CPS 118n - Syllabus

Office Hours
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If these times are not convenient for you, we will gladly make an appointment

INTRODUCTION

College Park Scholars (CPS) 118N will be an introduction to major issues in international studies. International Studies encompasses an enormous range of political, social and cultural issues. What we will be doing here is focusing on those concerns that demand attention in the contemporary world; and there is nothing more vital in modern political life, than the facts, theories, and realities of terrorism, war, and morality. Nevertheless, terror and terrorism are not simple topics; they demand attention as problems in understanding the world, in historical perspective, in human suffering and living conditions; terrorist demands and claims often involve thinking about religion, religious doctrine and theology, and the role of religions consciousness in inducing terrorist actions. State sponsored terrorism must be considered as well.

September 11, 2001 showed the world that people are willing to engage in mass murder and the killing of innocents in the service of religions beliefs and commitments. It is also the case that war induces terror. The war in Vietnam, or the war in Europe and the Pacific during World War II, created situations of terror for combatants and innocents alike. To live or be in terror is not novel to the 21^st century; terror has been a part of human exchange in the form of war for centuries. We can read ancient texts like Thucydides chronicles of the Peloponnesian war in ancient Greece and see situations of terror, used both by the Athenians and the Spartans, the chief combatants in that long and deadly conflict. But, terror also involves moral questions and issues; what is right and wrong; is there such a position as ‘right’ or wrong’ when thinking about war and morality. Can we think about ‘good violence’ as opposed to ‘bad violence’? What distinguishes legitimate violence from genocidal violence? Is morality only to be understood in terms of the strongest; who ‘wins’ the war is the most ‘moral’ of the combatants; and is morality only to be judged in terms of outcomes? Alternatively, are there transcendent moral positions that we can appeal to; that have nothing to do with utility or with ends, but which stand independent, as a kind of natural law, of the actions of human beings? If the victor determines what is moral, then morality has no basis or meaning in anything other than strength. This is Thrysymachus’ argument in Plato’s famous treatise the Republic; and an argument that Plato spends the entire text disputing. Thus, the interrelations of terror, terrorism (the implementation of terror), morality, and the facts of war, are enormously complex. But, these kinds of issues drive modern international politics; and it is these issues that we will study in a variety of ways and forums over the next few semesters.

Part of the Scholars experience is to build community; it is also to learn how to think critically about political issues. We will in this program work towards both objectives: to motivate you to critical reflection on powerful moral and ethical themes in international relations, and to provide experiences that shed light on world politics. This is the purpose of the field trips: to serve as both a bridge to community, and as an effort to familiarize you with certain aspects of the life and history of what it means to think ‘internationally’, while reflecting on moral and political experiences central to international politics and to the moral norms governing exchange between nations and groups, and between groups and individuals.

GENERAL POLICIES

1. We will try to meet any extraordinary needs of any student. Such needs arise out of either preexisting or new conditions. Such conditions may include persona, social, physical, emotional or other impairments. To be properly considered students must present an Accommodation Form. A copy of the Accommodation Form should be on file in the disability support service (DSS) Office, 0126 Shoemaker Bldg. (301) 314-7282, dss@umail.umd.edu

2. The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. All assignments must have this sentence on the front page: "I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination." It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For information on the code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor council, please visit: http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html

PROGRAM EXPECTATIONS

You are expected to be actively involved in the learning process.
You are expected to be an active and committed participant in the various residential activities and other special events.
You are expected to help in creating the best learning environment and experience for yourself and your community.

FIELD TRIPS

Since I recently assumed the post of Director of International Studies, my teaching assistants and I are in the process of putting together a number of field trips, which we feel, will be both instructive and enjoyable. I require that all students visit the Holocaust Museum; that trip is mandatory and will occur in the spring semester. You are also required to attend one additional field trip from the following list:

The Ropes Course on Campus: 27 October
The Embassy of South Africa: 10 October
The Embassy of Rwanda: 24 October
The Department of State: TBA

Students must inform their teaching assistant which field trips they wish to attend; there is $15.00 co-pay that covers all field trips for the year. The scholars program provides transportation and lunch, if necessary. You will also be asked to sign a consent form for the trips; and for those of you under 18, you must have a parent or guardian sign for you as well.

