Political Science 363/International Studies 363
United States Foreign Policy
Fall 2020
Bill Newmann, Political Science Department
Office Hours: By Appointment only. We can set up zoom appointments.
Phone: Office: 828-2076 (main POLI number)
E-mail: wnewmann@vcu.edu
Newmann's home page: www.people.vcu.edu/~wnewmann with links to other Newmann syllabi and other fun stuff.
VCU Information on the University’s Response
to the Coronavirus
This is
the place to find updates on university policies
Structure
of the Class
This
course will be taught in a hybrid manner.
That means that whatever your situation might be during the fall
semester, this course will be taught in a manner that works for you. My plan is to have in class sessions,
streamed live online, and recorded for viewing whenever and wherever you want. Here are the details:
·
I
will lecture in the classroom at the regularly scheduled time. We have secured a large classroom that can
fit everyone who wants to come to class.
You are not required to be in the classroom. Attendance is optional, your choice based on
how comfortable you are about being in a classroom during the pandemic. If you do decide to come to class, you must
follow VCU’s health guidelines for class attendance: https://together.vcu.edu/students/. Failure to follow these guidelines can result
in disciplinary action (see below).
o I will set up a Zoom meeting session for every class period and you will receive an invitation for those sessions which includes a link and a password. Do not share this password.
o A few minutes before class time, click on the link. You’ll be put in a zoom waiting room and I will add you to the session. I may disable the waiting room if adding people gets messy.
o Please mute your audio
o You are not required to join with video
o If you have questions, use the chat function to ask the question. I will then repeat your question and give a try at answering it.
·
I
will record every class and post it on the Blackboard site. In the Course
Documents folder there will be subfolders for every class session. The recorded
zoom lectures will be there. That
way, everyone who cannot attend the class at the given time, either in person
or off campus, can watch the class later when it makes more sense for them. The
university uses the term online asynchronous for this style. I’m doing this
because I know a lot of people are in unusual situations due to the pandemic
and I want to make this as flexible as possible.
·
How
do you choose what to do? Since I will
provide essentially three ways for you to have the class, you will need to make
a choice about what to do. It’s not a
permanent choice for you. You can switch back and forth, however, you want to
do this. You might do this online for
the first two weeks, then decide you’d rather be in the classroom. Or come to class and then decide you’d rather
do it online. No problem. Feel free to
switch back and forth. Of course,
whatever you decide, you are responsible with keeping up with class lectures,
readings, and assignments. You will not be able to ignore the class for weeks
at a time then listen to all the lectures the day before the exam and expect to
do well. Keep up with the daily schedule
as spelled out below.
·
Should
you come to class or do this online? As
stated above, the choice is yours. But if you do decide to come to class you
absolutely must follow the VCU health guidelines in the link here: https://together.vcu.edu/students/. Remember, these are university guidelines and
carry the legal weight of the university behind them. The short version is
this:
o
Wear
a mask at all times
·
If
you refuse to wear a mask, you will be asked to leave; you may return when you
have a mask.
·
If
you refuse to leave, the class will be dismissed immediately and I am required
to refer you to the Dean of Students office for a possible student Code
of Conduct violation. If you are
referred to the Dean of Students you are not permitted back in class until you
meet with a Dean of Students office representative.
·
If
wearing a mask creates health complications and you would like a medical
exemption, please contact the Student
Accessibility and Educational Opportunity office.
o
Enter
the classroom at least six feet away from anyone else
o
Sit
at least six feet away from anyone else
o
If
you feel like you have been exposed to the coronavirus or feel any symptoms, do
not come to class; the VCU health website has a health hotline to call
if you think you have been exposed to the virus: https://together.vcu.edu/students
o
If
you fail to do these things, the University may take disciplinary action
against you.
o
The
VCU health guidelines should be followed while you are in this class and in all
your other classes and anywhere else you might be where you will encounter
other people.
o
Bottom
Line: My ability to continue to offer the class in a classroom setting depends
on your ability to take the necessary precautions during a pandemic. That means don’t do the things that are
likely to expose you to a virus (parties, bars, concerts, anything with large
numbers of people in close proximity).
