INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL STUDIES:
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| Thomas Ilgen Bernard 216 Office Hours MW 4-5PM , F 11-12 Tel. 73774 Email: tilgen@pitzer.edu |
Dana Ward Avery 207 Office Hours: MWF 9:00; TuTh 11:00 Tel: 73177 Email: dward@pitzer.edu |
In this course students will be introduced to the study of politics and its three main sub-divisions, political philosophy, comparative politics, and international relations. We will examine concepts such as human nature, power, community, the state, citizenship, rights, authority, legitimacy, freedom, equality, democracy, ideology and justice. The ways different peoples, classes, cultures and nations organize themselves politically for common purposes and for addressing conflicts will be examined. Lectures and reading material address contemporary political issues ranging from our campus to national and global politics. The course is required of Political Studies concentrators but also serves as an appropriate general course for all other students interested in politics.
The class will meet two times each week for lectures and once each week in discussion section. Regular attendance is expected at the lectures and regular attendance and participation is expected in the discussion section. Students are responsible for all required readings. There will be unannounced quizzes on required materials over the course of the semester. Required texts are available for purchase from Huntley Bookstore. Some required readings will be available in special packets at the reserve room at Honnold Library and in the Marquis Reading Room in Mead Hall. Some required reading and other course material will be made available via the internet.
Grades will be determined on the basis of unannounced quizzes, a scheduled midterm, a final exam, a research paper, weekly discussion papers, and participation.
There will be a scheduled midterm on October 2 covering readings and lectures from the beginning of the course through October 2. The midterm will constitute twenty percent of your final grade.
The final exam will focus primarily on readings and lectures between October 2 and the last class, but will also call upon concepts covered earlier in the semester. The final exam will constitute thirty percent of your final grade.
On November 10, a research paper is due. Students will become "experts" on one of the countries in which Pitzer operates an external studies program (see below) and write a 7-10 page research paper on some aspect of the political culture, institutions, and/or political processes in their chosen country. The paper will constitute twenty percent of your final grade.
You are expected to come to class each session having read the assigned materials and you are expected to keep abreast of political events around the world. There will be several unannounced quizzes covering the readings and political events. In addition, to ensure you are prepared for the discussion sections, most Fridays a one to two page paper covering a topic raised in the readings or lectures will be due at the beginning of the discussion sessions. Late papers will not be accepted. The short papers and quizzes will constitute twenty percent of your final grade.
In order for the class sessions to be productive, you must come prepared to participate. Participation is defined as regular attendance at lectures and discussion sections, and preparation for and active contributions to weekly discussion sections. For those concerned about their participation grade or particularly reticent about oral participation, the following alternative is offered: Does political participation matter? Evaluate the impact of participation on political change by examining the activities of a political party, interest group, or social movement and writing a 3-4 page paper summarizing your findings.
20% for midterm;
30% for the final exam.
20% for research paper;
20% for short discussion papers and quizzes;
10% for participation
W. Phillips Shively, Power and Choice (7th Edition)
Ball and R. Dagger, Ideals and Ideologies (3rd Edition)
Several readings will be photocopied and bound for purchase in Pitzer's photocopy room.
Current events will play an important role in class discussions, papers, and exams so a subscription to The New York Times or regular reading of The New York Times on the internet will be necessary.
The course is divided into three parts: (i) conceptual, (ii) comparative; and (iii) international or global. In weeks 1-5, we explore some of the concepts most important to political studies including power, human nature, community, nationality, the state, citizenship, rights, freedom, equality, ideology and justice. A midterm completes this section.
The second part of the course (weeks 6-11) examines how politics is organized and institutionalized in a number of contemporary nation-states. We compare patterns of political participation, processes of political change, and variations in constitutional and institutional structures employed in countries such as the United States, Botswana, China, Ecuador, Nepal, Venezuela, Great Britain, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Japan, Costa Rica and Italy (all countries in which Pitzer operates external studies programs). Students will be expected to become "experts" on one of these countries and write a 7-10 page research paper on their chosen country.