There is also a CPS wide New York trip in the spring; this trip is optional and requires student financial participation of $199.00. While in New York we will be involved with tours or activities that possess an international focus. If we can, we will try to arrange a tour of the United Nations; if the UN is closed that day or is not conducting Saturday tours, we will visit Ellis Island, a national landmark where immigrants were introduced to the Untied States and “processed" during the latter part of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth.

TEACHING ASSISTANTS AND DECORUM

Your two year International Studies program will be supervised by myself, and my three associate teaching assistants, and one adjunct teaching assistant. Each of these talented and informed graduate students in the Government and Politics department will follow you throughout your time in International Studies. They will be your discussion leaders and advisors, and will be central to your experience as you progress through the program.

Please be mindful of the proper decorum in all scholar classes: no cell phones, beepers, ipods, etc. Please come to class appropriately dressed. You are in the University now, and the scene here is very different from high school. I assume that students will internalize decorum expectations and rules; I and your teaching assistants are teachers not disciplinarians.

ATTENDANCE AND LATE POLICIES

Absence from any film must have a verifiable medical excuse; no exceptions. If you miss a film for reasons that are not dire emergencies or out of medical necessity, your grade will suffer. Attendance at discussion section after the film is mandatory. All due dates for assignments for listed in the course schedule, no late papers will be accepted, unless there is a medical or compelling reason. With the diversity of religious backgrounds at the university, we will not penalize students for religious holiday observances. Please notify us during the first two weeks of class if there is a scheduling conflict that way we can decide appropriate dates for make-up assignments.

E-MAIL

Email will be routinely used to send messages about class assignments, and relevant events related to your class participation. If your email address changes, please let me know. Additionally, please update this information with the university by visiting: http://www.testudo.umd.edu/apps/saddr/

CPS 118N: FALL COURSE CONTENT

Our first semester class consists of both readings and films; the films treat different international environments and the kinds of disagreements, misunderstandings and rage that precipitate situations of violence and war. We meet every other Monday, beginning on September 11. The films will be screened in room 0220 Jimenez Hall at 4:45. I will briefly introduce the film and some issues to think about; after the film we will breakout into discussion groups. You will be assigned your discussion group on the first day of the course. You can eat beforehand; dining services will be open for meals after the discussion sections. The films and readings will be organized around the theme “Terror: the Reality of War and Hatred.”

Students will keep a two-page journal of each film. These journal entries will count for 25% of your final grade. These journal entries will be due to your assigned TA no later than the Wednesday during a week we have class, by 12:00 PM. We encourage students to email their entries, though paper copies will be accepted.

At the end of the semester, you will be given a list of questions, asking you to integrate both the films and the readings. You will choose one question and write an essay of 5-7 pages. You will be graded on the quality of your essay; it will count for 75% of your final grade. Participation in discussion section will help your grade if you are on the borderline between two grades.

REQUIRED READING - Please read these books in the order that they are listed.

Chang, Iris. 1998. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. Penguin Books. ISBN: 0140277447
Herr, Michael. 1991. Dispatches. Vintage. ISBN: 0679735259
Browning, Christopher R. 1993. Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland. Harper Perennial. ISBN: 0060995068

SCHEDULE OF FILMS

September 8: Introductions, Movie Conspiracy

-- Terror

-- The Role of the Group in Inducing Terror

-- Moral Positions and Evaluations

September 22: Fog of War

-- State Supported Terror

-- Individual Commitment

-- Governments and Conspiracies

October 6: Missing

-- Inhumanity

-- Objectification of the Enemy

-- Survival of Terrifying Circumstances

October 20: No Man’s Land

-- Ethnic Conflict and its Processes

-- The Role of the State in Inducing Terror

-- The Amorality of Violence

November 3: Standard Operating Procedure

-- Brutality and War

-- Ethnic Conflict

November 17: The Constant Gardner

-- Bureaucracy and Terror

-- Defining ‘Otherness’

-- The Ethics of Mass Murder

December 1: An Inconvenient Truth

-- Political Leadership and Terror

-- ‘Will of the People’ vs. Will of Leadership

December 8: Assignment Due: Final Papers and Journal Entries

Last Updated: 8 September 2008