Department of Political Science POSC 4100 Approaches to Political Theory Course Description The purpose of this course is to investigate the relationship between justice, gender, sex and feminism. The first half of the course highlights the manner in which gender and sex impact the theorization of justice by examining a number of contemporary normative theories of justice. The second half of the course focuses on specific justice related topics such as pornography and censorship, reproductive rights, race, culture and ethnicity. Required Texts Winter 2016 Mondays & Wednesdays, 10:30-11:45 Room, SN 2033 Instructor: Dr. Dimitrios Panagos Instructor s Phone Number: 864-8175 Instructor s Email Address: dpanagos@mun.ca Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 2:30 4:00 or by appointment (SN 2039) Phillips, Anne. 2007. Multiculturalism Without Culture. Princeton: Princeton University Press. (E-book) Newman, Jacquetta and Linda A. White. 2012. Women, Politics, and Public Policy: The Political Struggles of Canadian Women. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Young, Iris Marion. 1990. Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1
Assignments 1. One Book Review: Students will submit a book review of Justice and the Politics of Difference OR Multiculturalism Without Culture. The reviews will be four pages in length. 2. Participation: This grade will be based on students contributions to weekly discussions. 3. Essay: 13-15 pages, typed, double-spaced essay. The late penalty is 5% per day (weekends count for 5%). See pages 6-9 for detailed instructions. 4. Essay Outline: 3 pages in length. The outline will consist of the thesis statement, a point-form outline of the main arguments and an annotated bibliography consisting of at least 7 academic sources. The late penalty is 5% per day. 5. Midterm: The midterm will cover all of the material up to and including the class before the test. 6. Issue Memos: Students will be required to submit an issue memo every other week (ie. 5 issue memos in all). Grading Scheme Participation: 10% Midterm 20% February 10 Book Review: 15% March 2 Issue Memos: 20% Bi-weekly Essay: 30% March 23 Essay Outline 5% February 17 2
Reading Outline Week One: Jan 6 Introduction Newman, Jacquetta and Linda A. White. 2006. Women, Politics, and Public Policy: The Political Struggles of Canadian Women. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 1 (1-20). Week Two: Jan 11 & 13 Contemporary Political Theory, Liberalism and Feminism Waldron, Jeremy. 1987. Theoretical Foundations of Liberalism. In Philosophical Quarterly, 37:147: 127-150. Week Three: Jan 18 & 20 Contemporary Political Theory, Liberalism and Feminism Newman, Jacquetta and Linda A. White. 2006. Women, Politics, and Public Policy: The Political Struggles of Canadian Women. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 2 (21-39) and Chapter 3 (40-58). Nussbaum, Martha. 2000. The Future of Feminist Liberalism. In Proceedings and Addresses of American Philosophical Association, 74:2: 47-79. Week Four: Jan 25 & 27 Rawls Cohen, Joshua. 2002. John Rawls: Introduction. In Steven M. Cahn (editor). Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1034-1038. Rawls, John. 2002. A Theory of Justice. In Steven M. Cahn (editor). Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1038-1060. Week Five: Feb 1 & 3 Commentaries on Rawls Kymlicka, Will. 2002. Contemporary Political Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 3 (53-101). Okin, Susan Moller. 2005. Forty Acres and a Mule for Women: Rawls and Feminism. In Politics, Philosophy and Economics, 4:2: 233-248. Week Six: Feb 8 & 10 Midterm, Feb 10 The Politics of Difference Iris Marion Young Young, Iris Marion. 1990. Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Introduction (3-14); Chapter 1 (15-38); Chapter 2 (39-65) and Chapter 3 (66-95). Week Seven: Feb 15 & 17 Essay Outlines Due: Feb 17 The Politics of Difference continued 3
Young, Iris Marion. 1990. Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Chapter 4 (96-121); Chapter 6 (156-191) and Chapter 7 (192-225). Week Eight: Feb 29 & March 2 Book Review Due, March 2 Commentaries on the Politics of Difference Hayward, Clarissa Rile and Ron Watson. 2012. Identity and Political Theory. In Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, 33: 9-41. Fraser, Nancy. 1997. Justice Interuptus. New York: Routledge. Chapter 1(11-39) and Chapter 8 (189-205). Week Nine: March 7 & 9 Politics of Difference Anne Phillips Phillips, Anne. 2007. Multiculturalism Without Culture. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Introduction; Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Week Ten: March 14 & 16 Politics of Difference continued Phillips, Anne. 2007. Multiculturalism Without Culture. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Chapter 3; Chapter 4 and Chapter 6. Week Eleven: March 21 & 23 Essay Due, March 23 The Family Minow, Martha and Mary Lyndon Shanley. 1996. Relational Rights and Responsibilities: Revisioning the Family in Liberal Political Theory and Law. In Hypatia, 11:1: 117-133. Newman, Jacquetta and Linda A. White. 2006. Women, Politics, and Public Policy: The Political Struggles of Canadian Women. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 7 (139-159). Week Twelve: March 28 & 30 Sex and Sexuality Karaian, Lara. 2005. Troubling the Definition of Pornography: Little Sisters, a New Defining Moment in Feminists' Engagement with the Law? In Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 17:1: 117-133. Schwartzman, Lisa. 1999. Liberal Rights Theory and Social Inequality: A Feminist Critique. In Hypatia, 14:2: 26-47. Week Thirteen: April 4 & April 6 Sex and Sexuality continued Newman, Jacquetta and Linda A. White. 2006. Women, Politics, and Public Policy: The Political Struggles of Canadian Women. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 11 (240-263) & Chapter 12 (264-289). 4
