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PS499: Critical Readings in Political Science
Professors Allende, Cochran, Scott Spring, 2004
Political Violence, Social Change, and the War on Terror
Readings: In addition to readings available on reserve, the web, or outside Buttrick 215, we will read two books in their entirety:
Kegley, Charles W., Jr. The New Global Terrorism: Characteristics, Causes, and Controls. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2003.
Chomsky, Noam. Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance. New York: Metropolitan Books,2003.
Films: We plan to view a number of films during the course of the semester. Most will be scheduled at much as feasible during class time, but sometimes it will be necessary for students to watch part or all of the films outside of normal class time. We will normally schedule a common viewing time; if you cannot be present then, it is your responsibility to watch the film on your own.
Assignments: Each student is required to successfully fulfill the following assignments.
Midterm: Each student will write an essay of not more than 5 double-spaced pages on Chomsky and Kegley. The essay is due March 3 at 4:15.
Presentation: Pairs of students will lead a one-hour class segment on an issue related to the main theme for that week. Topics will be chosen in consultation with the lead instructor for the week.
Portfolios: Each student will choose a theme to follow in the news. She will collect stories relating to this topic in various media and keep a journal reflecting on how class readings and material related to this development of this theme over the course of the semester. She will be responsible for contributing insights and examples relating to this theme to class discussions. Her portfolio will also be used in her final essay. Portfolios will be collected before spring break and again at the last class.
Examples of portfolio themes:
Iraqi elections Afghan nation-building Osma bin Laden
Israeli/Palestinian conflict Foreign media and WoT Racial profiling
Role of (Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Saudi Arabia) in WoT
Columnist (Ivins, Friedman, Krugman, Klein, Hitchens, Hersh, Kaplan)
Anti- or pro-war organizations (Move.on, Act) Non-violence
Post-modernism Homeland security Language
News themes/Iraq Neocons Civil liberties/suits
International organizations Polls Counterinsurgency tactics Outsourcing
Final essay: Each student will write an integrative essay of not more than five, double-spaced pages essay analyzing assigned themes and issues, including her portfolio theme, raised by course material and class discussions. The essay is due at 9 a.m. on the second reading day, May 6.
Participation: Especially in a senior seminar, informed contribution to class discussions and debates is crucial.
Attendance: Although any unexcused absence is problematic in a class that meets only once a week, a single unexcused absence will not adversely affect your grade. Additional unexcused absences, however, will result in a reduction of your attendance grade of one letter grade for each unexcused absence. To be excused, written documentation is required to establish the seriousness of the reasons for missing class.
We will typically take a half-hour break for dinner, normally from 5:45 – 6:15. Proportionate penalties will be applied for missing substantial portions of class.
Failure to attend at least 60% of the classes for any reason or combination of reasons may result in your receiving a failing grade for the course.
Grades: Final grades will be assessed based on the following criteria/weightings:
Midterm – 25%
Presentation – 15%
Portfolio – 15%
Final essay – 25%
Participation – 10%
Attendance – 10%
Late work: Late written work will be penalized one-third of a letter grade for each day it is late. Presentations, of course, cannot be made up.
Schedule of topics and readings:
January 28 – Introduction: Defining terrorism (Scott, Allende)
Read: Kegely, pp. 1-70
Film: “The Battle of Algiers”
February 4 – Terrorism and its causes (Scott, Allende)
Read: Kegley, ch. 5 – 7 and part II.
February 11 – Alternative approaches to terrorism (Allende, Scott)
Read: Kegley, part III and Chomsky, ch. 1-3
February 18 – Critique of anti-terrorism (Allende, Scott)
Read: Chomsky, ch. 4-9; assigned documents
February 25 – Public opinion, elections, and candidates (Cochran, Scott)
Read: Page, Bejamin, and Jason Barabas. Foreign Policy Gaps between Citizens and Leaders. International Studies Quarterly 44 (2000): 339-364
Ginsberg, Bejamin. How Polling Transforms Public Opinion. In Margolis,
Michael and Gary Mauser, Manipulating Public Opinion, ch. 13
Destler, I. M. The Reasonable Public and the Polarized Policy Process. Program on International Policy Attitutdes (PIPA), www.pipa.org
PIPA. Americans on Terrorism. September 9, 2003
PIPA. Americans on the Conflict with Iraq. October 2, 2002
The Economist.
Bacevich, A. J. The Impact of the New Populisim. Orbis 40, 1 (Winter 1996)
Project: Report on presidential candidate’s stances on WoT issues
March 3 – Mass media and terrorism (Cochran, Scott)
Read: Baum, Matthew A. Sex Lies, and War: How Soft News Brings Foreign Policy to
the Inattentive Public. American Political Science Review 96, 1 (March
2002): 91-110
www.fair.org/extra/0210/inspectors.html: What a Difference Four Years Makes.
www.fair.org/extra/0305/warstudy.html: Amplifying Officials, Squelching
Dissent.
www.aim.org/publications/weekly_column/2004/01/20.html. Media’s Rush to
Distort.
www.aim/org/publications/weekly_column/2003/08/27b.html. West Nile Virus
More Deadly Than Iraq War.
www.aim.org/publications/media_monitor/2004/01/28.html. Separating Myth
From Reality, Part 3
www.aim.org/publication/briefings/2003/jul01.html. Some Good News in Post-
War Iraq.
