COURSE SYLLABUS. Department of Social Sciences

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1 COURSE SYLLABUS SCHOOL: DEPARTMENT: HOURS CREDIT, NUMBER/TITLE: INSTRUCTOR: Department of Social Sciences Political Science 3, POLS 4223, International Relations Online via Blackboard Mr. Gordon L. Patton 1123 S 7 th Street Ponca City, OK (580) glpatton@nwosu.edu TEXTBOOK/REQUIRED READING: Boyer, Mark A. et.al. Global Politics: Engaging A Complex World. New York: McGraw-Hill, ISBN The textbook is an essential component to online courses and is required. It is the student s responsibility to obtain the text and be ready to begin working on course assignments the first day of class. To augment the course text and lectures, articles, appropriate documents, and websites will be posted to the course site on Blackboard. Students are expected to access this information to assist them with various assignments in this course. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course examines international relations, political and economical nationalism, minorities, imperialism, international organization, settlement of international disputes, and promotion and preservation of peace. This course requires a prerequisite of five hours of Political Science. COURSE COMPETENCIES The following competencies promoted by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) are presented in this course: Culture and cultural diversity Time, continuity and change Peoples, places and environment Individuals, groups and institutions Power, authority and governance Global connections and interdependence Civic ideals and practices

2 COURSE OBJECTIVES The mission of the Social Sciences Department is to develop resourceful leaders who are prepared to accept the challenges and opportunities, which exist in a dynamic global environment by providing interactive and personalized educational and professional opportunities with the classroom and in external learning environments. This course is designed to meet the goals of the Social Sciences Department. The specific objectives of this course are: 1. Introduce student to the conceptual, theoretical, and historical components of global politics. 2. Engage students in developing an understanding of the underlying themes and patterns associated with global politics. 3. Encourage students to demonstrate and expand their knowledge of the complexity of international relations and its effect on world politics. CLASS POLICIES As this is an online class, some traditional class policies do not apply. However, each student must be a self-starter, willing and capable to dedicate the appropriate time needed to complete the assignments. In essence, this is no different from a classroom course, even to the point of attendance via class participation. A student s level of involvement is determined by evaluating the level of participation in the Discussion Board Forum. This course follows all university policies regarding student conduct and academic success and achievement. Students are expected to read, understand, and adhere to all posted course policies. Students will be asked to indicated their preparedness for class participation, that they have read and understand the syllabus, and their willingness to adhere to all policies in the first Discussion Forum posted for this course. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Learning Units: The course is divided into four Learning Units. Each learning unit includes, but is not limited to, textbook reading assignments, outlines, multi-media presentations, and other information associated with the topic of the specific unit. Learning Units may or may not include lectures. Associated with each learning unit are discussion board forums. The number of forums per unit will vary. Each learning unit concludes with an quiz. Essays: Each student will be responsible for completing one essay, of at least 2,000 words, over a topic within the subject of international politics. The topic subject is at the discretion of the student, however, if unsure if the subject is acceptable, the student should check with the instructor. Students are requested to submit the essay either by or through Blackboard on or before the assignment due date. Information regarding requirements for the essay is posted in the course section labeled Essay Information.

