Winter 2011-12

The purpose of this course is to introduce you the key theoretical approaches and substantive issues of the politics of the global economy. After examining the core theories and concepts of the international political economy (IPE), we will review recent major trends, with a particular emphasis on globalization and the international financial crisis. The subject matter inherently draws attention to the intersection of politics (states) and economics (markets). The overarching focus is thus on how political choices made by state actors alter economic outcomes and, alternately, how the operation of international markets shapes the options available to political leaders.

 TEXTS: The following texts are available for purchase at the campus bookstore.

David N. Balaam & Michael Dillman, Introduction to International Political Economy, 5^th Edition. (Companion Site)

Thomas Oatley, Debates in International Political Economy. 2^ndEdition.

 As we will begin every class with a brief discussion of current events, you should also regularly read one of the main international news sources. Your best bet is the weekly magazine The Economist, which offers comprehensive yet easily readable coverage. Most of the magazine can be read free online at www.economist.com (you need a subscription for some content). Quality daily papers include the New York Times (www.nytimes.com), Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) and Financial Times (www.ft.com).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Your grade for the course will be based on the following --

(A) THREE EXAMS (65% total). The exams will be on Tuesday, December 20^th and Friday January 27^th (20% each) and a final exam (25%).  Exams will include a mix of objective and analytical questions, including essays, drawn from both the readings and the lectures. The format for the final will be similar to the other two exams, but also include comprehensive essay questions.

(B) DEBATES PAPER (15%). At various points in the course we will be discussing the chapters in Thomas Oatley, Debates in International Political Economy, 2^nd ed. Your job in the paper is to explore the respective sides of one of these debates and make a persuasive argument of your own, which may or may not correspond with the arguments presented in the text. You may choose any topic in Debates in International Political Economy, whether we discuss it in class or not. In order to make your argument persuasive, you need to provide appropriate factual evidence to support your claims. (NOTE: You may not, under any circumstances, cite Wikipedia!) All papers are due no later than Monday, February 13^th (start of 10^th Week).

DEBATE PAPER ASSIGNMENT

(C) BOOK REVIEW (20%). In order to give you a more in-depth look at important current debates related to the international economy, you are required to read and review one of the following books:

Thomas L. Friedman & Michael Mandelbaum, That Used to be Us: How American Fell Behind in  the World it Invented and How We Can Come Back, Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2011.

Jeremy Rifkin, The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Mark Steyn, After America: Get Ready for Armageddon, Regnery, 2011.

Michael Spence, The Next Convergence: The Future of Economic Growth in a Multispeed World, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2011.

 All four are relatively inexpensive and available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online booksellers. You should order you book immediately and you are strongly advised to have it read by the time we return from the winter break. Details of the review assignment will be handed out separately. The paper will be due on Monday, January 16^th (start of 6th Week).

BOOK REVIEW ASSIGNMENT

 Professor Casey's Homepage (including links for current events and research)

PDF of the Course Syllabus                 

Key Dates

Links to the PowerPoint slides for the lectures and assignments will be added as the course progresses.

Other readings listed can be downloaded in PDF from the Logan Library's  Academic Search Premier Database. This is available on the drop-down menu of databases on the library's main page. Please note that it is usually easiest to find the article if you search by both author and title.