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(1)Political Science 2 – Modern World Governments Fall 2012 Syllabus – Section 1036 Instructor: Dr. John Paul Tabakian (TENTATIVE – July 26, 2012) Class: Section #1036 (Lecture) 08/27/2012 to 12/16/2012 – Tuesday & Thursday – 10:10am to 11:35am in TE312 Office Hours: Tuesday – 11:45am to 12:30pm in Social & Behavioral Offices in the TE Building Department Phone: (213) 763-5513 Voice Mail: (213) 763-5377 Ext. 4023 E-mail: [email protected] (the most reliable way to reach me is by e-mail) URL: www.tabakian.com (use the site to download lost class handouts). DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES (DSS) ACCOMODATION STATEMENT Students with disabilities who need any assistance or accommodations should contact the instructor. Students should also contact the Disabled Student Programs & Services (DSPS) center located in E-110 or call (213) 763-3773. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course studies a selected variety of major national states to secure a comparative picture of political philosophies, constitution, political processes and governmental institutions. Emphasis is placed on how various variables such as the geographic, historic, demographic, and cultural serve to influence various aspects of societal behavior within respective nation-states. The primary goal of this class is to assist students in developing a solid foundation of major methodological and theoretical issues in the field of comparative politics. Students are expected to become able to compare nation-states through the use of various intellectual or conceptual tools of the discipline. Various country studies will be examined that will require careful examination of the politics of Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, China, Mexico, Brazil, Iran, India, Nigeria and The United States. OUTCOMES AND OBJECTIVES – STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES Students will have attained the following tools upon successful completion of this course: (1) Acquire a strong understanding of how specific combinations of variables serves to alter societal behavior within a nation-state that in turn influences that government’s foreign and domestic policy. Students will come to understand the following: why compare; how should we compare; and what can or should we compare? (2) Come to appreciate how theory helps us understand past events, presently unfolding events and even helps researchers to better predict future outcomes. Properly utilize the major strategies of comparative analysis: the case study, two country comparisons, and multiple-unit comparisons. (3) Gather appropriate research materials during their quest to produce research based papers that utilize proper methodological approaches that draw on proven theoretical approaches in their comparative analysis. The major theoretical traditions in comparative politics will be utilized throughout the course: rationalist, culturalist and structural approaches. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLO’s) • Analyze government and politics in nation-states through the use and interplay of political institutions and processes, public policy, state and non-state actors, and domestic and international issues. • Analyze the relationships between the economy and political system for a given country. • Analyze how different kinds of government and political institutions affect both domestic and foreign policies for a given country..

(2) TEXTBOOKS Comparative Politics Today: A World View, 10th Edition” By: Gabriel A. Almond, Russell and G. Bingham Powell Jr. (Check with your instructor if you find an earlier edition) ARTICLES Your instructor will make available all necessary articles to lecture students via a hardcopy course pack. Online students may download the appropriate articles via our online Moodle course website or directly from www.tabakian.com. Lecture students who lose their hard copy course pack may download a PDF version of the course pack from www.tabakian.com. Your instructor will not reprint additional course packs for any lecture student who loses their hardcopy course pack. ASSIGNMENTS THREE minor paper assignments, ONE research paper, THREE in class quizzes, AND ONE FINAL EXAM will serve as the assignments. One of the three in class quizzes, the lowest scored quiz, will be thrown out. There will be no makeup quizzes. If a student misses a quiz then that will be the one dropped. STUDENTS MUST BRING THEIR OWN SCANTRON AND #2 PENCIL FOR ALL IN CLASS EXAMS! YOUR INSTRUCTOR WILL NOT PROVIDE ANY TEST TAKING MATERIALS! FINAL EXAMINATION OUR EXAM IS SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2012 FROM 9:30AM TO 11:30AM. ATTENDANCE Students are required to attend class. Attendance is taken during every class session. Repeated unexcused absences may lead a student to be dropped or face a reduction in grade due to nonparticipation. Be sure to contact your instructor if you are going to be absent. Keep in mind that it is the responsibility of students to formally drop classes AND confirm their enrollment. Your instructor is not responsible for dropping anyone. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY A violation of academic integrity of any type by a student provides grounds for disciplinary action by the instructor or college. Violations of Academic Integrity include, but are not limited to, the following actions: cheating on an exam, plagiarism, working together on an assignment, paper or project when the instructor has specifically stated students should not do so, submitting the same term paper to more than one instructor, or allowing another individual to assume one’s identity for purpose of enhancing one’s grade. For more information refer to the College Catalog available in hardcopy and online at www.lattc.edu..