Weeks 12-15 treat international and global politics. We look first at the foreign policy processes through which countries conduct relations with each other. We also examine the roles of international and non-governmental organizations in managing global problems. We then look at the legacy of war and warfare in international affairs and the growing role that economic issues play in global politics. In the final week of the course, we speculate on the changing shape of politics in the new millennium, and particularly the impact of internet technologies. A comprehensive final examination completes the course.
Week 1. August 30 and September 1: What is Political Studies?
Week 2. September 4, 6, and 8: Power and Politics
Shively, Chapter 1.
Aristotle, "Politics" (Book 1, Book 3, Chs. 1-3) (Course Readings I).
M. Mann, The Sources of Social Power (Chapter 1) (Course Readings I).
H. Arendt, "On Violence," (Course Readings I).
J. S. Mill, "Liberty & Individuality," in Ball & Dagger, no 18.
Discussion Section: Personal Political Identities
Web Resources:
American Political Science Association
University of Michigan Library
CIA World Factbook
Center for the American Woman and Politics
Ron Gunzberger's links
BBC online news
International Political Science Association
International Society of Political Psychology
Political Index
Ward's Political Science Resources
Corporate Crime
Week 3. September 11, 13, and 15: The Rise of the State and the Appeal of Democracy
Shively, Chapters 3, 4 and 8.
E. Webber, "A Wealth of Tongues," pp 67-93 (Course Readings I)
E. Goldman, "Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty
Euripides, "Democracy and Despotism," in Ball & Dagger, no 2.
Pericles, "Funeral Oration," in Ball & Dagger, no 3.
N. Machiavelli, "What's Wrong with Princely Rule?" in Ball & Dagger, no 5.
J. Adams, "What is a Republic? in Ball & Dagger, no 6.
B. Mussolini, "The Doctrine of Fascism," in Ball and Dagger, no. 46
Discussion Section: Are nations a menace to democracy?
Web Resources:
Nigerian Politics
European Union Links
Brookings Institution
American Enterprise Institute
Economic Policy Institute
Heritage Foundation
Political Database of the Americas
National Endowment for Democracy
The Carter Center's Democracy Program
Center for the Study of Democracy
Week 4. September 18, 20, and 22: Political Values
Shively, Chapter 6.
US Declaration of Independence, Ball & Dagger, no 14
US Bill of Rights, Ball & Dagger, no 7
The National Assembly of France, Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, in Ball & Dagger, no 15
Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Women (Course Readings I)
The General Assembly of the UN, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) (Course Readings I)
T. Hobbes, "The State of Nature and the Basis of Obligation," in Ball and Dagger, no. 11.
T.H. Green "Liberalism and Positive Freedom," in Ball and Dagger, no. 20.
T. More, "Utopia," in Ball and Dagger, no. 32.
A. De Tocqueville, "Democracy and Equality," in Ball and Dagger, no. 8.
Discussion Section: What is a "Just" Community?
Week 5. September 25, 27, and 29: Political Beliefs and Ideologies
Shively, Chapters 2 and 9.
T. Carver, "Ideology: The Career of a Concept", in Ball and Dagger, no. 1.
J. Locke, "Toleration and Government," in Ball and Dagger, no. 12.
J. Ortega y Gasset, "The Revolt of the Masses," in Ball and Dagger, no. 27.
M. Frye, "Oppression," in Ball and Dagger, no. 53.
E. Burke, "Society, Reverence, and the True Natural Aristocracy," in Ball & Dagger, no 24.
M. Oakshott, "On Being Conservative," in Ball & Dagger, no 28.
W. Wordsworth, "The Poet as Conservative," in Ball & Dagger, no 26.
Engels, "Socialism: Utopian & Scientific," in Ball & Dagger, no 35.
Discussion Section: What are the Limits of State Action?
Web Resources:
Anarchy Archives
Turn Left
Right Side
American political thought
General resources in political philosophy
Amnesty International
Human Rights Web
October 2: Midterm
Week 6. October 4 and 6: Political Participation
Shively, Chapter 7.
