Currently, the most pertinent topic in American domestic political discourse (and quite possibly international discussions as well) is the war in Afghanistan. Any academic investigation of war without an examination of the causes or conduct of the American intervention in Iraq as well would be remiss. In response to that need, this course will cover both the specific (that is a study of the elements which led the U.S. to intervene in Iraq & Afghanistan, the strategy for these war, and the criteria by which forces may be extricated from the country) and move to the general (theoretical discussion of the causes of war). War is the most dramatic element in the course of human events. War is conflict with tremendous human impact. International politics is certainly more than just war, but war is what we notice. Despite all the attention war generates, it is extremely rare in comparison to peace. Most books, movies, and computer games are about war; it is the event that most often guides the march of history. Peace is almost an afterthought. Students should be able to understand not only what causes war, but also what causes peace; that is, war termination or what prevents wars from occurring.

Course Requirements

SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING

This is only a three-credit course, but with a substantial workload. In addition to two midterms and a final exam, this course requires substantial reading and writing. Please familiarize yourself with the course requirements. If you are not sure now that you will be able to commit the necessary time and effort to complete the required work, you should consider dropping the course. There are currently twelve students wait listed.

Required Readings

There are no textbooks to purchase for this class. All course readings (and a World Atlas) delineated in the course schedule are available at the following online site to which all students will subscribe: http://www.americaandtheworld.com. This site (AATW) provides both distribution and reference for this course, but also copyright payment for the articles you will read. Access to this website will be purchased for $34.95. Access will be explained in detail in class. The readings for this course are interdisciplinary, including works from political science, history, economics and geography. All of the readings are required. Other readings will be linked to this syllabus.

AATW

READING, ATTENDANCE AND CLASS PARTICIPATION

It is essential that students attend every class on time. Regular attendance and active participation in any class discussion will enhance your understanding of the course material and almost certainly improve your performance on both midterm exams and the take-home final, which are together worth 50% of the course grade. Attendance is also a large portion of your 10% participation grade. In this semester, the required readings range from 75 to 100 pages per week, as set out in the course schedule. Your knowledge and understanding of the required readings will be tested in the midterms and final exams. Students should come to class having already completed (and thought carefully about) the assigned reading for each class period.

MIDTERMS AND FINAL EXAM

The midterm exam will be held on Monday, February 28^th in the usual class meeting time and place. The final exam is Wednesday, May 4^th from 7:30-10:00am. The questions for the final exam will be posted on Monday in the last week of class. The final exam will be short but comprehensive. Students must write each exam in order to pass the course. Blue books for each exam should be purchased by each student and brought in the class period prior to the exam; 8.5x11 Blue books are preferred. Do not put your name on your Blue book. Make-up exams will not be given unless the instructor has been notified in advance or a doctor’s note is provided.

READING SUMMARY

Each student in the class will sign up to complete a summary of one day’s assigned course reading. For each section of the reading, one to two students will summarize the readings due in class that day. In a 2-3 page synopsis of each assigned set of articles or chapters, the designated student will give an overview of the key points of the reading. The summary can either be in outline form or complete paragraphs. The summary should include an answer to the “so what?” question, in other words, why should one read it when studying about war and peace. On the due date, before the start of class, the students will submit both a paper copy and an electronic copy to their instructor. The instructor will post the summary on the web for the review of your classmates. These summaries will be 10% of your final grade and graded pass/fail. Late Reading Summaries will be docked 10% per class day up to 50%.

CURRENT EVENTS

One student will present a current event orally in class each day. The presentation should be no more than five minutes in length. The source should be from a respected news source, be less than one week old and pertain in some way to issues related to war, peace or strategic defense. Each student should try to relate the article to some element of what we have been discussing in class. News reports on the Internet are acceptable sources. The current event presentation will be part of your 10% participation grade.

WEEKLY THOUGHT PAPERS

At the end of lecture each Wednesday, a thought question will be posed to the class and posted on the course web site. The question will relate to either the topic in that week’s lectures. Students will write a two-page, single-spaced (Approximately 900-1000 words) response to the question to turn in the following Wednesday in class. Please include a word count on the first page. These papers should be properly documented and footnoted using the course readings. Papers will be graded 50% on content and 50% on grammar, punctuation and spelling. Late Papers will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made. On a random basis, electronic copies of these papers will be checked for plagiarism. There will be thirteen questions posted. Each student must answer at least seven of them. Students completing fewer than seven will have zeros averaged in with their grades on the completed papers. Those students completing more than seven will only have seven best grades included. These thought papers account for 30% of your final course grade. The Conference on World Affairs summary will count as one thought paper and will not be optional however.

