American University of Beirut

PSPA Education
Fall 2019-2020

Course Number:PSPA 101

Course Title:Issues in World Politics
Meeting Time:MWF 8-8:50
Meeting Place: Nicely 414
Instructor: Dr. Ghada Awada
Office Hours: by appointment
Office: PSPA Faculty lounge, Jessup Hall
E-Mail: [email protected]

Course Catalogue Description

PSPA 101 Issues in Contemporary Politics 3.0; 3 cr.
A course that examines the global context of politics, focusing on the changing world
order in the twentieth century. Special attention is given to themes like democratization,
civil society, ethnic conflict, human rights, and globalization.

Course Description and Objectives

PSPA 101 is designed to equip participants with the most significant issues in world politics and
how these issues occupy the global agenda. The course also teaches students how and why the
major actors in world politics play a role in determining which isssues are significant and need
management. This course aims to intoduce students to important issues in world politics.It also
amis to bring to the attention of the students to the impact of these issues on their lives and
societies to which they belong. It is important that governments can’t alienate themselves to what
is going on around them.Hence, it is important to be aware of the major issues in this world and
how state and decision makers deal with them. Some examples of major issues are States and
Statehood, Trade, Money, Market, Regionalism, Development, Nationalism,War and Conflict,
Peacekeeping, Religion, and Terrorism. We realize the complexity and importance of these
issues in shaping our lives and ourselves. Therefore, it becomes a requirement of this course to
encourage students to think about these issuses and realize the different challenges that they face
at the domestic and international levels.

Requirements
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Students are strongly encouraged to attend their classes and participate in the discussions.
Students are also expected to keep themselves up to date with the on-going socio-political events
in various arts of this world. Hence, the students should also read magazines and journal articles
that examine the big socio-political and economic problems at the national and international
level. If students are interested, more additional readings other than the text will be assigned.

Learning Outcomes

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Upon the completion of the course, students should be abe to:
1.Recall political events and issues that influence the world politics.
2. Evaluate the consequences of domestic political issues and events.
2.Analyze the roots of historical political issues shaping the global community.
3. Analyze why and by whom the global agenda is determined.
4. Synthesize why a new world order is needed.
5. Analye the positive and negative results of the US hegemony in world politics.

Lecture Material and Schedule

This course relies on lectures based on the material available in the chapters of the book. The
lectures also intend to promote discussion and debate in class to enhance learning and
knowledge. The schedule of the course is as follows:

Week 1 chapter 1
1.Issues in the World Politics
Week 2 chapter 2
2. States and Statehood
Week 3 Money and Market chapter 3
3. Trade
Week 4 chapter 4 Exam 1
4. Regions and Regionalism
Week 5 chapter 5
5. Development and Inequality
Week 6 chapter 6
6. Arms and Arms Control
Week 7 chapter 7
7. Peacekeeping and
Humanitarian Intervention
Week 8 chapter 9 Exam 2
8. Nationalism and Ethnic
Conflict
Week 9 chapter 10
9. Migration and Refugees
Week 10 chapter 11
10. Environment
Week 11 chapter 14 Term paper
11. Terrorism
Week 13 Term paper Final Exam

Teaching Method
Lectures, debates and discussions along with the below active learning activities will be adopted
during the course sessions.
Make Them Guess – Introduce a new subject by asking an intriguing question,

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something that few will know the answer to (but should interest all of them). Accept blind
guessing for a while before giving the answer to build curiosity.

Recall, Summarize, Question, Connect, and Comment – This method of starting each session (or
each week) has five steps to reinforce the previous session’s material: recall it, summarize it,
phrase a remaining question, connect it to the class as a whole, and comment on that class
session.

One-Minute Papers – Students write for one minute on a specific question (which might be
generalized to “what was the most important thing you learned today”). Best used at the end of
the class session.

Muddiest Point – Like the Minute Paper, but asks for the “most confusing” point
instead. Best used at the end of the class session.

Drawing for Understanding – Students illustrate an abstract concept or idea.

Comparing drawings around the room can clear up misconceptions.

Concept Mapping – Students write keywords onto sticky notes and then organize them into a
flowchart. Could be less structured: students simply draw the connections they make between
concepts.

Pro and Con Grid – Students list out the pros and cons for a given subject.

Think-Pair-Share – Students share and compare possible answers to a question with a

partner before addressing the larger class.

Pair-Share-Repeat – After a pair-share experience, ask students to find a new partner and debrief
the wisdom of the old partnership to this new partner.

Forced Debate – Students debate in pairs, but must defend the opposite side of their personal
opinion. Variation: half the class take one position, half the other. They line up and face each
other. Each student may only speak once, so that all students on both sides can engage the issue.

Optimist/Pessimist – In pairs, students take opposite emotional sides of a

conversation. This technique can be applied to case studies and problem solving as well.

Role-Playing – Assign roles for a concept, students research their parts at home, and they act it
out in class. Observers critique and ask questions.

