Office: 305 Zulauf DuSable 246
Office Hours: T 1:45-2:45, Th 4:30-5:30 T 3:30-5:50, Th 3:30-4:20
753-7042, dunger@niu.edu
In general, the long Tuesday meetings will be devoted to viewing films and, when time is available, informal discussions. Thursday class meetings will be used for more focused class discussions on readings and topics assigned by the professor.
The Department of Political Science will recognize, on an annual basis, outstanding undergraduate papers written in conjunction with 300-400 level political science courses or directed studies. Authors do not have to be political science majors or have a particular class standing. Winners are expected to attend the Department's spring graduation ceremony where they will receive a certificate and $50.00. Papers, which can be submitted by students or faculty, must be supplied in triplicate to a department secretary by February 28. All copies should have two cover pages - one with the student's name and one without the student's name. Only papers written in the previous calendar year can be considered for the award. However, papers completed in the current spring semester are eligible for the following year's competition even if the student has graduated.
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, NIU is committed to
making reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities.
Those students with disabilities that may have some impact on their coursework
and for which they may require accommodations should notify the Center for
Access-Ability Resources (CAAR) on the fourth floor of the
Undergraduates are strongly encouraged to consult the Department of Political Science web site on a regular basis. This up-to-date, central source of information will assist students in contacting faculty and staff, reviewing course requirements and syllabi, exploring graduate study, researching career options, tracking department events, and accessing important details related to undergraduate programs and activities. To reach the site, go to http://polisci.niu.edu
Le Ly Hayslip, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, Plume
Christopher J. Koch, The Year of Living Dangerously, Penguin
Peter Matthiessen, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Vintage Books
Robert Penn Warren, All the King’s Men, Harvest Books
-Class attendance and contributions to discussions.
-One three-page paper analyzing political issues raised by one of the films viewed in class. The paper is due at the beginning of class, Thursday, September 25th.
-One five-page paper that compares novel and film treatments of political issues in All the King’s Men or At Play in the Fields of the Lord. The paper is due at the start of class, Thursday, October 23rd.
-One eight-page paper comparing book and film treatments of political issues found in The Quiet American, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, or The Year of Living Dangerously. The paper is due at the start of class, Thursday, December 4th.
-Final exam, December 9th, 4-5:50, based on questions distributed in class on December 4th.
Rewrite policy Students may elect to resubmit any of their papers. After the first resubmission, however, subsequent resubmitted papers will be graded down half a grade (five points out of 100.)
Grades will be determined as follows:
Attendance and participation 15
3-page paper 10
5-page paper 15
8-page paper 20
Final exam 40
Assigned readings should be done prior to the class meetings for which they are assigned.
Birth of a Nation, Triumph of the Will, The
Great Dictator, Bamboozled
August 28, Analyzing politics
Library reserve: Gabriel A. Almond, G. Bingham Powell, Jr., Kaare Strom, Russell J. Dalton, Comparative Politics, A Theoretical Framework, 4th edition (New York: Pearson/Longman, 2004) pp.1-38
September 2, Industrial society and its ills, Modern Times
Michael A. Genovese, Politics and the Cinema: an Introduction to Political Films, pp.1-26
September 4
September 9, Power crossing cultures, At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Peter Matthiessen, At Play in the Fields of the Lord
September 11
September 16, Totalitarianism: comparing depictions of Animal Farm
September 18
September 23, Means and ends, All the King’s Men
Robert Penn Warren, All the King’s Men
September 25
Three-page paper due
September 30, Nationalism, propaganda, and historical
fulcrums, Enemy at the Gate
Antony Beevor,
October 2
October 7, Securing the collectivity; securing individual rights, The Siege
October 9
October 14, Politicians’ privacy and the double standard, The Contender
October 16
October 21, Class as a political category, Remains of the Day, Grand Illusion
October 23
Five-page paper due
October 28, Riding the mobilization tiger, The Year of Living Dangerously
Christopher J. Koch, The Year of Living Dangerously
October 30
November 4, Revolt without revolution, Spartacus, Amistad
Keith R. Bradley, Slavery and Rebellion in the Roman World, 140 B.C.-70 B.C., pp.2-17, 93-101
November 6
November 11, The morality of individuals and of history, The Quiet American
Graham Greene, The Quiet American
November 13
November 18, Sustaining humane values amid the horror, Heaven and Earth
Le Ly Hayslip, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places
November 20
November 25, Anarchy and deterrence; rationality and genocide, Dr. Strangelove, Shane
Jack Hitt,
“Battlefield Space,” New York Times
Magazine,
Robert J. Lieber, No Common Power, Understanding International Relations, 2nd edition (Harper Collins, 1991) pp.5-10
December 2, Power and plenty confront community, Apocalypse Now
December 4
Eight-page paper due
December 9, final exam, 4-5:50