INTRODUCTION TO POLITICS Spring Semester 2013

Transcription

1 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICS Spring Semester 2013 MW 8 9:15 AM Dugan 211 Greg DeLaurier Office and Office Hours: See below Website: (click on page For Spring 2013 Students ) gdelaurier@comcast.net (preferred) or Gregory_delaurier@uml.edu Course Description and Introduction You can t ignore politics, no matter how much you d like to. Molly Ivins Well, if you can t ignore politics (why can t you, by the way?) you might as well study it. And so here we are in a college classroom talking about, thinking about, reading about, watching about, doing politics. Politics is a funny thing. It is about anything and everything, and nobody agrees on just what the definition of politics is or should be. But here s as good a definition as any: Politics is about who gets what, and how and why this occurs. By this definition, bargaining with a professor to give you an A not a B (or not to flunk you, as the case may be) is politics. Same-sex marriage is politics, so is abortion. Your

2 paying more taxes than a major corporation is politics. Private financial firms getting a trillion dollars from the government, politics. Which Americans fight and die in Iraq and Afghanistan is politics. Smoking in a bar, that s right, politics. Being able to afford a college education, politics. Who starves, who doesn t politics. A good job, a bad job, no job politics. So we re beginning to get an idea of why politics can t be ignored: it has a deep impact on our lives, and knowing about politics gives us a little bit more control over our own lives, which is something most of us want. Some people think politics is a bad thing, or at least a pretty stupid thing. This is what Groucho Marx (if you don t know who he is, Google him) had to say about politics: Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies. On the other hand, other people find politics a good and noble activity. This from Vaclav Havel (if you don t know who he is, Google him): Genuine politics is simply a matter of serving those around us; serving the community and serving those who will come after us. Its deepest roots are moral because it is a responsibility expressed through action, to and for the whole. Another politician has said, Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education That was President Obama (if you don t know who he is, where you been?) But whether we see it as good or bad, again, politics matter. And that is why we are studying it. We want to ask some why questions, like, Why is there government in the first place?, Why should we obey government?, When, if ever, is political violence justified?. We want to look at the structures of politics (mostly but not only government), and the functions of politics, what these structures do and why. We want to ask some what questions, like, How are governments organized?, What are the organizations and groups that influence government?. And maybe, just maybe, we can begin to think of ways that politics might contribute to a better life for us and for everyone.

3 Office and Office Hours As an adjunct faculty member, as of right now, though this may change, I lack adequate office space to meet with you. However, I will be in our classroom every morning an hour before class having coffee. Stop by. I will be happy to meet with you at another time as well. Just let me know. And feel free to me. Requirements There are no prerequisites for this course, except it is hoped some curiosity about politics. I ask that you will have read, or viewed, the assigned material for the week it is listed in the syllabus. I ll also have some handouts and some things on the Web I will ask you to look at. We ll also see a few videos along the way and perhaps have a guest speaker or two. I expect you not to miss class. By signing up for this class, you ve agreed to attend which seems reasonable. Missing class too often can really hurt your grade, and, more importantly, what you learn and help your colleagues in our class to learn. So, if your lack of attendance becomes a problem, I will speak with you. If it continues to be a problem, I will give you an F for the course. Grading Your final grade will be based on the following: Two brief (around 4 pages) reaction papers (We ll discuss these a lot more in class) 20% each One in-class exam, short answer and essay 20% (We ll also discuss this more in class) One Final Paper (5 to 7 pages) 30% Class Contribution 10% (this includes your attendance record and my evaluation, with your input, of how much you contributed to the discussions and work of the class) Texts Available at South Campus Bookstore and, no doubt, elsewhere. Van Belle, Vonnegut, A Novel Approach to Politics, Third Edition (do NOT buy First or Second Edition) Galapagos

4 Class Schedule (Tentative. Meaning, this schedule will change and develop as our work and discussion evolve.) Again, please have the reading done for the week listed. Week One: W Jan 23 Introduction to the course: The professor tells the one joke he knows, explains why politics is not boring and why there are so many students in this class, and gets you to introduce yourself. FIRST ASSIGNMENT: Go to my website. Complete the first assignment. Turn it in in class on Wed. Jan 30. If you do so I will raise your grade on your first paper one grade (e.g., from C to C+). Week Two: M Jan 28 W Jan 30 How might we begin to define politics and why does the professor have a picture from Star Wars at the start of his syllabus? READ: the syllabus (very important); Van Belle, Introduction/Warning/Parental Advisory, and Chapter 1, pp.1-18, Week Three: M Feb 4 W Feb 6 Why is there government, where did it come from, and do we really need it, especially things like taxes and parking tickets? READ: Van Belle, Chapter 2 Week Four: M Feb 11 W Feb 13 Does government control our behavior or is government really just getting us to control each other? READ: Van Belle, Chapter 3 Week Five: M Feb 18 (no class) TUESDAY Feb 19 (go figure) W Feb 20 * Why are economics and politics pretty close to being the same thing? (hint: tragedy of the commons ) READ: Van Belle, Chapter 1, pp , and Chapter 4 *FIRST REACTION PAPER DUE W Feb 20 Week Six : M Feb 25 W Feb 27 Economics Part II: Which is better, socialism or capitalism? READ: Van Belle, Chapter 4 (continued) Week Seven: M Mar 4 W Mar 6 How are government structures, institutions, and functions related? READ: Van Belle, Chapter 5 SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Week Eight: M Mar 18 W Mar20 Why is the British government so weird? READ: Van Belle, Chapter 6 Week Nine: M Mar 25 W Mar 27* What s so great about democracy anyway? READ: Van Belle, Chapter 10 *IN-CLASS EXAM W Mar 27 Week Ten: M Apr 1 W Apr 3 What does it matter that what we experience about politics is seldom unmediated? READ: Van Belle, Chapter 11 Week Eleven: M Apr 8 W Apr 10 Where s culture come from and how much does it influence politics? READ: Van Belle, Chapters 13 and 14 Week Twelve: M Apr 15 (no class, Patriot s Day) W Apr 17* Where s culture come from and how much does it influence politics? (Part II) READ: Chapter 14 *SECOND REACTION PAPER DUE W Apr 17 Week Thirteen: M Apr 22 W Apr 24 What s so great about big brains anyway? READ: Vonnegut Week Fourteen: M Apr 29 May1 Summing up READ: Vonnegut, Van Belle, Chapter 15 *FINAL PAPERS DUE VIA BY DATE AND TIME OF FINAL EXAM