PS1021G 270 20 21 Narain PDF PDF

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Political Science 1021G 270 PEOPLE, POWER AND THE STATE Winter 2021 Instructor: Professor Nigmendra Narain Email: [email protected]

Course Information Class Times: not applicable Delivery Format: ONLINE Note: Due to Covid19 – all courses and course components will be available virtually. If it becomes possible to hold on-campus components, students will be provided with information about options at that time. Online: asynchronous, online delivery Calendar Description: This introduction to politics emphasizes how people and the state use power to achieve political aims. Students will learn essential concepts (power, authority, democracy, freedom) and influential ideologies (liberalism, conservatism, socialism, feminism, nationalism), explore our institutional landscape (legislatures, executives, the judiciary) and agents of change (parties, media, interest groups). Antirequisite(s):. Antirequisite(s): Political Science 1020E Prerequisite(s): 1.0 Political Science course(s) at the 1000-level. Extra Information: 3 hours. 2 hour lecture, 1 hour tutorial. . Course Weight: 0.50 Breadth: CATEGORY A Subject Code: POLISCI

King’s University College Department of Political Science

Politics 1021G 270: PEOPLE, POWER, AND THE STATE Winter 2021 CLASS INFORMATION Class Times: Lectures: Tutorial: Assignments:

Asynchronous Online via OWL site Videos posted on OWL site and YouTube Forums through OWL site Submission into OWL site

COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed to introduce you to concepts, analytical tools, and methods of modern Political Science. It is divided into three parts. Part one introduces you to the meaning of politics, key concepts, and analytical perspectives in the discipline of Political Science. This part is intended to help you to organize information on politics in a coherent way and to assist you in developing your own perspective(s). Part two draws your attention to key debates, ideas and conceptual tools in the sub-field of political philosophy. The goal of this section is to help you gain a deeper understanding of the broader goals of politics, the intersection between politics and philosophy, and it is also designed to help you to reflect on critical moral questions in politics. Part three gives you the opportunity to explore the institutional structures of advanced industrialized societies. Together these sections are intended to give you an overview of the field of political science, from which you can build your knowledge base.

PROFESSOR INFORMATION

Professor: Office: Cell: Email: Zoom Office Hours:

Nigmendra Narain 519-661-2111 x85108 519-860-3290 [email protected] Wed 11:30-12:30pm or by appointment

Political Science 1021G, 270, 2020-21: People, Power and the State, Professor Nigmendra Narain:

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EVALUATION Tutorial Participation Essay Sources and Outline Essay Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Total *** NO FINAL EXAM ***

20% 10% 25% 10% 15% 20% 100%

Note: • Maximum grade on any particular assignment or particular assessment or for the whole course is 100% • Minimum grade on any particular assignment or particular assessment or for the whole course is 0% • If you are an International Student or Exchange, note that all grades are assessed using Canadian University standards and appropriate University conversion agreements and rules

OWL SITE & ASSIGNMENTS All work is done or submitted through our OWL site Video Lectures: o Viewable on our OWL site o Posted generally at the start of the week on our OWL site o May include videos & other materials from other sources where appropriate and relevant Essay Assignments: o Details will be posted on our OWL site o Due dates are listed in the Course Schedule o Submission is through the OWL site and checked via Turnitin Tutorial Participation: o Through Forums on the OWL site o Discussion includes posting your response, replying to others, discussing written pieces, videos, etc. o Topics & materials, etc., will be posted on the OWL site, and can include readings, videos, etc. o As this course is accelerated, there will be two lecture sets and two tutorial postings per week Exams: o Through the Tests & Quizzes page and/or Assignment Submission page on our class OWL site Note about OWL & technology use: accommodation for any technical issues on the OWL site, etc., will not be redressed unless documented and submitted to Academic Counselling Late Policy: The Department of Political Science does not accept late papers in first year courses. All papers must be submitted electronically, by the stated deadline, through the Assignment page on OWL (which incorporates Turn It In) or they will be assigned a zero. o Any lateness due to medical illness must be in compliance with King’s Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness (e.g. appropriate documentation must be Political Science 1021G, 270, 2020-21: People, Power and the State, Professor Nigmendra Narain:

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submitted): http://uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/accommodation_medical.pdf Use of Electronic Devices for Assignment Completion: Use of electronic devices (namely, a laptop or a desktop) is required for the completion of assignments/papers. Happily, there are presently many free services that enable students to back up their work, such as Google Docs, OneDrive and Dropbox. Students also have drive space through King’s/Western which they can access online at any time. Consequently, there is an expectation that students will be responsible and back up their work frequently to avoid data loss when writing a paper or completing an assignment. Because of the availability of these services, explanations such as “my computer crashed”, “I don’t know where I saved my work”, “my file disappeared/is corrupted” will not be accepted as a reason for handing in an assignment late and the normal late policy will be applied.