Accommodation of Students with Disabilities Memorial University is committed to ensuring an environment of understanding and respect for the dignity and worth of each student and also to supporting inclusive education based on the principles of equity, accessibility and collaboration. For more information on Memorial University s commitment to accommodation of students with disabilities see: http://www.mun.ca/poilcy/site/policy.php?id=239 Policy on Deadlines and Extensions All work must be submitted or completed on the dates outlined in this syllabus. Extensions MAY be granted by the instructor for medical reasons or for reasons of compassion. In both cases the instructor will only consider an extension upon receipt of proper documentation (e.g. a medical note from a doctor). Reasons of compassion are events resulting in severe stress such as bereavement. Reasons of compassion do not include unfortunate occurrences like a break-up or a sporting or club event. Under NO circumstances will the instructor grant extensions to students on the basis of workload issues (that is, because the student has other assignments due on the same day or around the deadline; because the student ran out of time; because the student had to work; and the like) or on the basis of failures of technology (that is, because the student s computer crashed; because the student s computer got a virus; because the student s printer broke; and the like). All students MUST retain a hardcopy of their work (essay and critical assessment) and must be able to produce these hardcopies upon request by the instructor until the student receives his or her final grade for the course. 5
Book Review Guidelines The book review is worth: 15% Students may complete two book reviews and the professor will assign the higher mark for this portion of the overall grade. Deadline: See Grading Scheme Late Penalty: 5% per day. Each book review must: -Be 4 pages in length -Be typed and double spaced -Be single sided -Have 12 point, Times New Roman font -Have one inch margins -Have page numbers on every page Comply with departmental and university policies on academic integrity and plagiarism (see pages 8-9). Each book review should: (1) identify the thesis of the book; (2) provide a brief synopsis of the book (maximum one page); and a critical assessment of the book. Consult the following book reviews as examples: Reny, Marie-Eve. 2009. Multicultural Odysseys: Navigating the New International Politics of Diversity, Will Kymlicka [Book Review]. In Nationalities Papers 37:3: 355-357. Panagos, Dimitrios. 2009. Courtney Jung s The Moral Force of Indigenous Politics: Critical Liberalism and the Zapatistas [Book Review]. In Nationalities Papers 37:3: 357-360. Bi-Weekly Issue Memo Guidelines Each student is required to submit and present 5 issue memos. Half of the students will do so for the first time during Week 2, the other half during Week 3. Every other week, by 5pm on the day before each Wednesday class, half of the students in the class are required to submit to the instructor (via email) a brief memo (1-2 doublespaced [12-point font] pages) that sets out i.) two critical issues raised by the week s readings and ii.) two related questions that should be discussed during the seminar. The instructor will incorporate these questions, along with any questions or issues the instructor wishes to raise, into the agenda for discussion that week. The other half of the students will do the same the following Wednesday. 6
The issue memos must not focus on summarizing the readings; we can assume that all members of class will have read the material for the week. Rather, the aim of the memos is to stimulate critical evaluation and analysis of the week s readings by drawing attention to important issues, concepts and themes that the readings raise. The memos should originate in the presenter s reactions to the readings. Memos may focus on, for example, those features of the readings that the student finds most confusing, interesting, controversial or important. In evaluating this part of the course, the focus will be on the student s a.) level of understanding of the reading material in question and b.) success in stimulating class discussion and advancing student understanding. The issue memos are worth 20% of the final grade. 7
Essay Guidelines Essay Outline is worth: 5% Deadline for essay outline: See grading scheme Late Penalty: 5% per day Essay Outline: The essay outline should be 3 pages in length. It should have three sections. Section 1 will outline the general topic and its importance. Section 2 will identify the thesis of the essay and a point-form plan of the major arguments. Section 3 will identify six to seven academic sources and explain how they will be used in the essay. Essay is worth: 30% Deadline for Essay: See grading scheme Late Penalty: 5% per day Essay Each essay is to be submitted with a title page, text and a works cited. The essay must: -Be 13 to 15 pages in length -Be typed and double spaced -Be single sided -Have 12 point, Times New Roman font -Have one inch margins -Have page numbers on every page (except the title page). The page marked 1 will be the first page after the title page. -Comply with departmental and university policies on academic integrity and plagiarism (see Pages 9-10). *All essays will be rigorously assessed for form, content, structure, grammar and presentation (see grading sheet that immediately follows). Helpful Suggestions: -Students are strongly encouraged to make use of the writing centre to review drafts of their essays prior to submission. -Make use of style manuals (for guidance on how to cite properly). The instructor will accept either MLA (in text citations) or Chicago Style (footnotes). Use these correctly and consistently. -Students are encouraged to discuss their papers with the instructor. The instructor is willing to review essay outlines and the introductory paragraphs of the essays, as long as these are submitted at least TWO weeks prior to the submission deadline. 8
