PSCI 2223 (Spring 2006)

Introduction to International Relations

Professor Jupille

 

Midterm #1 Preview

 

Exam Nuts and Bolts

·         Exam book ("blue book");

·         Pen (blue or black);

·         50 minutes.

 

 

Exam Format

  • Multiple Choice: 15 @ 3 exam points each (45 points total);

·         Essay: 1 (of 2) @ 55 exam points.

 

 

Topics and Materials

Topic

Readings

What is IR? What is Theory? Why Study IR Theory?

KW 1

Alternative Approaches to IR

KW 2;
**Singer, "The Level-of-Analysis Problem in International Relations"

Realism: States as Actors

KW 3

Realism: Anarchic International System

**Hobbes, "Relations Among Sovereigns";
**Waltz, "The Anarchic Structure of World Politics” (NB: this is *not* the reading listed on the original version of the syllabus.  Go to the course announcements page for details)

Realism: Behavior and Dynamics

**Thucydides, "The Peloponnesian War and the Melian Debate";
**Kaplan, "Rules for the Balance of Power System"

Liberalism: Diverse Actors

KW 6;
**Mansbach, Ferguson and Lampert, "Towards a New Conceptualization of Global Politics";

Liberalism: International Society

**Milner, "A Critique of Anarchy";
**Bull, "The Idea of International Society"

Liberalism: Behavior and Dynamics

**Axelrod, "The Evolution of Cooperation"

Constructivism and Alternative Isms

**Wendt, "Anarchy is What States Make of It";
**Tickner, "A Gendered Perspective on National Security"

Application: Debating International Institutions

**Keohane, "Cooperation and International Regimes";
**Mearsheimer, "The False Promise of International Institutions", pp. 5-14 (until the section entitled “Varieties of Institutionalist Theories”).

 

 

Study Strategies

·         Do the readings.

·         For KW, pay special attention to general concepts and boldfaced words.  Ask about how KW materials relate to lecture materials, how they work together to paint a picture of that subject.

·         For non-KW readings, be able to associate authors with arguments.  You will receive more credit if you correctly identify the author of an idea in addition to accurately articulating the idea in question.  In all cases, you should be capable of providing a "bottom line": that is, a distilled version of each author's thesis, or main argument.

 

·         Revisit the Lectures

·         Use lecture outlines to your advantage.  They, along with the syllabus, communicate important information to you about how the professor carves up the complicated reality that is international relations.

·         Understand the overall theme of each lecture, and how it relates to broader course themes.  Then address yourself to more specific issues, connecting them to lecture themes and from there to course themes.

·         I have provided key terms for lectures at the end of each outline.  Know them.  That is, be able to identify what each term means and how it is relevant (relates to broader themes).

 

·         Think

·         How might all of the above be brought together?  Given the readings assigned and the lectures given, what questions might be asked?

 

 

Test-Taking Strategies

·         Relax.

·         Manage your time.

·         Write legibly.

·         Completely answer the question.

 

 

Sample Questions

  • Multiple Choice.  Which of the following is true of “constructivist” IR theory?
    1. It suggests that material factors uniquely construct our worldviews independently of social or cognitive factors.
    2. It suggests that IR theory must be constructed from the “ground up” along the lines of “first image” theory.
    3. It suggests that states’ interests and identities are not exogenously given but are “in play” during processes of interaction.
    4. It suggests that the interests and activities of the military-industrial complex represent key factors to understanding IR.

 

  • Essay Question.  Realism and liberalism represent the dominant “mainstream” paradigms of International Relations (IR).  Yet critics argue that they provide inadequate accounts of actors, environments and behavior.   Set out the critiques offered by constructivist and feminist theorists of these mainstream paradigms.  Do you agree with these critiques?  Why or why not?  Based on this analysis, which of these various approaches (realism, liberalism, constructivism, feminism) do you find most compelling, and why? Develop and defend your answer.