If you feel that you will do those things, please treat this as an
online class; don’t come to class unless you can abide by the sensible
precautions during a pandemic. Remember
this:
·
If
you don’t take the proper precautions, and you are exposed to the virus while
you have been attending classroom sessions, you may force everyone in the class
to enter a 14 day quarantine. That means
the classroom sessions will be cancelled for two weeks for this class and the
other class I teach. Everyone who
attended classroom sessions will have to isolate themselves for two weeks and
that means that I will have to isolate myself from my wife and daughter for two
weeks. I will be unhappy.
·
Bottom,
bottom line: Be careful. This is serious. With proper precautions, this will
work fine. If you’re not sure you can be
careful, please treat this as an online class, either synchronous or
asynchronous.
·
Important:
If we have a worst case scenario and there is another wave of the virus, and
class has to be moved to a completely online format, there is nothing to worry about.
I’m ready for that and the transition will be smooth. I have taught online for years and I have a
system that seems to work. I use the
same PPT slides I would in the classroom. I add audio to them and then you just
watch and listen on the day of class as if you were in a classroom.
·
Even more important: Students and employees who develop
symptoms consistent with COVID-19, or who test positive for COVID-19, must
inform Student Health Services or Employee Health Services. Both Student Health
Services and Employee Health Services can now be contacted via a call center
line at 1-804-MYCOVID or 1-804-692-6843, where students and employees who are
experiencing symptoms can discuss testing options and other appropriate next
steps.
Introduction:
This course serves as an introduction to US foreign policy. We’ll start with the basics (the structure of the US foreign policy bureaucracies and basic theories of how we think about US national interests), but we will we proceed from there to tackle the challenging issues (dealing with potential great power rivals such as China and Russia; the threat from middle powers who reject international norms such as Iraq under Saddam Hussein or the current Iranian regime or North Korea; and 21st century threats from non-state actors such as al-Qaeda or ISIS). Underneath it all will be two simple questions. First, how do we define the threats to the US? Second, what should be the US role in the world? Politicians, scholars, think tanks, lobby groups, the media, and the public have generated a number of potential foreign policy priorities, including: spreading democracy, opening closed economies, fostering basic human rights in other nations, responding to humanitarian tragedies, ending civil or ethnic wars, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, deterring the rise of rival great powers, maintaining regional balances of power, ensuring US hegemony, counterterrorism, and even reducing the US role in world affairs in an effort to concentrate on the problems at home. We’ll be studying the interplay of those priorities, how they change from time to time, and the way priorities are decided. This is particularly interesting because of the 2016 election. It may have signaled a great change in the US role in the world. Maybe it’s a mild ripple in the evolution of US leadership; Trump foreign policy might be an outlier and we’ll return to a more traditional Republican or Democratic foreign policy in 2020 or 2024. Maybe it is the beginning of the end of US hegemony. Scholars from 100 years in the future may see 2016 as the year when the US stepped away from global leadership and handed the 21st century to China.
The course will focus on the following:
Foreign Policy Decision Making Process: We will examine the
wild and wacky world of foreign policy decision making. People think that
issues as serious as nuclear weapons policy or armed intervention are decided
upon in the most solemn and analytical manner. I wish. Foreign policy decision
making often resembles a bunch of three-year-olds in a sandbox fighting over
the only pail and shovel. Understanding the way decisions are made is perhaps
the single most important aspect of analyzing foreign policy. Many people think
that there really is no US foreign policy, only a process that churns out
half-decisions, non-decisions and useless compromises. By the end of the
semester you will be familiar with the policy making process and all the
institutions, departments, and agencies involved.
The Cold War Years: In examining the period of intense
competition with the USSR, we will focus on the emergence of the two
antagonists in the late 1940s and 1950s; US involvement in Vietnam; detente and
arms control during the Nixon years; the fall of detente and the collapse of
arms control during the Carter years; and the renewed Cold War of the early
Reagan years. The focus is two-fold: the ways in which the US and USSR formed a
competitive, yet in many ways cooperative relationship. In the mid-1980s, new
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev had begun the restructuring of the USSR, a
restructuring that would eventually reshape the world. We will examine the
Reagan and Bush administrations' responses to the changes within the USSR and
the changes around the world that followed.
