Office Hours: 8:30 daily in South 305

Class Meetings: South 302 but exceptions are early and often. For specific times places, see Schedule.

• Introduction to Research in the Study of Politics
• American Politics and Public Policy in Global Context: Globocop or Globobully
• The Public Policy Presentation
  • Philosophical Foundation
  • Requirements and Evaluation

1. Unannounced Quizzes over reading assignments: 10% of the final grade; missed quizzes may not be made up, except in the case of documented emergencies
   
2. Various Exams & an Essay: 1) two midterms (30%), 2) final (15%), concluding essay (15%).
3. Public Policy Presentation: (30%, including 15% for outline and bibliography)

1. "Truth in Lending" -- Students borrowing extra time to complete their papers will be charged interest at the rate of 5% of their grade per hour. Interest free extensions will be given only in cases of documented emergency. No work can be accepted after 5 PM on the last day unless a formal application for a grade of "incomplete" has been filed with the Registrar.
   
   
2. "Truth in Learning" -- Portions of the Compass on dishonesty in academic work are incorporated by reference into this course description. Violators will be prosecuted.
   
   
3. "Administrative Procedures Act" -- Portions of the Catalog on adding and dropping courses are incorporated by reference into this course description.
   
   
4. "Course Revisions Act" -- Final papers and exams remain with me until the course is offered again; they are invaluable in helping me to improve later course assignments. I reserve the right to keep copies of some papers and exams indefinitely.

1. TOPIC DEVELOPMENT: All students must send by 5 PM Thursday, September 4th, an e-mail message to the instructor and to Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh specifying the public policy to be addressed in your presentation.
2. THESIS DEVELOPMENT: The thesis of a public policy presentation is a policy recommendation addressed to the person in National government who, more than any other, is responsible for making the change advocated by the presentation. So, "a nation-wide speed limit on interstate highways" is a topic. But a thesis would be: "Rep. Don Young, Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, should introduce legislation and should lead his Committee to endorse House approval for a maximum national speed limit of 55 miles per hour on all interstate highways." An initial outline of your public policy presentation is due Friday, September 13th, at 5 PM.. A good thesis is based on careful research and the body of your initial outline will be a summary of the research that led you to the thesis you propose. Included in the outline must be a section designed to address objections that are bound to be raised to your recommendations by defenders of the current policy or advocates of some alternative policy. Good research is the foundation of effective advocacy and no person is in a better position to evaluate performance in research than Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh. Every student must meet individually with her by 5 PM Thursday, September 4th..
3. PRESENTATION: Each student will have ten minutes in class to advocate orally a public policy during the final week of the course. See Presentation Schedule. A detailed outline and annotated bibliography are due at the beginning of the final examination. For a bibliographical citation style, select either the APA or MLA and follow it consistently. Each presenter must select an article or short reading for class assignment on the day for which the presentation is scheduled. The article assigned (with questions for highlighting points to be stressed) must be announced no later than the meeting prior to the one in which it will be discussed.
4. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
   CONTENTS
   
   Main points covered: Be selective! Be selective!! Be selective!!! Distinguish carefully between main points and minor ones, develop only a few main points in a short presentation (5 points is plenty in 10 minutes), and be sure to alert the audience to what the main points are as you begin and end.
   Development: Carefully develop main points with clear, specific references to details or examples. The selected reading for class assignment should play a significant role in developing main points. When completing the development of a main point, be sure to provide a strong, logical transition to the next main point.
   Alternatives Challenged: Point out the flaws in alternative policies. By doing so, you better understand the strengths of your own and challenge others to address their apparent weaknesses.
   STYLE
   Effective use of notes: Do not read from a prepared text. Outlines are O.K., as are short quotations
   Eye contact: Present your material to the whole audience
   Time limit: Guard especially against excessive length, no more than 10 minutes.
   Expression & Emphasis: Watch for rate of speech and clear enunciation. Consider a variety of devices to emphasize the main points, incl. pauses, pitch, pace, posture, etc.

    

   LEARNING OBJECTIVES

   The daily "Learning Objectives" point to the most important ideas and concepts to be discussed in class on a particular day. They often depend heavily on reading assignments. The habit of mastering such material will assure good performance in unannounced quizzes.