BOOK ANALYSIS ESSAY

Each student in the course will be required to complete an analysis essay that examines in-depth one of the canon of the literature regarding war and peace. The books are delineated in the link below. All are available online or in Norlin Library. If you have trouble finding the book you have chosen, consult with your instructor. Some of these books are of considerable length; therefore you should begin the book immediately.

Link to the book list from which you may choose.

On Friday, the second week of class, each student will submit a list of their top 3 choices, no more than two can be fiction, no more than two can be from any one sub-heading on the list. Please do not pick a book that you have read previously, since it is necessary that you look at the book you study from a new perspective. If you wish to analyze a book not on the list, you may ask your instructor. The list however is a compilation of six different lists of the most widely respected books. Requests therefore, are likely to be denied. The paper is due in class on Friday the 1^st of April (There is no thought paper due that week).

Paper Requirements:

· Approximately, a 1000-word summary of the key elements of the book

· Approximately, a 1000-word analysis answering these key questions:

How does this work relate to studies of the theories of war and its causes?
How does this book influence or what does it have to say regarding the conduct of war (i.e. strategy or tactics)?
Does this book alter or add to the conventional historical wisdom regarding the conflict(s) that it depicts?
Does the book provide a different perspective than the traditional American one regarding it analysis of war?

· (Each of these questions may not apply specifically to your book)

grading Criteria

Reading Summaries 10%

Midterm Exam 25%

Weekly Thought Papers 25%

Final Exam 25%

Book Analysis Essay 10%

Attendance, Current Event & participation 5%

Total 100%

Final Course Grades will be curved unless a straight 90/80/70/60 etc… proves more beneficial to the students (higher overall class grade average). If curved, the mean overall average will become the highest C grade, and two standard deviations below the mean will be necessary to fail the course. One standard deviation about the mean becomes the criteria for an A grade. The grading policy will be explained in detail on the first day of class.

