Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Summer Semester 2026

Introduction to International Relations (Online)

POLS 2100-SW1

Course: POLS 2100-SW1
Credits: 3
Term: Summer Semester 2026
Department: PSCJ
CRN: 20659

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

Instructor Information

Office Hours: Mondays, 9am-12pm and 2pm-4pm (in person and via zoom)
Office: GC 406A 
Email: harleyroe@suu.edu

Required Texts

World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions. Fifth Edition. Jeffry A. Frieden, David A. Lake, Kenneth A. Schultz. Norton. (Referred to as WP, hereafter). Ebook: ISBN 978-0-393-87222-4
 

Make note that we use the fifth edition of the textbook (the newest edition is not available in print yet).

This textbook makes use of Inclusive Access, meaning you will automatically have access to the ebook version through Canvas. If you want to find alternative sources for the textbook, be sure to opt-out of Inclusive Access at the start of the course.

Learning Outcomes

Social and Behavioral Sciences: Upon successful completion of the General Education Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement, students will be able to:
  1. Examine: Examine institutions and human behavior through social and behavioral concepts, methods, or theories;
  2. Analyze: Identify diverse perspectives to explore and examine social and behavioral phenomena; and
  3. Apply: Apply discipline-relevant and scientific theories and methods to make inferences about or applications to social and behavioral phenomena at personal,
    institutional, or cultural levels.

Further, by the end of the course, students will be able to: 
  • Explain foundational principles and theories of international relations.
  • Apply theories of international relations to explain and predict political phenomena from a variety of policy areas.
  • Analyze and evaluate political arguments and claims made by political scientists, the media, and people in general along multiple dimensions.
  • Communicate ideas in writing and other media.

Course Requirements

Grading Policy


The final numeric grade will map to the final letter grade according to SUU's standard number to-letter grade conversion scheme. Final grades ending in .5 or higher are  automatically rounded up to the nearest whole percentage point.

A: 94-100
A-: 90-93
B+: 87-89
B: 84-86 
B-: 80-83 
C+: 77-79 
C: 74-76 
C-: 70-73  
D+: 67-69 
D: 64-66 
D-: 60-63
F: 0-59   

Final grades will be assessed through various measures of your performance in the course: 

Midterm - 20%

Final – 20% 

Syllabus Quiz – 5%

International Mapping Project – 20% 

Canva Timeline Project – 20%

Guided Discussions – 15% (3 @ 5% each)



Exams

 
There will be two exams, both of which are equally weighted. They will be given on Canvas, and the due dates are scheduled in the syllabus. The format of each exam will be multiple-choice and will include any material covered since the last exam. A study guide will be provided in advance.

Syllabus Quiz


A quiz reviewing the course expectations provided in the syllabus will be due the first week of class.

International Mapping Project

 
This project will have students explore communities in an international context through the lenses of institutions and issue areas. Students will choose a country, border region, or subnational area affected by international politics. 

You will create a Google MyMap of a community as you define it with at least 14 important institutions, organizations, actors, or places associated with a major international political issue of your choosing (meaning at least 2 states are involved). Your map will include a minimum of 4 sentences, a photo/graphic/video for each location you map along with a 1 sentence citation for each photo/graphic/video. Further instructions will be given on Canvas. 

Examples of map markers you may consider:
  • Government offices
  • Embassies
  • UN offices
  • Peacekeeping sites
  • Refugee sites
  • NGO/INGO sites
  • Military installations (checkpoints, bases, etc.)
  • Contested territory
  • Economic sites (mines, markets, factories, etc.)

This project is worth 20% of the final grade.

Canva Timeline Project

Students will complete a timeline profile for an international political event of their choice (meaning at least 2 states are involved). Consider events like conflict, alliance formation, negotiations, trade deals, embargos, blockades, terrorist attacks, soft power, sanctions, etc. This project will involve the use of free-to-use data visualization software like Canva (tutorials will be given, no prior experience is necessary). Students choose and analyze key events throughout the event of their choice. Students will identify major actors, institutions, and events that contributed to the event. Submissions will take the form of a complete timeline and essay. Additional guidance will be provided on Canvas, and through posted rubrics.

The timeline project + the accompanying essay = 20% of the final grade.


