Schweizer, K. W.

English

Digital Commons @ New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)

New Jersey Institute of TechnologyDigital Commons @ NJITHistory Syllabi NJIT SyllabiFall 2019HSS 404-101: Global Conflict and ResolutionK. W. SchweizerFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/hist-syllabiThis Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the NJIT Syllabi at Digital Commons @ NJIT. It has been accepted for inclusion in HistorySyllabi by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ NJIT. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@njit.edu.Recommended CitationSchweizer, K. W., "HSS 404-101: Global Conflict and Resolution" (2019). History Syllabi. 28.https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/hist-syllabi/28 HSS 404 101 Global Conflict and Resolution   Fall 2019               Instructor: Dr. K.W. Schweizer Office Hours:                                                       Federated Dept. of History, NJIT/Rutgers Tuesdays 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm                                                                      Office: Cull. 308 Wednesdays noon – 12:30 pm or                                         email: karl.schweizer@njit.edu By appointment                                             Telephone: 973-596-3274                                    Tuesdays 6 pm – 8:50 pm Central King 214   “The purpose of all war is peace.”                St. Augustine  Course Description:  This course is a structured and coherent investigation of the salient approaches to the study of international conflict and peacemaking.  Conflict resolution is the process of attempting to resolve a dispute or a conflict, in our case, at the interstate level.  This may involve conflict management in which the parties continue the conflict but with less extreme duties; settlement in which they reach agreement on enough issues that the conflict stops; or removal of the underlying causes of conflict—“resolution,” usually by means of creative diplomatic techniques.    Conflict itself has both positive and negative outcomes.  Practitioners in the field of conflict resolution seek to find ways to promote positive outcomes and minimize the negative ones. Sometimes stalled or dysfunctional peace processes thwart negotiations and new strategies for rejuvenating or reorienting have to be devised.  There exists an enormous body of literature on this subject with considerable confusion and competition among proponents of various approaches.  Moreover—precisely because of this confusion—vital links of communication among various schools of thought either have never existed or have broken down.    A further aim of this course is to help students understand and thus help to build and repair these communication links, in the process helping you identify your own position and viewpoints within the epistemology of international relations as a whole.  The objective is not to produce a “definitive” mode of analysis but to encourage thought about the interconnections between and among various conceptual approaches to war, conflict management and the modalities of sustainable peace settlements.   Course Goals:  By the end of the course, students will be able to: • Apply international relations theory to history theory to historical reality thereby gaining a firmer grasp of world issues and politics. • Understand the policy prescriptions, moral principles and ethical dilemma underlying the effective resolution of armed conflict. • Appreciate the problematic nature of international/security choices thus making them more informed citizens. • Write effective essays that critically analyze, in fluent prose, highly complex and textured peace settlement scenarios. • Better understand the scope and limits of arbitration and mediation as vital organizational tools in both international and domestic settings.       Assignments and Marks:     Book Review      20%      Due Tues., Oct 8     Mid Term       20%      Tues., Oct. 22    Research Essay                  30%      Due Tues., Dec. 3    Wrap-up Quiz      20%      Tues., Dec. 10      Class Participation     10%   Grading Scale for Assignments and Participation:  A = 85 – 100    B+ = 80 – 84.5  B = 75 – 79.5     C+ = 69.5 – 74.5 C = 65 – 69.5    D   =  50 – 64.9  F = 49.9 – 0    Texts:  (required readings) John W. Burton, Conflict Resolution: Its Language and Processes (London, 1996)  Peter Wallenstein, Understanding Conflict Resolution (NY, 2011)  Douglas Noll, Elusive Peace: How Modern Diplomatic Strategies Could Better Solve World Conflicts (NY, 2011)   Semester Schedule:  Sept. 3: Introduction, in-class handouts:  K.W. Schweizer, Diplomacy, 6 pp.; New   Approaches to International Peacemaking, 12 pp.  Sept. 10:  State Interests, Conflict and Alignment: Nationalism Pro or Con? Readings:  Burton, intro., ch. 1, ch. 2; K.W. Schweizer, “The Seven Years War: A System Perspective,” (class handout); Wallenstein, ch. 1.  Sept. 17:  The Structure of Wars: Power and Capability.  Readings:  Burton, ch. 2; Wallenstein, ch. 2.  Sept. 24:  International Political Processes: i) Diplomacy and Negotiation; ii) Diplomatic  Theory; iii) Types of Diplomacy. Readings:  Burton, ch. 3; K.W. Schweizer, “Diplomacy,” (class handout); K.W.  