US Foreign Policy after the Cold War: We will explore the
range of possibilities for the future in terms of a number of issues: the rise
of economic priorities; the issue of intervention and peace operations; human
rights and democracy; great power rivals to the US; and the spread of weapons
of mass destruction. We will try to answer the big picture questions: What
world role should the US assume after the Cold War? Are there economic threats
facing the US that are as challenging as the political-military threat of the
old USSR? How should the US organize and use its military assets after the Cold
War? Is China the next great rival to the US?
The Non-State Actor Threat: The 9/11 attacks on the US were
seen by many as events that changed everything.
For others they simply forced the US to recognize something that many
other nations already knew: non-state actors such as terrorist organizations
were now players in the international arena.
We’ll look at the US response to the new (or not new) world and the
fallout from US intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The 21st Century: The US faces old and new challenges. China is a great power rival like no other
the US has faced – an economic, political, and military rival. Russia, though not as powerful as China, has
a foreign policy focused on disrupting NATO and delegitimizing democracy. Its strategies of hybrid warfare (social
media propaganda, cyberespionage, and paramilitary forces) have left the US
floundering to develop a response. Cyberspace itself as a realm of
international competition and war has changed the nature of international
competition. Perhaps most importantly,
the willingness of the US to provide global leadership is a growing
uncertainty. Of course, after the 2016
election, we need to consider how all this plays out in Trump and post-Trump
foreign policy represents a possible major shift in US foreign policy
interests. If the US abandons the alliance structure and rule-based
international order it created after WW II, what replaces that system? What role will the US play its foreign policy
is based on going it alone.
In the class readings we will pay special attention to US policy in the Middle East and US relations with China.
Learning
Outcomes
1.
Students will be able to identify and analyze the organization
of the US government for foreign policy decision making as well as the way the
interagency process is designed to produce advice for the president
2.
Students will achieve comprehension of and be able to assess
the theoretical models of foreign policy decision making
3.
Students
will be able to differentiate between and evaluate the different ways the US
defines and pursues its national interests, including strategies of
intervention, engagement, and confrontation
4.
Students
will be able to differentiate between and evaluate the foreign policy
challenges of the cold war and the post-cold war, especially the difference
between challenges from nation states and non-state actors.
5.
Students
will be able to differentiate between and evaluate the foreign policy
challenges from peer competitors and middle powers.
6.
Students
will be able to evaluate the emerging challenges of the 21st
century.
7.
Students
will demonstrate the ability to research and write a paper for political
science
For an extensive
list of governmental and non-governmental sources of information on foreign
affairs click here: Links
to Websites on foreign policy and national security. Some of
these links may be in a state of flux because of the transition to a new
administration. I will try to keep them updated, but if anything changes or
disappears, let me know.
Texts
You
need to read them, but you don’t have to buy them. The books are available at
the Virginia Book Company on Shafer St., the VCU Bookstore, and
Bookholders. If anyone has problems
getting access to the texts, for any reason, let me know as soon as possible so
you don't get too far behind in the reading. Most of the books are available on
reserve at Cabell Library, which means that if you don’t want to buy them, you
can read them there. Ask me if you have any questions about how the reserve
system works. The short version is this:
A book on reserve can’t be checked out of the library. It will always be there.
It can be used for renewable two hour periods in the library.
·
Stephen
Sestanovich. Maximalist (New York:
Vintage, 2014) On Reserve E744 .S473 2014
·
John Gans. White
House Warriors: How the National Security Council Transformed the American Way
of War (New York: Liveright, 2019) (Not on Reserve)
·
Andrew
J. Bacevich. America’s War for the
Greater Middle East (New York: Random House, 2017) On Reserve DS63.2.U5
B3214 2016
·
Thomas
Christensen. The China Challenge (NY:
W. W. Norton, 2015) On Reserve JZ1730 .C56 2015
·
Ivo
Daalder and James Lindsay. The Empty
Throne: America’s Abdication of Global Leadership (New York: Public
Affairs, 2018). On Reserve E912 .D33 2018
A guideline for the readings: There
are aspects of US foreign policy that you should give special attention as you
do your readings. They affect every debate over US foreign policy and it is
probably a good idea to understand how they relate to major issues and events
when it comes to the final exam: (1) Decision Making: US foreign policy does
not just happen. Men and women make those decisions and that process is
important in shaping the actual substance of US foreign policy; (2)
Intervention Policy: The US picks and chooses what type of world events have
bearing on US national interests and in which events it will take an active
role. On what basis does the US make those decisions? How has the US definition
of national interest changed over the years and have the criteria for
involvement in international events changed? (3) Cold War vs. Post-Cold War vs.