COURSE READINGS Textbook: Robert Garner, Peter Ferdinand, Stephanie Lawson, and David B. MacDonald. Introduction to Politics, Second Canadian Edition. 2017. Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 9780199021734 o Ebook options: Perusall: if you have access to the textbook from a previous course, you don’t need to buy the book again Vital Source: https://www.vitalsource.com/enca/products/introduction-to-politics-robert-garner-peterv9780199021741 Redshelf: https://redshelf.com/book/545291/introduction-topolitics-545291-9780199021741-robert-garner-peterferdinand-stephanie-lawson-david-b-macdonald Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Introduction-PoliticsCanadian-Robert-Garner/dp/0199021732 WorldCat: https://www.worldcat.org/title/introduction-topolitics/oclc/953332581 Other readings will be posted on OWL and made accessible as PDFs

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Assignment Participation

Goals • • •

Recognize the importance of listening Communicate verbally in an analytic and clear fashion An awareness of the extent and limits of one’s own knowledge, informed by exposure to information, concepts, theories and experience

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Written Assignments

• • • •

Quizzes

• • •

Organizational skills that contribute to scholarly and personal independence Well-developed research skills, such as those articulated by the Political Science Research Competency Guidelines adopted by the Association of College and Research Libraries Assess evidence critical Communicate in written format in an analytic and clear fashion Understanding of methods; knowledge of epistemological approaches and ontological diversity Communicate in written format in an analytic and clear fashion Situate knowledge historically and contextually

Pace yourself BUT devote time regularly (scheduled?) to work on the materials and assignments for this class Check the OWL site and your UWO email regularly for information, details and clarifications for class assignments, deadlines, grades, etc. • Emails from non-UWO accounts may not be answered Conduct yourself appropriately & be respectful of your classmates • Note conduct should accord with the University of Western Ontario Student Code of Conduct, which can be accessed as a PDF from: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/board/code.pdf. Any Assignment assessed by the Lecturer to be in flagrant, repeated and/or egregious violation of the rules, guidelines, etc., may have a special penalty assessed or assigned a grade of Zero/0 • Assignments may be marked by a marker under my supervision Extensions: • When you have genuine and unavoidable reasons for requesting an extension of the original or late essay deadlines, please see me immediately and provide all relevant documentation • You MUST provide documentation to support your request for an extension to your Dean’s Office or Academic Counseling office so that they can verify/vet your documentation and let me know what accommodation should be considered Re-Evaluation: you are not allowed to re-write assignments once they have been handedin for marking under normal circumstances Non-Medical and Medical Absences • Please see the Student Service website (http://www.studentservices.uwo.ca) for the Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness and Student Medical Certificate • Any medical absence should be documented using the Student Medical Certificate or as instructed by Student Services, Dean’s Office or your Academic Counselor • If you have medical or other documentation, you must take it to the Dean’s Office or Academic Counselor, who will then confirm granting you accommodation Political Science 1021G, 270, 2020-21: People, Power and the State, Professor Nigmendra Narain:

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1.

Although Academic Counseling will advise me about accommodation, I will make the final decision about due dates, re-weighting, transfer weighting, etc., in consultation with your Academic Counselor and you For work worth less than 10% (as per Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness): non-documentable absences will not be given accommodation because allowances have been already included for incidental absences

Jan 11

What is this Course about and what are we learning? What is the Discipline of Political Science? Its Paradigms & Methodology? Garner, Introduction, “What Is Politics and How Should We Analyze It?”, 1-15 Tutorial 1: Who are you? Introduce yourself, thanks!

2.

Jan 18

What is Politics? What is the State? Garner, Chapter 1 “Politics and the State”, 19-38 Tutorial 2: What political issues does the COVID pandemic crisis raise and what should states be doing to handle it? see videos’ link on OWL site

3.

Jan 25

What is Power? What is Authority? What is Democracy? Garner, Chapter 2, “Political Power, Authority, and the State”, 40-52 & Chapter 3, “Democracy and Our Relationship to the State”, 55-70 Tutorial 3: Are Liberal Democracies the best form of government? (see readings or videos on OWL site)

4.

