INTRODUCTION TO
POLITICS
Bluefield State
College
POSC 290—FALL 2012
CRN: 10669
Colin S. Cavell, Ph.D. Course Room No.: B104
Class TTH: 12:30-13:45 (i.e.
12:30-1:45 p.m.) INTERNET:
ccavell@bluefieldstate.edu
Office Hours: By appointment Office No.:
B120
VOICE: 304.327.4034 (W) 512-924-2364 (M)
In his famous funeral oration eulogizing and edifying Athens’s casualties
from the first year of war with Sparta, the fifth-century statesman Pericles
focused on what made Athens great. Trust, duty, courage, action, and
involvement are the primary virtues Pericles puts forward to explain the
greatness of Athens. Service to the
city, and thus praise of the city, frames Pericles’ speech. Such service comes
not from the feeling of compulsion but through generosity, freedom, and
courage. Some may refer to this
sentiment as selfless devotion, but it is really a redefining of oneself as
part and parcel of the whole—an integration of oneself with the society in
which they live. This is the key aspect
of what Pericles is praising. When one
has the interests of society in general as their focus or the good of the whole
as their goal and their first priority, then one can truly address the fundamentals of government and the political processes
at the local, state, national, and international levels and seek how best to
serve their fellow citizens as well as themselves. As human beings, we need order in our lives,
but, as well, we need freedom. How do we
reconcile these apparently contradictory values in our lives such that we may
enjoy the benefits of both?
Grading
Policy: 20% for Attendance*; 20% for the Class
Presentation; 20% for the Midterm Exam; 20% for the Research Paper; and 20% for
the Final Exam. A Guidelines sheet will be distributed outlining the
requirements for your Class Presentation and for your Research Paper.
Grading
Scale: 90-100=A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D; 0-59=F. These numerical scores correspond to the
following evaluations: “A” = Excellent;
“B” = Good; “C” = Satisfactory (NOTE: A
grade of “C” or better is required in major courses); “D” = Poor (passing,
except in major courses); “F” = Earned Failure (removed only by repeating the
course; upon successfully passing the
course, the first grade is “excluded” from grade point average. The second grade is “included” in the
recalculation of the grade point average); and “I” = Incomplete.
Learning
Outcomes: Upon completion of POSC 290, students should
be able to read and provide an immanent critique of texts; to articulate
arguments and examine their flaws; be familiar with the basics of logical,
ethical, and dialectical reasoning; be familiar with arguments, both pro and
con, regarding the nature of politics, democracy, and the state, the field of
political science and relationship to other social sciences, questions of
freedom and justice, traditional ideologies, constitutions, law, the judicial,
executive, and legislative branches of government, bureaucracy and public policy,
voting, elections, and political parties, civil society, interest groups, and
the media, political culture, global politics, questions of security and
insecurity, diplomacy and foreign policy, international organizations, and
global political economy.
Academic
Integrity Policy: Academic
integrity is expected of all students. This means that all work for this class
must be undertaken and completed by you alone without collaboration from
others. Any dishonesty in the performance of course work, such as plagiarism or
cheating in other forms, will be reported. In the event the student is charged
with some form of dishonesty, the Student Discipline Policy will be followed.
The full text of the BSC Academic Honesty Policy can be found at: http://www.bluefieldstate.edu/academics/academic-honesty-and-proctoring.
In addition, students should be aware that research paper assignments may be
submitted to Turnitin by the instructor for the purpose of checking for
possible plagiarism. Submitted assignments will be included in the BSC
dedicated database of assignments at Turnitin and will be used solely for the purpose
of checking for possible plagiarism during the grading process during this term
and in the future.
Attendance
Policy*: Attendance in class is mandatory. It is the student’s responsibility to sign
the attendance sheet each day of class; failure to sign the attendance
sheet—even if in attendance—will be counted as an absence. “When the number of clock hours of willful
absences exceeds the number of semester
hours of credit, the instructor will notify the Registrar that the student has
exceeded the permissible number of absences and should be withdrawn from class”
(Bluefield State College Academic Catalog
2010-2012). As well, you are expected to follow the
syllabus and accordingly be prepared for each day’s class. This means that you must read the
pre-assigned readings before class so that you will be prepared to discuss and
debate in class the subject matter scheduled for that day and answer questions
related to the issues being covered. NOTE: TURN OFF all cell phones during class.
* Absence from class may be made up by preparing a two-page, typed (i.e. using maximum 12 point font size and maximum
double-spaced text with one-inch margin on all sides), summary on the missed material scheduled to be covered the
day(s) of your absence. The summary must
be in your own words and must not be copied material from the text(s),
the internet, or any other source(s). All
summaries must be turned in to me by the last day of classes if you want
credit for your absences.