War on Terrorism: How have the definitions of US national interests evolved?
(4) Domestic Politics: Are the definitions of national interest and the content
of US foreign policy based upon the threats the US faces or on domestic
political contests and trends that influence the perceptions of those threats?
Grading
System: Grades
will be determined through the following:
|
August
27 A take home quiz. See the link and the instructions below for details |
5% of the grade |
|
|
Exam
1 |
October
1 This will be a take home exam. I will place the exam in Blackboard in
the Course Documents folder at about 9:00 AM on September 30. It will be due back
to me (emailed) by midnight on October 1 (as October 1 becomes October 2). |
30%
of the grade |
|
Paper
Topic Due: September 3 Paper
Due: November 17: At Midnight (as the 17th becomes the 18th;
a soft deadline though) |
35%
of the grade |
|
|
Exam
2 |
Tuesday December 1:
This will be a take home exam. I will place the exam in Blackboard in the
Course Documents folder at about 9:00 AM on November 30. It will be due back
to me (emailed) by midnight on December 1 (as December 1 becomes December 2). |
30%
of the grade |
|
|
|
How do you calculate your grade? Use the percentages from the above table. So, if you received the following grades, you would calculate your grades in the following manner:
I give you this very detailed formula for a number of reasons. You should never be unaware of what your class average is. You can calculate it at any point in the semester. If your grade is not what you'd like it to be, you should know, and you should come see me about it. Do not come to me after Exam 2 and say that you're having trouble in the class. It's too late at that point. But any time in the semester that you feel you are having trouble, or not doing as well as you feel you should, come talk to me. During my office hours and by appointment I am happy to talk to you about the class
Grading scale: I use a typical scale: A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 55-69. Borderline grades are considered in the following manner.
· If your grade is 69.5, 79.5, or 89.5 or higher, then you may be a candidate for a round up to the higher grade (Notice those numbers in the sentence; do not ask for a higher grade if your average is a 68 or 78 or 88 or lower; those are not borderline averages).
· You may become a candidate if your grades are borderline and if your grades have been going up during the semester.
· That means that if you are borderline, but your last exam is lower than the previous exams (you are between a B and C, but your third exam is a C for example), you will probably get the lower grade.
· If you are borderline, and your last exam is higher than the previous exams (you are between a B and C, but your third exam is a B), you may get the higher grade.
· Another factor I consider is the typical grade you receive. Let’s say we have four grades for the class and three are grades of B and one is a C (bad day) and your average is a 79.6, you are a candidate for receiving a B. If you have four grades and three are grades of C and one is a grade of B, you are probably not a candidate for the higher grade
· There is no extra credit for this class. Please do not ask.
Speaking of grades: The withdrawal date is November 24
You will be asked to identify 100 different countries, regions, or bodies of
water on five different maps (Western
Hemisphere, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia). These countries, regions, or bodies of
water are listed in the link
above. There is a separate list for each
map. On August 26 I will place five maps
in the Course Documents folder. On those
maps, all the countries, regions, or bodies of water you need to identify will be marked with a
letter. Your job will be to match the
letter with the countries, regions, or bodies of water. Use
the lists in the link as you answer sheet. You’ll see a space to put in the
letter. Then save it and email it to me
by the deadline. Please see the
instructions about how to name the file.
I will put the actual maps in the Course Documents folder on August 26 at about 9:00 AM. Your answers are due at midnight August 27. This is super easy and it of course is open book. Given the in class/online nature of the course, this won’t be tough. It just forces you to take a little time to look at a map.
Paper Topics are due September 3.
Email them to me
Paper Due: November 17: Emailed to
me by the start of class
For
the paper topic, I’m looking for a few sentences to a paragraph telling me what
your topic is. See the paper instructions on the type of topics I’m looking
for. This paper has a very specific topic. It’s not just a “write stuff about
US foreign policy that interests you” type of paper.
