The course will have three goals:  first, to introduce several classics of political theory that underlie many of the concepts and questions in the field; second, to familiarize the student with some of the ways political inquiry has been modeled and conducted; and third, to explore some of the specific ways politics differs from location to location (country to country).

The course will begin with an exploration of the concept of power and its importance as a basis for the study of human society.  We will then look more specifically at the organization of power in the context of the state.  In so doing, we will look at the differences between rich and poor societies and the ways different nation-states structure government differently.  During this, the longest section of the course, we will utilize tools of analysis made available via the textbook's computer analysis component to examine and compare political and social data from different countries.  We will finish the semester with a brief introduction to the study of international relations – or the study of power and politics as they exist in the relationships between countries.  Throughout the semester, we will alternate in our discussion of politics, between a perspective that focuses on the individual in attempting to understand power and politics, and one that focuses on social or political structure
 

The reading assignments are an important component of the course.  Every effort has been made to keep the weekly assignments to a manageable level, and to spread the readings out throughout the semester.  Periodic assessment of progress in the course, as well as the midterm and final exams, will assume knowledge gained from the assigned readings and exercises.  There is one text required for the course; it can be obtained in the Campus Store, or on-line.  Additional selected readings will be made available on-line (via this web-page), or handed out in class.  On-line readings are marked "www" on the syllabus; additional readings will be handed out in weeks for which there is no assigned reading.  Finally, all students will be expected to obtain and read the New York Times on a daily basis.  The Times is available for student subscription in the QuickStop, or on-line.  The assigned text is:

• Le Roy, Michael K. (1999).  Comparative Politics: An Introduction Using ExplorIt, MicroCase Corporation, Bellevue, WA.

This workload is intended to be moderate in nature, but steady.  Students are encouraged to stay on top of the work for the course -- getting behind could dramatically increase the pressures of work due.  On the other hand, a few hours of work scheduled outside of class each week should be enough to maximize the learning experience and keep the workload manageable.

All written work should be turned in on time.  Work that is submitted late will lose 1/3 of a grade for every day it is late (a B will become a B-, a B- will become a C+, etc.).

Students are reminded to observe general standards of academic honesty and integrity.  Briefly stated, all work submitted under a student's name should be solely and entirely his/her own.  Students are encouraged to discuss the class, readings and exercises amongst themselves -- you may also discuss the ideas recounted in your think pieces.  However, all work submitted for a grade should be the work solely of the individual under whose name it is written. Outside sources used, referenced or cited in written work submitted for a grade should be acknowledged in that work -- it is acceptable, even encouraged, for you to use others' ideas; however, you must accurately cite the sources of those ideas.  No credit will be given for work that is found to violate these principles.

There are several types of assignment for the course.

• Each student will be expected to read the New York Times regularly.  Familiarity with the week’s current (and ongoing) news will form the basis of discussion sessions to be held every week.  Other newspaper web sites (national and international) are available in the Internet Resources page of the Political Science server.
• Each student will be expected to turn in three “think pieces” during the course of the semester.  These “think pieces” should be 1-2 pages in length, and will be your reflections on an item in the news that pertains in some way to the material being covered in the course.  These pieces could be constructed as pure reflections, or as a critique of a specific article.  These pieces will be due on Fridays, at the beginning of class, so that they can be used to facilitate discussion.  The due-dates for the three pieces are: February 4th, March 24th, and April 7th.  Each think-piece will be worth 5% of the grade for the course (total 15%). Guidance Sheet on Think Pieces
• During weeks 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13 (check the syllabus for specific dates), class discussion will be oriented around the exercises outlined in the textbook chapter(s) assigned for those weeks.  Each student will be expected to arrive in class on Friday of that week having completed the assigned exercise.  In weeks where there is more than one chapter assigned, each student may select the exercise from the chapter that interests her/him most.  These exercises should be completed on the forms provided in the text (forms may be photocopied, should you want to leave the text clean).  Work that relies on data analysis should be performed on the computer, with the results printed out and turned in with the rest of the exercise.  Each of these assignments will be worth 3% of the course grade (total 15%).
• During the semester, each student will choose a country of interest.  Mid-way through the semester (March 3rd), there will be an exercise in the Library during which you will research and report on certain aspects of your chosen country.  You will be expected to add to the results obtained in this class through more in-depth analysis using the text’s data set and additional research in the library.  The final aspect of this assignment will be the submission of a 4-6 page paper detailing the major lessons learned about your country.  More guidance on this paper will be given as the semester progresses.  This paper will be due one week before the completion of the term.  It will be worth 20% of the course grade.  Check out some links on the Political Science Internet Resources page for sources to research your country studies. Click here for the Library exercise information sheet.
• Finally, there will be a 4-6 page paper, due February 11th, in which you should reflect on some of the political concepts studied during the first section of the course.  Again, more complete information will be given about this paper in the first weeks of the semester.  This paper will be worth 10% of the course grade.
• There will be an in-class midterm exam and an in-class final exam.  These exams will be oriented toward recounting the major concepts and issues raised in the course, and will most likely consist of short-answer and identification questions.  The mid-term and final exam will each be worth 15% of the course grade.
• The final 10% of the course grade will be awarded based on class participation.  Regular attendance, plus a good effort to remain involved in class discussion will both be taken into account in assessing class participation grades.

