POLS 260: Foreign and Comparative Politics
Spring 2006,
Section 3; DuSable 459: TTh
Gregory
D. Schmidt Blake
Klinkner
Office:
Zulauf 426 (thru 415) Office:
DuSable 476
Phone:
753-7039 Phone:
753-1818
Office Hours: TTH 11-12 Office
Hours: W
T
E-mail:
gschmidt@niu.edu
E-mail: blakeklinkner@yahoo.com
Welcome
to the world of comparative politics!
This course is NIU’s introduction to the study of political systems
outside of the
Course
Policies and Requirements
1. Attendance. Regular attendance is expected and will account
for 10 percent of your final grade.
After three grace absences, I will subtract 1 point for each additional
absence. If you arrive after roll is
checked, please notify me at the end of class so that you can receive a
tardy. The first tardy is excused. The second tardy counts as a
half-absence. The third and each subsequent
tardy count as absences. Students with
very poor attendance may even receive negative grades for this component.
I
will normally excuse absences only for a recognized religious holiday of your
faith that happens to coincide with a class meeting. Otherwise, I will excuse absences only under
extraordinary circumstances, such as a prolonged illness, extended jury duty,
or a major personal crisis, and then only after the three grace absences have
been exhausted. Any excused absences
must be documented.
Please
do not ask me to excuse absences for minor illnesses, funerals, or scheduling
conflicts (e.g. sports practices or games,
play rehearsals, meetings, conferences, appointments with other professors or
advisors, student teaching, doctor's appointments, court dates, jobs, job
interviews, having your cable installed, etc.).
I realize, of course, that students occasionally become ill, but it is
unlikely that minor illnesses will force you to miss class more than three
times. Moreover, even if you should be
so unlucky, it is unlikely that an additional absence or two will make a
difference in your final grade. I also
am well aware that students have other interests and obligations, but you
should nevertheless make this class a priority.
If you are likely to have recurring conflicts, please take another
course.
2. The Learning
Environment. I am committed to the principle of active
learning. For me, this means that
learning cannot take place without students' active involvement in, commitment
to, and responsibility for their own education.
Hence, it is important that students conduct themselves in ways that
indicate respect for the learning community and the learning process.
Faced
with declining classroom decorum in recent years, the Undergraduate Committee
of the Department of Political Science has encouraged faculty to state explicit
expectations regarding behavior in their syllabi. Please be advised that each occurrence of the
following during class time may result in the deduction of one point from your
final course average:
a.
Leaving the room, unless the instructor has previously agreed or there is an
emergency, such as a fire alarm, tornado alert, or a bona fide illness. If you must leave early for any other
reason––including going to the restroom––please do not return during that class
period. (An additional half point may be
deducted if you come back). If you are
truly sick, please explain later.
b.
Allowing your cell phone to ring more than once during the semester. (If there is a true emergency that may
necessitate receiving a call, please let me know before class.)
c.
Using a cell phone for conversation, text messaging, or as a camera. (However, students are welcome to tape record
the class, if they so wish.)
d.
Engaging in a private conversation.
e.
Reading the newspaper, studying for another class, or undertaking some other
activity that is not related to this course.
f.
Eating or falling asleep. (Students may
discreetly drink non-alcoholic beverages).
g.
Listening to music or the radio, even with headphones.
h.
Smoking (All NIU classrooms are smoke-free environments).
i.
Any other behavior that is coarse, rude, noticeably inattentive, or
inconsiderate of others.
If
a student persists in behavior that is disruptive or that undermines the
learning environment, I will request that he or she be barred from the class,
following the procedures outlined in the 2004-05
Undergraduate Catalog, pp. 49 and 306.
This sort of behavior also constitutes grounds for dismissal from the
university.
3.
at
the
Michael
G. Roskin, Countries and Concepts:
Politics, Geography, Culture, 8th edition (Prentice Hall, 2004)
Gregory D. Schmidt,
Some
short readings may also be handed out in class or placed on Blackboard.
