Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Jonathan Symons
Contact via jonathan.symons@mq.edu.au
W6A room 435
Tuesdays 3-4 pm or by appointment (arrange via email)
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
POL108
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces students to the major theories of international relations, key debates that have shaped the discipline and interconnections between theory and the actual practice of international politics. International relations was founded as a distinct discipline shortly after the First World War, with the explicit goal of identifying the causes of war and peace. While war and great power conflict remain central concerns, the discipline has grappled with new challenges as de-colonisation and globalisation have created a densely interconnected global system of sovereign states. Students will engage with key themes including power, great power rivalry, nationalism, national interest, critical approaches, justice and cooperation under anarchy.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Reading Responses/Quizzes | 25% | No | Thursday 10pm most weeks. |
Research Essay & Presentation | 45% | Yes | Week 9 - Monday 5pm. |
Take home examination | 30% | No | Week 13 |
Class participation | 0% | Yes | Weekly |
Due: Thursday 10pm most weeks.
Weighting: 25%
A) In week 3 all students must complete a short answer reading response on ilearn by 10pm Thursday 16th March (5% of grade).
B) Online reading quizzes (via ilearn) will run in weeks 2, 4, 5, 6, 9 &10. Grades will be based on the best of 5 (out of 6) quizzes. These quizzes will assess comprehension of assigned weekly readings and in most cases will be based on questions set out in the weekly 'reading guide' (available in advance on ilearn). Each quiz must be completed before 11 pm on the evening before the lecture. You will have 20 minutes from the time you log into the weekly quiz in which to complete it. Each weekly quiz is worth 4% of your total grade for the unit (4% x 5 = 20%). This means it is possible to skip one quiz without penalty. Further information and sample quiz questions will be available from ilearn.
Due: Week 9 - Monday 5pm.
Weighting: 45%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
This is a research essay of 2500 words. Essay questions and marking criteria will be provided on iLearn. Students are required to submit via the turnitin link on ilearn. All students must select the essay question they will address by the end of week 4 and post their choice to ilearn (a discussion thread will be provided). Since your class presentation is based on your essay, the timing of your class presentation will be determined by your choice of essay question.
Internal students will be required to give a 5 minute presentation summarising their essay's argument during class; external students will be required to present a short summary of their essay's argument on ilearn. These presentations should summarise your essay's argument and identify a question for discussion by the class. Presentations will not be graded separately, but they are a hurdle requirement for completion of the course and you are encouraged to discuss your presentation with your tutor after class. Students who are unable to complete the hurdle requirement, may post a 400 word summary of the essay's central argument to an ilearn discussion thread.
All students are encouraged to submit an introduction that outlines the central argument and essay structure to the unit convenor by the end of week 6 (via email: jonathan.symons@mq.edu.au), so they can receive feedback prior to completing the essay.
Essays that are submitted late will be penalised at a rate of 2% per business day.
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 30%
An end-of-semester take home exam will cover content drawn from the entire unit. The exam will consist of 4 questions and the maximum word length will be 2000 words. Late submission of the exam will not be accepted.
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Internal Students: Attendance and participation in at least 6 tutorials is a hurdle requirement for completion of the unit.
External students are required to participate actively in discussion on the iLearn website. Meaningful participation in class discussion on at least 6 topics (discussion must occur no more than 1 week after the lecture on a given topic) is hurdle requirement for completion of the unit.
Alternative task: Students who fail to meet this hurdle requirement (internal or external) must submit a 500 word critical analysis of the weekly readings for a week in which they did not meet the participation requirement.
Delivery
For lecture times and classrooms please consult the MQ Timetable website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au. This website will display up-to-date information on your classes and classroom locations.
Internal students are expected to attend the following classes each week:
Lecture: Friday 10.05 am-11.55 pm E7B T4 Theatre.
Tutorial: Friday - see calendar for options. Attendance and participation in 6 tutorials is a hurdle requirement for completion of the unit.
NOTE: Tutorials will begin in Week 2.
External students: The lecture is digitally recorded and can be downloaded from the iLearn website shortly after it is delivered. You will also find lecture slides on the ilearn site.
External students are required to participate actively in discussion on the iLearn website (further details are given in the section on Assessment). Meaningful participation in class discussion on at least 6 topics is a hurdle requirement or completion of the unit.
External students are welcome to attend weekly lectures whenever they can.
Required resources:
There is one required text for this unit which is available for purchase from the Macquarie University Coop Bookstore:
Lawson, Stephanie. (2015). Theories of International Relations: Contending Approaches to World Politics. Polity Press: Cambridge.
Access to this text will be necessary in order to complete the reading quizzes. Although the library will have a copy of this text, access through the library cannot be guaranteed. All other unit readings will all be available on ilearn or e-reserve.
Week 1 - 3 March
Introduction: Theorising International Relations
Week 2 - 10 March
Realism. First week of weekly reading quizzes - available on iLearn and must be completed by Thursday 11pm each week.
Week 3 - 17 March
Liberalism. Short answer ilearn response due by Thursday 11pm
Week 4 - 24 March
Neo-Realism and Neo-Liberal Institutionalism. Weekly iLearn quiz due by 11pm Thursday. NB: You must also nominate which research question you will address this week via the iLearn discussion forum.
Week 5 - 31 March
Marxism and Critical Theories. Weekly iLearn quiz due by 11pm Thursday.
Week 6 - 7 April
Constructivism & The English School Weekly. iLearn quiz due by 11pm Thursday.
Week 7 - 14 April
Postcolonial and Post-structural Theories. No reading quiz this week.
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MID SEMESTER BREAK: 14 to 28 April 2017
Week 8 - 5 May
Essay Writing Week - NO CLASSES - See ilearn for details of essay discussion drop-in sessions.
Week 9 - 12 May
**Essay due Monday 8 May, 5pm;
Middle Power Theory & Foreign Policy Analysis. Weekly iLearn quiz due by 11pm Thursday.
Week 10 - 19 May
Feminist IR Theory. Final weekly iLearn quiz due by 11pm Thursday.
Week 11 - 26 May
Normative International Theory
Week 12 - 2 June
Conclusion: IR Theory in an Era Of Globalization
Week 13
Exam opens Thursday 8 June, 9am; closes Sunday 11 June at 9 pm.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
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