Withdrawal
Policy: Academic
Withdrawal from the course prior to the deadline date for withdrawal as
published within the academic calendar is accomplished by securing a change in
schedule form and having it signed by appropriate persons. Blank copies of the change in schedule form
are available in the offices of the Registrar, the Vice President for Academic
Affairs, the Dean and the advisor. After
obtaining the required signatures, the student must submit, prior to the
deadline date, the change in schedule form to the Office of the Registrar.
Disability
Services Statement: BSC is committed to full inclusion of all
students. Students who, by nature of a documented disability, require
classroom, equipment, testing or assignment accommodations should contact the
Student Support Services at 304.327.4227 to request accommodations before the
start of the semester. Your immediate attention to these arrangements is
necessary to assure a positive learning experience.
Free Tutoring Services Available: BSC offers free
online tutoring for all BSC students in the following subjects: Math; Accounting, Managerial; Accounting,
Financial; Writing (all subjects); Grammar; Microeconomics; Macroeconomics;
Statistics; Spanish. Chemistry, etc. This service is free and available 24
hours a day to all BSC students. Go to http://www.smarthinking.com/ and
follow these instructions.
Required Texts:
Garner,
Robert, Peter Ferdinand and Stephanie Lawson. February 15, 2009. Introduction
to Politics [Paperback]. Oxford, UK:
Oxford University Press, [ISBN-10: 0199231338
ISBN-13: 978-0199231331], 608 pages.
PART I: CONCEPTS AND IDEOLOGIES
Aug. 21: Introduction to Politics and Choice
Why should I be interested in
politics?
Aug. 23: The Polis
Readings: Pericles’ Funeral
Oration from The History of the Peloponnesian War (431 BCE) by Thucydides
Aug. 28: The Nature of Politics
Readings: Pericles’
Funeral Oration from The History of the Peloponnesian War (431 BCE) by Thucydides
Aug. 30: Structures of
Government
Readings: Pericles’
Funeral Oration from The History of the Peloponnesian War (431 BCE) by Thucydides
Sept. 4:
Introduction to Political Science:
The Development of Political Science
Readings: SparkNotes
Introduction to Political Science
Sept. 6: Introduction
to Political Science: Fields of Study in
Political Science
Readings: SparkNotes
Introduction to Political Science
Sept. 11: Introduction
to Political Science: Relationship to
Other Social Sciences & Various Professions for Majors in Political Science
Readings: SparkNotes
Introduction to Political Science
Sept. 13: Politics
and the State
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 1
Sept. 18: Political
Power and Authority
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 2
Sept. 20: Democracy
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 3
Sept. 25: Freedom and
Justice
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 4
Sept. 27: Traditional
Ideologies
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 5
Oct. 2: Challenges to the Dominant Ideologies
Readings: Garner, Ferdinand,
and Lawson, Ch. 6
Oct. 4: MIDTERM EXAM
Oct. 8: Mid-Semester
grades due to Registrar
PART 2: COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Oct. 9: Institutions and States
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 7
Oct. 11: Constitutions, Law, and Judiciaries
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 8
Oct. 12: Faculty
Workshop (No Classes)
Oct. 16: Executives and
Legislators
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 9
Oct. 18: Bureaucracies,
Policy Studies, and Governance
Readings: Garner, Ferdinand,
and Lawson, Ch. 10
Oct. 22-Nov. 2:
Pre-Registration for Spring Semester for Currently Enrolled Students
Oct. 23: Votes, Elections, Parties
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 11
Oct. 25: Civil Society, Interest Groups, and the Media
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 12
Oct. 30: Political
Culture
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 13
PART
3: GLOBAL POLITICS
Nov. 1: International
Global Politics
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 14
Nov. 6: Traditional
Theories in Global Politics
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 15
Nov. 8: Critical
Approaches to Global Politics
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 16
Nov. 9: Last Day to
Withdraw with “W” for Full Semester Classes
Nov. 13: Security and
Insecurity
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 17
Nov. 15: Diplomacy and
Foreign Policy
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 18
Nov. 19-23: Thanksgiving
Day Holidays – College closed
Nov. 27: International Organizations
in Global Politics
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 19
Nov. 29: Research
Papers Due (Research Papers must be submitted today)
Assignment: Research Papers Due today. Hand in a hard copy of your Research Papers
to me in class and send me an electronic copy by email as a Microsoft Word
attachment.
Dec. 4: Global
Political Economy
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 20
Dec. 6: Conclusion
Readings: Garner,
Ferdinand, and Lawson, Ch. 21
Dec. 7: Last day of
classes. In-Class Presentations and Research Papers MUST be completed by this
date. No submissions will be accepted after this date.
Assignment:
Complete all readings.
Dec. 11: FINAL EXAM
Dec. 17: Final grades
due to Registrar electronically