Fall 2007 Course Schedule

Day, Date	Class Topic	Assignment
Mon, 10 Jan.	Course Intro & Administration	None
Wed, 12 Jan.	A study of War in Fiction	· Leo Tolstoy, "The People's War" · Ernest Hemingway, "The Chauffeurs of Madrid" · Kurt Vonnegut, "Wailing Shall Be in All Streets"
Fri, 14 Jan.	A study of War in Fiction	· Isaac Babel, "My First Goose" · Sakaguchi Ango, "The Idiot" · Tim O'Brien, "Mori" · Tayama Katai, "One Soldier" · Jean-Paul Sarte, "The Wall"
Mon, 17 Jan.	MLK Birthday – No Class	· None
Wed, 19 Jan.	Theories of Interstate War Thought Paper 1 Due	· Cashman & Robinson, An Intorduction to the Causes of War, Introduction
Fri, 21 Jan.	Theories of Interstate War (Part II)	· C&R Intro (Cont.)
Mon, 24 Jan.	Theories of Interstate War (Part III)	· Kenneth Waltz, "The Origins of War in Neorealist Theory" · Keohane & Nye, "Power and Interdependence" · Sigmund Freud, "Why War?" · Margaret Mead, "Warfare Is Only an Invention - Not a Biological Necessity"
Wed, 26 Jan.	Theories of Interstate War (Part IV) Thought Paper 2 Due	· Geoffrey Blainey, "Paradise Is a Bazaar" · Kenneth Waltz, "The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: More May Be Better" · Joseph Schumpeter, "Imperialism and Capitalism" · Geoffrey Blainey, "Power, Culprits, and Arms"
Fri, 28 Jan.	Theories of Intrastate War	· T.E. Lawrence, "Science of Guerrilla Warfare" · Chaim Kaufmann, “Possible Solutions to Ethnic Civil Wars · Ted Gurr, People vs. States Chapter 3 · John R. Bowen, “The Myth of Global Ethnic Conflict”
Mon, 31 Jan.	Theories of Intrastate War (Part II)	· John Garnett, “The Causes of War and the Conditions of Peace” in Strategy in the Contemporary World.
Wed, 2 Feb.	Strategic Culture: The U.S. Way of War Thought Paper 3 Due	· Gregory D. Young, “Strategic Culture” · John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.1
Fri, 4 Feb.	The Hard Lessons of Insurgency	· John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.2-3
Mon, 7 Feb.	The Hard Lessons of Insurgency (Part II)	· John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.2-3
Wed, 9 Feb.	The British Counterinsurgency in Malaya Thought Paper 4 Due	· John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.4-5
Fri, 11 Feb.	The British Counterinsurgency in Malaya (Part II)	· John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.4-5
Mon, 14 Feb.	The British Counterinsurgency in Malaya (Part III)	· John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.4-5
Wed, 16 Feb.	The American Adventure in Vietnam, “The Advisory Years” Thought Paper 5 Due	· John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.6
Fri, 18 Feb.	The American Adventure in Vietnam (Part II) “The Advisory Years”	· John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.6
Mon, 21 Feb.	The American Adventure in Vietnam (Part III) Movie: “Fog of War” (Excerpts)	· John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.7
Wed, 23 Feb.	The American Adventure in Vietnam (Part IV) “The Fighting Years” Thought Paper 6 Due	· John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.7
Fri, 25 Feb.	The American Adventure in Vietnam (Part V) Review for Midterm	· Ed Palm, “Tiger Papa Three”
Mon, 28 Feb.	Midterm Examination	· Study
Wed, 2 Mar.	The Road to Iraq Thought Paper 7 Due	· Cashman & Robinson, An Introduction to the Causes of War, Ch. 7
Fri, 4 Mar.	The War in Iraq (Part I) Movie: “No End in Sight” (Excerpts)
Mon, 7 Mar.	The War in Iraq (Part II)	· Video: Insurgent attack on an Iraqi Army convoy · Thomas Ricks: The Gamble - Chapter One · Thomas Ricks: The Gamble - Chapter Two · Kaplan, “What Rumsfeld got right”, The Atlantic, Jul/Aug 08
Wed, 9 Mar.	Go Over Midterm Exam Thought Paper 8 Due	· None
Fri, 11 Mar.	The War in Iraq (Part III)	· Nate Braden,”COIN of the Realm" · Filkins, “Back in Iraq, Jarred by the Calm”, New York Times, Sun 21 Sep 08
Mon, 14 Mar	The War in Iraq (Part IV) Movie: “Why We Fight” (Excerpts)	None
Wed, 16 Mar	The War in Iraq (Part V) Thought Paper 9 Due	· Mike Davi, Buda’s Wagon: A Brief History of the Car Bomb, Chs. 1, 2, 21
Fri, 18 Mar.	The War in Iraq (Part V)	·
Mon, 21 Mar	CU Spring Break – No Class	None
Wed, 23 Mar	CU Spring Break – No Class	None
Fri, 25 Mar.	CU Spring Break – No Class	None
Mon, 28 Mar	Counter insurgency Theory: The new global fad?	Global Issues 2010, Chapter x, “ The Rise in Counterinsurgency”
Wed, 30 Mar	Counter insurgency Theory: The new global fad? (Part II)
Fri, 1 Apr.	Counter insurgency Theory: The new global fad? (Part III) Book Analysis Paper Due	David Kilcullen – 28 Articles: Fundamentals of Company-Level Counterinsurgency
Mon, 4 Apr.	The Need to Intervene? Conference on World Affairs	· Michael W. Doyle, “International Intervention” CH. 11 in Ways of War and Peace · David M. Kennedy “ Two Concepts of Sovereignty” In To Lead the World. · Edward Luttwak, “Give War a Chance.”
Wed, 6 Apr.	The Need to Intervene” (Part II) Thought Paper 10 Due Conference on World Affairs	· Paul Diehl “The Criteria for Success in Peacekeeping · Francis Fukuyama “Soft Talk, Big Stick” in To Lead the World
Fri, 8 Apr.	Conference on World Affairs Make Up Day – No Class	Attend at least one session related to War & Peace
Mon, 11 Apr.	The War in Afghanistan	· Filkins, “Right at the Edge”, Sunday Magazine New York Times, 7 Sep 08 · Stewart, “The ‘Good War’ isn't worth Fighting”, New York Times, Sun 23 Nov 08 · Rumsfeld, “One Surge does not fit all”, New York Times, Sun 23 Nov 08 · Bacevich, “Petraeus Doctrine”, The Atlantic, Oct 08 · Johnson & Mason, “All counterinsurgency is local”, The Atlantic, Oct 08 · Rubin & Rashid, "From Great Game to Grand Bargain: Ending Chaos in Afghanistan and Pakistan", Foreign Affairs, Nov/Dec 2008, pp.30-44.
Wed, 13 Apr.	The War in Afghanistan Thought Paper 11 Due	· Global Issues 2010, “Afghanistan On the Brink”
Fri, 15 Apr.	The War in Afghanistan	· The Economist, “The Next Surge”, 20 Dec 09 · Gordon, “Strategy Shift for Afghan War poses stiff Challenge for Obama”, New York Times, Tues 2 Dec 08 · Michael O’Hanlon, “Staying Power”, Foreign Affairs, Sep/Oct 2010 · Baylis, Wirtz & Gray, “Afghanistan” in Strategy in the Contemporary World, 3^rd Ed. 2010
Mon, 18 Apr.	The War in Afghanistan	NY Times Handouts Provided
Wed, 20 Apr.	The War in Afghanistan Movie: PBS Frontline “Obama’s War” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/ Thought Paper 12 Due
Fri, 22 Apr.	What Causes War? In Iraq? In Afghanistan?	Geoffrey Blainey, The Causes of War, Ch. 1, “The Peace that Passeth Understanding”
Mon, 25 Apr.	What Causes War? In Iraq? In Afghanistan?	· John Nagl, Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. Ch.8-9 · Cashman & Robinson, An Introduction to the Causes of War, Ch. 11 · Geoffrey Blainey, The Causes of War, Ch. 18, “War, Peace and Neutrality”.
Wed, 27 Apr.	What Causes War? In Iraq? In Afghanistan? Thought Paper 13 Due	· Mike Davis, Buda’s Wagon: A Brief History of the Car Bomb, “The Gates of Hell”, Ch. 22
Fri, 29 Apr.	Make up day, review for final exam	Come with questions
Wed, 4 May	Final Examination (7:30-10:00am)	Study, Study, Study

