PS 100 - Introduction to Political Science - syllabus PDF

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Political Science 100: Introduction to Political Science Spring 2019

Instructor: Aleksander Ksiazkiewicz, Assistant Professor of Political Science Teaching assistants: Rebeca Agosto, Daniel Wisnosky Class hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 3:00 to 3:50 PM, and Friday discussion section Class location: 103 Mumford Hall Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 4:15 to 5:15 PM, or by appointment Office location: 304C David Kinley Hall Instructor email: [email protected] TA emails: [email protected]; [email protected]

Prerequisites: None.

Course description: What is power, who gets it, and why? How do American voters decide who to vote for? How do political institutions vary across countries? When do countries go to war? How can these questions be studied scientifically? These are some of the questions that you will consider during this broad overview of the discipline of political science. The course will introduce the major subfields of political science, including political theory, American politics, comparative politics, and international relations. We will also discuss the nature of social scientific research and how it can be used to inform thinking about pressing political issues. At the end of the course, you should have a working knowledge of core political science concepts and be able to apply those concepts to real-world problems.

Course goals and objectives: This course is designed to provide you with a basic understanding of political science (see the course description above). By the end of the course, you should feel comfortable with undertaking more specialized courses in any subfield of political science. A second goal of this course is to provide you with practical political skills. To accomplish this goal, you will participate in a weekly discussion section that will be focused on practical applications of political science research.

Readings: The readings for this course will be drawn primarily from the following text: Riemer, Simon, and Romance. 2015. The Challenge of Politics: An Introduction to Political Science. 5th ed. CQ Press. There will also be some additional readings for the discussion section, drawn primarily from various news websites and political science blogs.

iClicker: An iClicker is required in this class. It will be used for in-class demonstrations.

Question box: If you have questions about the course, you can submit them on Compass.

Work required: •

Reading in advance of lecture is expected. There will be open-book, online quizzes administered through Compass. You can attempt each quiz twice. No make-up quizzes will be offered. To accommodate unforeseen circumstances, your lowest three quizzes will be dropped.

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Attendance to lecture is expected. Attendance will be recorded via iClicker in each class during comprehension checks and activities. To accommodate unforeseen circumstances (e.g., forgotten clicker, illness), three absences will be automatically excused.

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Participation in discussion sections is expected. To receive full points, you must attend section every week and be an active participant. If you attend but do not participate in discussion, you will only receive half credit. To accommodate unforeseen circumstances, two section grades (including absences) will be dropped.

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You will complete three short writing assignments throughout the course.

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There will be three, non-cumulative exams in the course.

Grade components (100 points total): • Participation in class activities (10 points) • Online reading quizzes (10 points total) • Participation in discussion section (10 points) • Writing assignments (5 points each; 15 total) • Exam 1 (15 points) • Exam 2 (20 points) • Exam 3 (20 points)

Grading scale: 98-100 A+ 93-97 A 90-92 A87-89 B+ 83-86 B 80-82 B-

77-79 C+ 73-76 C 70-72 C67-69 D+ 63-66 D 60-62 D59 or lower F

Extra credit policy: You will have the opportunity to earn extra credit by participating in a research study (worth 2 points). If you do not feel comfortable participating in a study for extra credit, you may complete an extra credit writing assignment instead. Details will be explained in class. Late, incomplete, and revised work policy: For attendance, reading quizzes, and discussion sections, some of your lowest grades (including absences) will be excused (see “work required” above). Make up exams will be scheduled as needed if the absence is for acceptable reasons as outlined in the Student Code (e.g., religious observance, disability accommodation, illness, university athletic participation). Students must inform the instructor in advance if they are going to miss an exam. In the event that a student misses an exam without first providing a legitimate reason in advance, a 2-point (10%) penalty will be applied for each day or part of a day that passes until a make-up date is scheduled. Attendance policy: Regular class attendance is expected of all students (as outlined in the Student Code § 1-501). Students who are absent for in-class activities will not be awarded participation points (see “work required” above for a description of exceptions). Email policy: If you have a question about the course or an assignment, check the syllabus first to see if the answer to your question is there. If you cannot find the answer to your question on the syllabus, please contact your teaching assistant. If after checking the syllabus and contacting the teaching assistant your question has not been answered, you may email me directly and I will attempt to respond as quickly as I can within reason. You are also encouraged to discuss any questions or concerns about the course with me at office hours or after class. Use of Personal Electronic Devices in the Classroom: Disruptions or interruptions in the classroom due to the improper use of cell phones or laptops (e.g., texting, chatting, browsing Facebook) will not be tolerated. Students who are disrupting the class will be asked to stop using their electronic device and may be asked to leave.

