POLS 3313 Midterm Exam
Professor Bagashka
General Instructions: Respond to the questions below. Be sure to draw on the relevant class discussions and the assigned readings. Use the assigned class readings—it is NOT necessary to use external sources. Be sure to include in-text citations. Use your own words. Paraphrase instead of quoting directly (verbatim). If you do have to use a direct quote, be sure to include quotation marks and a page number. If you are in doubt as to what constitutes plagiarism, consult the policy on academic honesty. The due date for the exam is March 9 (am). Once you are done with the exam, submit it through Blackboard (there is a TurnItIn icon Midterm Exam) the same way you submit a paper.
I.
Respond to 5 out of the 6 short-answer questions below. You will not get additional points if you respond to 6 questions.
Short answer question instructions: Respond to the questions in 6-8 sentences per question. 1.
Why do many consider the Peace of Westphalia “the birth” of the modern state system?
2.
Define public good
and provide one empirical example of a public good. Why are public goods often underprovided?
3.
Define extended deterrence
and provide one empirical example. Why does extended deterrence often lack credibility?
4.
Define preemptive war
and provide one empirical example.
5.
Define collaboration and explain how the Prisoner’s Dilemma game illustrates the problem of collaboration. 6.
Does the literature on the democratic peace suggest that democratization can be achieved at a relatively low cost? What does Owen think about that? II.
Respond to 1 out of the 2 essay questions below in 3-4 pages (double-spaced). You will not get additional points if you respond to 2 questions.
1.
Define resolve and explain why it can be easily underestimated or overestimated. What would the
consequences of that be in the context of international conflict? What information could Russia or Ukraine use to infer the resolve of their opponent (in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine)? Be specific.
2.
Define the concept security dilemma. Provide a concrete empirical example. What is the significance of the security dilemma, according to realism?