Entman, Robert M. Projections of Power: Framing News, Public Opinion, and US
Foreign Policy (U of Chicago, 2004), pp. 1-28
Fried, Amy. Muffled Echoes: Oliver North and the Politics of Public Opinion
(Columbia UP), pp. 9-33, 46-49
PIPA. Misperceptions, the Media, and the Iraq War. October 2, 2003
Project: Report on media outlet’s coverage of WoT for recent week(s)
March 10 – Spring break
March 17 – Patriot Act and civil liberties (Cochran, Allende)
Read: USA Patriot Act, browse www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/USAPA.html#HR3162
Cole, David. Their Liberties, Our Security. And responses by Wendy Kaminer and
Amatai Etzioni. Boston Review (Dec. 2002/Jan.2003)
(http:bostonreview.net/BR27.6/Cole.html
Wedgewood, Ruth. Al Qaeda, Military Commissions, and American Self-defense.
Political Science Quarterly 117, 3 (2003)
Sachs, Lori. The Constitution During Crisis. 29 Fordham Urb.L.J. 1715 (April
2002): part I
Heymann, Philip B. Civil Liberties and Huan Rights in the Aftermath of
September 11. 25 Harv.J.L. & Pub. Pol’y 441 (Spring 2002)
People for the American Way. Two Years After 9/1: Ashcraft’s Assault on the
Constitution (September 9, 2003): part II (pp. 3-22)
Wolin, Sheldon. Inverted Totalitarianism. Nation (May 19, 2003),
www.thenation.com/docprint.jhtml?I=20030519&s=wolin
Presentation: McCarthyism, Patriot II, military tribunals
March 24 – Advice, intelligence, and policy-making (Cochran, Allende)
Read: Between the Lines: Revisisting the Case for War. Foreign Policy
(September/October 2003):
www.foreignpolicy.com/story/story.php?storyID=1381
Hersh, Seymour M. The Stovepipe. New Yorker (October 24, 2003):
www.newyorker.com/printable/?fact/031027fa_fact
Empire Builders. Christian Science Monitor
(www.csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/index.html?leftNavInclude
Johnson, Loch. In Kegley, New Global Terrorism
Record, Jeffry. Bounding the Global War on Terror. (Dec. 2003):
www.carlisle.army.mil/ssi/pubs/2003/bounding/bounding.htm
Film: “Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War”
Presentation: groupthink, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam
March 31 – Theorizing a permanent state of emergency and exception (Scott,
Allende)
Read: Hardt, Michael, and Antonio Negri. 2000. Empire (Harvard UP), part I
Duffield, Mark. 2001. Global Goverance and the New Wars: The Merging of
Development and Security (Zed Books), ch. 1 and 2
Oxford, Anne. 2003. Reading Humanitarian Intervention: Human Rights and the
Use of Force in International Law (Cambridge UP), ch. 1
Singer, Peter W. 2002. Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military
Industry and Its Ramifications for International Security. International Security
26: 186-220
Presentation: Kosovo, the International Criminal Court
April 7 – Justifying empire (Scott, Allende)
Read: Indyk, Martin. 2003. A Trusteeship for Palestine? Foreign Affairs 82, 3
(May/June): 51-66
Rotberg, Robert I. 2003. Failed States, Collapsed States, Weak States: Causes and
Indicators. In Rotberg, ed., State Failure and State Weakness in a Time of
Terror. (World Peace Foundation and Brookings), 1-28
Annan, Kofi. 1999. Two Concepts of Sovereignty. The Economist (September 18):
49
Ottaway, Marina. 2002 Nation Building. Foreign Policy (September/October): 1-
24
Presentation: Afghanistan, Iraq
April 14 – Military missions and security policy (Allende, Scott)
Read: TBA
Presentation: basing, outsourcing security
April 21 – State terrorism (Allende, Cochran)
Read: TBA
Film: “The Trial of Henry Kissinger”
Presentation: Israeli occupation, Chile
April 28 – Summation: resistance and alternatives (Allende, Cochran, Scott)
Read: Hughes, Richard T. Myths America Lives By, Preface, Introduction, ch. 6,
Conclusion
Film: “The Quiet American”
Office Hours:
Allende: T, W, Th by appointment, F 10-1 (x6213)
Cochran: MWF 12-1 and by appointment (x6216)
Scott: M 11-12, W 9-10, Th 2:3:30 and by appointment (x6215)
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