R. Puttman, Bowling Alone, chapters 1, 2, and 3
Discussion Section: Are we Bowling Alone?
Web Resources:
National Election Studies Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior
The Gallup Polls
Week 7. October 9, 11, and 13: Political Change
K. Marx and F. Engels, "The Communist Manifesto" in Ball and Dagger, no. 34
E. Bernstein, "Evolutionary Socialism," in Ball and Dagger, no. 36.
E. Goldman, "Anarchism: What It Really Stands For" in Ball & Dagger, no. 41.
V.I. Lenin, "Revisionism, Imperialism, and Revolution," in Ball and Dagger, no. 37.
M.L. King, "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," in Ball and Dagger, no. 49.
Mao Zedong, "On the Peoples Democratic Dictatorship," in Ball & Dagger, no 39.
R. Ackrman, et. al., "A Force More Powerful," (Course Readings I).
Discussion Section: Research Paper Brainstorming Session
Fall Break: October 14-17
Week 8. October 18 and 20: Constitutions and Institutions I
Shively, Chapters 10, 14, and 15.
Aristotle, "Democratic Judgment and the 'Middling' Constitution," Ball and Dagger, No. 4.
The US Constitution (Course Readings I)
B.A. Rockman, "The American Presidency in Comparative Perspective: Systems, Situations, and Leaders" (Course Readings I).
Web Resources:
Parliaments of the World
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
Roll Call
British Parliament
Canadian Government
White House
Week 9. October 23, 25, and 27: Constitutions and Institutions II
Shively, Chapters 16 and 17.
B.A. Loomis, "Congressional Decentralization in Design and Evolution" (Course Readings I).
Discussion Section: What can the US learn from other nations' methods of making and enforcing laws?
Week 10. October 30, November 1 and 3: Citizens, Groups, and the State
Shively, Chapter 13.
G.W. Domhoff, The Power Elite and the State, chapters 1 and 2 (Course Readings I).
Discussion Section: Who Rules in "X"?
Week 11. November 6, 8: Elections
Shively, Chapter 11 and 12.
L.S. Maisel, "The Development of the American Parties," (Course Readings I)
W. Flanigan and N. Zingale, Political Behavior of the American Electorate, chapters 4 and 5 (Course Readings I)
November 10: Papers due (No discussion section)
Web Resources:
Project Vote Smart
Lijphart Elections Archive
Tucker's Election Resources
Week 12. November 13, 15, and 17: International and Global Politics
Shively, Chapter 18.
C.W. Kegley and E.R. Wittkopf, American Foreign Policy, chapter 13 (Course Readings I).
P. Brenner and P. Kornbluh, "Clinton's Cuba Calculus" (Course Readings II).
J. Elliston, "The Myth of the Miami Monolith" (Course Readings II).
P. Brenner, "Washington Loosens the Knot (Just a Little)" (Course Readings II).
Discussion Section: Is U.S. Policy toward Cuba misguided?
Week 13. November 20 and 22: War and Peace
P. Kennedy, "The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers," chapters 1, 6, and 7 (Course Readings II).
S. Huntington, et. al., "The Clash of Civilizations," (Course Readings II).
B. Barber, "Jihad Vs. McWorld", Ball and Dagger No. 63.
F. Fukuyama, "The End of History?" Ball and Dagger No. 62.
R. Art, "The Four Functions of Force" (Course Readings II).
Thanksgiving Break: November 23-26
Week 14. November 27, 29 and December 1: International Political Economy
T. Friedman, "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" (Course Readings II).
R. Gilpin, "The Nature of Political Economy" (Course Readings II).
R. Nader and L. Wallach, "GATT, NAFTA and the Subversion of the Democratic Process" (Course Readings II).
Discussion Section: WTO: Hero or Villain?
Week 15. December 4, 6, and 8: Politics in the New Millennium
R. Rosecrance, "The Rise of the Virtual State," (Course Readings II).
A. Giddons, "Runaway World" (Course Readings II).
Discussion Section: Review session for Final Exam
Final Exam: Monday, December 11, 8 AM