Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Introduction to International Relations (Face-to-Face)

POLS 2100-01

Course: POLS 2100-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSCJ
CRN: 32465

Course Description

A fundamental introduction to the essential definitions, concepts, theories, authors, institutions, and contemporary background for an understanding of current international affairs. (Fall, Summer - Even Years) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): None General Education Category: Social and Behavioral Sciences

Required Texts

Haas, Richard.  The World:  A Brief Introduction.  New York:  Penguin Press, 2020.  (Text, ISBN 978-0399 56239-  
            6).
Kissinger, Henry.   World Order.  New York:  Penguin Books, 2016.  (Text, ISBN 978-043127710 )
Stoessinger, John G. Why Nations Go to War, 11th ed. Boston and New York: Bedford:  St. Martin's 2011.  (TEXT, ISBN 978-0495797180)

Learning Outcomes

Through a variety of writing exercises, examinations and take-home essays, readings, discussions and lectures, students are expected to become familiar with the major theories and writers in the study of international relations, the central players and forces in modern world affairs, as well as the causes and events of current international conflicts.  Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) are Critical Thinking and Intercultural Knowledge, and Ethical Reasoning.  

Course Requirements

Final grades will be based on three in-class, short answer exams and  two take-home essays. The take-home essays must be two to three pages, and will address questions based on assigned readings. The questions for these essays will be handed out later in the semester and will be due November 7, and December 8. Letter grades are given to each essay based on the following criteria:  assigned length, writing ability, organization (use of an introduction and conclusion), content (details, grasp of core ideas as presented in the syllabus, lectures or focus in the essay question), focus/use of an established thesis, critical thinking (ability to draw a conclusion), and use of source materials (especially assigned readings) with proper reference style.  Each assignment will receive a letter grade and will count for twenty percent of the final course grade which will represent an average of the essay grades.  Do take advantage of email to ask questions.

Course Outline

SUBJECTS, READING ASSIGNMENTS
AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE


Wednesday, August 27 -Friday, September 26

"Why the world wags and what wags it"
Understanding "...why the world wags and what wags it."
A realistic picture of the players and forces in 2020 international relations
How COVID has revealed the weaknesses of this era.
A paradigm shift?
The end of the Great War, the Peace of Versailles
The Post-Cold War World:  From bipolarism to unipolarism, and now nonpolarity?
Realities of the New World Order
September 11, 2001 in Perspective
War in Afghanistan and the Gulf Wars
The Fall of the Great Powers, The End of History or a Clash of Civilizations?
Preventive War
Globalism, National Localism, and Monoculture
Still a Hostile World Arena…It’s a jungle out there (Thomas Hobbes).
The Imperatives of National Interest, National Security, and Sovereignty
Putin's War in Ukraine/Netanyahu and the Gaza Crisis
Grim realities of the cyber-age
The end of World War II and the failures of 1944:  Bretton Woods and Dumbarton Oaks

Readings

Kissinger, World Order, Introduction.
Hass, The World, Preface, and pay attention to his endnotes.
Stoessinger, Why Nations Go to War, Preface and Introduction.

The International Territorial, Nation-State System
The End of the Cold War and Bipolarity
The Persistence of the Territorial State
The Birth of the State and the Modern State System
The Thirty Years War, from a medieval war of religion to a modern one of national interests
The vital role Cardinal Richelieu of France and his notion of raison d'état or reasons of state
National Interest, National Security, and National Sovereignty
Failed States:  Afghanistan and Somalia, and Nation Building
Stanley Hoffmann's Ideologies of Violent Conflict, Nationalism, and Religious Fundamentalism
An Orderly System or an Anarchical Society?
Stanley Hoffmann's First and Second Tiers, and the Domain of Chaos
The end of American leadership and successful diplomacy-or multilateralism
The failure of cooperation and the renewal of nationalism
International Law and Organization
International Economic Institutions and Potential Economic Crisis
The Politics of Poverty or Development
Third World, Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs), or Developing Countries
The price of desperation

Readings
Kissinger, World Order, Chapter 2.
Haass, The World, Part I. and Part IV.

Friday, September 26-Exam 1
 
Monday, September 29-Friday, November 14


The Nature of Power in the Post-Cold War World
International Relations as a Struggle for Power
Limiting National Power
The Elements of National Power
The Future of the Superpower/The paradigm of imperial decline

Readings
Huntington, "The U.S.-Decline or Renewal?"
Stathis, Quo Vadis Pace Americana? 
Kissinger, World Order, Chapter 3.

Basic Theories of International Relations
Realpolitik, Realism, Idealism, and Neorealism

Readings
Kissinger, World Order, Chapter 4.
Stoessinger, Why Nations Go to War, Chapters 1, 4, 7 and 8.
Haass, The World, Part II

Statecraft or Statesmanship
The Dilemma of Statecraft:  diplomacy or force, soft power or hard power?
Great Statesmen
Crisis Management and Crisis Resolution
Preventing the escalation of a crisis geographically and in levels of violence
Causes of the Great War:  World War I
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Second Gulf War

Readings
Stoessinger, Why Nations Go to War, Chapters 1, 4, 7 and 8.
Kissinger, World Order, Chapter 5.
Haass, The World, Part III.

Friday, November 14-Exam #2

Monday, November 17-Friday, December 6


War
War: Policy by Other Means (Clausewitz)…Good God y’all, what is it good for? (Edwin Starr)
Conventional and Unconventional Warfare
The Era of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Nuclear War/The New Nuclear Threat: Nuclear Proliferation
Chemical and Biological Weapons
The realities of cyber-warfare
Thomas L. Friedman's Golden Arches Theory of International Conflict.
The demise of international order

Readings
Stoessinger, Why Nations Go to War, Chaps. 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Kissinger, World Order, Chapter 6.

Regional, Traditional Conflicts
The Arab-Israeli Conflict
India and Pakistan
The Persian Gulf:  The Gulf Wars and the rise of ISIS/Da'ish
Terrorism
The Arab Spring and after:  ISIS/Da'ish and the issue of nuclear weapons and Iran
Ukraine and the Russian Federation

Readings
Kissinger, World Order, Chapter 7.

Human Rights and International Relations
The Issue of Human Rights
The Use of Rape and Sexual Degradation as State Policy
Sovereign Rights vs. Human Rights
Peoples Without States: Nations and Refugees
The Problem of International Peace
Peace Through Limitation (International Law, Arms Control, Treaties, etc.)
Peace Through Transformation (A world state by conquest or federation/a world community by cultural and economic globalization)
Peace Through Accommodation (Through diplomacy until change happens)
Diplomacy and Compromise
Moderation and Fanaticism-The Legacy of Raymond Aron
Morgenthau’s Ultimate Admonishment:
The first lesson the student of international politics must learn and never
forget is that the complexities of international affairs make simple
solutions and trustworthy prophesies impossible.

Alexander and Cosmopolis (oikoumene), a well-ordered universal community
Dickens' A Christmas Carol:  Ignorance, Want, and Doom.
Henry Kissinger and world order. 

Readings
Kissinger, World Order, Chapters 8 and 9, and Conclusion.
Haass, The World," Where to Go for More."

Conclusions

Friday, December 5-Exam #3




Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late work will be accepted by arrangement with the professor.

Attendance Policy

As noted, this is a lecture course and students are highly encouraged to attend daily classes.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.