Class meetings: 9:20-10:50
Tuesday, Thursday 
Room:  132 Patterson

Instructor:
Dr. Andrea Grove
Office:  229C Patterson Hall
Office phone: 946-7254; home phone:  946-9074 (please not after 9pm) 
Email:  groveak@westminster.edu
Office hours:  nearly anytime by appointment, but especially 
Monday, Friday, 9:30-11:30 and 
Tuesday, Thursday, 11:00-12:00

Overview and course objectives:
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the basic concepts that are fundamental to the study of politics and to the basic institutions that shape political life.   An assumption of this course is that the most effective way to study the political world is in a comparative framework.   Therefore, students will be introduced to the diversity of political systems in the contemporary world as we examine political organizations, political participation, and political change in a variety of contexts.  Major topics will be political ideologies and public policy, the relationship between politics and economic development and social well-being, differences between democratic and non-democratic regimes, political conflict, and the sources and consequences of nationalism and globalization.  There are no “right” answers to many of the questions we will discuss; the instructor hopes that students will engage in debate and reflection; all students are reminded of the importance of respecting others’ rights to express themselves—no matter how different those views may be from one’s own.

By the end of the course, each student should be able to:

• identify key concepts in the study of political science
• understand the major institutions that constitute the “state” and describe the function each performs
• be able to use the knowledge of concepts to analyze country examples
• describe the contemporary challenges to the state and the global nature of those challenges
• analyze the importance of citizens’responsibilities in meeting the “common good”
• be aware of current political events in the US and abroad

Shively, W. Phillips. Power and Choice:  An Introduction to Political Science, 7th 
Edition.  New York:  McGraw-Hill College, 2001.

Soe, Christian (editor). Annual Editions:  Comparative Politics 00/01, 18th Edition. 
 New York:  Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 2000. (abbreviated below as AE)

Barber, Benjamin.  Jihad vs. McWorld.  New York:  Times Books, 1995. (selections)

New York Times:  information on subscribing will be distributed the first day of class 

Student responsibilities:
To receive a passing grade in this course, all students must attend class, participate in class discussions, and turn in all assignments/take all exams.  Readings for the assigned date (see schedule below) are to be completed BEFORE the class period for which they are assigned.  Students may have a tough time understanding class lectures and discussions unless this requirement is met. Attendance will be recorded and only absences described as excused in the college handbook will be excused in this class.  For every unexcused absence beyond two, students can expect the final average to drop by at least five points each absence.  Students who miss class may also miss instructions on written assignments and changes to the schedule, so excused or not, students should check with the instructor about missed information upon return.  All work is to be turned in on time and exams taken on the day scheduled; exceptions will be made only with permission of the instructor and the dean according to the procedures described in the college handbook.  Late papers will be accepted, with ten points deducted for each day the paper is turned in late.

Plagiarism, cheating, and any other forms of academic dishonesty and theft will not be tolerated (see college handbook).  Proper methods of citation are contained in your Inquiry texts or from the library (or from the instructor if you do not have your Inquiry text).  Using any ideas not your own without citation constitutes plagiarism.  Plagiarism will be punished severely. 

Assignments include two exams, two short assignments, two news presentations, one book review (on Barber), an evolving news diary, and potential reading quizzes if it appears that students are not completing the readings before class (which will be part of the participation grade).  For the written assignments, students are welcome to turn in rough drafts and to seek any other help needed for any reason during the term.  Specific descriptions of and instructions for the assignments will be distributed in class.  For the news presentations, students will be required to bring in an article—at two different times during the semester—that is directly related to a topic in the course and explain to the class how it is related.  The final grade will be based on the following percentages:

Exam 1    15% 
News presentations   10% (5% each)
Book review    15%
Evolving news diary   15%
Short assignments   20% (10% each)
Attendance and participation  10%
Exam 2    15% 

The grading scale is as follows:
93-100  A
90-92 A-
87-89 B+
83-86 B
80-82 B-, etc.
Below 60 F

Course outline and readings schedule:
Hopefully we can maintain this schedule, but dates may be subject to change if we appear to need more/less time on particular issues (all changes will be announced in class).

