INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:

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1 COURSE INFORMATION: POLITICS AND FILM Title: Politics and Film Course Number: PS 493 / FLM 493 / NORS 693 Credits: 3 Prerequisites: PS 100X Political Economy, or permission of the instructor Schedule of Classes: Monday, January 4 Saturday, January 9 and Monday, January 11 Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Time: 10:00 A.M. 3:00 P.M. Class Location: 401 Gruening Building INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: Instructor: Dr. Brandon Boylan Office Location: 603A Gruening Building Office Hours: Monday, January 4 Saturday, January 9 and Monday, January 11 Wednesday, January 13, 2016; 11:00 A.M. 12:00 P.M. and by appointment Telephone: (907) bmboylan@alaska.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION Harold Lasswell has famously argued that politics is the study of who gets what, when, and how. In this course, we use films as vehicles for surveying and discussing a broad range of concepts and themes related to political power discussed in the political science and related literature. Specifically, we explore the quest for political power and difficulties of governance, institutions of power (formal branches of government, the media, and interest groups), the politics of campaigning for public office, privacy and governmental surveillance, political violence, as well as indigenous governance and issues. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS This course uses a wide variety of instructional methods, including seminar and discussion, lecture, and film viewings. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 1. To learn about theories and concepts related to political power through the close reading of academic scholarship and viewing of films with political messages 2. To evaluate political theses in film against the empirical record of real-life political processes 3. To develop students critical thinking, communication, and writing skills 1

2 COURSE POLICIES Academic Honesty You are expected to adhere to the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct as outlined in the UAF catalog, available at In particular, academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will lead to an F for the course, at a minimum. This includes plagiarism, cheating, collusion, or fabrication. Please talk to me if you are unsure about whether or not your approach constitutes academic dishonesty. Use of Electronics Use of cell phones is strictly prohibited during class. Failure to comply with this policy will lower your reading, preparation, and participation grade (see below). Laptop computers may be used for note-taking purposes only. If you are caught browsing the web, checking , etc., you will be asked to put your laptop away and your reading, preparation, and participation grade will be lowered. DISABILITY SERVICES Information for UAF s Office of Disability Services is here: 208 Whitaker Building (907) uaf-disabilityservices@alaska.edu Please note that I will work with the UAF s Office of Disabilities Services to provide reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities. COURSE MATERIALS All course materials (readings and reviews) are posted on BlackBoard. There is no textbook required for the course. GRADING SCALE A = C+ = A- = C = B+ = C- = B = D = B- = F = 59 COURSE ASSIGNMENTS Reading, Preparation, and Participation (50 points) You must come to class prepared to contribute to discussions and talk about readings and films. The effectiveness of the course is determined largely by how well you engage the reading material and films, assess key concepts, and participate. Your participation grade will be calculated by how much and how well you contribute to class discussions. The use of cell 2

3 phones and other electronic devices (apart from laptops for note-taking purposes) during class is prohibited and will lower your reading, preparation, and participation grade. Film Essays (50 points 10 points each) During the course, we will cover nine themes. You must choose five of them and write one essay per theme connecting the concepts from assigned readings to the corresponding film. In other words, you will interpret the film through the lens of the arguments and points unveiled in the assigned readings. Each essay must be at least three pages in length (double spaced) and is due the day after we discuss the readings and film. Late essays will not be accepted. Mid-term Exam (50 points) The mid-term exam is scheduled for Friday, January 8. It will cover the first four days of class (readings and films). Make-up exams will not be given. Final Exam (50 points) The final exam is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13. It will cover the last five days of class (readings and films). Make-up exams will not be given. ***If you are taking this course as NORS 693, in addition to the above assignments, you must choose a film related to Arctic and Northern Studies (you must receive my approval of the film) and write a research paper in which you apply a theory of political science or related discipline in order to interpret the film and make an argument. Your paper must be at least fifteen pages in length and is due by the end of the session. Late papers will not be accepted. 3

