Conflict Resolution Notes

Here are the notes for today's class.

Domestic Effects of Territorial Issues

Here are the notes for today's class.

Territorial Issues

Notes for today's class.

Crises Notes

Here are the notes for today's class.

Arms Race Notes

Here are the notes for today's class.

Update: Terrorist Organizations

Alliance Notes

Here are the notes for today's class.

Syllabus for PSC321 Conflict and the Middle East (Interim 2009)

Here is a .pdf of the syllabus. Included below is the full text with links.

PSC 321 - 007 Conflict and Democracy in the Middle East (Interim 2009)

Prof. Douglas M. Gibler

314 ten Hoor Hall

Email: doug.gibler@gmail.com

Homepage: http://bama.ua.edu/~dmgibler

Course Blog: http://giblersclasses.blogspot.coin/index.html

Class meeting time and place: 9:00am-12pm, M-F

Office Hours: by appointment.

Conflict and Democracy in the Middle East

This course explores how conflict has shaped politics in the Middle East. The course is divided into several parts. First, most lectures and discussions will focus on the scientific theories and findings on the causes of conflict. These will be supplemented by lighter, more popular readings on recent and ongoing conflicts in the region. Together, the course material should give a broad overview of the international relations of the area and provide a basis for evaluating current policies. Finally, to apply the knowledge gained in class, students will be asked to formulate their own peace proposal for one ongoing area of conflict.

REQUIRED READINGS:

Several articles. Links and detailed bibliographies are provided on this syllabus.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

(50%) Quizzes on readings

(50%) Peace Proposal

Approximately 4-5 quizzes will monitor students' comprehension of the readings.

The peace proposal is a 5-7 page (typed, double-spaced) analysis of a contemporary Middle East conflict. Students are expected to use the readings from class and their own research to suggest a possible solution to the conflict. These papers will be graded according to how well the student applies the tools of conflict resolution. We will discuss the peace proposal throughout the course, and students will also be allotted several research days to complete the project.

CLASS BLOG:

I use a class blog to communicate with my classes. On the blog website (see above), I'll post support material for each class discussion. I'll included brief discussion as well as hyperlinks to what I'd like to demonstrate in class. (For example, for the first class, I have already posted most of the introductory material that follows.) Most of the time, I will allow comments to be added to these posts. I would encourage students with questions outside of class to ask them through these posts. Further, any students willing to try to answer these questions (correctly) will definitely increase their overall course discussion grade!

ATTENDANCE:

I require attendance. Attendance is helpful to you and to everyone else because my classes are oriented around discussion of the readings. Given class sizes, though, it's not always possible for me to take roll. However, I will likely pass around a sign-in sheet whenever class attendance drops too low, and I will use these sheets to gauge your overall attendance for the semester. Don't get caught napping!

I require attendance for good reason - those who come to class grasp the material better and are able to engage the class on a much higher level. In fact, the few semesters I took attendance I found that grades and attendance were highly correlated (around .81).

CLASS DISCUSSIONS:

Discussion of the material is important in my classes. I hate to lecture and will only do so occasionally. That means students are required to come prepared and to be able to intelligently discuss the material for that week. I of course realize that students might sometimes be unwilling to talk in class, especially in the larger rooms. However, I really believe that discussion of the material is fundamental to understanding, and I hope each student will contribute as much as they can. That said, I will not penalize students for failing to talk in class, and I'll never call on someone who doesn't raise their hand asking to be recognized.

Note that the use of the blog provides a second chance for discussion points for those students unwilling to talk in class. Use the comments section of each post to ask questions, answer questions and otherwise communicate with your classmates.

GRADING POLICY:

There is no official grading policy at UA, so I though students might like to know the general outline I use for assignments.

A (90s) Excellent: Students have mastered the material, exams or papers have no serious mistakes and display creativity, thoughtfulness, or insight beyond points made in the readings.

B (80s) Solid: there may be a couple of mistakes on exams, or weaknesses in written work, but the basic ideas and comprehension of the material are correct. B is a very good grade in my classes.

C (70s) Average: there are some basic misunderstandings of the material because the student has not put enough effort into the work. Regular attendance, completion of the readings, and light engagement of the subject will earn you this grade.

D (60s) Deficient: there are serious misunderstandings in the work and/or little evidence of any hard work.

F (50s or less) Failure to even try.

CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM:

I take academic integrity very seriously and will not tolerate plagiarism or cheating. There are very serious penalties for cheating at UA that could have consequences far beyond your college career. Cheating of any form is a really stupid thing to do so don't try, and if you have any doubts about what cheating is, ask me, examine the UA policies (see below), or better still, take this tutorial on plagiarism that was developed by UA's libraries: Play-it-safe.