Lectures
will parallel and complement, but not merely repeat, the material in the textbook. You are responsible for material covered in
the readings but not in the lectures and vice versa. You should complete reading assignments for
each date before coming to class.
4. Study Guides, Quizzes,
and Website. Study guides and other
ancillary materials will be posted on Blackboard before most, if not all,
classes. These resources and the website
for Roskin (http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_roskin_countries_8) will help you
prepare for the 6-8 unannounced quizzes to be given in class on the reading
assigned for that day. Make-ups of quizzes will be given only under
extraordinary circumstances at the discretion of the instructor.
You should review the relevant study guide,
especially any “quizzable” questions, before
coming to class. The study guides should
also help you to integrate material from the readings and lecture for the
exams.
Materials for Tuesday classes will be posted no
later than
5.
Accessing Blackboard. You
can access Blackboard by following these steps:
a. Type the URL http://webcourses.niu.edu/
in the address box of your browser (Internet Explorer works best) or go
to the NIU homepage and click on "Current Students," then "Online
Academic Resources," and then "Blackboard Course Server." You can also access Blackboard with the A-Z
feature of the NIU homepage.
b. Type
username (Novel ID = student ZID) and password.
Your Novell network password is
also your Blackboard password. Your initial password is your birth date in the
form of YYYYMMDD. This initial password is temporary and must be reset
before five usage attempts. Passwords expire every 130 days. You can change
your password over the Internet at password.niu.edu
or by calling 815-752-7738 (815-752-RSET). For help with your password,
please go to password.niu.edu or phone 753-8100.
c. Click Login.
d. Click on the title of this course.
e. Click on assignments.
f. Open and print out the relevant assignment.
If you have problems in accessing Blackboard,
please call 753-8100.
6.
Videos. I will
show a number of videos on course-related topics to the extent that time and
scheduling permit. These are not
"blow-off" classes; indeed, some exam questions will be based on
audiovisual materials. I will help you
to focus on the most pertinent information and perspectives. You should print out any study guides for the
videos before coming to class.
7. Exams. A mid-term exam, scheduled for March 9, will
be comprised of multiple choice and true/false questions. The final exam, scheduled for May 11, will
follow the same format. Each exam will
cover a discrete section of the course, though some of the material has a cumulative
character. If necessary, exam grades
will be curved in accordance with overall student performance. I will hand back the mid-term for review in
class, however, departmental policy requires me to retain all objective
questions and answers on file. The final
exam will remain on file and available for review until the end of the Fall
2006 semester.
Make-up
exams will be given only in the case of a documented medical or personal
emergency. In such an event, you must
notify me before the exam. Make-up exams may be all short answer, a format
that requires more intensive preparation.
8. Paper. Drawing on recent periodicals, academic
journals, and possibly on-line sources, each student will write a 5 page paper
analyzing a major contemporary political issue or significant recent event in
9. Extra
Credit and Class Participation. I will not
accept extra credit projects to improve low quiz or test grades. I will, however, be glad to help students
improve their study habits. Moreover,
you can earn up to 3 points of extra credit through class participation. I will add 1 point to the final averages of
those students who, in my judgment, made a significant contribution to class
discussion. I will add 2 points for
above-average class participation and 3 points for outstanding
participation. In assessing class
participation, I will emphasize quality, rather than mere quantity.
10. Course Grade. The following weights will be use in
determining your course average:
Attendance 10%
Quizzes 20%
Paper 20%
Mid-term 25%
Final 25%
__________________
100%
Any
extra points for class participation will be added to this average.
Course
Grades will be distributed as follows:
Final Average and Extra Credit Final Grade
90-100%
A
80-89%
B
65-79%
C
50-64%
D
Below 50%
F
11. Seating and Checking
Attendance. After the first week of class, all students
will sit in permanently assigned seats to facilitate the checking of attendance
and so that I can learn your names. If
you arrive after roll is checked, please notify me at the end of class and I will
mark you tardy.
