PS4610: European Political Systems University of Missouri-Columbia Dr. Robin E. Best Fall 2010 Email: bestre@missouri.edu MWF, 2:00-2:50 Office: 220 Professional Building Pickard 106 Office Hours: Mondays 3:30-5:30 and by appointment. Course Description This class will introduce students to the politics of Western European democracies. The fundamental goal of this course is to examine how political institutions, parties, and governments influence democratic representation and political outcomes in Western Europe. Consequently, we will not only examine how political systems differ across countries, but also why they differ. The major topics we will consider include political institutions, political parties and party systems, elections and electoral systems, voting behavior, and government formation. At the end of the semester we will discuss current political issues in Western European democracies, focusing on immigration and religion. This course is arranged thematically, which means we will spend most class sessions discussing theories, ideas, and concepts rather than specific countries. The assignments for the course will ask students to apply the theories and concepts discussed in class to specific Western European countries. Course Requirements Students are expected to come to each and every class having thoroughly read the material for the week. Readings listed in the course schedule should be completed prior to the first lecture of the week (usually before class on Monday). Although most of the class time will be devoted to lectures, students should be prepared to engage in productive discussions of the assigned readings. Grades for the course consist of a midterm exam (20%), a final exam (20%), a group presentation (25%), five country-expert assignments (5% each, 25% total) and a report on the group country presentations (10%). Exams: The exams will test students knowledge of the readings and lectures and will be short answer/essay format. The midterm exam is scheduled for Monday, October 4th. The final exam will not be cumulative and will be held during finals week at the time slot allocated by the University: Monday, December 13, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Country Expert Reports: This course is structured thematically. Rather than reviewing the political workings of each country, we will explore general theories about politics in Western European democracies. The purpose of the country expert reports is for students to gain a more detailed knowledge of politics in one Western European country. On Monday, August 30 th all students will choose/be assigned a country on which they are to become an expert. Assignments and due dates for country expert reports are listed in the course schedule. Students are expected to answer the questions in the assignment in reference to their specific country. Country expert assignments should be between 2-3 pages, stapled, double-spaced with standard margins, and use a proper method of citation. Students should always be prepared to discuss the findings of their country expert reports in class. Country Expert Reports are due in class on the day they are listed in the course schedule. Late country expert reports will not be accepted for any reason other than an emergency situation. **When choosing a country students should keep in mind the date of the group presentation for that country. If you know you cannot attend class on the date of a particular presentation, then you should not choose that country. Group Presentation: Toward the end of the semester students will give group presentations on their country. Presentations should apply the ideas contained in the course readings and lectures to the country in question, drawing attention to how well actual politics in the country conforms to our theories. Students presenting on their country are also expected to engage the rest of the class by raising questions for discussion and presenting current events. Any available method and media may be used for the presentations (e.g. powerpoint, handouts, music, interpretive dance, etc.). Students are also responsible for handing in a hard copy of the presentation that provides the main information included in the presentation. More information about the presentations will be given during the first couple weeks of class. In addition to being graded on the quality of the presentation, student contributions will be evaluated by other members of the group. Students must be present on the day their group is scheduled to present, otherwise they will receive a failing grade on the presentation. *The final exam may include information from the group presentations. Report on Group Presentations: After all groups have given presentations on their countries, students must write a short report that completes the following requirements. 1) The report must explicitly reference information given in at least seven of the country presentations. This is to demonstrate the student s attendance at these presentations. To fulfill this requirement, students may simply provide a list of bullet points one for each presentation that provide brief (approximately three sentence) descriptions of the main information presented in reference to each
country. I would recommend that you write these descriptions immediately after attending each presentation. 2) The report must contain an overall assessment of how the student s own country compares to the others and what the student has learned about their own country from the presentations on other Western European democracies (e.g. Is it an exception to a rule? Is it more similar to some countries rather than others? How? Why? Explain). This section of the report should be between 750-1250 words (3-5 double-spaced pages) and consist only of the student s own analytical thoughts on the subject. The reports on group presentations are due in my office before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 10 th. Emailed reports will not be accepted. Reports that reach me after the deadline but before Monday, December 13 th at 9:00 a.m. will be downgraded one full letter grade. Reports turned in after this time will be downgraded an additional full letter grade for every additional 24-hour period they are late. The grading scale for the course is as follows. A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D-(60-62), F(0-59). Other Issues Late papers and missed assignments. These should not occur, since students have enough information in advance to plan their schedules accordingly. Policies regarding late (or missed) papers are discussed above in reference to the particular assignment. There will not be any make-up exams, and students must be in attendance for their group country presentation. Exceptions to these rules will only be made in the case of (documentable) emergency situations. Attendance is technically not required for the course, although missing a class may result in missing an assignment that will result in a grade deduction. Furthermore, students who attend class on a regular basis will almost surely perform better in the course than those who do not. Academic Dishonesty. Academic integrity is fundamental to the activities and principles of a university. All members of the academic community must be confident that each person s work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community regards such breaches of the academic integrity rules as extremely serious matters. Sanctions for such a breach may include academic sanctions from the instructor, including failing the course for any violation, to disciplinary sanctions ranging from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, collaboration, or any other form of cheating, consult the course instructor. Special Accommodations. If you need accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information that I should be aware of, or if you need special
arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform me immediately. Please see me privately after class or in my office. To request academic accommodations (e.g. a note-taker or extra time on exams), students must register with the Office of Disability Services, (http://disabilityservices.missouri.edu), S5 Memorial Union, 882-4696. It is the campus office responsible for reviewing documentation provided by students requesting academic accommodations, and for accommodations planning in cooperation with students and instructors, as needed and consistent with course requirements. For other MU resources for students with disabilities, click on Disability Resources on the MU homepage. *I reserve the right to make changes to this syllabus, but will only do so with proper notification and attention to fairness. Readings There are three required books for the class available at the MU Bookstore. Required Books: Gallagher, Michael, Michael Laver, and Peter Mair. 2006. Representative Government in Modern Europe: 4 th Edition. New York: McGraw Hill. Van der Eijk, Cees, and Mark N. Franklin. 2009. Elections and Voters. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. Buruma, Ian. 2006. Murder in Amsterdam. New York: Penguin Press.