I will
review rough drafts, outlines, and even completed papers, if handed in by
November 10. The rough draft is not required, but an opportunity for you let me
review your paper and get it back to you so you can use my comments to rewrite
your paper.
The following instructions are
important. Please pay attention to them.
If you don't you will wind up hurting your grade:
·
LATE PAPERS: The late penalty is ten points per day, meaning that after
class begins your paper, if a 95, is now an 85, after two days it is a 75,
after three it is a 65, and so on down to zero.
EXAMS: The exams are take home exams. You will have roughly two days to complete each exam. The exams will be short answer and essay. At least one week before the exam I will put a review sheet online. It will be linked to the syllabus below this paragraph. In general, the review sheets should be used as your study guide for the exam. The review sheet will include some terms that are from the readings only, so that you can go back and review those items from the readings. Once you have the review sheet, feel free to ask me questions about the terms. This is the best way to study for the exam. If you understand the terms on the review sheet, you can define each one and see how each one relates to the larger concepts and issues we've discussed in class, you should do just fine on the exam.
How does a take home exam work?
Basics
·
Midterm: Placed in the Course Documents folder on September 30 at about
9:00 AM. Due by midnight on October
1 (as October 1 becomes October 2, but that deadline is a soft one; don't sweat
an extra hour or so).
·
Final: I will place the exam in Blackboard under Course
Documents at about 9:00 AM on November 30. It will be due back to me (emailed)
by midnight on December 1 (as December 1 becomes December 2).
·
Type or write the exam.
·
Either way, email me a file or pdf or even jpeg of the written
answers by the deadline
·
11- or 12-point font
·
One-inch margins
·
Double-spaced
·
Please use your name is the name of the file you send me. I’d be happiest if you named the file like
this: Your name Exam 1 POLI 363 (so if it was my exam, it would be Newmann Exam
1 POLI 363)
·
The exam is open notes (so you can use your notes, the book, the review
sheet, and the PPT slides)
·
I do not expect any outside research on this at all
·
Each exam will consist of two parts.
o
The first part will be short answers (a choice of 2 out of 8-10).
I’m looking for about a half page for a short answer. Identify the term and
tell my why it is important. All terms are lifted directly from the review
sheet.
o
The second part of the exam will be an essay question. There will be multiple questions to choose
from here too. As we get closer to the exams, I will talk more about the essay
format.
·
You have choice of what you want to answer in each part,
so read the directions carefully
·
Each question has a specific page number target. You can go
over the limit, not a problem, but don’t go too far over the limit. You don’t
need to.
·
I think two to three hours will be enough time
for you to write the exam and do well. You can take more time of course, as
much as you need. The point here is that I don't think you end to spend
hours and hours.
·
It might be helpful to read the questions, then review your notes,
and the review sheet. Maybe make an outline of the essay. And then start
to write.
·
As always, the review sheets should be very helpful. You can use
the review sheets while you take the exam. It might be a good organizational tool.
·
Feel free to email me questions if you have them, but as usual,
there are limits to how I can help you.
And, important:
·
Sharing this exam with anyone outside the class is a violation of
the VCU Honor Code
·
Working with another student in the class or anyone else while you
take this exam is a violation of the VCU Honor Code
·
As with any take home, the plagiarism rules that
exist for research papers apply here. Your exams must be your written work.
I will run this through the standard plagiarism programs as I do with all
research papers.
COURSE AND READING SCHEDULE
Note: For the first few weeks the
readings will be ahead of the class lectures. Make sure you keep up, though. If
you do not do the readings you will quickly be lost and you'll be in serious
trouble on the first exam. The dates below are the dates when you should have
finished the readings (except for the first week of course).