Guided Discussions

Students will participate in 3 guided discussions throughout the course, engaging with modern international politics. These discussions will require reflection on course themes and their application to real global issues.

3 discussions at 5% each = 15% of the final grade.

Assignment Due Dates

All assignments, quizzes, and exams in this course are due on Sunday nights (11:59pm). I schedule it this way to give students the maximum amount of time possible to complete readings, quizzes, and assignments throughout the week at your own pace and according to your own schedule. HOWEVER this means that in most weeks, multiple assignments will be due at the same time. Students are responsible for planning ahead to ensure that all assignments are completed by the deadlines listed in the syllabus. In other words, you should not wait until Sunday to START the assignments/readings/exams for a particular week, and instead should pace yourself throughout the week.

Course Outline

This schedule is the tentative plan for the course. Depending upon progress, topics may shift in a given week. However, exam dates will not be moved. 

 

Week 1, May 11-May 17: 

  • WP Chapters 1 + 2 (What Shaped Our World? A Historical Introduction and Understanding Interests, Interactions, and Institutions)
  • Syllabus Quiz due Sunday, May 17: 11:59pm

Week 2, May 18-May 24: 

  • WP Chapters 3 + 4 (Why Are There Wars? and Domestic Politics and War)
  • Guided Discussion 1 due Sunday, May 24: 11:59pm

Week 3, May 25-May 31:

  • WP chapters 5 + 6 (International Institutions and War and Violence by Nonstate Actors: Civil War and Terrorism)
  • Monday, May 25 – Memorial Day, no assignments due
  • Midterm Exam due Sunday, May 31: 11:59pm

Week 4, June 1-June 7: 

  • WP Chapters 7 + 8 (International Trade and International Financial Relations)
  • International Mapping Project due Sunday, June 7: 11:59pm
  • Guided Discussion 2 due Sunday, June 7: 11:59pm

Week 5, June 8-June 14: 

  • WP Chapter 10  (Development: Causes of the Wealth and Poverty of Nations) Note: We are skipping chapter 9.
  • Canva Timeline Project due Sunday, June 14: 11:59pm
  • Guided Discussion 3 due Sunday, June 14: 11:59pm

Week 6, June 15-June 21: 

  • WP Chapters 11 + 12 (International Law and Norms and Human Rights)
  • Monday, June 15 – Juneteenth Observed, no assignments due. 
  • Canva Timeline Project Essay due Sunday, June 21: 11:59pm

Week 7, June 22-June 28: 

  • Chapters 13 + 14 (The Global Environment and Challenges to the Global Order)
  • Final Exam due Sunday, June 28: 11:59pm

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

 A late penalty of 10% per day late will be assessed for missing deadlines associated with the International Mapping Project and Canva Timeline Projects.

Late Exams will not be accepted, as answers will be made available after the assignments close. No extra credit, makeup exams or additional assignments will be offered.

The Late Policy takes effect after the 11:59pm deadline. Meaning a 12:00am submission will count as 1 day late.

Attendance Policy

This course is fully delivered asynchronously, meaning there are no specified times that the student is expected to view the videos. Students are responsible for planning ahead by checking the syllabus for upcoming readings and assignments. Students are responsible for all assigned readings. Therefore, it is imperative that students complete all readings and integrate them into the course assignments as applicable. The assignment deadlines are "hard" deadlines, so plan your week accordingly. 

Syllabus Change Policy

Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice. 

Class Policies

Students are responsible for planning ahead by checking the syllabus for upcoming readings and assignments. Students are responsible for all assigned readings. Therefore, it is imperative that students complete all readings and integrate them into the course as applicable.

Students are responsible for checking rubrics for formatting requirements prior to submission. If assignment files are illegible, corrupted, uploaded to the wrong location, blank, or are "wrong versions", they will be treated as late and the Late Policy will apply. To avoid issues, be sure to review your assignments after submission. Links to externally stored files (e.g. GoogleDocs) will not be accepted.

AI Policy

This course assumes that work submitted for a grade by students – all process work, drafts, brainstorming artifacts, final works – will be generated by the students themselves, working individually or in groups as directed by class assignment instructions. This policy indicates the following constitute violations of academic honesty: a student has another person/entity do the work of any substantive portion of a graded assignment for them, which includes purchasing work from a company, hiring a person or company to complete an assignment or exam, and/or using generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT). 

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.