   LEARNING OBJECTIVES -- DAY #1

1. How does Professor Huntington define a civilization.
2. What is his thesis and why is he convinced that civilizations will clash?
3. What is the kin country syndrome and how does it support Professor Huntington's thesis? Distinguish between micro & macro clashes. What are the "weapon states" & why are they important?
4. What are the two sources of conflict between the West and other civilizations? What is a torn country and how is the tare resolved?
5. How is the Confucian-Islamic connection related to the "West versus the rest"?
6. What values are at the heart of Western Civilization, according to Professor Huntington?
7. What are Huntington's short and long term recommendations?
8. What does Margaret Thatcher consider to be the "most important problems today" and how is it related to the current supremecy of America and Britain?
9. What are the three points in the triangle that provide moral foundations for the West and how are they related to one another?
10. What "new world order" does Mrs. Thatcher condemn and why?
11. What does Vice President Richard Cheney consider to be Margaret Thatcher's greatest achievement?
12. Why must the West prevail, according to Margaret Thatcher, and how can its decline be arrested?
    

 

1. Define: state, nation-state, and nationalism
2. Distinguish competing theories as to the origins of the state. How is Coulter's discussion related to the civilizational clash between Islamic militants and the West?
3. Distinguish the social contract theories of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. Why are all at odds with Islamic militants?
4. Describe the political organization of the feudal state and its symbiotic relationship with the Christian church. Describe the role of the Protestant Reformation in the creation of the modern state.
5. Define ultranationalism and explain several major problems associated with it. How is it related to Islamic revolutionary movements?
6. Describe the causes and consequences of nationalism in the modern world.
7. What is a "market state" generically understood; what are three variations; what examples of each can you site?
8. Why are nation states losing control over their sovereignty?
9. Why would an international system of market states be more apt to form coalitions?
10. Why will markets never replace states, no matter how strong international agreements become in advancing a global free trade economy?

1. Define: ideology. Describe the origin of the concepts of "ideological right" and "ideological left."
2. Identify and explain the pairs of characteristics which Coulter calls "tendencies of the left" and "tendencies of the right."
3. How is political democracy related to these ideologies, why does Coulter consider it to be so fragile, even as it seems to triumph and spread?
4. Which of the prerequisites for political democracy are more cultural than constitutional?
5. Explain the four key individuals for the evolution of classic liberalism and the ideas most associated with each.. What is neo-liberalism? What impact have Clinton-Gore Democrats had on neo-liberalism?
6. What fundamental difference distinguishes classic from modern conservatism? What are the main features of the "New Right" How is it extended by "libertarians" & "neoconservatives?"
7. What supplement to Coulter's discussion is necessary to update it for Election 2004?
8. What is classic socialism and from what early sources did it draw? How has it been extended by the two distinct versions of social democratic parties? What is the likely future of state socialism, according to Coulter?

1. How is national interest related to foreign policy?
2. What concerns does Edwin Coulter have with the way national security is defined and to what extent have they been superceded by events. Distinguish with particular care between what Coulter calls the "threat system" vs. its alternative. (see especially pp. 262, 264, & 268-69)
3. What are the organizing principles of national security structures?
4. What do diplomats do and what customs are required to support it. Explain in some detail the methods of third party diplomacy & the limited role of international law in settling disputes.
5. What is a balance of power and explain at least two reasons why it is important in international relations, especially given the end of the Cold War and Huntington's thesis.
6. What precedent exists for the U.N.? What purposes does it serve and how is it organized. Why has it declined as an effective peacekeeper?
7. Why is general war among nations an unlikely event today, according to Coulter? What kind of war has replaced it and how is such low-intensity conflict related to terrorism?
8. What is "enlightened imperialism," out of what background does it come, and what debate surrounds the US role in such imperialism?
9. What is the theory of "hegemonic stability" and what is the underlying logic for the strategy of empire?
10. What do "realists" claim will eventually befall imperial powers, no matter how strong? Give three reasons for such an outcome and be able to explain each in detail. Key terms: free riders, balance-prone powers, strategic overextension, challenges invited by extended deterence, deteriorating competitive advantage of states burdened by providing security, the cost/benefit test.
11. Why is insecurity likely to increase the more the US commits itself to the strategy of empire?
12. How does Prime Minister Blair attempt to clarify the clash initially discussed by Professor Huntington?
13. What is the threat and why does it force a redefinition of security and diplomacy?
14. What additional policies are required to reduce the threat further?
15. What is the future role of the U.K?

