Political Science 366
POLS 366: Politics of
Spring 2004
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Professor: Daniel
R. Kempton
Meeting time and place: 459
Dusable Hall, M, W
Office address/phone: 753-7040
Office hours: M
10:30-12, W
E-Mail: dkempton@niu.edu*
*The professor normally checks his e-mail about 4 times per week. If you a need a more rapid response please call me, or stop by during my office hours.
Course description/objectives:
The first objective of this course is to provide students with an
introduction to the politics of the newly emerging states of
Required/recommended texts: It should soon become apparent that the lectures are not a mere reiteration of the readings. The readings and lectures are presented as complementary (and only sometimes overlapping) sources of information. You will be responsible for the material presented in both. Thus, some of the test questions will cover material from the readings that has not been specifically addressed in class.
A. Readings from the following texts have been assigned as specified in the
course outline. They are available at both the
- Thomas F. Remington, Politics in
- Daniel R. Kempton & Terry
D. Clark, eds., Unity or Separation:
Center-Periphery Relations in the Former
B. The following seven cases have been assigned. These are short readings and can also be purchased in either the bookstore. Copies of each case will also be placed on reserve at the library.
- The August Coup: Part A (KSG C16-92-1147-0)
- Elena Kotova and the Moscow Privatization Agency (KSG C16-92-1141)
- Up in Arms: Russian Rockets
Sales for
- From
- After the Empire:
C. Each Week students are required to read at least two stories about
Russian politics in
Writing assignments:
To learn more about contemporary developments in the former
Journals are due at the beginning of class on the assigned day. Late journals will be downgraded 1/3 letter grade for each weekday that they are late. (A journal submitted after the beginning of class will be considered one day late). Thus, an "A" brief becomes and "A-" after one day and a "B+" after two days. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Therefore, students with sick relatives, paper-eating canines, low-life typists, or ill-tempered computers--as well as those students who are routinely taken hostage aboard alien spaceships--are strongly encouraged to compensate for any potential mishaps by preparing their journals in advance of the submission deadlines.
With the first journal submission students should submit a proposed topic for approval. With the second journal submission (in addition to the 12 new entries) students are required to produce a case study of an issue that was previously dealt with in the journal. Thus, summarizing in your journal multiple stories on the same topic would be prudent. The essay should be approximately 5 pages, double spaced with normal margins and type size. As with the assigned cases, the topic chosen for the essay should involve a decision or dilemma for a specific post-Soviet politician, government, or governmental organization. (You are encouraged to discuss your topic with the professor prior to submitting your first journal.) The essay will then look at the dilemma from the perspective of an identified government or individual decision maker. It should identify the objectives or goals of the decision maker and at least two alternative policies to meet the objectives. Then analyze the alternatives in terms of the likelihood that they will each meet the decision maker’s objectives. Then recommend a policy based on the likelihood that a given policy will meet the objectives. Students may elect to write the essay using only RFE/RL Gazeta articles. To add background and depth, however, outside sources may be consulted. There is a listing of some other useful sources at the end of this syllabus. All sources should be properly footnoted using an accepted style. The case study will count for 10% of the semester grade.
Undergraduate Writing Awards: 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. Papers, which can be submitted by students or faculty, must be supplied in triplicate to a department secretary by February 25. 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.
Plagiarism Statement: "The
attempt of any student to present as his or her own work that which he or she
has not produced is regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious
offense. Students are considered to have cheated if they copy the work of
another during an examination or turn in a paper or an assignment written, in
whole or in part, by someone else. Students are guilty of plagiarism,
intentional or not, if they copy material from books, magazines, or other
sources or if they paraphrase ideas from such sources without acknowledging
them. Students guilty of, or assisting others in,
either cheating or plagiarism on an assignment, quiz, or examination may
receive a grade of F for the course involved and may be suspended or dismissed
from the university." Northern
Grading: There will be two
examinations, a mid-term and a final examination. Each will represent 25% of
the semester grade. The examinations will cover the material presented in the
lectures, the readings and class discussions. The mid-term examination will be
administered in class on March 9 and the final will be administered on May 11,
Midterm Exam = 25%
Final Exam = 25%
1st Journal Submission = 15%
2nd Journal Submission = 15%
Journal Essay = 10%
Participation = 10%
Attendance policy: Students who miss more than two case days or more than five class periods in total will have a deduction taken from their participation grade. The participation grade will assess the quality and quantity of each student's participation in class. The participation grade will account for 10 % of the semester grade.
Students with Disabilities: Under
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, NIU us 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
Web Site: 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 event, and accessing important details related to undergraduate programs and activities. To reach the site, go to http://www.niu.edu/acad/polisci/pols/html.
Assignments and Due Dates:
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Date: |
Assignment: |
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Jan. 12 |
Introduction and Distribution of Course Syllabi |
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Jan. 21 |
CASE #1 |
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Jan. 14 & |
I. The Geography and Climate of |
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II. The History of Eurasia |
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Jan. 28 |
1. The Tsarist Period |
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Feb. 2 & 4 |
2. The Soviet Economic System Remington, Chpt. 3 |
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Feb. 9 |
CASE #2 Elena Kotova and the Moscow Privatization Agency |
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3. The Soviet Political System |
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Feb. 16 Feb. 18 |
a. the |
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Feb. 23 |
b. the Communist Party |
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Feb. 25 |
FIRST JOURNAL SUBMISSION (5 week = 5-10 pages) |
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Mar. 1 |
Case #3 The August Coup: Part A (KSC C16-92-1147-0) |
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Mar. 3 |
MID-TERM EXAMINATION |
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Mar. 15 |
4. Mikhail Gorbachev & the Collapse of the Remington, Chpt. 7 |
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III. Russia |
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Mar. 17 |
CASE #4 |
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Mar. 22 |
1. The Politics of Federalism in |
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Mar. 29 |
2. The Executive |
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Mar. 31 |
CASE #5 Up in Arms: Russian
Rocket Sales for |
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Apr. 5 |
3. The Legislative Branch |
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Apr. 7 |
4. The Judicial Branch (& the Bureaucracy) |
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Apr. 12 |
5. Parties, Participation & Democracy Remington, Chpt. 4 |
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Apr. 14 Apr. 19 |
IV. The Commonwealth & the Near Abroad |
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Apr. 21 |
JOURNAL IS DUE! (7 weeks = 7-14 pages) |
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Apr. 21 |
Case #6 From |
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Apr. 26 |
Russian Foreign Policy Remington, Chpt. 9 |
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Apr. 28 |
CASE #7 After the Empire: |
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May 3 |
Alternate Final Examination, |
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May 5 |
FINAL EXAMINATION, |
Gazeta
Online (http://www.gazeta.ru/english/)
GazetaSNG, General CIS News (http://eng.gazetasng.ru/)
(Itar Tass, News Agency (http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/)
Moscow News, Weekly Online (http://www.mn.ru/english/)
Pravda Online (not affiliated with the Communist Party) (http://english.pravda.ru/)
RIA-Novosti, State Run News Agency (http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm)
Russian Government (http://www.gov.ru/index.html)
Russian Political Weekly, for US Radio Liberty (http://www.rferl.org/rpw/)
BBC World News
Christian Science Monitor
CNN Breaking News
The
Times (London)
New York Times
Washington Post
Electronic Citation Style Manuals