Week 1: August 17-21 Introduction and Decision Making
· No Readings
· August 18: Introduction Lecture Recording
· August 20: Decision Making Lecture One Recording
Week
2: August 24—August 28 Decision
Making
· Sestanovich, Prologue and Chapter One
· Gans, Introduction, Chapters One and Two
· August 25 Recording: Decision Making Two
· August 27 Recording: Decision Making Three
Week
3: August 31--September 4
Early Cold War
· Sestanovich, Chapters 3, 4, and 5
·
September 1 Recording: Decision
Making Three/Early Cold War One
· September 3 Recording: Early Cold War Two
Week 4: September 7-11 Intervention and Detente
· Sestanovich, Chapters 6, 7, and 8
· Gans, Chapter 2
·
Cold
War Strategies Intervention, Engagement, Confrontation (use this presentation for the next few
classes)
·
September
8 Recording: Early
Cold War Three
·
September
10 recorded Lecture: Cold
War Intervention
Week 5: September 14-18 Confrontation
and the End of the Cold War
· Sestanovich, Chapter 9
· Gans, Chapter 3
· Bacevich, Chapters 1-2
·
September 15 Lecture: Intervention
Two; Engagement One
· September 17 Lecture: Engagement Two; Confrontation One
Week 6: September 21-25 Bush 41 and Clinton: A “New World Order?”
· Bacevich Chapters 6 and
· Sestanovich Chapter 10
·
September
22 Lecture: Confrontation
Two
·
September
24 Lecture: End
of the Cold War
Week 7: September 28-October 2
·
Gans
Chapter 5
·
Exam 1:
October 1 (There is no class session on October 1)
· September 29 Lecture: End of the Cold War and Bush 41
Week 8: October 5-9 The Dilemma of China
·
Christensen
Introduction, Chapters 1-3
·
October 6 Lecture: Bush
41 and Clinton One
·
October 8 Lecture: Clinton
Two
Week 9: October 12-16 9/11 and the Terrorist Threat
· Christensen, Chapters 6 and 7
· Gans, Chapter 6
·
October
13 Lecture: Clinton
Final and China One
·
October
15 Lecture: China
Two
Week
10: October 19--23 Afghanistan, Iraq, and Beyond
Week
11: October 26 –-October 30 Obama
Foreign Policy
· Gans, Chapter 7
· Bacevich, Chapter 15
·
October 27 Lecture: Bush
and AQ Two
Week
12: November 2-6 New
Threats, Old Threats: ISIS, Iran, Russia, China
No class November 3: VOTE!
· Christensen, Chapter 8 and Epilogue
· Bacevich, Chapter 16
· November 5 Lecture: Bush and Iraq
Week
13: November 9-13
Cyberwar, Cyberespionage, Hybrid Warfare, and a New Cold War
Last Day for Turning in Rough
Drafts of the Paper (optional): November 10 (Email any draft you’d like to
submit)
·
Bacevich, Chapter 17
·
Daalder and Lindsay, Chapters 1-5
·
November 10 Lecture: Bush
and Iraq Two and Obama One
·
November 12 Lecture: Obama
Two
Week 14: November 16-20 Trump Foreign Policy I: The End of the US-led World Order?
·
Paper Due
November 17 (Due at midnight (as the 17th
becomes the 18th). The paper
must be submitted by email).
·
Daalder
and Lindsay, Chapters 6 and 7
November 17 Lecture: Resurgent Russia
November 19 Lecture: Trump One
Week 15: November 24 Trump
Foreign Policy II
·
Daalder
and Lindsay, Chapters 8-10
November 24 Lecture: Trump
Two
November 24 is also the withdrawal date.
Exam 2: Tuesday December 1: This will be a take home exam. I will place the exam in Blackboard in the Course Documents folder at about 9:00 AM on November 30. It will be due back to me (emailed) by midnight on December 1 (as December 1 becomes December 2).
Other Important
Stuff
Political Science Advising
If you are a Political Science major we highly recommend that you
meet with your friendly and helpful POLI advisors, Nathan Bickett and Jen
Clayton, at least once a semester to make sure you are on track - doing what
you need to do and not doing what you don’t need to do - and to discuss your
academic and professional goals. Current minors and those considering a POLI
major or minor are also encouraged to visit.
You may make an appointment through the
Navigator app or through a link on your VCU Portal. You may also reach us at poliadvisor@vcu.edu
Political Science Librarian
Nia Rodgers is the librarian for Political
Science. She can help you find peer-reviewed materials to use in your research.
She can be reached at: slrodgers@vcu.edu
or you can make an appointment at: https://vcu.libcal.com/appointment/8778
Where can you find
information on international affairs?
This is
the questions students always ask me: “Where do I find good information on
international affairs. I’m looking for something unbiased and something that
doesn’t always look at the world through American eyes (as in how do these
developments affect the US).