Feb 1

What is an Ideology? What is Liberalism? Garner, Chapter 5, “Traditional and Western Ideologies”, 87-91 Tutorial 4: Should there be limits on Free Speech? Why or why not? see videos’ link on OWL site Quiz #1: Sat Feb 5 12pm – Mon Feb 7 12pm Weeks 1-3, 20 questions, 40 minutes

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Feb 8

What is Conservatism? What is Socialism? Garner, Chapter 5, “Traditional and Western Ideologies”, 91-99 Tutorial 5: How should we deal with the problems of economic inequalities? see videos’ link on OWL site

6.

Feb 13 – 21

Reading Week

Feb 22

What is Fascism? What is Nationalism? Garner, Chapter 5, “Traditional and Western Ideologies”, 99-102 Tutorial 6: Essay Sources and Outline Questions? Tips & Advice? Essay Sources and Outline: Sat Feb 27 11:55pm via OWL site No Late Submissions are allowed

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Mar 1

What is Feminism? What is Environmentalism? Garner, Chapter 5, “Alternatives to the Mainstream Western Ideologies”, 112-122 Tutorial 7: How should we deal with the problems of gender inequalities? see videos’ link on OWL site

8.

Mar 8

What are Constitutions? What is Law? What is Federalism? Garner, Chapter 8, “Key Elements of the State: Laws, Constitutions, and Federalism”, 160-81 Tutorial 8: When are we justified in disobeying laws? on OWL site

see videos’ link

Quiz #2: Sat Mar 12 12pm – Mon Feb 7 12pm Weeks 4-7, 30 questions, 60 minutes 9.

Mar 15

What is a Legislature? What is the Judiciary? Garner, Chapter 9, “Legislatures and Legislators”, 183-204 Tutorial 9: Should judges be ‘making laws’ and/or preventing legislatures from making laws? see videos’ link on OWL site

10. Mar 22

What is an Executive? What is the Bureaucracy and how does Policymaking work? Garner, Chapter 10, Bureaucracies, Policymaking, and Governance”, 205-217 Tutorial 10: Is Canada’s Prime Minister more powerful than the US President? see videos’ link on OWL site Essay Due Date: Sat Mar 27 11:55pm via OWL site No Late Submissions are allowed

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11. Mar 29

What is a Political Party? What are Elections? Garner, Chapter 11, “Voting, Elections, and Political Parties”, 218-237 Tutorial 11: Why are young people not taking part in or active in ‘formal politics’? see videos’ link on OWL site

12. Apr 5

What is Political Culture? Who are Non-State Actors in Politics? Garner, Chapter 12, “Civil Society, Interest Groups, and the Media”, 238-260 & Chapter 13, “Political Culture” 261-278 Tutorial 12: Is Multiculturalism no longer important or useful for Canada’s political culture? see videos’ link on OWL site Quiz #3: Sat Apr 10 12pm – Mon Apr 12pm Weeks 9-12, 40 questions, 80 minutes

Important Information 1. USE your UWO/Western email account: Send and receive emails by the UWO email system so that your information is confidential and secure. Also, your non-UWO email may get caught in spam, etc., and may not get a response or review. 2. Non-medical and medical accommodation: Students should check out the Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness (https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index.cfm). For assignments worth 10%or more, documentation must be submitted by the student directly to their appropriate Faculty Dean’s office and not to the Instructor or TA, and the Dean`s office that will determine if accommodation is warranted. Any non-medical absences or absences for assignments worth less than 10%, will be dealt with by the Instructor on a case-by-case basis, and may include consultation with the Department of Political Science, Academic Counsellor and/or the Deans’ offices. 3. Statement on Use of Electronic Devices: NO electronics devices are allowed during inperson tests and examinations. 4. Statement on Academic Offences: “Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergra d.pdf 5. Concerning Turnitin: “All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the ce 1021G, 270, 2020-21: People, Power and the State, Professor Nigmendra Narain:

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service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com).” Also check: https://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryI D=1&command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID 6. Multiple-Choice Exam format checking software: “Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.” Also check: http://ww.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&command=show Category&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID 7. Support Services: “Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.” 8. Respectful conduct and engagement: Note conduct should accord with the University of Western Ontario Student Code of Conduct, which can be accessed as a PDF from: http://studentexperience.uwo.ca/student_experience/studentconduct.html. In general, please be respectful of and courteous to yourself, me, and your class colleagues, and others during discussions and other course engagements.

Approach us with your que questions stions or concerns: we want to help yo you u lea learn, rn, improve & do your best …

Enjoy the class!

Political Science 1021G, 270, 2020-21: People, Power and the State, Professor Nigmendra Narain:

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