Instructor:   Dr. Scott McLean
Office: Pine Grove 2, Room 308
Office phone 582- 8686 – E-mail: scott.mclean@quinnipiac.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays 3:30-4:30; Wednesdays, 10-12.  Other times by appointment or just drop in if the door is open!

OVERVIEW:
Senior Seminar is designed to be the "capstone" of your political science experience at Quinnipiac University.  It combines discussion on a major issue in political science with development of an independent research project.   Each student will be required to attend class meetings, lead a class discussion, write two short preparatory papers related to his/her Thesis topic, and submit brief reflection papers on each week's readings. The seminar culminates with the completion of a Senior Thesis which integrates the course readings with a related independent research project.

In Fall 2001 the topic of the seminar is the debate on civil society.    Civil society can be defined as the web of  public values, traditions and community associations which stand between private life and government. Civil society affects politics at many levels, from the neighborhood group to international organizations.  The civil society debate is ideal for this course because it allows our group to explore the changing shape of politics in local, national and international contexts.  Traditionally, political theorists such as Tocqueville have held that democratic forms of government depend upon a strong civil society where people cooperate and organize themselves independently and learn the skills of participating in politics.  However, in the past five years, political scientists have become more concerned that civil society is dissolving.  Robert Putnam's pathbreaking research has found that individuals are increasingly becoming disengaged from participating in civil society, isolated and disconnected from social networks. Others such as Benjamin Barber and Richard Falk have observed that globalization is eroding communities and democratic processes.  On othe other hand, some have argued that civil society is not disintegrating but merely changing.  Communities are being re-formed and new political processes are being devised to meet the needs of an interconnected global economic community.

COURSE TEXTS:
-- Harvey, Writing With Sources
-- Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (Hackett edition)
-- Benjamin R. Barber, A Place for Us:   How to Make Society Civil and Democracy Strong
-- Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone:  The Decline and Revival of American Community
-- Richard Falk, Predatory Globalization: A Critique

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

10 %    Attendance and Participation
20 %    10 Reflection Papers
 5  %    Discussion Leading
15 %    Literature Review  (Sept. 20)
15 %    Public Opinion Review (Oct. 11)
35 %    Senior Thesis (Dec. 10)

Attendance and Participation:
  Seminars are discussion classes that depend on the participation and preparation of every member.One class period per week will be devoted solely to discussion of the week's readings and will be led by students.  The Participation grade will be based on demonstration of responsible, high-quality participation in discussion which respects the ideas of others yet maintains a level of scholarly questioning and analysis.   Every student is responsible for preparing for class discussion and developing a Reflection Paper on the reading (see below).

Attendance in class is the essential requirement in the participation grade, so roll will be taken at each class meeting.  It is unnecessary for students to ask for their absences to be "excused" by the professor; since class time missed, no matter what the reason, has a negative affect on the other students in the seminar that cannot be "made up."   Still, because there are often good reasons for missing a class meeting, the general policy is that more than TWO absences from class will start to have a very serious negative impact on your Participation Grade.  Absence or lack of preparation for presentations or Discussion Leading will have even greater negative impact.
 

Discussion Leading
Each student in the course will be required to lead the class, with a partner, in discussion for one class period.  Partners must collaborate in developing ideas and a sense of the direction for the discussion, and produce a set of three or four questions for discussion.  You will have the opportunity to sign up for a date of your Discussion Leading.  Students who fail to do their discussion leading when scheduled, will get no credit for the exercise.
 

10 Reflection Papers:
 Intended to help students prepare themselves for discussion of the week's reading.  Due on designated discussion days. The length must be between 1 and 2 pages.  Each paper is worth a maximum of 2 points.  ONLY papers that are submitted in person, at the beginning of the class in which they are due, will be accepted.   It must have your name, the date, a descriptive title at the top of the page, and proper footnoting.

Many students may have never learned how to write good reflection papers. Reflection Papers focus on a specific idea or concept that you find particular interesting or useful in the development of the Senior Thesis and they might analyze the writer's ideas and evidence. Reflection Papers raise questions, and begin developing some answers. Reflection Papers are NOT "book reports" and are NOT a collection of vague impressions of the author's work.   They should not be a summary of the week's reading but should give evidence that you have read and reflected on the author's work.

