INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE SYLLABUS GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Fall 2003 POS 100 Section 3281 Instructor: Reuben M. Payne JD Office: 05-135 (in same building as bookstore) Phone: 602-978-1742 Class: Monday Wednesday Friday 10:00 a.m. 10:50 a.m. Required textbook W. Phillips Shively, Power & Choice: An Introduction to Political Science, 8 th ed. (McGraw-Hill 2002) About the Course Politics is an inescapable part of life. Can you imagine any human organization that doesn t have conflict over collective decisions? This course will introduce you to the formal study of politics. We will explore political issues at all levels individual, group, national, and international. You will become familiar with the basic vocabulary of the discipline, learn about the different ways that political issues are studies, and develop critical reading, thinking, and writing skills. The course is designed for prospective majors as well as for those simply seeking a better understanding of the political world. There are no prerequisites. Assignments, late work, and other classroom policies Your most important assignment is to keep up with the reading. You should come to class prepared to intelligently discuss the material assigned for each session. Assignments are due on the dates indicated on the schedule below. Late work will be accepted. However, unless you have a compelling excuse, a 10% late penalty will be imposed. Please keep a copy of all your work until the end of the semester as insurance against loss by you or me. Taping is not allowed without permission. Let me know if you have any special circumstances that require accommodation, and please make the appropriate arrangements with the Disability and Services Office, 623-845- 3080. Because this class is on a shortened 50 minute schedule M-W-F, attendance and timely work submissions are extra important. Excessive tardiness will be dealt with on an individual basis. The end result of this course is to have you emerge with greater information and knowledge about the practices and techniques of political science. You will become a more effective student and citizen in the community. Some of you will elect to become involved in local, state and national government. As heirs to your country s future the insight and knowledge acquired about political science will be of extreme value to you. Grading Your course grade will be based on a point system: Issue tracking journal = 50 points plus 50 points on time 3 4 exams, at least 2 will be multiple choice one true false Grading scale: A = 90%-100% B = 80% - 89% C = 70% - 79% D = 60% - 69% F = 59% - below ISSUE TRACKING JOURNAL Introduction to Political Science POS 100 Fall 2003 Section 3281 Introductions Choose a political topic that interests you from the list below or get my approval for your own issue. (You need an issue that is likely to generate continuing coverage throughout the semester.) Monitor your issue on a weekly basis using the Internet, print or broadcast media. Record your findings in separate journal entries. Each entry should include the date, your source (author, title, volume, page, URL or other appropriate bibliographic data), a brief summary of the key points, and your evaluation/reaction. Here are some additional guidelines:
You must use a variety of sources, including at a minimum: (1) an in-depth news sources; (2) a scholarly journal article or paper from a think tank; and (3) an opinion piece or commentary. If you are tracking an issue with international implications, you are strongly encouraged to also include a foreign source. You can find links online newspapers, academic journals, think tanks, and other sources at http://geweb.gc.maricopa.edu/socsci/polsci/links.htm The evaluation portion of your journal entries should incorporate some of the terminology, analytical approaches, and ideas we are studying in class. In other words, the purpose of this exercise is to get you to apply your newly acquired book knowledge to a real world issue. You should be prepared at all times to give a brief oral update on the status of your issue if called upon in class. Your journal must contain a minimum of 6 separate entries (the more the better) obtained at different times throughout the semester not all from the last week! Issue Suggestions War against terrorism Popularity of President Bush Iraqi threat Public financing of elections Israeli-Palestinian conflict Corporate scandals (Enron/WorldCom) U.S. Saudi relations Treatment of Afghan war detainees National Missile Defense Forest fire prevention Global warming Immigration policy African AIDS crisis Death Penalty Kashmir conflict Assisted Suicide U.S. Cuba conflict Social Security Reform Latin American economic crisis Prescription Drug Reform Midterm Congressional elections Arizona state elections Homeland security Arizona budget crisis The future of the tax cut Arizona marijuana initiative drug policy Domestic intelligence gathering and civil liberties Charter school reform Gas shortages / price gauging INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE CALENDAR Glendale Community College Fall 2003 POS 100 Section 3281 The following reading and writing assignments should be completed by the date indicated below. Page and chapter references are to Shively, Power and Choice. Starred items (*) are optional, extra credit readings available online (go to the class web page > extra credit). Mon 8/25 Introduction Wed 8/27 Defining politics (Ch. 1) Glendaleites Fri 8/29 Modern political ideologies (Ch 2, pp. 18-27) Peoriaites Mon 9/1 Holiday Labor Day No School Wed 9/3 Political ideologies (Ch. 2 pp. 27-end) Phoenixites Fri 9/5 The modern state (Ch. 3, pp. 40-53) Glendaleites *Jencks, Who Should Get In