1. What distinction does Aristotle make between a polity and a democracy; how are both distinguished from political democracies of today?
2. How are constitutional governments distinguished from others?
3. Explain the locus of sovereignty in unitary, confederal, and federal forms of government.
4. Explain the basic federal division of authority in the American constitution; how much importance should be attached to it, according to Coulter? What principles are essential to any authentic federal system?
5. Distinguish the presidential system of government in the United States from the parliamentary system in Great Britain in terms of general characteristics, the role of the political parties, the method of election, and the role of the political minority.
6. Describe the locus of executive, legislative, and judicial authority under the presidential and parliamentary systems referred to above.
7. Explain the features of a coalition government and the problems associated with it.
8. Explain the advantages of the parliamentary system over the presidential system according to Coulter.
9. What distinguishes the George W. Bush presidency from the Clinton presidency, according to Michael Barone?
10. Who is Fred Greenstein and what features of presidential leadership in his work enable Fred Barnes to arrive at his conditional conclusion that the 2004 election will be like the 1984 election?
11. To what extent does Carl Cannon disagree with Fred Barnes about President Bush's strengths in presidential leadership?

1. Briefly explain (3 sentences or less) six legislative functions
2. What does Coulter consider to be the fundamental power of executive leadership?
3. What confirmation does James Pfiffner offer to support Coulter's answer to the question "How does an executive manage to move a government?"
4. In which of the policy-making powers has President Bush had the least impact and why?
5. Name four administrative responsibilities of judges. What conclusion does Coulter draw from the these duties performed by judges.
6. Who are the regulators and what functions do they aim to perform? How does their structure and powers reflect their aim? Why is the independence of regulatory agencies less important than is often assumed? To what extent do fares for airline tickets reflect the benefits and costs of deregulation?

1. Distinguish normative from positive law. Which tends to prevail in the West today and why?
2. Distinguish criminal (public) from civil (private) law. Why does the strength and superiority of the West rest upon its achievements in civil law?
3. How does Coulter define the rule of law and to what extent does his treatment of the subject promote doubts about his thoughts on legal concepts?
4. Explain four stages often associated with the evolution of legal systems and distinguish Roman from the Anglo-Saxon Common law.
5. Explain the problems Coulter considers important in the qualifications, selection, and tenure of U. S. judges, why the problems persist, and what measures the Supreme Court has adopted to address them? Are Coulter's exalted views and expectations of the judiciary exaggerated?
6. Define equity law and five writs associated with it.
7. Distinguish original from appellate jurisdiction. What is summary jurisdiction? What primary purpose is served by state supreme courts? Define "judicial review" and explain its importance for constitutional government.
8. What fault does the author find with all the candidates for the Democratic Party presidential nomination? What background does he bring to his analysis?
9. What recommendation does he offer? What three events must a successful candidate address and in what terms should they be addressed?
10. Pick two of the candidates featured and explain their strengths, as discussed by the author.
11. How does the author think Democratic candidates should address national security, a policy area in which President Bush is highly regarded by many voters.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES--DAY#9

1. How does Coulter define political parties in such a way as to lead to the conclusion that the U.S. "lacks political parties." (See p. 213: "The American party system is really a 'no-party' system. . . .")
2. Which parties prevailed in what periods and why? Be especially specific about the period after 1932.
3. What does Coulter mean by a "policy realignment without a party realignment?"
4. What is the role of American political parties and how does it reflect the qualities most often associated with American voters?
5. Identify three characteristics of interest groups and what important role do they play in the political process.
6. How do interest groups operate differently in the U.S. compared to European systems?
7. Why can't modern governments do without bureaucracies? What is the key to their "professionalism?"
8. What three characteristics of American bureaucratic practice disrupt the standard method by which bureaucracies are organized and operate?
9. Identify 6 features that distinguish public from private bureaucracies?
10. What is an "intergovernmental bureaucracy" and to what extent does it depend upon a specific form of grant in aid?
11. Explain briefly and simply why bureaucries are so hard to lead, especially to change?
12. Why does Kristol consider the 2004 election to be the "biggest in a generation." Explain in terms of both foreign policy and domestic issues.
13. What would be the probable consequence of President Bush's victory or defeat.