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Prerequiste

There is no prerequiste for this course.

Textbooks

The textbook for this course is Brian White, Richard Little and Michael Smith, Issues in World
Politics, Palgrave Macmillan, third edition, 2005

Geukjian, O. (2016). Ethnicity, nationalism and conflict in the South Caucasus: Nagorno-
Karabakh and the legacy of Soviet nationalities policy. Routledge.

Grading Criteria:

First exam 20%

Second exam 20%
Participation/Presentations 20%
Final Exam 40%

:Academic Integrity

Please refer to AUB Student Code of Conduct:

http://www.aub.edu.lb/pnp/generaluniversitypolicies/Documents/StudentCodeConduct/StudentC
odeConduct.pdf , in particular section 1.1, which concerns academic misconduct including
cheating, plagiarism, in-class disruption, and dishonesty. Please be aware that misconduct is
vigorously prosecuted and that AUB has a zero tolerance policy. Course policy is that credible
evidence of cheating will result in course failure. Students caught cheating on an exam
/homework receive a grade of Zero on the exam/homework in their first cheating attempt in the
course and receive a warning. Students caught cheating for the second time in the same course
will receive a grade of ''F'' in the course and a second warning. A grade of Zero on an exam
/homework resulting from cheating must be counted in the student's course grade.

Recommended Accessibility Statement to Acknowledge the Unique Learning Needs of

Students with Disabilities:
AUB strives to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or
experience academic barriers due to a disability (including mental health, chronic or temporary
medical conditions), please inform me immediately so that we can privately discuss options. In
order to help establish reasonable accommodations and facilitate a smooth accommodations
process, you are encouraged to contact the Accessible Education Office:
[email protected]; +961-1-350000, x3246; West Hall, 314.

Non-Discrimination

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AUB is committed to facilitating a campus free of all forms of discrimination including
sex/gender-based harassment prohibited by Title IX. The University’s non-discrimination policy
applies to, and protects, all students, faculty, and staff. If you think you have experienced
discrimination or harassment, including sexual misconduct, we encourage you to tell someone
promptly. If you speak to a faculty or staff member about an issue such as harassment, sexual
violence, or discrimination, the information will be kept as private as possible, however, faculty
and designated staff are required to bring it to the attention of the University’s Title IX
Coordinator. Faculty can refer you to fully confidential resources, and you can find information
and contacts at www.aub.edu.lb/titleix https://www.aub.edu.lb/titleix . To report an incident,
contact the University's Title IX Coordinator Trudi Hodges at 01-350000 ext. 2514, or
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> . An anonymous report may be submitted online
via EthicsPoint at www.aub.ethicspoint.com https://www.aub.ethicspoint.com/ .

Withdrawal:
Please observe the withdrawal deadline set by the Registrar’s Office. Students wishing to
withdraw from one or more courses must follow the withdrawal procedure provided by the
Registrar 's Office. Students withdrawing from courses after the late registration period and
before the withdrawal deadline will receive Ws for all the courses in progress.

University Attendance Policy

Missing one third of classes implies that you will have to drop the course.

Remarks
Students who miss exams will not be granted a makeup exam.
1. READINGS. Students are expected to come to class having read the assigned material for
each class session and are prepared to contribute to class discussion. Students will be asked
individually, in pairs and/or in groups to respond to the material they have read. Class
participation will affect the course grade. Quizzes may be given on some occasions and the
language used in the course is English.
2. ACTIVITIES. Students should be prepared to participate in all the course activities. These
activities are designed to help the participants understand, apply, and share ideas pertaining
to the course materials.
3. ARTICLE REVIEW: The format of this review will be a one-page synthesis of a journal
article including a brief description of the content, your opinion of it, and its implications for
teaching language.
4. ASSIGNMENTS. Students are required to submit assignments on time as delineated in the
course outline. Late assignments will not be accepted and will result in alowered grade as
delineated in the course syllabus.
5. ATTENDANCE. Students are required to attend all class sessions. In case of absence from
any class, students are required to cover material missed and inquire about any
announcements made during their absence. Students who miss more than one fifth of class
sessions are subject to withdrawing from the course with a W-grade.
6. MAKE-UP EXAMS. Make ups are NOT given for quizzes. A quiz missed is a grade missed.
If a student misses the mid-term, a make-up will be given only if the reason for being absent
is deemed valid. The mid-term and the final exam will be announced in due course.

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7. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Students must submit their own work, acknowledge ideas from
other sources and abide by the academic regulations of the University. Please refer to AUB
Policies and Procedures on academic integrity.
http://pnp.aub.edu.lb/university/handbook/158010044.html

8. Moodle is an essential component of this course. Students are required yo log on regularly
and stay up-to-date on announcements, assignments, and communication with instructors and
peers.

Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all classes. If you miss the third of the sessions, you will be
.automatically dropped from the course with a W grade as specified in the AUB Catalogue

Assignments:
You are expected to submit assignments on time. Late assignments may result in a lower grade.