Course timeline: Week 1 - 4: Rules of the Game Week 5 - 7: Political Philosophy and Ideology Week 8 - 11: American, Comparative, and World Politics Week 12 - 15: Political Judgment and Public Policy Weekly schedule: Week 1: Games Politicians Play (Chapter 1) •

Monday, January 14: Class overview and introduction

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Wednesday, January 16: What is political science?

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Friday, January 18: Politics and Political Science o Reading: Check online

Week 2: Politics and Choice (Chapter 2) •

Monday, January 21: NO CLASS (MLK Day)

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Wednesday, January 23: Power and authority

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Friday, January 25: What is citizenship? o Reading: Check online

Week 3: Political Science - Components, Tasks, and Controversies (Chapter 3) •

Monday, January 28: Freedom and responsibility

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Wednesday, January 30: Political philosophy and empirical models

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Friday, February 1: What’s hot in political science? o Reading: Check online

Week 4: The Physical, Social, and Cultural Environment in Politics (Chapter 4) •

Monday, February 4: Levels of analysis o Writing assignment 1 is due (uploaded to Compass by the beginning of class)

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Wednesday, February 6: Constitutions and rights

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Friday, February 8: How should we balance security and liberty? o Reading: Check online

Week 5: The Quest for the Good Political Life (Chapter 5) •

Monday, February 11: What is the good life?

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Wednesday, February 13: How should we structure society?

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Friday, February 15: Review session o Reading: None.

Week 6: Liberal Democracy (Chapter 6) •

Monday, February 18: Exam 1

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Wednesday, February 20: Representative democracy I - Ideology and its underpinnings

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Friday, February 22: Trust in government and polarization o Reading: Check online

Week 7: Democratic Socialism and Communism - Ideologies of the Left (Chapter 7) •

Monday, February 25: Representative democracy II - Ideology and political economy

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Wednesday, February 27: Authoritarianism

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Friday, March 1: Liberal and illiberal democracy o Reading: Check online

Week 8: Key Dilemmas - Political Form, Culture, and Values (Chapter 8) •

Monday, March 4: Institutions I - federalism and electoral systems

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Wednesday, March 6: Behavior I - participation, political culture, and subcultures

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Friday, March 8: Participation in modern democracies o Reading: Check online

Week 9: American Politics and Government (Chapter 9) •

Monday, March 11: Institutions II - The US Constitution and the party system o Writing assignment 2 is due (uploaded to Compass by the beginning of class)

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Wednesday, March 13: Behavior II - elite behavior in the media and interest groups

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Friday, March 15: The media and politics o Reading: Check online

SPRING BREAK •

Monday, March 18: NO CLASS

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Wednesday, March 20: NO CLASS

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Friday, March 22: NO CLASS

Week 10: Comparative politics (Chapter 10) •

Monday, March 25: Institutions III - comparing political systems across countries

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Wednesday, March 27: Behavior III - turnout and vote choice across countries

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Friday, March 29: Review session o Reading: None.

Week 11: International Politics and the Global Community (Chapter 11) •

Monday, April 1: Exam 2

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Wednesday, April 3: International relations

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Friday, April 5: NO CLASS (MPSA Conference)

Week 12: War and Peace in the Modern Age (Chapter 12) •

Monday, April 8: War and peace

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Wednesday, April 10: Terrorism and political violence

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Friday, April 12: Post-war relapse o Reading: Check online

Week 13: The Battle on Behalf of Human Rights (Chapter 13) •

Monday, April 15: Bureaucracies and judiciaries

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Wednesday, April 17: Human rights

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Friday, April 19: Human rights enforcement o Reading: Check online

Week 14: The Struggle for Economic Well-Being (Chapter 14) •

Monday, April 22: Political economy o Writing assignment 3 is due (uploaded to Compass by the beginning of class)

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Wednesday, April 24: Inequality - causes, consequences, and ways forward

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Friday, April 26: Technology and trade o Reading: Check online

Week 15: The Imperative of Ecological Health (Chapter 15) •

Monday, April 29: Environmental politics - collective (in)action

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Wednesday, May 1: The study of politics o Reading: None.