12. Incompletes. No incompletes will be given for reasons
other than a medical or personal emergency and then only after presentation of
verifiable documentation. Academic
hardship does not qualify as an acceptable excuse.
13. Adjustments in Course
Schedule. I will do my best to follow the course schedule
outlined below, but I reserve the right to make reasonable adjustments with adequate
warning if unforeseeable or uncontrollable circumstances (e.g. weather,
illness, travel) so warrant. It is not
fair, however, to modify the class schedule or previously set exam dates simply
to accommodate the preferences of some students, since other students inevitably
suffer.
14. Academic Integrity. Students are expected to know and comply with
NIU policies on academic integrity (see p. 49 of 2005-06 Undergraduate Catalog). Any student found guilty of cheating will
receive an “F” for the course. He or she
may also be subject to additional sanctions imposed by the University.
Course Outline
JANUARY
17
Introduction to Course
JANUARY
19
Basic Concepts: Nation and State
Roskin, pp. 1-9, box on p.
17.
JANUARY
24
Democratization
Roskin, boxes on pp. 9 and
15.
JANUARY
26
Roskin, pp. 20-34.
JANUARY
31
Social Cleavages and Political Culture: Comparative
Perspectives and
Roskin, pp. 11-12, boxes on
pp. 13-14, 53-64.
FEBRUARY
2
Electoral Systems and Parties: Comparative
Perspectives and
Roskin, p. 10 (paragraph on
parties), pp. 50-51; review pp. 56-58 and 61;
pp. 66-73.
Video on Proportional Representation
FEBRUARY
7
Governmental Institutions: Comparative Perspectives
and
Roskin, pp. 9-10, 12-16,
36-50, 73-77.
FEBRUARY
9
Video: Order!
Order! Britain’s Parliament at Work
FEBRUARY
14
Quarrels: Comparative Perspectives and
Roskin, pp. 17-18, 79-92.
FEBRUARY 16
Roskin, pp. 94-110.
Video: The
French Revolution
FEBRUARY
21
Roskin, pp. 130-145.
Video, The
Essential History of
FEBRUARY
23
Roskin,
box on p.119, pp. 124-126, review boxes on pp. 136
and 144; pp. 147-157.
FEBRUARY
28
Roskin, pp. 113-124, 127-128
157-160.
MARCH
2
Roskin, pp. 162-175.
MARCH
7
Review
MARCH
9
Mid-Term Exam
SPRING
BREAK!!!!
MARCH
21
Go Over Mid-Term Exam in Class
Roskin, pp. 176-195.
MARCH
23
Video: The
Germans: Portrait of a New Nation
MARCH
28
Video: The
Germans: Portrait of a New Nation (continued)
Roskin, pp. 215-228.
MARCH
30
Video: The Essential
History of
Roskin, pp. 207-213,
230-236, boxes on 237-238, 241-244.
APRIL
4
Roskin, pp. 197-207, 209
(Bundesrat), 236-241,
APRIL
6
Roskin, pp. 245-258.
APRIL
11
Schmidt, pp. 2-18, 18-23
(skim), 23-37.
APRIL
13
Schmidt, pp. 37-42,
78-79 (pre-reform malaise)
Video: Fire in
the Mind
Video, Mario
Vargas Llosa: The Story of the Novelist Who Would be President
APRIL
18
Finish Vargas Llosa Video
Schmidt,
pp. 42-45.
APRIL
20
Schmidt, pp. 45-51 (very
top), 79-82.
Video, Interview with Alberto
Fujimori (Robert Novak) (selected portions)
APRIL
25
Schmidt, pp. 51 (1st
full paragraph) to 53.
Video, The
Fujimori Empire (selected portions)
APRIL
27
Schmidt, pp. 53-58, 81-82
(re-read).
Video, Peruvian News Coverage of
2000 election
Video, A Hazy
Transparency: Peru’s 2000 Elections
Papers Due
MAY
2
Schmidt, pp. 58-69.
Schmidt, pp. 69-78.
MAY
4
Teacher Evaluation and Review
MAY 11
Final Exam: