POLS 424-02: Failed States Seminar
Class: T 1:30 – 4:15 PM
Room: 117 Stern Hall
Office: 110 Stern Hall
Introduction
This junior-senior seminar examines the discourse of state failure that has emerged since the collapse of the bi-polar international order. The discourse is pivotal for a range of power relations that shape state-society struggles within developing countries and order the hierarchy between formally sovereign states. In particular, the concept of state failure is critical to justify neo-imperial strategies of diplomatic, military, anti-narcotic, and humanitarian intervention in weak and incapacitated states. The discourse is also useful for incumbents and dissidents in the periphery seeking to acquire foreign financial, technical, social, and military assistance.
The seminar will critique the endeavor to create a predictive science of state failure as well as the attempt to institutionalize unilateral and multilateral mechanisms for state resurrection (e.g. “trusteeships”).
The course will conduct two detailed case studies of (purportedly) failed and failing states in South Asia, a region in which all but two states are considered to be failing or failed. Students will be invited to assess and critique media and official accounts of state failure in the light of more sober and systematic studies of state (in)capacity and (in)efficacy.
Seminar
A seminar is an intense academic experience. This is why these courses are reserved for junior and senior majors. Students will be expected to immerse themselves in the topic and learn as much as possible over the course of the semester. There is a sharp learning curve at the beginning, so it is best to attack the course with vigor from the outset.
A productive seminar experience is contingent on the formation of a community of scholars. We will engage one another’s thoughts and work critically in order to improve our own understanding of the texts and to make each of our arguments rigorous and forceful. We will treat one another with respect. True respect for a colleague’s work demands that we treat their arguments to critical (but constructive) analysis. Apathy and passivity towards the work of our colleagues is disrespectful.
Required Texts
The following texts are available for purchase at the campus bookstore:
Abbas, Hassan. Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror. Armonk: M.E. Sharp, 2005.
Cohen, Stephen P. The Idea of Pakistan. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2006.
Goodson, Larry P. Afghanistan's Endless War: State Failure, Regional Politics, and the Rise of the Taliban. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001.
Haqqani, Husain. Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005.
Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia. New Haven: Yale Nota Bene, 2001.
Rotberg, Robert. When States Fail. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003.
Rubin, Barnett. The Search for Peace in Afghanistan: From Buffer State to Failed State. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
In addition to the required texts, students are expected to read the international section of the New York Times daily.
Assignments
Participation: Students are required to come to class prepared to discuss all of the assigned readings and current events in an intelligent and critical manner. Thoughtful participation is the lifeblood of the learning process; learning is not a passive process. Effective participation is contingent on preparation. Even though this class meets once per week, students are expected to devote at least one to two hours every single day in preparation for the class and conducting independent research for their term papers. Proper preparation for class sessions entails reading the course material carefully and critically, writing marginal notes in the text (highlighting is not sufficient), and typing or writing out one’s notes after each chapter. All students should come to class armed with the text (or a photocopy), lengthy notes, prepared questions, and detailed comments on the sections of the text that they hope to explore in class.
Students are expected to take notes at each class session. Students may not bring a laptop computer or other electronic device to class (except for days in which they are making a presentation).
Presentations: A pair of students will present a critical analysis and/or defense of the arguments from the assigned readings during the course of the semester. The presentation will be timed at exactly thirty minutes in length. Both students must actively and equally participate in the oral presentation. One suggested format is a debate. Students will be graded by the professor and their peers on creativity, professionalism, critical content, and clarity of presentation.
Midterm Exam: There will be a take home mid-term exam handed out in class on 9/30/08. The exam will be due on Thursday at 3:00 pm on 10/16/08.
Rough Drafts: A ten and twenty page rough draft of the seminar paper must be submitted for evaluation in weeks 8 and 11 respectively. Rough drafts must be extensively footnoted and properly formatted. Rough drafts which do not meet the minimum page requirement will be penalized.
Peer Evaluations: Students will be asked to submit a two page constructive critique on the first draft of a colleague’s paper and a three page constructive critique of a colleague’s second draft. A copy of the critique will be distributed to the author and a second copy will be provided to the professor. Students will be expected to modify their research papers in response to comments from the professor and their peer evaluator.
Reviewers are encouraged to focus the majority of their comments on the author’s substantive argument and the quality of evidence presented to support the argument. A good review will pose and answer the following questions: Is the thesis clear? Is the paper’s topic and argument compelling? Is the logic of the argument transparent and solid? Is the outline of the rest of the argument apparent in these first ten pages? What could the author do to improve each of these points?
Seminar Paper: Students are required to write a thirty page original research paper. The topic of the paper, which will be selected in consultation with the professor, must entail a comparison of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Relevant arguments and issues from all of the required readings in the course must be addressed in the paper. Students will also be expected to incorporate relevant primary and secondary source materials in their work. The final paper is due on 12/11/08 at 3:00 pm in hard copy turned into my office at Stern 110.
The value of the assignments and exams in the tabulation of the final course grade will be weighted as follows:
Participation 10%
Oral Presentation 15%
Midterm Exam 20%
2 Rough Drafts 15%
2 Peer Evaluations 10%
Final Paper 30%
Office Hours
Seminar students are strongly encouraged to maintain regular contact with the professor. My walk-in office hours are on Thursdays from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at 110 Stern Hall. If those times are not convenient, students may schedule an appointment (M-Th 9-5) by calling me at my office (315-781-3176) or on my mobile phone (315-398-3058). Students are welcome to call me on the cell phone anytime between 9am to 9pm. I also check my e-mail frequently, so feel free to drop a note if you prefer.
Honor Code
Students are expected to adhere to the HWS Principles of Academic Integrity at all times. If students are aware of a violation of the Principles, they must report the violation to the professor directly. Violations of the Principles may result in failure of the assignment or failure of the class, depending on the severity of the infraction.
Center for Teaching and Learning
Hobart and William Smith Colleges encourage students to seek the academic collaboration and resources that will enable them to demonstrate their best work. Students who would like to enhance their study skills, writing skills, or have other academic inquiries should contact the CTL. You may visit the CTL web site to learn more about the services and programs that are available. http://www.hws.edu/academics/ctl/index.aspx
Students with Learning Disabilities
If you are a student with a disability for which you may need accommodations, you are required to register with the Coordinator of Disability Services at the CTL and provide documentation of the disability. Services and accommodations will not be provided until this process is complete. The web site for information pertaining to registration with the CTL and documenting disabilities is: http://www.hws.edu/studentlife/stuaffairs_disabilities.aspx
Students with learning disabilities should contact the professor to discuss appropriate accommodations before 9/11/08 (please bring the appropriate forms from the Coordinator of Disability Services at the CTL).