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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PL 101"
COURSE NAME: "Introduction to Political Science"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2016
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Diane Maye
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course introduces students to basic concepts, methods, and theories of the scientific study of politics. In so doing, the class provides a systematic understanding of the foundations of government, political systems, and political behavior. The course familiarizes students with the functioning of political institutions and political power, constitutional frameworks and procedures to obtain public legitimacy, and approaches to different fields, problems and issues of—domestic, comparative, and global—politics in the 21st century.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course will be run as an introductory seminar, with emphasis on class participation through reading discussions and presentation of written work. Students will read four classic works from the various subfields and discover the wider field of inquiry and enduring problems that occupy Political Science research as a whole. Students will also be introduced to basic political science research methodology and writing styles.

In order to encourage deep, critical reading, students will be required to regularly reflect on the assigned texts and class discussions through a series (6) of short essays (2 pages each) as detailed in the syllabus below. In order to promote and assess active, engaged discussion, students will receive a mark for their participation in each class and the average of these will make up their final participation grade. Students, therefore, should come to class ready to discuss the readings. They should take notes, write down questions, form opinions and always, always bring the reading material to class with them.

 Finally, the class is designed to promote the digestion and analysis of contemporary political dynamics. Students will be encouraged, therefore, to apply the classic theories to understand current events. To aid in this task, there will be weekly New York Times quizzes on the Global Headlines. Students can purchase a personal subscription to the New York Times or read the print edition available in the JCU library or the Tiber Café.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Following this course students should expect to begin thinking, reading, writing and acting like a political scientist! 

TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Coercion, Capital and European States: AD 990-1992Charles TillyWiley-Blackwell978-1557863683     
Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern ItalyRobert PutnamPrinceton University Press978-0691037387     
The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and AbroadFareed ZakariaWW Norton & Company Inc978-0393331523     
Guide to Methods for Students of Political ScienceStephen Van EveraCornell University Press978-0801484575     
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Class AttendanceAttendance and Presence of Mind are mandatory for this class. The goal here is to advance towards the art of asking good questions. Quality, not quantity of participation is what counts, although some quantity is better than no quality. Students will be allowed 2 unexcused absences. Each unexcused absence thereafter will result in the lowering of the attendance grade by 1/3rd a letter grade. More than 12 unexcused absences will result in a failure to pass the course.5
Class Participation Students should come to class ready to discuss the readings and answer the New York Times quiz questions. They should take notes, write down questions, form opinions and always, always bring the reading material to class with them.15
News JournalEach student will be required to maintain a news journal throughout the course. The news journal will be collected on the last day of class. Each submission will count for % of your grade. Late work will not be accepted. 25
Midterm Exam 25
Final Exam 30

-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 course
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:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until May 6, 2016. 
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.
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.

SCHEDULE

PART I: THE STATE  

WEEK 1

January 19: Introduction to the Course

January 21: What is the state?  

Readings:

·       Tilly, Chapter 1


WEEK 2

January 26: Where does the state come from?

Readings:

·       Tilly, Chapter 2

January 28: What does the state do? 

Readings:

·       Tilly, Chapter 3


WEEK 3

February 2:  What do people do in states?

Readings:

·       Tilly, Chapter 4

February 4: Are there different kinds of states? Alternatives to States?

Readings:

·       Tilly, Chapter 5

PART II: THE REGIME

WEEK 4

February 9: What should states do?

Readings:

·       Larry Diamond and Leonardo Morlino (2004), “The Quality of Democracy: An Overview,” http://iis-db.stanford.edu/pubs/20729/Diamond-Morlino.QoD.intro%28book%29.drft1.pdf

February 11:  What is democracy?

Readings:

·       Putnam, Chapter 1


WEEK 5

February 16: What are institutions?

Readings:

·       Putnam, Chapters 2 & 3


February 18:  What makes institutions perform well?

Readings:

·       Putnam, Chapter 4


WEEK 6

February 23: What is political culture? What is civic culture?  

Case Study: Italy

Readings:

·       Putnam, Chapter 5

February 25: What is collective action?   

Readings:

·       Putnam, Chapter 6


WEEK 7 –  Midterms

March 1: Midterm Prep / Review  

March 3: Midterm

PART III: POLITICAL SCIENCE METHODOLOGY

WEEK 8

March 8:  What are the basic assumptions of Political Science?

Readings:

·       Van Evera, pp. 1 – 30

March 10: Library Day

·       Van Evera, pp. 1 – 30


WEEK 9

March 15: Quantitative Research  

Readings:

·       Van Evera, pp. 35 – 43; 50 – 71; 74 - 88

March 17: Qualitative Research  

Readings:

·       TBD 

PART IV: POLITICAL BEHAVIOR & PUBLIC POLICY

WEEK 10

March 22: How do people participate in politics?  

Readings:

·       Scott Mainwaring to Giovanni Sartori’s party theory (read 1-13 very carefully; skim the rest, make sense of the tables and read the conclusion): https://kellogg.nd.edu/publications/workingpapers/WPS/260.pdf

March 24: Why do people vote the way that they do?   

Readings:

·       Anthony Downs’ Median Voter Theory: http://rdc1.net/forthcoming/medianvt.pdf


****SPRING BREAK****

WEEK 11

April 5:  TBD  

Readings:

·       TBD

April 7: What makes for good public policy?  

Readings:

·       Theda Skocpol:

·       1)      “Flashpoint in Healthcare Reform” Dissent (2012) http://www.rockinst.org/newsroom/news_stories/2012/2012-Spring-Dissent.pdf

·       2)      “What does Healthcare Reform do for Americans,” SSN 2013: http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/sites/default/files/ssn_basic_facts_skocpol_and_jacobs_on_health_reform_1.pdf

·       3)      “A Fieldguide to the Implementation of Obamacare,” SSN 2014 http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/sites/default/files/ssn_basic_facts_skocpol_and_jacobs_on_field_guide_to_implementation_3.pdf

·       for more of where this came from: http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/scholar-profile/45


PART V. AUTHORITARIANISM VS. DEMOCRACY

WEEK 12

April 12:  What are social movements?  

Readings:

·       Charles Tilly (1997), “Social Movements as Political Struggle,” http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:2v1r03UpxUsJ:www.ciaonet.org/wps/tic03/&client=firefox-a&hl=en&gl=us&strip=1

April 14: Are all countries democracies?  

Readings:

·       Zakaria, Introduction & Chapter 1


WEEK 13

April 19: What are authoritarian regimes?

Readings:

·       Zakaria, Chapters 2 & 3

April 21: How do democracies fail?   

Readings:

·       Zakaria, Chapters 4 & 5

 


WEEK 14

April 26:  On the future of democracy & global politics

·       Zakaria, Chapter 6

April 28:  Final Exam Preparation

·       Zakaria, Conclusion

***News Journals due: 28 April 2016***


WEEK 15

April 30- May 6: Final Exam (Look for Announcements)