1. What is the purpose of reading ancient epics in a contemporary politics course? See Odysseus's conversion and develop it in your answer?
2. Identify Telemachus, Penelope, Antinous, Eurymachus, Nestor, Menelaus, Agamemnon, Clytaimnestra, Agisthos, & Orestes by citing the page which seems most to reveal each.
3. What changes mark the development of Telemachus? Be able to cite the pages which reveal what he was like well before Athena's visit, what he is now like upon departure from Ithaca, and what he can become at his return.
4. What is the dramatic purpose served by the bath Polycaste gives to Telemachus?
5. Identify & cite pages for Helen & Pisistratus.
6. Identify & cite pages for changes in Telemakhos & the suitors.

1. Identify and cite pages for the apparent relationship between Odysseus & Calypso?
2. Identify and cite pages for Nausicaa, especially with Odysseus.
3. Identify and cite pages for Arete and Alcinous.
4. What future does Nausicaa and her family envision for Odysseus?
5. What dramatic purpose is served by the story of Hephaestus, also by the stories in Book Nine?
6. What does Odysseus seem to love most in Book Nine and how is it related to his record at Troy?

1. Why doesn't Odysseus reach home? What does he think is the "best thing in the world" on Aiaia?
2. Who is Circe & what is Odysseus's relationship with her?
3. What dramatic purpose is served by those Odysseus meets in Hades, beginning with Teiresias and ending with Ajax? Why does Arete intervene when she does?
4. What dramatic purpose is served by Skylla & Charybdis? How do the choices of his crew mirror Odysseus's own, in what sense is he too at a dead end?
5. Compare the chronological order of events in the life of Odysseus to the narrative order given in the epic. Why is the difference important?
6. Why is home strange to Odysseus? Answer at two levels. What core value of Western civilization informs the epic's last half and how is it related to what Odysseus calls "the best thing in the world?"
7. What is dissembling; how & why must Odysseus become a master of it?
8. Who is Eumaius; why is he important to Odysseus? Answer at two levels.
9. Is Telemachus depicted as man or child? Who is Theoclymenus? Why is he important to Telemachus's return?
10. Define three stages in the relationship of Odysseus & Telemachus & explain why Odysseus's diminished position in his own house is important.

1. Define the prominence of Telemachus in #17 & Penelope in #18. Why is Telemachus's sneeze important?
2. Define evidence of weakness in the suitors, esp. in their viciousness.
3. What kind of relationship does Odysseus establish with Penelope by the end of Bk. 19?
4. Why, in Bk. 20, does Penelope plead for her own death? Why does Odysseus appeal for a sign?
5. Who takes charge in Bk. 21? Is it really Odysseus?
6. How & why do Telemachus and Odysseus differ in their approach to executing the faithless maids?
7. What purpose, incomprehensible to Telemachus, is served by Penelope's treatment of Odysseus in the first half of Bk. 23?
8. What is the mark of Penelope's superiority & Odysseus's weakness in the Odyssey, in Bk. 24

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF ESSAYS

An "A" essay has the following elements:


1. Good, clear, complete discussion of major parts of the topic
   
2. A penetrating thesis statement connecting the parts to each other,
   
3. Accurate, skillful use of argument and evidence in supporting the thesis,
   
4. A strong conclusion anchored in a tightly drawn organization of thesis, argument, and evidence, plus
   
5. No more than one error per page of the sort outlined in a standard writing handbook

 

A "B" essay has the following:

1. Adequate on the parts, using familiar phrases from class discussion & the readings,
2. Clear thesis but more weakly stated than in an "A" paper,
3. Argument and evidence systematically offered but not finely gauged to the difficulty or complexity of the issue; transitions become increasingly tentative,
4. Broad, general conclusion based on adequate organization with no more than two errors per page of the sort outlined in a writing handbook.

 

A "C" essay has incomplete discussion with a weak thesis followed by loosely related arguments or evidence to which objections are obvious, missing transitions, a brief conclusion, and, no more than six errors.

A "D" essay has garbled, inaccurate discussion, little or no thesis, little evidence or argument, abuse of quotations, assertion in place of conclusion, gaps in organization, no more than ten errors.