Schweizer, “Diplomatic Thought 1648-1815”, (class handout); K.W. Schweizer,  “Diplomacy: A Seamless Web”, (class handout).  Oct. 1:  i) Deterrence and Collective Security, ii) Interstate Organizations, iii) Alliances  and Peacemaking. Readings:  Burton, ch. 3; Wallenstein, ch. 3.  Oct. 8 and Oct. 15:  Justice and Expedience in International Relations.  Readings:  Burton, ch. 4; Noll, ch. 2.   Book Review is due Tuesday, October 8.  Oct. 22:  Midterm Quiz  Oct. 29:  Third Party Involvement: Arbitration, Mediation and Negotiation Theory.  Readings:  Wallenstein, ch. 4; Burton, ch. 5.  Nov. 5:  Case Study:  The Treaty of Versailles.  Readings:  Burton, ch. 5.  Nov. 12:  War, Conflict and Global Peace in the Post Cold War Era.  Readings:  Burton, ch. 7; Wallenstein, ch. 6, plus handouts.  Nov. 19:  Intractable Conflicts (i.e. ethnic, religious) and the Role of Ideology.  Readings:  Wallenstein, ch. 7; Noll, chs. 4, 5.  No class Tuesday, November 26.  Dec. 3:  Force, Strategy, and Arms Control.  Readings:  Noll, ch. 6; handouts. Research paper due.  Dec. 10:  Wrap-up Quiz.  Course Requirements:  • HSS 404 requires one book review, 5 to 6 pages in length, based on a book relating to the themes of the course and chosen by the student with Professor’s approval.   • This book may not be one of the course texts.  Novels, autobiographies, memoirs are not acceptable. • This book review is due at the beginning of class, hardcopy, not email attachment, on Tuesday, October 8 and will count as 20 % of the final grade. • Students are also required to write an in-depth 13 to 15 page research paper on a course-related topic.  The topic must be approved by the professor. • The research paper along with research notes upon which the essay is written is due at the beginning of class, hard copy not email attachment, on Tuesday, December 3 and will count as 30 % of the final grade.  Failure to hand in notes with research paper will result in a failing grade for the paper. • Book review guidelines and research paper guidelines will be provided. • There will be a midterm quiz and a wrap-up quiz. Each is worth 20 % of the final grade. A review will be given in the classes before the quizzes. • Attendance will be taken at each class and this will count as part of the class participation which is worth 10 % of the final grade.  Policies: • This is an intellectually demanding course and all students will be expected to do all the readings listed in the syllabus and start work on their written assignments before the submission date, ideally as soon as the book and/or subject has been approved.  • Attendance will be taken during each class and it is the student’s responsibility to sign the attendance book.  Absences will be excused only with documentation from the Dean of Students.  • Assignments MUST be submitted on time. Excuses for work submitted late will not be accepted (except for medical reasons, death in family, documentation submitted to the Dean of Students).   • There are no exceptions (except documentation from the Dean of Students). Late submissions will have grades deducted (one grade per day of lateness) unless a valid reason given (i.e. illness, supported by a doctor’s note submitted to the Dean of Students).  This point must be clearly understood before students agree to take this class.  Last minute pleas based on undocumented reasons will be rejected.  • Assignments submitted must conform to the specific category stated in this syllabus i.e. an essay is an essay, not a book review. Books for the review are chosen by the student, subject to Professor’s approval and autobiographies or works of fiction are not acceptable.  •  It is the student’s responsibility to ascertain that all assignments have been duly submitted and all required term work completed prior to the end of the semester.  By signing the attendance sheets students explicitly acknowledge their understanding and acceptance of this condition.  • Students must not put assignments under the professor’s office door.  Hard copy must be submitted on the due date at the beginning of the class or taken to the History office where the department administrator will date stamp them.  • Plagiarism in any written assignment will result in an automatic failure and will be reported to the Dean of Students.    • There will be no “re-writing” of book reviews.  Students having problems with written English must consult the Humanities Dept. Writing Center (Cullimore, 4th floor) prior to handing in assignments.  • There will be no “make-up” exam.  If you miss the final exam for any reasons other than those applying to written assignments listed above, you will receive an F.  • All submitted work must contain the following signed statement: I have fully complied with the NJIT Honor Code.  Signed: Your Name.  You can view NJIT Honor Code at:  NJIT website, just Google: “academic integrity.”  

HSS 404-101: Global Conflict and Resolution

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HSS 404-101: Global Conflict and Resolution

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