More information and tips on writing Reflection Papers will come.

Literature Review
A 3 to 5 page paper reviewing the state of scholarly opinion on your Thesis topic.  Must have 10 "scholarly" sources reviewed (around 3 books and 7 articles).  Popular magazine or newspaper articles may be used at your discretion but will NOT count as any of the ten scholarly sources.  Web pages may or may not be "scholarly," so before using them as sources make sure they are reliable and suitably academic.

How to properly research and write a literature review will be covered in the course.

Public Opinon Review
A 3 to 5 page summary of public opinion on some topic relevant to your Senior Thesis.  Your paper must make one of the following three types of comparison:  comparing opinion across key subgroups; comparing opinion across different times in history; comparing opinion across different regions or nations.  After properly placing the public opinion issue into social, historical and political context and presenting the basic data, your paper should draw some conclusions about the meaning of the results. (note that popular news articles may be acceptable sources for this type of paper).

How to research and properly document sources for public opinion will be covered in the course.
 

Senior Thesis:
The Senior Thesis must be an original paper for this Seminar.     Papers written in other courses cannot be accepted.  The Thesis should build on, and incorporate the Literature Review and Public Opinion Review.

The topic for these papers must relate to the seminar theme.  Please consult with the professor on your ideas for topics.

Students will have two basic options in writing the senior thesis.  You will have until almost mid-semester to commit to an option, after which time you will not be allowed to switch.

   1.  Community Fieldwork Paper:  10-12 page paper plus submission of a Field Journal. Students taking this option must commit to spend a minimum of  7 sessions of 90 minutes in the field during this semester being a "participant-observer."   Students can carry out their participant observation in a number of ways, such as in a service learning project or active involvement in a community organization.   Prior field experiences, on-campus experiences or internships may NOT be used for this project.    The paper for this option should be integrate and make more meaningful your hands-on experiences in the field with research into the larger social and political issues and political science literature.  For example, a case study of an organization, the analysis of a current political event you participated in, or the practical political issues in dealing with a community problem are all good approaches for this paper.

    2. Integrative Research Essay:  17-20 page paper.  Integrative Essays must integrate the course readings with independent research that goes beyond the course texts in some way.  It must contain a Literature Review, Discussion of Concepts, Procedure for Analysis, Evidence (or Data) and Conclusion. This is more of a traditional research paper, focusing on historical, theoretical or empirical aspects of the civil society question.

I. Course Introduction:  The Concept of "Civil Society"
 Aug 28, 30, Sept. 4.
No discussion leaders, no papers due.
Tues. Sept. 4. Meet in Library Instruction Room 11 AM for workshop on library research skills.

    Reading: Tocqueville, pp. 1-41
 

II. Tocqueville:  Democratic Transitions

 Sept. 6, 11

Sept. 11: Discussion.  Reflection Paper 1 due.

    Reading: Tocqueville, pp  52-62;  87-102; 106-113; 117-127; 127-146.
 
 

Sept. 13, 18
Sept. 13.  Proposed Thesis Topic due in class.-- 1 page, specifying a general topic that will be developed more later..
Sept. 18 Discussion. Reflection Paper 2 due.

    Reading: Tocqueville, pp.  201-222;  252-258;  265-270;  286-297;  304-319.
 
 

III.  Barber: Can Civil Society Be Democratic?

Sept. 20, 25
Sept. 20 -- Literature Review Due.
Thursday, Sept 25  Discusion. Reflection Paper 3 due.

    Reading: Barber,  pp. 3-68
 

No class Sept. 27 -- Yom Kippur

Oct. 2, 4.
Discussion Oct. 4. Reflection Paper 4 due.

    Reading: Barber, pp. 69-113
 
 

III. Putnam and the Concept of "Social Capital"

Oct. 9, 16 (no class meeting Oct. 11 -- work on public opinion paper!)
Oct. 9 (tentative) -- Public opinion research workshop, library.

Oct. 16 Discussion.  Reflection Paper 5 due.

    Reading:  Putnam, pp. 15-48;  65-80;  116-134
 
 

Oct. 18, 23
Oct. 18: Public Opinion Paper due, in class
Oct. 23 Discussion.  Reflection Paper 6 due.