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION:

CELLULAR TELEPHONE/LAPTOP COMPUTER POLICY

Needless to say, all cellular phones must be turned off and put away at the beginning of each class meeting. Classes failing to comply will be issued a stern warning on the first occasion. The entire class will have a pop quiz over the previous reading assignments/lectures on the second and subsequent occurrences. Phones, PDAs, MP3 players and Blackberrys will not be out on desks or used during any quiz or examination. Laptop computers will be allowed in class, I still believe that they can assist learning in the classroom. However, if abuse of the privilege appears to be a distraction in class, then they will be banned.

Students With Disabilities

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, and www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices

Disability Services' letters for students with disabilities indicate legally mandated reasonable accommodations. The syllabus statements and answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found at www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices

Cheating and Plagiarism

Cheating (using unauthorized materials or giving unauthorized assistance during an examination or other academic exercise) and plagiarism (using another's ideas or words without acknowledgment) are serious offenses in a university, and may result in a failing grade for a particular assignment, a failing grade for the course, and/or suspension for various lengths of time or permanent expulsion from the university. All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on the Honor Code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/

The development of the Internet has provided students with historically unparalleled opportunities for conducting research swiftly and comprehensively. The availability of these materials does not, however, release the student from appropriately citing sources where appropriate; or applying standard rules associated with avoiding plagiarism. Specifically, the instructor will be expecting to review papers written by students drawing ideas and information from various sources (cited appropriately), presented generally in the student’s words after careful analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. An assembly of huge blocks of other individuals' existing material, even when cited, does not constitute an appropriate representation of this expectation. Uncited, plagiarized material shall be treated as academically dishonest, and the paper will be assigned an ‘F’ as a result. Papers submitted by any student, written in part or in whole by someone other than that student, shall be considered to constitute fraud under the University Honor Code, and result in the assignment of an 'F' for the entire course. If the student is confused as to what constitutes plagiarism, he/she should review the CU Honor Code on this topic. If you have any questions regarding proper documentation in your writing, please discuss it with your instructor.

RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES

The university has received valid complaints from students regarding the lack of adequate faculty accommodation for some students who have serious religious obligations, which may conflict with academic requirements such as scheduled exams. Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. In this class, any notification of absence by email constitutes and excused absence. See full details at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html

A comprehensive calendar of the religious holidays most commonly observed by CU-Boulder students is at http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

The University of Colorado Policy on Sexual Harassment applies to all students, staff and faculty. Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual attention. It can involve intimidation, threats, coercion, or promises or create an environment that is hostile or offensive. Harassment may occur between members of the same or opposite gender and between any combination of members in the campus community: students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Harassment can occur anywhere on campus, including the classroom, the workplace, or a residence hall. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been sexually harassed should contact the Office of Sexual Harassment (OSH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about the OSH and the campus resources available to assist individuals who believe they have been sexually harassed can be obtained at http://www.colorado.edu/odh/

BASIC COURTESY TO YOUR CLASSMATE AND YOUR INSTRUCTORS

Please arrive on time and do not leave early. If you absolutely must leave early, please let me know at the beginning of class and sit near a door so you do not cause too much disruption. Similarly, if arriving late, please take a seat as quickly and quietly as possible. Take care of all your business before class begins; do not leave and return during class as this creates a disturbance to others.

Taking this course signifies acceptance of the terms and conditions stated in this syllabus.