STUDENT WARNING: This course syllabus is from a previous semester archive and serves only as a preparatory reference. Please use this syllabus as a reference only until the professor opens the classroom and you have access to the updated course syllabus. Please do NOT purchase any books or start any work based on this syllabus; this syllabus may NOT be the one that your individual instructor uses for a course that has not yet started. If you need to verify course textbooks, please refer to the online course description through your student portal. This syllabus is proprietary material of APUS.

Instructor Information	Evaluation Procedures
Course Description	Course Outline
Course Scope	Policies
Course Objectives	Online Library and Turnitin
Course Delivery Method
Course Resources	Selected Bibliography (optional)

Instructor:        [insert name with credentials]

Biography:       [insert APUS biography link]

Please contact your instructor through the Messages tab in the classroom.

After the class is over, instructor contact information: [insert mycampus address]

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An overview of the field of international and global politics. The nation state, factors of power, collective security, international trade, regional and international organization, sources of conflict and convergence are addressed.

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As a General Studies course and the introductory course for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in International Relations, IRLS210 extends the student’s horizon beyond the confines of individual states. This course considers politics in the international environment to include competition among states and other international actors for power, influence, and access to the scarce resources of the globe. Political interaction in the international arena is categorically different from how states operate within their specific geographic boundaries. Because of the anarchic nature of international politics and the competition posed by differing national interests, it is incumbent upon states to provide for their own security. The course also reviews emerging norms and legal systems that seek to create international order. The purpose and scope of this course is to provide the student with the analytical tools to comprehend and explain human interaction within the international system of states. IRLS210 also provides the intellectual foundation for further study in the field of International Relations.

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After successfully completing this course, you will be able to

CO-1 Describe the actors in the international system.

CO-2 Identify the characteristics of the international system.

CO-3 Describe the current and expanding roles of IGOs, NGOs, MNCs and networks.

CO-4 Identify how politics and economics are intertwined aspects of international relations.

CO-5 Assess the impact of global issues on the international system.

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This course, delivered via distance learning, will enable students to complete academic work in a flexible manner, completely online. Course materials and access to an online learning management system will be available to each student. Online assignments are due by Sunday at 11:55 pm ET and include all written assignments, examinations, and research papers submitted for grading. Weekly Forum questions (accomplished in groups in a Forum) require an initial response by Thursday at 11:55 pm ET, with all other required responses due by Sunday at 11:55 pm ET. The assigned faculty will support the students throughout this eight-week course.

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Required Course Textbooks

Course readings consist of selected ebook chapters and journal articles.

http://apus.libguides.com/er.php?course_id=6064

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Forum discussions – One initial post by Thursday (350 words); more than two follow-up posts (150 words) to classmates by Sunday. Specific questions found in Forums tab of the classroom.

Midterm assignment – identify the theoretical perspective that fits the three leaders identified in the instructions or the assignment and support your analysis with specific examples.

Progress assignment – write a précis on an article you choose from the course materials.

Final assignment – write a letter on a local problem.

Grade Instruments	Percentage
Forum Discussions (8)	25
Midterm Assignment	25
Progress Assignment	25
Final Assignment	25

Total

100

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Please see the Student Handbook to reference the University’s grading scale.

Week	Topic(s)	Course Objective(s)	Reading(s)	Assignment(s)
1	Introduction to IR	CO-1 Describe the actors in the international system.	Read: Yetiv (2011) Review: various websites	Student Introduction and Week One Forum Discussion due.     Note: All initial answers to forum discussions are due on Thursdays at 11:55pm ET. All follow-ups to discussions are due on Sundays at 11:55pm ET. All written assignments are due on Sundays at 11:55pm ET.
2	The Mainstream	CO-2 Identify the	Read: Wilkinson (2007)	Week Two Forum

	Theoretical Perspectives	characteristics of the international system.	– Introduction Watch: videos	Discussion due.
3	States	CO-1 Describe the actors in the international system. CO-2 Identify the characteristics of the international system.	Read: Wilkinson (2007) – Chapter 1 Layne (2012) Review: various websites	Week Three Forum Discussion due. Week Three Midterm Assignment due.
4	Intergovernme ntal Organizations (IGOs)	CO-2 Identify the characteristics of the international system.	Read: Wilkinson (2007) – Chapter 3 Zewei (2011) Review: various websites	Week Four Forum Discussion due.
		CO-3 Describe
		the current and
		expanding roles
		of IGOs, NGOs,
		MNCs and
		networks.
5	Nongovernme ntal Organizations	CO-2 Identify the characteristics	Read: Wilkinson (2007) – select pages	Week Five Forum Discussion due.

	(NGOs)	of the international system. CO-3 Describe the current and expanding roles of IGOs, NGOs, MNCs and networks.	Evans (2013) Steinberg (2011) Review: various websites
6	Multinational Corporations (MNCs)	CO-2 Identify the characteristics of the international system. CO-3 Describe the current and expanding roles of IGOs, NGOs, MNCs and networks. CO-4 Identify how politics and economics are intertwined aspects of international relations.	Read: Matthews (2002) – select pages Cragg, Arnold and Muchlinski (2012) Select readings from the BBC and Project Syndicate Review: various websites	Week Six Forum Discussion due. Week Six Progress Assignment Due.
7	Networks and Non-state Actors	CO-2 Identify the characteristics of the international	Read: Wilkinson (2007) – select pages	Week Seven Forum Discussion due.

		system. CO-3 Describe the current and expanding roles of IGOs, NGOs, MNCs and networks.	Weimann (2010) Arquilla (2007) Review: various websites
8	Global Issues	CO-5 Assess the impact of global issues on the international system.	Read: Wilkinson (2007) – select pages Remarks on Human Trafficking Koch and Fulton (2011) Grillot (2011) Review: various websites	Week Eight Forum Discussion due. Week Eight Final Assignment due.