Schedule Week 1 August 23, 25, 27 Introduction Readings Gallagher, Laver, and Mair: Chapter 1 Van der Eijk and Franklin: Chapter 1 Week 2 Executives and Parliaments August 30, September 1, 3 Readings Gallagher, Laver, and Mair: Chapters 2 and 3 Week 3 Constitutions and the Judiciary September 8, 10 *No class September 6th* Readings Gallagher, Laver, and Mair: Chapter 4 Van der Eijk and Franklin: Chapter 2 Country-Expert Report #1 Due Friday, September 10 th Assignment: Describe the executive and legislature in your country. Be sure your description includes: (1) the policy-making powers of the executive and legislature, (2) the relationship between the executive and the legislature, and (3) a description of whether the legislature is bicameral or unicameral and, if bicameral, a description of the policy-making powers of each legislative house. Week 4 September 13, 15, 17 Electoral Institutions Readings Gallagher, Laver, and Mair: Chapter 11 Van der Eijk and Franklin: Chapter 3 Country-Expert Report #2 Due Friday, September 17 th Assignment: Describe the constitution and the powers of the judiciary in your country. Be sure your description includes (1) a description of how the constitution can be amended or modified and (2) the constitutional powers of the judiciary branch (or lack thereof). If the judiciary branch has the power to judge the constitutionality of laws (referred to in the U.S. as judicial review), include in your report a description of who may challenge the constitutionality of a law. Week 5 September 20, 22, 24 Political Parties I Readings Gallagher, Laver, and Mair: Chapters 7 and 8
Country Expert Report #3 due Friday, September 24 th Assignment: Describe the electoral system your country uses to elect members of the lower house. If relevant, also describe the electoral system used to elect members of the upper house and/or the president. Find and report the most recent national (lower house) election results for your country. List the percentage of votes and seats won by each party in the election. Does the electoral system appear to translate votes into seats proportionately? Week 6 Political Parties II September 27, 29, October 1 Readings Gallagher, Laver, and Mair: Chapters 9 and 10 Week 7 Elections October 4, 6, 8 **Midterm Exam Monday October 4 th ** Readings Van der Eijk and Franklin: Chapters 4 and 5 Week 8 October 11, 13, 15 Voters Readings Van der Eijk and Franklin: Chapters 6 and 7 Country-Expert Report #4 due Friday, October 15 th Assignment: Describe the major political parties in your country. Be sure to include a definition of how you have classified parties as major. Do these parties have their roots in traditional social cleavages? What role does the electoral system play in determining the size of the party system? Have new or recent political parties emerged that upset the old balance of power among parties? What parties are currently in government? Discuss. Week 9 October 18, 20, 22 Government Formation Readings Gallagher, Laver, and Mair: Chapter 12 *Begin reading Buruma Murder in Amsterdam Country-Expert Report #5 due Friday, October 22 nd Assignment: In the last national election, what were the major determinants of voting behavior in your country? What was the turnout rate? How have voting behavior and turnout changed over time? Discuss. Week 10 October 25, 27, 29 Interest Groups and Welfare States Readings Gallagher, Laver, and Mair: Chapter 14
Week 11 Democracy in Contemporary Europe November 1, 3 Readings Gallagher, Laver, and Mair: Chapter 13 Van der Eijk and Franklin: chapter 8 *Finish reading Buruma Murder in Amsterdam November 5: Netherlands Week 12 Country Presentations November 8: Sweden November 10: Belgium November 12: Ireland Week 13: Country Presentations November 15: Denmark November 17: Italy November 19: Norway Week 14 **Thanksgiving Break - no class** November 22, 24, 26 Week 15 Country Presentations November 29: Switzerland December 1: United Kingdom December 3: Finland Week 16 Country Presentations December 6: Germany December 8 : France **Report on Country Presentations Due Friday, December 10 th before 5:00 p.m. **Final Exam: Monday, December 13, 1:00-3:00 p.m.