4 SCHEDULE OF CLASSES Monday, January 4: The Quest for Political Power Robert Axelrod and Robert O. Keohane, Achieving Cooperation under Anarchy: Strategies and Institutions, World Politics 38, no. 1 (1985): Joseph M. Grieco, Anarchy and the Limits of Cooperation: A Realist Critique of the Newest Liberal Institutionalism, International Organization 42, no. 3 (1988): Alexander Wendt, Anarchy Is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics, International Organization 46, no. 2 (1992): Lord of the Flies (1963; United Kingdom) Tuesday, January 5: Institutions of Power James D. King and James W. Riddlesperger, Jr., Senate Confirmation of Appointments to the Cabinet and Executive Office of the President, The Social Science Journal 28, no. 2 (1991): James D. King and James W. Riddlesperger, Jr., Senate Confirmation of Cabinet Nominations: Institutional Politics and Nominee Qualifications, The Social Science Journal 33, no. 3 (1996): James D. King and James W. Riddlesperger, Jr., Senate Confirmation of Cabinet Appointments: Congress-centered, Presidency-centered, and Nominee-centered Explanations, The Social Science Journal 50, no. 2 (2013): Advise and Consent (1962; United States) Wednesday, January 6: The Politics of Presidential Campaigning David F. Damore, Candidate Strategy and the Decision to Go Negative, Political Research Quarterly 55, no. 3 (2002): Richard R. Lau, Lee Sigelman, and Ivy Brown Rovner, The Effects of Negative Political Campaigns: A Meta-Analytic Reassessment, The Journal of Politics 69, no. 4 (2007): Primary Colors (1998; United States) Thursday, January 7: Political Manipulation and the Media Howard Kurtz, Spin Cycle: How the White House and the Media Manipulate the News (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998). 4

5 Kenneth Mulligan and Philip Habel, The Implications of Fictional Media for Political Beliefs, American Politics Research 41, no. 1 (2013): Wag the Dog (1997; United States) Friday, January 8: Interest Groups and the Fourth Branch of Government Conor McGrath, Framing Lobbying Messages: Defining and Communicating Political Issues Persuasively, Journal of Public Affairs 7, no. 3 (2007): Michael Givel, Punctuated Equilibrium in Limbo: The Tobacco Lobby and U.S. State Policymaking from 1990 to 2003, The Policy Studies Journal 34, no. 3 (2006): Thank You for Smoking (2005; United States) Saturday, January 9: Privacy and Surveillance Adam D. Moore, Privacy, Security, and Government Surveillance: Wikileaks and the New Accountability, Public Affairs Quarterly 25, no. 2 (2011): Zygmunt Bauman, et al., After Snowden: Rethinking the Impact of Surveillance, International Political Sociology 8, no. 2 (2014): Das Leben der Anderen (2006; Germany) Monday, January 11: The Fear of Warfare Kenneth N. Waltz, Chapter 1: More May Be Better, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed, 2nd ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2003), Scott D. Sagan, Chapter 2: More Will Be Worse, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed, 2nd ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2003), Film Dr. Strangelove (1964; United Kingdom and United States) Tuesday, January 12: The Logics of Terrorism Martha Crenshaw, The Causes of Terrorism, Comparative Politics 13, no. 4 (1981): Brandon M. Boylan, Sponsoring Violence: A Typology of Constituent Support for Terrorist Organizations, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 38, 8 (2015): The Terrorist (1998; India) 5

6 Wednesday, January 13: Indigenous Issues in the Arctic Jarich Oosten, Ideals and Values in the Participants View of Their Culture: A View from the Inuit Field, Social Anthropology 13, no. 2 (2005): James D. Ford, et al., Climate Change in the Arctic: Current and Future Vulnerability in Two Inuit Communities in Canada, The Geographical Journal 174, no. 1 (2008): Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001; Canada) 6