Note with regard to the readings in Annual Editions: Comparative Politics 00/01:  These readings are meant to give you a “current events” view or to inspire debate and discussion.  However, since the selections in the text are excerpts (for the most part), you may have a little trouble from time to time understanding what it is I want you to “get out of them.”  For that reason, sometimes I will be making a few questions available to you before the class for which the reading is to be done.  When I do so, students should be prepared to answer these questions in class.

January 23, 25 
Introduction:  What is politics? 
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 1, Inaugural address

January 30, February 1
Ideologies:  How we think about politics
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 2 
AE 20, “Triumphant, the left asks what else it is”
AE 21, “Europe’s right: Displaced, defeated and not sure what to do next” 
AE 22, “Europe:  The fascist response to globalization”

February 6*
The modern state
Readings: Shively, Ch. 3

*February 6:  First news items for clippings journal due

February 8, 13
Case studies of developed countries:  Current state of affairs
Readings: 
AE 1, “New Labour in Britain: Avoiding the past”
AE 6, “On the verge of a new era” (Germany)
AE 10, “A survey of France”
AE 15, “And now comes the hard part” (Italy)

February 15*, 20
What do states do, and the challenge of fairness
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 4, 5, 6

*February 15:  Second news items due

No class February 22:  Professor attending Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association 

February 27
Exam 1

March 1
The state and the citizen: Authority and legitimacy 
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 7
AE 4, “Northern Ireland: Enemies and colleagues”

March 6, 8 
The state and the citizen…Political culture and civic society, political violence
Readings:  [Shively, Ch. 7]
AE 14, “Tocqueville in Italy”

(Spring Break March 13, 15)

March 20* 
Types of states: Democratic and authoritarian regimes
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 8, 9
AE 25, “What democracy is…and is not”
AE 52, “Capitalism and democracy”

*March 20:  Short assignment 1 due—Brief report on an authoritarian state 

March 22, March 27
Transitions to democracy, Successful transition case studies
Readings:
AE 50, “Is the third wave over?”
AE 35, “The emerging face of the new Europe”
AE 36, “The postcommunist divide”
AE 43, “Mexico is changing, but how it handles the future is pivotal”

March 29
Hanging in the balance: Emerging transitions? 
Readings:
AE 46, “In march toward capitalism, China has avoided Russia’s path”
AE 49, “Iran’s new revolution”

April 3
The apparatus of government (how do you make one?!):  Constitutional design 
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 10
AE 2, “Unwritten rules: Britain’s constitutional revolution”

April 5, 10
Elections
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 11
AE 29, “The people’s voice”
AE 23, “Women in power: From tokenism to critical mass”

April 12
Political parties: Linking citizen and state through elections
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 12
AE 5, “The New Politics”

April 17*
The common good versus parochial concerns: Interest groups
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 13
AE 19, “Democratic imperfections: Trends in the role of public opinion, political parties, and interest groups”
AE 27, “Campaign and party finance: What Americans might learn from abroad”

*April 17:  Short assignment 2 due—on interest groups 

April 19, 24 
National decision-making institutions: Parliamentary and presidential systems
Readings:  Shively, 14, 15
AE 26, “Congress and the House of Commons: Legislative behavior and legislative roles in two democracies”
AE 16, “It’s back to the drawing board” (Italy)
AE 44, “In South Africa, winner almost takes all”

April 26*
The Law and the Judiciary
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 17

*April 26:  Third news items due

May 1
Issues of governance in developing countries: Differences in “weak” states
Readings:  Look over again Shively, pp. 44-50; 58-60; 113-116; 230-232 
Handout in class

May 3, 8
The significance of the (current, changed) international setting: Globalization, fragmentation, and the future of the state
Readings:  Shively, Ch. 18 and pp. 51-58
Barber, selected chapters

May 8
Book review due: On Introduction, Chapters 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 19 in Jihad vs. McWorld

Final exam date to be announced.  ***AT THAT TIME, students are to turn in their journal of newsclippings along with a paper (approximately 3 pages) summarizing the political issue they followed and their reaction to how it is being handled.