Here’s
the short answer: For day by day coverage of events
in the world:
On a weekly basis:
The
Economist: www.economist.com. This is a Britain-based weekly which covers
world politics and world business. There
really is nothing else like it in the comprehensive nature of its
coverage. You can also buy it on the
newsstand, but the web is free. It
covers world politics very well.
Long Term Views of Crisis and Conflict:
International Crisis Group: www.crisisweb.org.
This is the International Crisis Group, a non-profit organization that
studies, analyzes, and makes recommendations about how to resolve various
crises in the world. There is nothing
better for the in-depth examination of current world events and the dilemmas of
problem solving and peace making. It has
reports (30-50 pages), briefings (10-30), and a weekly briefing (Crisis Watch),
which you can get on the web site or sign up for e-mail delivery.
VCU Syllabus Statements
Campus emergency information
Sign up to receive at alert.vcu.edu/signup/.
It is essential to keep your information up-to-date within VCU Alert and to
keep your permanent address and emergency contact information current in
eServices.
VCU uses a variety of communication methods to alert the
campus community about emergency situations and safety threats. Learn more
about types of alerts at alert.vcu.edu/know/typesofalerts.php
Know the emergency phone number for the VCU Police
(828-1234), and report suspicious activities and objects.
Class registration required for attendance
Students may attend only those classes for which they have registered. Faculty
may not add students to class rosters or Blackboard. If students are attending
a class for which they have not registered, they must stop attending.
Honor System: upholding academic integrity
The VCU Honor System policy describes the responsibilities of students, faculty
and administration in upholding academic integrity. According to this policy,
"Members of the academic community are required to conduct themselves in
accordance with the highest standards of academic honesty, ethics and integrity
at all times." Students are expected to read the policy in full and learn
about requirements here: https://conduct.students.vcu.edu/vcu-honor-system/
Computer and network use
All students are expected to know and comply with VCU's Computer and Network
Use policy, which can be reviewed at policy.vcu.edu/universitywide-policies/policies/computer-and-network-resources-use.html.
Important dates
Important dates for the semester are listed in the VCU Academic Calendar: https://academiccalendars.vcu.edu/
We care about your success!
Virginia Commonwealth University has launched an Early Alert initiative to
support student success. As your professor, if I am concerned about your
academic performance in the first few weeks of this class, you and your
academic advisor may receive a Progress Report email with links to appropriate
academic support resources. You are encouraged to reach out to me after class
or during my office hours for additional support. Your academic advisor, the
Writing Center, and the Campus Learning Center may also follow up to provide
additional layers of support to you.
Attendance and consequences of poor attendance
The instructional programs at VCU are based upon a series of class meetings
involving lectures, discussions, field experiences, special readings and
reporting assignments. Therefore it is important for each student to be in
attendance on a regular basis. A student who misses a class session is
responsible for completing all material covered or assignments made during the
absence.
Students having attendance problems should contact their
instructor to explain the reasons for nonattendance and to discuss the
feasibility of continuing in the course. If the student has fallen so far
behind that the successful completion of the course is impossible, the student
should withdraw from the course before the end of the first 10 weeks of
classes.
If the student continues to miss class and does not
officially withdraw from the course, the instructor may withdraw the student
for nonattendance with a mark of W before the end of the first 10 weeks of
classes or may assign an academic grade at the end. Withdrawals are not
permitted after the end of the first 10 weeks of classes. For classes that do
not conform to the semester calendar, the final withdrawal date occurs when
half of the course has been completed. Withdrawal dates for summer session
classes are provided on the Summer
Studies calendar.
Career Services
Looking for ways to tie what you are learning in your class to your future
career or professional goals? VCU Career Services provides career planning
services for all current VCU students and alumni. Career Services can help
students with finding a work-study job on/off campus, resume writing,
internship development, interviewing, preparing for graduate school,
networking, or job searching,. Students are invited to attend career events and
workshops, and schedule individualized career advising appointments. Career
Services is located on the ground floor of University Commons, in room 143. For
more information and to make a career advising appointment, visit the VCU Career Services website.
