Daniel McIntosh                Associate Professor of Political Science                                                                            Slippery Rock University

112 A Spotts World Culture Building     (724) 738-2432     daniel.mcintosh@sru.edu     http:\\secureliberty.blogspot.com

Welcome to my official web page.  If you are looking to contact me or read my blog the addresses are above.  This is the place to go for class-related information and links.  The page is often under construction, so if something doesn't work please contact me through email.

My general field of study is international relations (IR), which includes just about anything that crosses national borders.  My subfields are in security studies and international political economy, which doesn't narrow things down much.  If you are interested in what I've been up to over the years, most of it is in my curriculum vitae.

Currently, there are several research questions that keep me occupied.  First is the political and security implications of the application of Nano-Bio-Info-Cognitive (NBIC) technologies.  When "human nature" changes from a constant to a variable, what does that mean for how we interact?  What is the range of possibilities, and how do we avoid the worst of them?

Second, I'm interested in the development and use of "evolving" simulations in higher education--ones in which, like the real world, the actions of participants can affect the rules of the game while the game is going on.  The hope is to transcend the false dichotomy of agency and structure when discussing international relations, as well as a chance to do more "experimental" IR.

I have a sequence of classes which changes from semester to semester.  The classes for Fall 2009 will be:

• POLS 68 103 03 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS  period 3 MWF SWC 201 
• POLS 68 103 04 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS  period 6 MWF SWC 201 
• POLS 68 220 01 FOREIGN POLICY  period 7 MWF SWC 201
• POLS 68 322 01 THE UNITED NATIONS & INTERNATIONAL LAW  period V W SWC 213

The links for each class (when available) will take you a copy of the syllabus for that class (also available on the SRU I-drive under political science\mcintosh).  Textbooks are found at the SGA Bookstore, or through my Amazon associate site.  A copy of the Gradebook is on Blackboard.

Planned for Spring 2010 are:

• To be announced

Here are some guidelines and worksheets I've written that can be applied to many of my classes.  They cover some of the most common questions:

• A stylesheet for papers in political science
• Common writing errors to avoid
• Connection to electronic reserve readings
• Documents on the I-Drive
• How to research and write a UN Negotiations / Policy Analysis Paper
• How to research and write a Web Review Paper
• Negotiation worksheets  
• Requirements for a legal brief
• Requirements for the Minor in International Affairs
• Rules for a class UN simulation
• Sample Student Paper (an example of what one looks like)

Finally, here are a few general sites and sources I've found useful:

• Columbia International Affairs Online     
• International Affairs Resources Page
• Nationmaster.com       
• Ultimate Political Science Links Page

A more extensive list is available here, and links to my "daily reads" (I wish) are found at my blog.