May 3-10 (date TBD): Exam 3

Academic integrity policy: Cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and other infractions outlined in the Student Code, Article 1, Part 4 will not be tolerated. If such an infraction is suspected, action will be taken following the procedures outlined in the Student Code § 1-403.

“(a) Cheating. No student shall use or attempt to use in any academic exercise materials, information, study aids, or electronic data that the student knows or should know is unauthorized… (1) Allowing others to conduct research or prepare any work for a student without prior authorization from the Instructor, including using the services of commercial term paper companies. (2) Submitting substantial portions of the same academic work for credit more than once or by more than one student without authorization from the Instructors to whom the work is being submitted. (3) Working with another person without authorization to satisfy an individual assignment.”

“(b) Plagiarism. No student shall represent the words, work, or ideas of another as his or her own in any academic endeavor. A violation of this section includes but is not limited to: (1) Copying: Submitting the work of another as one’s own. (2) Direct Quotation: Every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks or by appropriate indentation and must be promptly cited. Proper citation style for many academic departments is outlined in such manuals as the MLA Handbook or K.L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations. These and similar publications are available in the University bookstore or library. The actual source from which cited information was obtained should be acknowledged. (3) Paraphrase: Prompt acknowledgment is required when material from another source is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part. This is true even if the student’s words differ substantially from those of the source. A citation acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice as an acknowledgment of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. (4) Borrowed Facts or Information: Information obtained in one’s reading or research that is not common knowledge must be acknowledged. Examples of common knowledge might

include the names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc. Materials that contribute only to one’s general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in a bibliography and need not be immediately cited. One citation is usually sufficient to acknowledge indebtedness when a number of connected sentences in the paper draw their special information from one source.”

Accommodation policy for students with special needs: Students who would like to request a disability accommodation should consult with Disability Resources & Educational Services. To ensure that disability-related concerns are properly addressed, students with disabilities who require assistance to participate in this class are asked to see me as soon as possible.

Campus resources for student assistance: There are many resources available on campus for students who would like additional support. Students may want to consider the Writers Workshop offered by The Center for Writing Studies (www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/), services offered by the Counseling Center (counselingcenter.illinois.edu), and tutoring services available through the Division of General Studies (dgs.illinois.edu/tutoring-support).

Sexual harassment policy: Sexual harassment is defined by law and includes requests for sexual favors, sexual advances or other sexual conduct when (1) submission is either explicitly or implicitly a condition affecting academic or employment decisions; (2) the behavior is sufficiently severe or pervasive as to create an intimidating, hostile or repugnant environment; or (3) the behavior persists despite objection by the person to whom the conduct is directed. The University considers such behavior, whether physical or verbal, to be a breach of its standards of conduct. It will seek to prevent such incidents and will investigate and take corrective actions for violations of University policy.

The University prohibits sexually harassing behavior on its campus and by any person while engaged in University business, whether on or off campus.

Nondiscrimination policy: The commitment of the University of Illinois to the most fundamental principles of academic freedom, equality of opportunity, and human dignity requires that decisions involving students and employees be based on merit and be free from invidious discrimination in all its forms.

The University of Illinois will not engage in discrimination or harassment against any person because of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation including gender identity, unfavorable discharge from the military or status as a protected veteran and will comply with all federal and state nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action laws, orders and regulations. This nondiscrimination policy applies to admissions, employment, access to and treatment in University programs and activities.

University complaint and grievance procedures provide employees and students with the means for the resolution of complaints that allege a violation of this Statement. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Director and Assistant Chancellor, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Access, 601 East John Street, Swanlund Administration Building, (217) 333-0885, fax (217) 244-9136, TTY (217) 244-9850 or the Associate Provost and Director, Academic Human Resources, Henry Administration Building, (217) 333-6747, fax (217) 244-5584. For other University of Illinois information, contact University Directory Assistance at 333-1000....