*Etzioni, The Monochrome Society Mon- 9/8 Alternatives to states (Ch 3, pp. 54-end) Peoriaites Wed- 9/10 What modern states do (Ch. 4) Phoenixites *Easterbrook, Environmental Doomsday: Bad News Good, Good News Bad *Light, Government s Greatest Priorities of the Next Half-Century Fri 9/12 Political economy (Ch. 5) Glendaleites *Solow, Welfare: The Cheapest Country EXAM 1 (TAKE HOME) DUE Mon 9/15 Policymaking; justice (Ch. 6 pp. 125-131 & Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Handout) Peoriaites Wed 9/17 Policymaking: efficiency (Ch. 6 pp.. 131-end) Phoenixites Fri 9/19 Political legitimacy (Ch. 7, pp. 157-end) Glendaleites Mon. 9/22 Social capital and political culture (Ch. 7, pp. 157-end) Peoriaites *Brooks, One Nation, Slightly Divisible *Putnam: Bowling Together Wed 9/24 Defining democracy (Ch. 7, pp. 151-152 (re-read) Phoenixites Fri 9/26 The surge of democracy (Ch. 8) Glendaleites *Dalpino, Does Globalization Promote Democracy? *Kurtz, The Future of History Mon 9/29 Authoritarian governments (Ch. 9) Peoriaites Wed 10/1 EXAM 2 (IN CLASS) Fri 10/3 Constitutionalism (Ch. 10 pp. 104-210) Phoenixites Mon 10/6 Federalism (Ch. 10, pp. 210-end) Glendaleites *Nivola, Last Rites for States Rights? Wed 10/8 Electoral systems (Ch. 11, pp. 223-232) Peoriaites *Schlesinger, Not the People s Choice: How to Democratize American Democracy Fri 10/10 Voter turnout (Ch. 11, pp. 232-end) Phoenixites *Neuborne, Reclaiming Democracy Mon 10/13 Columbus Day Holiday No School Wed 10/15 Political parties (Ch. 12) Glendaleites *Doherty, Democracy Out of Balance *Lipset, Seymour Martin, The Indispensability of Political Parties Fri. 10/17 Interest groups (Ch. 13) Peoriaites Mon. 10/20 EXAM 3 (IN CLASS)
Wed. 10/22 Parliamentary government (Ch. 14) Phoenixites Fri. 10/24 Presidential government (Ch. 15) Glendaleites Mon. 10/27 Comparing systems (Ch. 15) Peoriaites Wed 10/29 POLICY BRIEF DUE Fri 10/31 The international system (Ch. 18, pp. 372-387) Phoenixites Mon 11/3 International conflict & war (Ch. 18, pp. 388-end) Glendaleites *Barber, Jihad v. McWorld *Power, Bystanders to Genocide *Weinberg, The Growing Nuclear Power *Daadler and Lindsay, A New Agenda for Nuclear Weapons *Hoffmann, Why Don t They Like Us? *Kagan, Power and Weakness Issue Journal Due Wed. 11/5 International Conflict is Huntington right? Peoriaites Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations [online] *Heilbrunn, The clash of Samuel Huntingtons Fri. 11/7 Terrorism Phoenixites *Garwin, The Many Threats of Terror *Steinberg, Counterterrorism: A New Organizing Principle for American National Security? EXAM 4 (TAKE HOME) due Mon. 11/10 Wed. 11/12 Fri 11/14 Mon. 11/17 Wed 11/19 Fri. 11/21 Mon. 11/24 Wed. 11/26 Mon. 12/1 Wed. 12/3 Fri. 12/5 Mon. 12/8 Wed. 12/10 Fri. 12/12 TAKE HOME EXAM TAKE HOME EXAM TAKE HOME EXAM DUE EXTRA CREDIT READINGS Serious students may want to read some of the optional readings indicated by an asterisk (*) on the class schedule. They consist of short, stimulating articles that supplement the assigned reading. They are available online and can be accessed by a single click from the class web page. For extra credit simply summarize the article and include a short critical reaction. Your write-up should be 1-2 pages long. Extra credit points will be awarded for each article, with a maximum of 100 points for the course. Extra credit can be turned in at any time up to the last regular class meeting.
IMPORTANT DATES 9/22 Exam 1 (take home) due 11/12 Exam 2 (in class) 12/5 Late data and perspective for analysis 12/12 Exam 4 (take home) DUE CONCLUSION It has been my experience that students who do not have the time to regularly attend class and to complete the assigned readings rarely pass. Unless you already know much more than the average citizen about political science and government, this class will require a sustained commitment of time and effort. Be honest with yourself, if because of work and social obligations, you do not have the time to attend class and to complete approximately 1-2 chapters per week, this may not be the class for you. I shall take attendance as required by the State of Arizona for the first 3 days of class. Thereafter anyone missing more than 3 classes will be dropped. After the 3 rd day I will stop taking attendance and if it is your desire to drop the class you must take the initiative. Absences will result in failure. There are those occurrences happening from time to time that are excusable absences: 1. Religious holidays 2. Subpoenas 3. Death etc. Keep in mind I do not give make-up exams!! If you cannot take an exam for any reason, you must notify me prior to the exam. (You have my phone number). If you notify me ahead of time we will attempt to re-schedule your exam. The final exam will be in multiple choice or true and false or a combination of both formats. The exam will emphasize materials covered in class; regular attendance is strongly encouraged. I expect to conduct 2 other exams prior to the final exam, formats to be announced later.