POL 6652:  Theory and Ideology in International Relations Dr. Steven L. Taylor Home Page w/Contact information Term III, 2008

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Dr. Taylor is an Associate Professor of Political Science who has been a full time faculty member at Troy University since 1998.   He has been teaching in the online MSIR program since its inception and teaches 6652 for the on-campus students and is one of the graders of the comprehensive exams.

His c.v. can be reviewed here:  curriculum vitae.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:

An examination of historical and contemporary theories in international relations; the role of political, economic, ethnic, religious and other belief systems or philosophical approaches of sufficient coherence, to be termed ideologies, within the global system.

This course is one of the core courses in the MSIR program, and is key preparation for subsequent classes, as well as your comprehensive exams.

In addition to readings, the course integrates some audio, video and PowerPoint elements.

GRADING:  (all times Central Time)

10%:  Course Participation (Discussion Board Questions Must be completed by Monday, 3/3 @ 8am)

10%:  Research Paper Proposal (Approximately 1 page plus annotated bibliography, due Monday 2/18 @ 8am)

40%:  Question sets (2 @ 20% each)— (Set 1 due Monday 2/4 @ 8am, Set 2 due Saturday 3/1 @ 8am)

40%:  Research Paper (20-25 pps) (Due on Friday 3/7 by 8am central time)

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100%

• Each student will answer two sets of questions provided by the professor in essay format.  Responses will be e-mailed to the professor and posted to Turnitin.
• Each student will write a 20-25 page research paper that examines a specific foreign policy action and analyzes that action from three different ideological/theoretical perspectives.  Each student must present a proposal to Dr. Taylor that includes an annotated bibliography of at least fifteen (ten of which must be scholarly) sources by the date noted above.  Please review the audio file on the assignment.
• Proposals and papers should also be submitted to me via e-mail.  The Turnitin course ID is 2122999.  The course password is coffee1. If your work is not turned into Turnitin, I will not grade it.  I also will use Turnitin to determine whether or not a submission is on time.  Late papers will have to go in the “Late” folder at Turnitin.  (Policy on grading late papers is listed below).

BOOK LIST:

Baradat, Leon P.  2006.  Political Ideologies:  Their Origins and Impact., 9th ed.  New Jersey:  Pearson/Prentice Hall. 

Callahan, Patrick. 2004.  Logics of American Foreign Policy:  Theories of America’s World Role.  New York:  Pearson Longman.

Sterling-Folker, Jennifer., ed.  2006.  Making Sense of International Relations Theory.  Boulder:  Lynne Rienner.

Weber, Cynthia.  2005.  International Relations Theory, A Critical Introduction., 2^nd ed.  Taylor & Francis.

Additional online readings are noted in the course outline available within the Blackboard shell.

COURSE SCHEUDLE:

An outline of readings, along with a basic suggested schedule is posted to the course.  Given that the course is asynchronous in delivery, there is not an exact reading schedule, but it should be noted that students are expected to adhere to the basic timeline provided on the course outline.  Due dates for assignments will be strictly enforced.

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION:  

This is an asynchronous distance learning course taught via the Internet.  Students will complete assigned readings and interact with their colleagues and the instructor via the course discussion board.  Additional guidance on research techniques related to the term paper will be given via electronic mail as needed.

CLASS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:  Any student whose disabilities fall within the ADA must inform the instructor at the beginning of the term of any special needs or equipment necessary to accomplish the requirements for this course.

E-MAIL RESPONSES:  I check my e-mail on a regular basis.  I will try to respond as promptly as possible, but will not always be able to respond immediately.  Please allow at least 24 hours before re-sending messages--48 hours over the weekend.  Also, please use the course discussion board for all correspondence that is related to the course material, assignment clarifications, etc., and use my personal e-mail address sltaylor@troy.edu for correspondence that deals with private matters.  This will prove more efficient and will increase the sense of a community of learning among the members of the class.

LATE WORK.  Work is due when it is due.  Late work will be assessed a 5% penalty for the first day late (half a letter grade) and 2.5% per day (a quarter of a letter grade) after that.  I will use the date uploaded to Turnitin as the official turn-in date and time.

INCOMPLETE WORK POLICY:  Incomplete grades are assigned at the discretion of the instructor.  Students should refer to the Graduate Bulletin for policies regarding the removal of incomplete grades.  Incompletes will only be granted if one of the major components of the class is completed (i.e., either the paper or both question sets).

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USAGE POLICY:  The University's Information Technology System includes computing, information, technology, and network resources.  All users of this technology system are obligated to utilize the various resources responsibly, legally, and ethically for their intended purpose.  All students should read the policy before participating in online course activities.

LEARNING RESOURCES:  Troy University’s Library Remote Services are accessed via the Troy Libraries.   Assistance with library instruction is through the Public Service Librarians by discipline, which in this case would be international relations or political science. No non-library laboratories or facilities are required in this course.

PARTICIPATION POLICY:  Interaction with colleagues and professors is an essential part of graduate coursework, and is therefore mandatory.  Were this an in-class course, the most important part of the course (aside from your readings) would be the time spent in class discussing the material.  Since we cannot literally sit around and talk, the message board is as close as we can get.  You will note that 10% of your grade (i.e., a full letter grade) is wrapped-up in participation.  Not only will you be required to address questions which I post to the course pages, I would encourage online discussions amongst yourselves and the positing of questions for your colleagues and myself.  You are required to respond to each question in each module, and to comment on at least two of your colleague’s comments per module.

STANDARDS OF CONDUCT:  Cheating and/or plagiarism are violations of the Standards of Conduct stated in the Troy Student Handbook, and students may be disciplined up to and including suspension and expulsion.  My specific policy on plagiarism, as well as links to help you avoid it, can be found here.  Note the simple version:  if you plagiarize, you will fail the course.

STUDENT SUPPORT:  Distance Learning staff are identified at http://www.troy.edu/ecampus.  Students who are proficient with the Internet generally but having specific problems with the online course materials (e.g., finding a broken link on the page) should contact the instructor directly at sltaylor@troy.edu.

WIKIPEDIA RULE. Do not use Wikipedia. For each mention/citation of Wikipedia in anything submitted to me will receive a one letter grade deduction off the assignment per usage of Wikipedia.