3 Discussion Board Forums: As this is an online class, discussion boards essentially replace the classroom discussion. The number of discussion forums will vary with each unit, your participation is scored, and the scores are added to the overall grade. The discussion forum, however, is as much about providing a thorough answer to the questions presented as it is engaging in a discussion about the subject. Learning Unit Quiz: Each Learning Unit will end with an quiz covering the material found in the unit. Students are responsible for taking the quiz within the assigned period. Only in dire circumstances and with permission is a make-up quiz allowed. The quizzes are comprised of multiple choice and true-false questions plus one extra credit question. Mid-Term Exam: The mid-term is scheduled for Monday, October 14, and includes information found in Learning Units One and Two. Students will have one hour to complete the exam. NWOSU requires that one test be a proctored test and for this, you have two options. You can go to a campus site (Alva, Woodward, Enid, Ponca City) to take the test, or you can use the program Remote Proctor NOW on your personal computer at a location of your choice. Remote Proctor NOW requires a $15.00 fee; students who go to a NWOSU campus will not be charged a fee. The Mid-term Exam is the scheduled test for proctoring. Any make-ups, due school-sponsored activities, will also be proctored. The proctoring policy is found in the section Syllabus Fall Read it and become familiar with it. It is not just for this class and will affect any online class in which you are enrolled. Final Exam: The final exam is scheduled for Thursday, December 5, and is comprehensive in design to include information found in all the learning units. Students will have two hours to complete the exam. Students may use their books and notes to aid in the exam but may not assist or gain assistance from other students. Students are responsible for completing the exam in the assigned time-period. For the final exam, NO make-ups are allowed and the test may not be taken early. COURSE EVALUTATION Your grade is based on the points accumulated from the two exams, the essay, discussion board participation, and the final exam. Total points for the course is 450. Four quizzes 100 points (25 points each) One Essay 50 points Discussion Board 100 points (Four discussions 25 points each) One Mid-term Exam 100 points One Final Exam 100 points Students should keep track of their accumulated points via the online grade book.

4 Basis for the final grade is the total accumulated points and rated on a 10 percent scale: A B C D 269 or lower F TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS Each student must be technologically proficient and comfortable working with a personal computer system. It is recommended that students DO NOT use a satellite internet connection for online testing or take the risk of being booted off. Make whatever arrangements are necessary to take online quizzes and tests through a hard-wired connection; Wi-Fi is generally considered hard-wired as the connection is through a router directly connected to a system and more reliable than a satellite. Assuring a proper connection prior to testing is the student s responsibility. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Any student needing academic accommodations for a physical, mental or learning disability should contact the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, or a faculty member personally within the first two weeks of the semester so that appropriate accommodations may be arranged. American Disabilities Act assistance is available: Alva Brad Franz 126 Fine Arts Building Woodward Dr. Deena Fisher Main Office Ponca City Main Office University Center Enid Dr. Wayne McMillan PLAGIARISM Students are expected to complete their own work and take their own tests. When a student publishes any essay, or a discussion response and paraphrases or quotes from a text or other source, the student is expected to cite that reference. Not doing so and taking credit for another s work is plagiarism. Anyone caught cheating or committing any form of plagiarism or academic fraud will be severely disciplined. These sanctions may even include dismissal from the University. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT The instructor maintains an open door policy and is willing to help students with any course questions they might have, short of doing an assigned work. The preferable method of contact is over NWOSU at glpatton@nwosu.edu. Contact via telephone is the second and less preferred option call times: 10am-6pm. Students should check their NWOSU account at least twice a day and log into Blackboard at least once a day during the course. Only a NWOSU addresses are to be used during the course.

5 COURSE OUTLINE and TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FALL 2013 August 19-September 13: Learning Unit #1. This unit covers Chapter 1 through Chapter 3 in the text, all associated lectures, discussions, websites, and concludes with an quiz. Quiz Friday, September 13. September 16-October 11: Learning Unit #2. This unit covers Chapter 4 through Chapter 6 in the text, all associated lectures, discussions, websites, and concludes with an quiz. Quiz Friday, October 11 **Mid-term Exam: Monday, October 14. This is a proctored exam. You will have to make arrangements through a campus per the On Campus Test Proctoring policy or take the quiz via Remote Proctor NOW. Scheduling and any fee payment is YOUR responsibility. Essay due Monday, October 21 October 14-November 8: Learning Unit #3. This unit covers Chapter 7 through Chapter 9 in the text, all associated lectures, discussions, websites, and concludes with an quiz. Quiz Friday, November 8. November 11-December 9: Learning Unit #4. This unit covers Chapter 10 through Chapter 12 in the text, all associated lectures, discussions, websites and concludes with a quiz. Quiz Monday, December 2. Final Exam: The final exam is scheduled for Friday December 6, 2013 and will be available 6:00am Friday to 12noon Saturday. It is a timed test with a two-hour window for completion. Because of the nature of online study, that includes the availability of your notes, quizzes and other class material, the final exam is comprehensive.