The Code of Academic Conduct in the University of Alabama Undergraduate Catalog defines plagiarism and other acts of academic dishonesty as follows:

• Plagiarism: representing the words, data, works, ideas, computer programs or output, or anything not generated in an authorized fashion, as one’s own
• Cheating: using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, study aids, or computer-related information
• Fabrication: presenting as genuine any invented or falsified citation or material
• Misrepresentation: falsifying, altering, or misstating the contents of documents or other materials related to academic matters, including schedules, prerequisites, and transcripts.

Remember- the following require the use of a citation:

• Any material directly quoted from another’s work
• Any information that is summarized or paraphrased
• Any idea derived from a known source
• Any fact or data not common knowledge and borrowed from another’s work

Material that is common or general knowledge does not have to be footnoted, unless the wording is taken directly from a particular source. A general rule is that if a fact can be found in five or more sources, it is considered to be common knowledge and does not have to be documented.

GRADING POLICY:

Final course grades earned in this class will be whole grades such that an A = 90%+, B = 89-80%, C = 79-70%, etc. Individual assignments will include plus and minus grades such that an A=95%, A-=92, B+=88, B=85, B- =82, etc.

LATE ASSINGMENTS AND MISSED TESTS:

Project due dates will be set in class and announced on the class blog. Fairness dictates that no late assignments will be accepted, no exceptions tolerated. Incompletes for this course will be granted only for extraordinary circumstances. Make-up examinations will be granted only for extraordinary circumstances. Seriously. If you absolutely, positively have to miss an exam, see me as soon as possible.

DISABILITY ACCESS STATEMENT:

To request disability accommodations, please contact the Office of Disability Services at 348-4285. After consultation with that office, contact your professor. However, it is the student's responsibility to make arrangements for the accommodations on a timely basis. Special arrangements for exams must be made at least one week prior to the exam date or your instructor is not required to provide requested accommodations. Any request for special arrangements made less than one week prior to an exam date may not be able to be honored.

CLASS SCHEDULE:

Monday, May 11th – Introduction to course: how do we “know” something?

Tuesday, May 12th – Alliances and Alignments

Hersh, Seymour, “Syria Calling,” The New Yorker, April 6, 2009.

Ajami, Fouad, “The Ways of Syria: Stasis in Damascus,” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2009.

Wednesday, May 13th – Arms Races

Anderson, Jon Lee, “Letter from Beirut: The Battle for Lebanon,” The New Yorker, August 7, 2006.

Thursday, May 14th – Crises and Rivalries

Slater, Jerome, “Muting the Alarm over the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The New York Times versus Haaretz, 2000–06,” International Security Fall 2007, 32(2): 84–120.

Friday, May 15th – Research Day

Monday, May 18th – Territorial Issues

Vasquez, John A. 1995. “Why Do Neighbors Fight?: Proximity, Interaction, or Territoriality,” Journal of Peace Research. 32(3): 277-293. [NOTE: You must be on a campus computer or using a proxy server to access the .pdf for this article.]

Tuesday, May 20th – Territorial Issues II

Wikipedia entries for British Mandate of Palestine, Yom Kippur War, Shebaa Farms, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip

Wednesday, May 21st – Terrorism

Hassan, Nasra. 2001. “An Arsenal of Believers,” The New Yorker, November 19, pp. 36-41.

Thursday, May 22nd – Terrorism II

Krueger, Alan B and David D. Laitin, 2003, Kto Kogo?: A Cross-Country Study of the Origins

and Targets of Terrorism, unpublished working paper, Princeton University.

Friday, May 23rd – Research Day

Monday, May 25th – Conflict Resolution Strategies

Pruitt, Dean G. 2001. “Achieving Integrative Agreements,” in The Negotiation Sourcebook, edited by Ira G. Asherman and Sandra Vance Asherman, Human Resource Development Press: New York, pp. 187-196.

Tuesday, May 26th – Conflict Resolution Strategies: Outlining Demands

Hussein Agha and Robert Malley 2001. “Camp David: The Tragedy of Errors.” New York Review of Books, August 9.

Benny Morris (and Ehud Barak) 2002. “Camp David and After: An Exchange.” New York Review of Books, June 13.

Hussein Agha and Robert Malley 2002. “Camp David and After: An Exchange 2.” New York Review of Books, June 13.

Wednesday, May 27th – Conflict Resolution Strategies: Outlining Issues

Thursday, May 28th – Conflict Resolution Strategies: Outlining Interests

Friday, May 29th – Discussion of Term Papers; PAPERS DUE!