• “Think Pieces” – 5% (15% total)
• Text exercises – 3% (15% total)
• In-class participation -- 10%
• Midterm Exam -- 15%
• First Paper -- 10%
• Final Exam -- 15%
• Country Study -- 20% (Library exercise and final paper)

 Reading:  None assigned.
 (Feb 4th: Introduction to the World Wide Web and Computer Text exercises)

Week 2: Power and the State of Nature (Hobbes, Machiavelli) (Jan 31 Feb 2, 4)

Reading: Hobbes, Thomas: Leviathan, Chs. XIII, XVII.  (www)
Machiavelli, Niccolo: The Prince, Chs. XVII, and XIX.  (www)
(Feb 4th: First ‘think piece’ due)

Reading: Jefferson, Thomas: The U.S. Declaration of Independence  (www)
Text, “Getting Started,” pp. xi – xix.
(Feb 11th: Introduction to ExplorIt, Paper due)

 Reading: Text, Ch. 1, pp. 5-23.

Week 5: Rich States, Poor States, and Social Development  (Feb 21, 23, 25)

Reading: Text, Chs. 2 & 3, pp. 25-55.
(Feb 25th: Exercise from either chapter 2 or 3 due)

Week 6: Civic Culture & Ideology; Market v. State-based Economy    (Feb 28, Mar 1, 3)

Reading: Text, Chs. 5 & 6, pp. 73-106.
(March 3rd: Exercise from either chapter 5 or 6 due; Meet in Library)

Week 7: Political & Governmental Structure    (March 6, 8, 10)

Reading: The Constitution of the United States (www)
(March 6th: Midterm Exam; March 10th: Library exercise due)

Week 8: Individual Rights & the ‘Problem of Faction’  (March 20, 22, 24)

Reading: The Federalist Papers: No. 10.  (www)
(March 24th: Second ‘think piece’ due)

Week 9: Democratic & Authoritarian States    (March 27, 29, 31)

Reading: To be assigned

Week 10: Presidential v. Parliamentary Democracies   (April 3, 5, 7)

Reading: To be assigned
(April 7th: Third ‘think piece’ due)

Week 11: Political Parties & Electoral Systems    (April 10, 12, 14)

Reading: Text, Ch. 8, pp.127-148.
(April 14th: Exercise from chapter 8 due)

Week 12: Democratization, Africa & Asia    (April 17, 19)

 Reading: Text, Chs. 9, 10, pp. 151-203.
(April 19th: Exercise from either chapter 9 or 10 due)

Section III: International Relations

Week 13: Realism, Idealism & Democracy after the Cold War  (April 24, 26)

Reading: Text, Ch. 7, pp. 107-123.
(April 26th: Exercise from chapter 7 due; Country study due)

Week 14: Wind Down & Review     (May 1, 3, 5)

Reading: None assigned.