    Reading: Putnam, pp. 183-89;  216-46;  247-286; .
 
 

 Oct. 25, 30.

Oct. 30 Discussion.  Reflection Paper 8 due.

    Reading: Putnam, pp. 287-296; 367-415.
 
 

IV. Falk:  Predatory Globalization versus Civil Society

Nov. 1, 6.
Discussion Nov. 6.  Reflection Paper 9 due.

    Reading: Falk, pp. 1-80
 
 

Nov. 8, 13, 15.
Nov. 18:   Formal Thesis Proposal due in class.  Must include final Literature Review, public opinion review (if relevant), concepts, methodology and expected findings. Be prepared to briefly discuss your proposed topic, method.

Discussion Nov. 15.  Reflection Paper 10 due.

    Reading: Falk, pp. 92-111;  125-184
 

***********Thanksgiving Break******************************
 

V. Senior Thesis Presentations

November 27:  Research Workshop -- meet in Library.

November 29, December 3, 6:  Student Presentations of Theses.  Rough Draft of Senior Thesis due Nov. 29.
 

Senior Thesis.  Final Draft due on or before  Dec. 10 NOON.
 

____________________________________

I.  Community Fieldwork Currently Available:
    --- These are ongoing opportunities to combine action, service and research. Contact Professor early to explore these types of projects.

Analysis of Homeless Shelters in Greater New Haven
Aspects of New Haven's 2001 Mayoral Campaign
Faith-Based Social Services in New Haven and the Bush Administration
Soup Kitchens and Hunger Relief Groups in Connecticut
Community Charter Schools and Education Reform
Community Associations and Neighborhood Organizing in New Haven
Organizing the Campaign Finance Reform Movement in Connecticut
Sacred Spaces:  The Civic Uses of Religious Buildings in New Haven.

II. Topics Suitable for Either Community Fieldwork or Integrative essays.

Environmental Groups in Connecticut
The Rise of Civic Journalism in the US
Organizing Workers in New Haven
Who Runs New Haven? (or Hamden)
Elm City Congregations Organized: Development of Affordable Housing
Community-Based Policing
Storefront Churches
Economic Empowerment Zones in Urban Connecticut
Local Talk Radio:  A Threat to Civil Society?
Observing an Urban Alderman
Differences between Young and Old Volunteers in a New Haven program.

III. Topics Suitable for Integrative Essays

Political Association in the Palestine Intifada Movement
Election and Voting Reforms
President Bush and "Faith Based" Service Organizations
Conceptual Analysis of Alexis De Tocqueville's Theory
Robert Putnam and His Critics
Environmental Groups and the Global Warming Treaty
Peace Groups in the Middle East
Anti-Globalization Movements
Rebuilding Civil Society in Russia/Eastern Europe
Militia Groups
The Growth of Civil Society in China
International Disaster Relief Groups
Impact of Global Media on Local Communities
The Death Penalty in US or Global Perspective

Civic Disengagement in Connecticut: Key Factors
Are Young People Apathetic?
Hispanic Communites in Election 2000
Political Differences between Younger and Older Generations
Moral and Civic Consensus/Dissent on a Social Issue (e.g. stem cell, welfare, abortion, work ethic, patriotism, etc.)

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Web Links

Civil Society Websites
The National Commission on Civic Renewal
National Service Learning Clearinghouse
Bowling Alone Web site
Political Theory on the Internet
Institute for the Study of Civic Values
Center for Civic Education
The Communitarian Network
American Memory -- cultural history
 

News/Media
CNN News
The Washington Post -- politics section
Quinnipiac Library- Lexis-Nexis Search
 CT Central.com -- news
 

Voting and Elections
 Fair Vote
Web, White and Blue --  U.S. political information
Vanishing Voter Project-- Harvard University
National Election Studies -- University of Michigan
Center for the Study of the American Electorate
 

Public Opinion Polls
The Polling Report
Washington Post Poll
Roper Center for Public Opinion -- University of Connecticut
The Gallup Poll
 

Policy Issues
Mustard Seed Model UN Research Page -- international issues
Stateline -- news on U.S. state governments
 Political Information.com -- policy issues
Public Agenda
Children's Defense Fund -- information on children in the states
CT Dept. of Social Services
 
 

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