POSC 4100 Essay Grading Sheet Student: ID: Essay Mark: Late Penalty: Thesis Statement -Clear Position (1): -Precision (i.e. road map provided) (1): -Sophistication (1): Introduction -Sets context (3): -Illustrates significance of topic (2): Argument -Quality of sources (10): -Strength of evidence (5): -Use of evidence (10): -Diversity of evidence (5): -Analytical rigour (10): -Analytical sophistication (7): -Convincing (5): Conclusion -Restated thesis (1): -Summary of main arguments (3): -Outlines Implications (3): Structure -Organization of arguments and paragraphs (5): -Transitions (3): -15 References (1): -7 Sources (1): -Referencing (5): -Works Cited (5): Writing -Articulateness (5): -Spelling and grammar (5): -Margins (1): -Length (1): -Page Numbers (1):_ 9
Department of Political Science: Policies on Plagiarism Plagiarism means offering the words or ideas of another person as one's own. The material copied or paraphrased may consist of a few phrases or sentences, or an entire passage or paper. Whatever its form and extent, plagiarism constitutes two kinds of failure: 1) Failure to perform the basic tasks expected in any paper -- original mental effort and expression; 2) Potentially, the moral failure of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism may be deliberate (as in the submission of a paper written in whole or part by another student, purchased from an essay bank, or cut and pasted from web sites) or the result of carelessness through failure to provide proper documentation. All directly copied or quoted material must be enclosed in quotation marks and the source must be clearly identified in a footnote. The source of any paraphrased material or ideas must also be properly documented. Failure to do so is plagiarism. The procedure for handling cases of suspected plagiarism at Memorial University is set out in the University Calendar. All cases of suspected plagiarism must be reported to the Department Head in accordance with the University Calendar General Regulations. Depending on the circumstances and the degree of plagiarism involved, the Department of Political Science normally handles first offenders in accordance with the Procedures for Informal Resolution. The Department maintains a list of students who have been found guilty of plagiarism, and in the case of a second offence or in particularly serious cases of plagiarism, the Procedures for Formal Resolution will be followed. The penalty in these cases may be probation, suspension or expulsion in addition to the grade of 0 for the work concerned. If in any doubt about what plagiarism consists of, consult with your instructor or refer to any standard work on writing essays and research papers. The Faculty of Arts Writing Centre (SN2053) can also provide relevant information. The notes on proper documentation below may be of assistance. Notes on Proper Documentation A good political science paper contains a logical argument built on solid evidence. While the evidence may be that of first-hand observation and study, evidence for most student papers will come from books, journals, newspapers, and government documents. Documentation in the form of footnotes, endnotes, or in-text references (with page numbers) must be provided for all facts, ideas, or interpretations which are not considered to be common knowledge. An acceptable rule of thumb for determining whether an item is one of common knowledge would be if the information is readily available in a number of different sources. An example may help. It is common knowledge that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a black civil rights activist who was jailed in Alabama for leading a march against segregation in the early 1960s. No footnote would be required for such a fact. 10
A footnote would, however, be required for a statement such as: Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed disappointment that southern religious leaders urged people to comply with desegregation not because it was morally right but because it was the law. In the latter case, the reader might want to check that Rev. King actually did express those views. A good guideline to follow is to ask yourself where your understanding of the thoughts, beliefs, or ideas of an individual or a group came from. If you don't know, are you sure that your understanding is accurate? If it isn't, then don't use it. If you do know, then state the source. A common misperception is that footnotes only have to be given for direct quotations. This is not correct: footnotes must be provided in all cases where an idea, belief, action, or thought is attributed to an individual or group. A footnote would be required for the following quotation from page 14 of the province's Strategic Economic Plan. "The private sector must be the engine of growth. While it is the role of government to create an economic and social environment that promotes competitiveness, it is the enterprising spirit of the private sector that will stimulate lasting economic growth." A footnote would also be required for the following statement. The Strategic Economic Plan argues that the private sector must be the basis of economic growth in the province. Similarly, a footnote must be provided whenever you "borrow" a particular idea, interpretation, or argument from a known source. Footnote and Documentation Style Guide Canadian political scientists employ a variety of citation styles in their work. Examples of proper organization and citation style may be found in any volume of the Canadian Journal of Political Science (CJPS) (available online and in print in the Queen Elizabeth II Library). The CJPS currently requires authors to submit their work using in-text citations. Students may avail of the CJPS Editorial Style Guidelines or our Political Science Style Guide which outline an acceptable usage of in-text citations for assignments submitted to Department of Political Science classes. 11