Managing stress
Students may experience situations or challenges that can interfere with
learning and interpersonal functioning including stress, anxiety, depression,
alcohol and/or other drug use, concern for a friend or family member, loss,
sleep difficulties, feeling hopeless or relationship problems. There are
numerous campus resources available to students including University Counseling
Services (804-828-6200 MPC Campus, 804-828-3964 MCV Campus) which provides
brief therapy treatment, University Student Health Services (MPC 804 828-8828,
MCV Campus 804 828-9220) and the Health Promotion and Well-Being Center
[The Well] (804-828-9355). 24 hour emergency mental health support is available
by calling (804) 828-6200 or utilizing the National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline (1-800-784-2433).
Mandatory responsibility of faculty members to report
incidents of sexual misconduct
All employees, including faculty, department chairs and deans, are required to
report any incidents of sexual assault, sexual exploitation and partner or
relationship violence to the university's Title IX Coordinator.
Confidential offices which can provide support at VCU are:
University Counseling Services (804) 828-6200
For more information about Title IX, please visit please
visit https://equity.vcu.edu/.
Military short-term training or deployment
If military students receive orders for short-term training or for
deployment/mobilization, they should inform and present their orders to
Military Student Services and to their professor(s). For further information on
policies and procedures contact Military Student Services at 828-5993 or access
the corresponding policies.
Student email standard
Email is considered an official method for communication at VCU. Students are
expected to check their official VCU email on a frequent and consistent basis
(the university recommends daily) in order to remain informed of
university-related communications. Students are responsible for the
consequences of not reading, in a timely fashion, university-related communications
sent to their official VCU student email account. Mail sent to the VCU email
address may include notification of university-related actions, including
disciplinary action. Students must read this standard in its entirety at https://ts.vcu.edu/media/technology-services/content-assets/university-resources/ts-groups/information-security/StudentEmailStandard.pdf
Student financial responsibility
Students assume the responsibility of full payment of tuition and fees
generated from their registration, all charges for housing and dining services
and other applicable miscellaneous charges. Students are ultimately responsible
for any unpaid balance on their account as a result of the University Financial
Aid Office or their third party sponsor canceling or reducing their award(s).
Students representing the university – excused absences
Students who represent the university (athletes and others) do not choose their
schedules. All student athletes should provide their schedules to their
instructors at the beginning of the semester. The Intercollegiate Athletic
Council strongly encourages faculty to treat missed classes or exams (because
of a scheduling conflict) as excused absences and urges faculty to work with
the students to make up the work or exam.
Students with disabilities
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, require that VCU provide "academic
adjustments" or "reasonable accommodations" to any student who
has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life
activity. To receive accommodations, students must register with the Office
of Student Accessibility and Educational Opportunity on the Monroe
Park Campus (828-2253) or the Division for Academic Success on the MCV campus
(828-9782). Please also visit the Student Accessibility and Educational
Opportunity website via https://saeo.vcu.edu/ and/or
the Division for Academic Success website via https://das.vcu.edu/ for additional
information.
Once students have completed the registration process, they
should schedule a meeting with their instructor (s) and provide their
instructor (s) with an official accommodation letter. Students should follow
this procedure for all courses in the academic semester.
Withdrawal from classes
Before withdrawing from classes, students should consult their instructor as
well as other appropriate university offices. Withdrawing from classes may
negatively impact a student’s financial aid award and his or her semester
charges. To discuss financial aid and the student bill, visit the Student
Services Center at 1015 Floyd Avenue (Harris Hall) and/or contact your
financial aid counselor regarding the impact on your financial aid.
Faculty communication about students
VCU instructional faculty, administrators and staff maintain confidentiality of
student records and disclose information in accordance with the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This means that VCU officials may
disclose student record information without the consent of the student in
certain situations. To support university operations, for example, VCU
officials share information about students with other educational officials as
necessary to perform their job duties. FERPA permits this disclosure to school
officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the student
information. In addition, VCU officials have obligations to report information
shared by a student depending on the content of that information, for example,
in compliance with VCU’s policy on the duty to report. Unless FERPA permits a
certain disclosure, VCU generally requires consent from a student to disclose
information from their education record to another individual. You may find
additional information on the VCU FERPA website: http://rar.vcu.edu/records/family-educational-rights-and-privacy-act/.