Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Momoyo Sugimoto
Tutor
Mariam Farida
Govand Azeez
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
12cp at 100 level or above
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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:
Late Submission Penalty
“Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes and the take-home exam unless prior arrangements have been made via email with the unit convenor.”
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Online Reading Quizzes | 12% | No | Wednesday 11pm most weeks. |
Research Essay & Discussion | 45% | Yes | Week 8 - Friday 5pm. |
Take home examination | 33% | No | Week 13 - 9pm 9 June |
Class participation | 10% | Yes | 11pm on evening of class |
Due: Wednesday 11pm most weeks.
Weighting: 12%
Online reading quizzes (via ilearn) will run in weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 &10. Grades will be based on your best 6 (out of 7) quiz results. These quizzes will assess comprehension of assigned weekly readings and 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 2% of your total grade (2% x 6 = 12%). This means it is possible to skip one quiz without penalty. Further information and sample quiz questions will be available from ilearn.
Due: Week 8 - Friday 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. All students are required to submit their essays via the turnitin link on ilearn. All students should select the essay question they will address by the end of week 3; you will be asked to post your choice to ilearn (a discussion thread will be provided).
Internal students will be expected to speak to their essay's argument during class, while external students will have the opportunity to present a short summary of their essay's argument on ilearn. When discussing your essay in class you should summarise your essay's central argument and raise a question for discussion by the class. In-class presentations will not be graded separately, but they are a hurdle requirement for completion of the course and you may be asked to discuss your presentation with your tutor after class.
All students are encouraged to submit an introductory paragraph 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.
Due: Week 13 - 9pm 9 June
Weighting: 33%
An end-of-semester take home exam will cover content drawn from the entire unit. The exam will consist of 2 short essay questions and the maximum word length will be 2000 words. Late submission of the exam will not be accepted.
Due: 11pm on evening of class
Weighting: 10%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Internal Students Participation: 10% of internal students' final grade will be based on a participation-activity. Students will be asked to take a leadership role in one week's class after which they will submit detailed class participation notes (graded); students must also participate submit a 50 word reflection after two other week's participation activites (hurdle requirement). You will be asked to select the week in which you will lead and submit notes at the beginning of semester (participation-activities will run in weeks 3, 4. 5, 9, 10 & 11 - instructions for each week are available on ilearn). Students will submit their participation notes to ilearn (700 to 1000 words) by 11pm on the day of their tutorial. Detailed instructions will be available on ilearn. Alternative task: Internal students who are unable to participate for a valid reason (documented ill health or special circumstances on three or more of the above dates) will have the opportunity to submit a replacement essay by consultation with their tutor.
Internal Students' Attendance: Attendance and participation in at least 6 tutorials is a hurdle requirement for completion of the unit. Alternative task: Students who fail to meet this hurdle requirement (internal or external) without a valid reason must submit a 500 word critical analysis of the weekly readings for a week in which they did not meet the participation requirement.
External Students' Participation: external students will be graded on their participation in discussion on the iLearn website. Discussion will only be graded if contributions are made within 1 week after the lecture on a given topic. Meaningful participation in class discussion on at least 6 topics is a hurdle requirement for completion of the unit.
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: Thursday 10.00am - 11.55 pm - 14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue, T5 Theatre.
Tutorial: Thursday - multiple 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.
External students are required to participate actively in discussion on the iLearn website (further details are given in the section on Assessment).
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 - 28 Feb
Introduction: does theory help us tackle international challenges?
Week 2 - 7 March
Realism. First week of weekly reading quizzes - available on iLearn and must be completed by 11pm Wed 6 March - evening before lecture.
Week 3 - 14 March
Liberalism. Weekly iLearn quiz due by 11pm evening before lecture.
Graded tutorial activity #1 (internal students must submit full notes for one of the 6 tutorial activities and a 50 word reflection on 3 others).
NB: You should also nominate which research question you will address this week via the iLearn discussion forum.
Week 4 - 21 March
Neo-Realism and Neo-Liberal Institutionalism. Weekly iLearn quiz due by 11pm Sunday (evening before lecture). You are welcome to change the question you address later if you wish.
Graded tutorial activity #2 (internal students must submit full notes for one of the 6 tutorial activities and a 50 word reflection on 3 others).
Week 5 - 28 March
Constructivism & The English School. Weekly iLearn quiz due by 11pm Sunday (evening before lecture).
Graded tutorial activity #3 (internal students must submit full notes for one of the 6 tutorial activities and a 50 word reflection on 3 others).
Week 6 - 4 April
Marxism, World Systems Theory and Critical Theories. Weekly iLearn quiz due by 11pm evening before lecture.
Week 7 - 11 April
Feminist IR Theory. Weekly iLearn quiz due by 11pm evening before lecture.
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MID SEMESTER BREAK: 15 to 28 April 2019
Week 8 - 2 May
Green Theory. No reading quiz this week. Essay due Friday 3 May, 5pm.
Week 9 - 9 May
Postcolonial and Post-structural Theories. *No reading quiz this week.* Guest lecture: Noah Bassil.
Graded tutorial activity #4 (internal students must submit full notes for one of the 6 tutorial activities and a 50 word reflection on 3 others).
Week 10 - 16 May
Middle Power Theory & Foreign Policy Analysis. Weekly iLearn quiz due by 11pm evening before lecture.
Graded tutorial activity #5 (internal students must submit full notes for one of the 6 tutorial activities and a 50 word reflection on 3 others).
Week 11 - 23 May
Normative International Theory
Graded tutorial activity #6 (internal students must submit full notes for one of the 6 tutorial activities and a 50 word reflection on 3 others).
Week 12 - 30 May
Conclusion
Week 13 - No lecture - Take-home exam due.
Exam released via ilearn Thursday 6 June 9am; submission via learn by Sunday 9 June at 9 pm. I expect students will take around 7 hours to complete the exam.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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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Date | Description |
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26/02/2019 | Timetables changed the lecture theatre without telling me as numbers had increased. Have added the correct lecture theatre (14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue, T5 Theatre) |
14/02/2019 | Added details of second tutor and corrected a formatting issue. |
08/02/2019 | Unit guide has been published for a few weeks. I have now merged the external and internal guides and corrected 1 typo. |