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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "PL 340"
COURSE NAME: "Politics of Developing Countries"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2015
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Federigo Argentieri
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: PL 223
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course will explore the various patterns of politics in the developing world, examining the history of decolonization and the impact of the Cold War and globalization. Case studies, drawn from different geographic areas, may focus on rogue states, dictatorship and democracy, national sovereignty and human rights, the role of women, corruption and organized crime, environmental challenges, the role of multinational corporations and international financial institutions, and political development in the BRICS.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
General issues:
- Definitions of "The Other World"
- Patterns of relationship with developed countries (colonial, neo-colonial); terrorism and its consequences
- Political economy, globalization, resources, development
- The role of women
Geographic areas:
- Latin America
- Africa
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students should have a good command of the principal instruments of political analysis in a comparative context, including elements of political and social history, political culture and background of the different leaders and ruling forces. They should be able to identify and analyze the main actors, their strategies and their conflicts, their elements of rupture and continuity, as well as the main trends in political life of the countries under scrutiny
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TEXTBOOK:
Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
Latin American Politics and Development | Howard J. Wiarda - Harvey F. Kline (Eds.) | Westview Press | 978-0-8133-4904-6 | | | | | |
Women and Development in Africa - How Gender Works | Michael Kevane | Lynne Rienner | 978-1-58826-979-9 | | | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
5 short papers | One-sheet, two single-spaced pages each | 50% |
Attendance and participation | | 15% |
Final exam | | 35% |
NOTE: | Grades are not "curved" but calculated in the following way: each assignment counts for the indicated percentage and gets a certain amount of it (e.g. 18/20). After the final exam, everything (including extra credit) is summed up to compose the final score and transformed into a letter grade according to this scale:
A = 96-100 C = 66-70
A- = 91-95 C- = 61-65
B+ = 86-90 D+ = 58-60
B = 81-85 D = 55-57
B- = 76-80 D- = 51-54
C+ = 71-76 F = 0-50
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-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 c 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 demeanors 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 |
Jan. 19-21 | Intro to the course | http://www.the-map-as-history.com/ | | |
Jan. 26-28 | Setting and development in Latin America | Wiarda-Kline, part one | | |
Feb. 2-4 | Same a above | Same as above | | |
Feb. 9-11 | Case study: Cuba | Wiarda ch. 17 | | |
Feb. 16-18 | Same as above | Same as above | | |
Feb. 23-25 | Case study: Chile | Wiarda-Kline, ch. 8 | | |
March 2-4 | Same as above | Same as above | Monday March 2nd at 3:00 pm, guest lecture by Fernando Ayala, Chilean ambassador to Italy | |
March 9-11 | Case study: Haiti | Wiarda-Kline, ch. 25 | | First paper due (double-sized) |
March 16-18 | African history, geography, identity | Kevane chapter 1 and
http://www.the-map-as-history.com/ | Consider participating in this event: http://www.johncabot.edu/about_jcu/guarini-institute/guariniTUNISIA_new_bis.pdf
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March 23-25 | Principal obstacles to African development | Kevane chapter 2 | | |
March 30-April 1 | Land tenure rights | Kevane chapter 4 | | Second paper due |
April 13-15 | Marriage, household and education issues | Kevane ch. 5-6-7 | | |
April 20-22 | Encouraging (and discouraging) women's economic action and overall equality | Kevane ch. 10-11 | | Third paper due |
April 27-29 | Review for final exam | | | Fourth paper due on day of final exam |
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