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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "PL 250"
COURSE NAME: "Western European Politics"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Fall 2017
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Federigo Argentieri
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 4:30-5:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: PL 223
OFFICE HOURS:
by appointment
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course examines the political systems in Western Europe and major political developments affecting Western Europe since 1945 through a comparative lens. Looking at historical legacies, political cultures, types of government, and party systems shaping the major Western European powers, students will gain an understanding of the constitutive features, and transnational developments, challenges and changes in Western European states.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The geopolitical origins of Western Europe
Liberalism, democracy, dictatorship
Centralization, federalism, regionalism
Traditional parties and their evolution
Newer parties, social and protest movements
Unions, labor, welfare issues, past and present
Cultural and religious identities, immigration, integration
Terrorism
International profiles
Case studies
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students are expected to gain a reasonable knowledge of the main common problems and distinctive features of the countries presented and discussed, including acquaintance with government and party leaders, differences in political systems, power relations, national identities; to be able to analyze problems (possibly also offering solutions) and situations pertaining to the region; to identify present and (recent) past actors, their records, performances and programs.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| Western Europe 2017-2018 | Wayne C. Thompson | Rowman and Littlefield | 978-1-4758-3508-3 | | The book should be available by the first week of class | | | |
| A Utopia Like Any Other - Inside the Swedish Model | Dominic Hinde | Luath Press Limited | 978-1-910745-32-8 | | | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments |
| Nordic, Central, and Southeastern Europe 2015-2016 15th Edition | Wayne C. Thompson | Rowman & Littlefield | 978-1-4758-1882-6 | | |
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Three papers - Four double-spaced pages each | Papers will be on an assigned topic, with required or recommended sources and need to meet a specific format (more detailed instructions to be distributed in class). Topics will be related to the following:
1) Discussion of German elections of Sep. 24
2) Discussion of Catalan referendum of Oct. 1
3) Discussion of the book "A Utopia Like Any Other", by Dominic Hinde | 75% |
| Attendance and participation | Regular attendance is required and only excused absences will not affect the grade (see Attnd. requirements section for details). Additionally, students are expected to participate in discussions and demonstrate their acquaintance with the assigned reading. The instructor will occasionally check on this particular aspect by asking questions related to such assignments. Numerically speaking, each unjustified absence will be counted 5 pts down and each positive (oral) feedback on the readings 3 pts up. The final score in this section will be counted also in terms of overall performance of the student. | 25% |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cour
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Regular attendance and active participation in class are essential: this includes punctuality and quick checking of intranet messages. Absences will affect the final grade, unless caused by serious family or medical emergencies. Makeup examinations may be given or late papers accepted only for the same reasons. In order to take full advantage of this class and make it an important learning experience, it is crucial to create a communicative virtuous circle, i.e. an environment where possible misunderstandings are reduced to a minimum or altogether eliminated and potential problems and issues are addressed and solved very quickly. Example: some of you may have a stronger background in Politics, and some a weaker one or none: there is nothing wrong in acknowledging it and alerting the professor, so that he can adjust his pace to the audience and work more with single cases if need be. More specifically, you can contribute quite substantially to the creation of a virtuous circle if you consider the following:
1) Some patterns of demeanor are invisible in a large infrastructure, yet become disruptive in a smaller one. They include the following (during class): - walking in and especially out of the room, in absence of an emergency or prior permission; - making use of the internet and/or any social network, such as Facebook, Twitter or a mere sms; - reading or studying for a class other than the one being attended. Taking good note of all this and acting accordingly, besides averting inevitable grade-docking, will greatly help and will be much appreciated. Therefore, you are kindly requested to turn off your Iphones et al. and avoid using a laptop during class. Exceptions can be made only in some specific cases
2) Students should be able to make the difference between occurrences which justify their absences and those which don't, and alert the prof only in the former case. Examples:
Occurrence Absence Justified? Communication needed
i) Sickness yes yes
ii) Major emergency yes yes
(accident, serious family issues,
permesso)
iii)Travel issues of any kind no no
iv) Family/partner/friend(s)
are in town no no
(although welcome to
class if interested, in which case please
notify the prof)
v) AoB to be determined on case-by-case criteria
3) A smaller environment should encourage a more active and direct participation of students and a more effective communication between students and professor. The former are strongly encouraged to intervene in class at any moment if something doesn't sound clear, or in the appropriate discussion time if they wish to raise a specific issue or argue about it (this latter part will be considered for grading purposes, only to the extent it shows interest for the topic and capabilities to support an argument). Opinions can be freely expressed (teacher included) and are never graded as such. Should a student feel uncomfortable about speaking in public, s/he is welcome to contact or email the professor to discuss privately
4) Finally, and on a more academic note, some concrete tips to start off in the best way possible and obtain satisfactory results: - This is a textbook-based course. No matter if individually or in a group, students should get hold of a copy anyway, as all their assignments will be based on it. Alternative routes based on the use of popular websites (e.g. Wikipedia) are strongly discouraged and would lead to poor results - Class lectures do not merely repeat or explain (unless specifically required) the content of the readings, but aim at completing them by providing additional information and different visual angles. In order to achieve optimal results, students should work on combining their notes with reading assignments and videos screened (see next point) and raise immediately all issues related to any perceived discrepancy, incoherence or misunderstanding - Videos shown in class command the same respect and attention as all other instructional materials and should never be considered as avoidable parts of the course program (or the right moment when to disregard point 1 above) - Whenever possible, students are encouraged to take advantage of extra-credit opportunities (field trips, evening films, Guarini Institute events) even if their score is good, as these could prove ultimately decisive in enhancing their grade
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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| Session | Session Focus | Reading Assignment | Other Assignment | Meeting Place/Exam Dates |
| Aug. 29-31 | Introduction to the course. Definitions of (Western) Europe | Thompson Nordic and Western (intro) | | |
| Sep. 5-7 | Intro to German politics | Germany (Thompson Nordic) | | |
| Sep. 12-14 | The Sep. 24 election: players and policies | Same as above | | |
| Sep. 19-21 | Intro to Spanish politics | Spain (Thompson Western) | | |
| Sep. 26-28 | The Catalonian referendum of Oct. 1 | Spain (Thompson Western) | Optional field trip to Barcelona Sep. 28-Oct.2 | |
| Oct. 3-5 | Same as above | Same as above | | Germany paper due at the start of Thursday's class |
| Oct. 10-12 | Relevance of the German and Spanish vote for Europe | All previous readings | In-class check on readings | |
| Oct. 17-19 | Italy detour: the Lombard-Veneto referendum of Oct. 22 | Italy (Thompson Western) and tba | | |
| Oct. 24-26-27 | General discussion on all recent votes | All previous readings | In-class check on readings | |
| Oct. 31-Nov. 2 | Intro to Swedish politics | Sweden (Thompson Nordic) | | Spain paper due at the beginning of Thursday's class |
| Nov. 7-9 | The Swedish "model" | As above and Hinde | | |
| Nov. 14-16-21 | Immigration, integration, terrorism | As above and tba | | |
| Nov. 28-30 | Concluding discussion | All previous readings | In-class check on readings | Sweden paper due on day of final exam |
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