graduation purposes.”

Please see the following link for information on SPSU’s new Honor Code: http://www.spsu.edu/honorcode.

Students with Disabilities

A student at Southern Polytechnic State University who has a disabling condition and needs academic accommodations has a responsibility to voluntarily identify him/herself as having a disability by scheduling an appointment with the Disability Services Coordinator as soon as possible. Students are encouraged to contact the counselor working with disabilities at (678) 915-7244 as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Important Dates to Remember

·  August 18:Last day to drop/add

·  September 1: Labor day holiday

·  September 29: Midterm grades due

·  October 2: Withdrawal day

·  November 26-28: Thanksgiving holiday

·  December 1: Last day of classes

Block One: Introduction to Course

August 14: Introduction

August 19-21: Chapter 1

Block Two: Theories of International Relations

August 26-August 28: Chapter 2

September 2-4: Chapter 3

September 9: Chapter 4

Block Three: The Developing World

September 11-16: Chapter 5

Block Four: Non-state Actors

September 18: Chapter 6

Review for Midterm: September 23

Midterm: September 25

Block Five: Globalization

September 30-October 2: Chapter 10

October 7-9: Chapter 11

October 14-16: Chapter 12

Block Six: Threats to International Peace and Security

October 21-28: Chapter 7

October 30-November 4: Chapter 8

November 6-13: Chapter 9

Block Seven: Global Trends and Transformations

November 18-20: Chapter 15

Review for final exam: November 25

Final exam: TBD

This is a tentative working syllabus. Any information in this syllabus is subject to change. Students are responsible for these changes.

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