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Please see the Student Handbook to reference all University policies. Quick links to frequently asked question about policies are listed below.

Drop/Withdrawal Policy Plagiarism Policy

Extension Process and Policy Disability Accommodations

Citation and Reference Style

Attention Please: Students will follow the Turabian/Chicago Style as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework to the University.

See http://www.apus.edu/Online-Library/tutorials/chicago.htm. All written submissions should be submitted in Times New Roman 12pt font with 1” margins, typewritten in double-spaced format. Graduate-level work is expected to be free of grammar, usage, and style errors.

Late Assignments

Students are expected to submit classroom assignments by the posted due date and to complete the course according to the published class schedule. As adults, students, and working professionals, I understand you must manage competing demands on your time. Should you need additional time to complete an assignment, please contact me before the due date so we can discuss the situation and determine an acceptable resolution. Routine submission of late assignments is unacceptable and may result in points deducted from your final course grade.

Netiquette

Online universities promote the advancement of knowledge through positive and constructive debate – both inside and outside the classroom. Forums on the Internet, however, can occasionally degenerate into needless insults and “flaming.” Such activity and the loss of good manners are not acceptable in a university setting – basic academic rules of good behavior and proper “Netiquette” must persist. Remember that you are in a place for the rewards and excitement of learning which does not include descent to personal attacks or student attempts to stifle the Forum of others.

• Technology Limitations: While you should feel free to explore the full-range of creative composition in your formal papers, keep e-mail layouts simple. The Sakai classroom may not fully support MIME or HTML encoded messages, which means that bold face, italics, underlining, and a variety of color-coding or other visual effects will not translate in your e-mail messages.
• Humor Note: Despite the best of intentions, jokes and especially satire can easily get lost or taken seriously. If you feel the need for humor, you may wish to add “emoticons” to help alert your readers: ;-), : ), J

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The Online Library is available to enrolled students and faculty from inside the electronic campus. This is your starting point for access to online books, subscription periodicals, and Web

resources that are designed to support your classes and generally not available through search engines on the open Web. In addition, the Online Library provides access to special learning resources, which the University has contracted to assist with your studies. Questions can be directed to librarian@apus.edu.

• Charles Town Library and Inter Library Loan: The University maintains a special library with a limited number of supporting volumes, collection of our professors’ publication, and services to search and borrow research books and articles from other libraries.
• Electronic Books: You can use the online library to uncover and download over 50,000 titles, which have been scanned and made available in electronic format.
• Electronic Journals: The University provides access to over 12,000 journals, which are available in electronic form and only through limited subscription services.
• Tutor.com: AMU and APU Civilian & Coast Guard students are eligible for 10 free hours of tutoring provided by APUS. Tutor.com connects you with a professional tutor online 24/7 to provide help with assignments, studying, test prep, resume writing, and more. Tutor.com is tutoring the way it was meant to be. You get expert tutoring whenever you need help, and you work one-to-one with your tutor in your online classroom on your specific problem until it is done.

Request a Library Guide for your course (http://apus.libguides.com/index.php)

The AMU/APU Library Guides provide access to collections of trusted sites on the Open Web and licensed resources on the Deep Web. The following are specially tailored for academic research at APUS:

• Program Portals contain topical and methodological resources to help launch general research in the degree program. To locate, search by department name, or navigate by school.
  • Course Lib-Guides narrow the focus to relevant resources for the corresponding course. To locate, search by class code (e.g., SOCI111), or class name.

If a guide you need is not available yet, please email the APUS Library: librarian@apus.edu.

Faculty require assignments be submitted to Turnitin.com. Turnitin.com will analyze a paper and report instances of potential plagiarism for the student to edit before submitting it for a grade. The instructor will post information in the classroom on student procedures.

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Arquilla, John. 2007. “Of Networks and Nations.” The Brown Journal of World Affairs XIV (1): 199–209.

Cragg, Wesley, Denis Arnold, and Peter Muchlinski. 2012. “Human Rights and Business.”

Business Ethics Quarterly 22 (1) (January): 1–7.

Grillot, Suzette. 2011. “Global Gun Control: Examining the Consequences of Competing International Norms.” Global Governance 17: 529–555.

Koch, Michael, and Sarah Fulton. 2011. “In the Defense of Women: Gender, Office Holding, and National Security Policy in Established Democracies.” The Journal of Politics 73 (1): 1– 16.

Layne, Christopher. 2012. “This Time It’s Real: The End of Unipolarity and the Pax Americana.” International Studies Quarterly 56: 203–213.

Matthews, John. 2002. “Dragon Multinational, A New Model for Global Growth.” In Oxford, GBR: Oxford University Press.

Steinberg, Gerald. 2011. “The Politics of NGOs, Human Rights and the Arab-Israel Conflict.”

Israel Studies 16 (2): 24–54.

Weimann, Gabriel. 2010. “Terror on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.” Brown Journal of World Affairs XVI (II): 45–54.

Wilkinson, Paul. 2007. International Relations: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, GBR: Oxford University Press.

Yetiv, Steve. 2011. “History, International Relations, and Integrated Approaches: Thinking About Greater Interdisciplinarity.” International Studies Perspectives 12: 94–118.

Zewei, Yang. 2011. “Western International Law and China’s Confucianism in the 19th Century.

Collision and Integration.” Journal of the History of International Law 13: 285–306.