Prof. Michael Marks
Office: Smullin 332
Office Tel. 503-370-6932
E-mail: mmarks@willamette.edu
Home Page: http://www.willamette.edu/~mmarks
Office Hours: MWF 10:15-11:15; TuTh 11:15-12:15

Course Description

This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to engage in an in-depth study of politics and foreign policy in modern Europe. The course will also examine various theoretical approaches designed to explain the changing relationships among countries in post-Cold War Europe. Special emphasis is placed on the evolving relationships among European countries in a rapidly changing international environment. The purpose of the course is to help students make sense out of the changes sweeping Europe by understanding these changes in historical perspective. Through readings, in-class discussions, and hands-on research students will explore the political, economic, and security relations among European states and Europe's interactions with the rest of the world.

This class fulfils in part the writing-centered component of Willamette's undergraduate general education requirements. The main writing project is a research paper that will be developed over multiple drafts. Therefore, this course provides an excellent opportunity for Politics and International Studies majors to prepare for their senior theses in these majors.

Course Organization

Class will meet three times a week. Classroom format will consist of a combination of instructor-led lessons and student discussions. Opportunities will also be made available for student presentations of their work in progress on their research papers. Class attendance is mandatory. Throughout the semester time will be set aside for individual student-instructor consultations on the research paper projects.

Written and Oral Assignments

In addition to the final draft of the research paper, students will be asked to submit a prospectus, a peer editing draft, and an official preliminary draft of the essay. Students will also be required to make an oral presentation of their paper to the rest of the class.

Grading

Incompletes will only be given under exceptional circumstances such as serious illness. You may appeal any of your grades during office hours only after you have handed in a typed, reasoned memorandum detailing the specific reasons why you think the grade you received is not justified.

Late writing assignments will be assessed a one-third grade penalty per day (e.g., a B+ paper handed in a day late receives a B). Early submissions of assignments are gladly accepted.

The final grade will be determined as follows: Prospectus 15%; first draft 25%; Oral presentation 10%; Final draft 50%.

About Class Participation

Given the collaborative nature of the research paper process, students are expected to participate in offering guidance and feedback to their peers. Therefore, students are expected to be prepared to discuss each other's work in progress. Shyness will be respected, but silence will not be allowed. I also thus reserve the right to raise final grades for superior classroom participation, and lower final grades for unpreparedness, disruptiveness, and deficient classroom attendance.

Electronic Devices in the Classroom

Laptop computers can assist in note taking and wireless Internet access on campus can aid in organized classroom exercises. However, laptop computers can also be a classroom distraction. Laptop computers are permitted in class for note taking purposes. Additionally, there may be occasions when the class as a whole may want to use the campus wireless network to look things up online. However, please refrain from checking e-mail, online chatting, websurfing, game playing, etc. during class. If you are observed doing so during class time, you will asked to no longer bring your laptop to class. Additionally, cell phones should be turned off prior to class.

Readings

Students should purchase the following three books at the University Bookstore:

1. Walter CARLSNAES, Helene SJURSEN, and Brian WHITE (eds.), Contemporary European Foreign Policy. London: SAGE Publishers, 2004.

2. Brent F. NELSEN and Alexander STUBB (eds.), The European Union: Readings on the Theory and Practice of European Integration (Third Edition). Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2003.

3. Ben TONRA and Thomas CHRISTIANSEN (eds.), Rethinking European Union Foreign Policy. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004.

The readings are noted below as "CARLSNAES, SJURSEN & WHITE," "NELSEN & STUBB", and "TONRA & CHRISTIANSEN," respectively.

Course Schedule and Weekly Reading Assignments