Messages may be left with the department secretary (McCreary 113, 5931) or on my machine at the office or at home. I do not mind being called at home, but please limit such calls to reasonable hours. I check e-mail daily.

Course Objectives and Procedures: The objective of this course is to allow the student to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the foundations of political science, including comparative political institutions, international political relations, policymaking and political theories andprinciples.

Text: Thomas M. Magstadt and Peter M. Schotten, Understanding Politics: Ideas, Institutions and Issues (St. Martin's Press, 1999, 5th Edition).  Supplemental readings to be provided by instructor.

Course Requirements:
1. Regular attendance and participation
2. Participation in group exercises (60 points, total)
3. Two in-class examinations (100 points each)
4. One paper of approximately five pages in length(100 points).
5. One final examination(100 points)
6. Friday concept summaries(5 points each, 50 points total): Each Friday that we meet, students will submit written overviews of the essential concepts. covered over the last week. You must complete 10 exercises, which will allow you to skip four. These exercises are designed to enhance yourunderstanding of the material involved and to prepare materials that will help you in reviewing for examinations. Competant completion of the exercise and timely submission will earn full point value.

Fair Warning: Effective communication requires clear, well-structured writing. Clarity (a term that embraces spelling and grammar) and organization will be considered in evaluating written work. In addition, students are expected to complete assigned reading prior to class, to attend class regularly and to arrive prepared to discuss the material.

Policies, Procedures, Admonitions and Advice:

1. Attendance Policy: The course is designed as a conference and the success of that format depends upon the presence of well-prepared conferees.  Students who neglect to attend class demonstrate contempt for their classmates, the instructor and themselves.  This will not be tolerated.  More than eight unexcused absences (approximately 25%) will result in automatic failure of the course.  Because I regard failure to fulfill responsibilities to one’s group as a particularly egregious dereliction of duty, each unexcused absence on a day when your group is “on” will count as two absences.  For the purposes of this course, “excused absences” include verifiable medical or family emergencies, university approved activities (accompanied by a university excuse), documentable illness (yours or your child’s) and other unforeseen circumstances that the instructor deems to be reasonable excuses for an absence.

2. Preparation: Students who have not read the assigned texts are not welcome in class.

3. Make-up Examinations: Students who have an excused absence on the day of an in-class examination will be permitted to take a make-up exam, to be scheduled by agreement of the student and instructor.  The make-up exam will differ from the exam given to the class at the scheduled examination time.  Take-home make-up examinations will be held to a higher standard of quality.

4. Late Papers: A five-point per day penalty will be imposed on late papers.  The take-home final may not be submitted after the deadline, except in emergencies (as defined by the instructor).  If it is necessary for a student to submit a final exam after the deadline, the student may receive an Incomplete so that the submission of other students’ grades will not be delayed.

5. Plagiarism: Academic dishonesty will result in automatic failure of the course.  Should you have doubts as to what constitutes plagiarism, please consult the instructor.

6. Use of Books and Notes during Examinations: All examinations are open-book, open-note.  “Cliff Notes” or anything in the same genre shall darken neither your door nor that of the classroom. Ever.
 

August 20: Introduction, review of syllabus and course requirements
Aug. 22: Introduction, pp. 1-13
Aug. 24: Introduction, pp. 13-26. Concept Summary Due.
Aug. 27: Utopias, pp. 27-46.
Aug. 29: Totalitarianism, pp. 47-73
Aug 31: Totalitarianism, pp. 73-82. Concept Summary Due.
Sept. 3: Holiday
Sept. 5: Authoritarianism, pp. 83-91.
Sept. 7: Authoritarianism, pp. 91-102. Concept Summary Due.
Sept.10:: Constitutional democracy, pp. 103-115.
Sept. 12: Contemporary political systems: the U.S. and Britain, pp. 116-128
Sept. 14 Comparatively Evaluating Political Systems: pp. 129-142. Concept Summary Due.
Sept. 17: Other Democratic Systems: France and Germany, pp. 143-161.
Sept. 19: Group Work: Designing the Perfect System.
Sept. 21: Political Socialization and Citizenship Duties, pp. 244-266. Concept Summary Due.
Sept. 24: Review Session.
Sept. 26: First In-Class Examination
Sept. 28: Political Participation, pp. 267-286. Concept Summary Due.  Base it on today’s reading only.
Oct. 1: Parties and Interest Groups: pp. 298-320
Oct. 3: Leadership, pp. 321-339.
Oct. 5: Group Work: How Should We Elect Our Leaders? Concept Summary Due.
Oct. 8: Holiday
Oct. 10: Contemporary Non-Democratic Systems: Communist China, pp. 194-203
Oct.12: The Former USSR: pp. 175-193.  Concept Summary Due. Drop deadline
Oct.15: The Former Yugoslavia, pp. 205-214.
Oct. 17:Colonialism and post-colonial development issues: pp. 214-243.
Oct. 19: Reading Day -- study for exam. Concept summary may be handed in today or Monday.
Oct. 22: Review Session
Oct. 24: Second in-class examination
Oct. 26: Revolution: Justifying Rebellion, pp. 407-431. Concept Summary Due. Base it on today’s reading only.
Oct. 29: Terrorism and Countering Terrorism: pp.432-455.
Oct. 31: War: Attitudes and Theories: pp. 456-475.
Nov. 2: Justifying War: pp. 476-487. Concept Summary Due.
Nov. 5: Group Work: Evaluating Recent Conflicts in terms of Just War Theory
Nov. 7: International Relations: The Cold War and Its End: pp. 488-511.
Nov.9 : Paper Work Day, Concept Summaries due may be handed in today or Monday.
Nov. 12: The Shift to the "New World Order": pp. 512-532. Paper Due.
Nov. 14:The United Nations: pp. 533-551
Nov. 16: International Law: p. 552-556. Concept Summary Due.
Nov. 19: Human Rights, no new reading.  Paper Due.
Nov. 21-25: Thanksgiving Holiday
Nov. 26:Approaches to the Public Good: pp. 351-362.
Nov. 28: Approaches to the Public Good: The American Context, pp. 362-372.
Nov. 30: Policy Issues: pp. 375-406. Concept Summary Due.
Dec. 3: Policy Issues, continued.
Dec. 5: Review Session.
Dec. 7: Review Session, continued.