(3) “JP” TABAKIAN’S GRADING SYSTEM INTRODUCTION Students need to know how their instructor evaluates their work. Being that all of our quizzes and the final exam are multiple choice, students are for the most able to correlate a letter grade with the number of questions answered correctly. The purpose of this handout is to explain your instructor’s methodology for grading exams and most importantly essay assignments. Every instructor has a distinct teaching style. Your instructor believes strongly that classroom instruction is a process requiring students to improve throughout the course. No one assignment or exam should determine the ultimate fate of any student. Learning is an ongoing process for both the student and instructor alike. It is rare for any student to grasp all concepts of any discipline instantly. A student, who starts the semester attending all lectures and completes all assigned readings on time, may still score poorly on the first quiz or essay assignment. There is nothing to fear, but fear itself. Reviewing this handout should satisfy any concern you might have pertaining to your instructor’s grading philosophy. Grading methodology is broken into the following sections: grading system, quizzes, final exam, and essay assignments (including the take home exam if applicable). YOUR FINAL GRADE FOR THE COURSE IS THE AVERAGE OF ALL LETTER GRADES FOR EVERY ASSIGNMENT, QUIZ AND THE FINAL EXAM. GRADING SYSTEM There are three requirements that must be followed by every student. The first is active participation. Lecture students must attend class and actively participate. Online students must log-on to the Moodle Course Site at least once a week to review/download posted readings, weekly Power Points AND submit comments to the online discussion forum. Failure to participate constitutes nonattendance. Active Participation Quiz #1 Quiz #2 Quiz #3 Minor Paper #1 Minor Paper #2 Minor Paper #3 Student Presentation of Research Topic Research Paper Final Exam. A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F. Points based on a percentage basis for all assignments as evaluated by the Instructor. Late assignments receive reduced points. Instructor reserves the right to occasionally post final deadlines for past due assignments. Tardiness reduces Participation points.. YOUR FINAL GRADE FOR THE COURSE IS THE AVERAGE OF ALL LETTER GRADES FOR EVERY ASSIGNMENT, QUIZ AND THE FINAL EXAM!.

(4) QUIZZES There are three quizzes given to all of my classes, regardless if it is a Political Science 1, 2, or 7 course. There are no makeup quizzes. Your instructor may AND I STRESS MAY make an exception if it is warranted. Every quiz has thirty multiple-choice questions and is open notes, but closed book. The reason for this policy is that your instructor believes wholeheartedly that students are better able to retain information if they take notes during lecture AND while completing assigned readings. This is true for every type of class regardless of what class if may be. Students do not receive credit for taking notes. The incentive for disciplining yourself to become a good note taker is allowing all exams, including the final exam to be open notes, but closed book. It takes time for students to become accustomed to taking notes. Students are also human and may neglect their reading assignments, instead cramming the night before an exam and filling pages of notes believing that they will score highly. This is why a significant number of students do not score very well on the first quiz. DO NOT TAKE ANY EXAM LIGHTLY BECAUSE THEY ARE OPEN NOTES. Now you know why your instructor drops the lowest scored quiz. This is the quiz grading scale: • • • • •. 50 to 45 correctly answered questions 44 to 39 correctly answered questions 38 to 33 correctly answered questions 28 to 23 correctly answered questions 18 to 1 correctly answered questions. = = = = =. A B C D F. FINAL EXAM The final exam has fifty multiple-choice questions and is open notes, but closed book. There is also an essay portion to the final exam that is worth 5 points. The final exam is worth a maximum of 55 points. This is the final exam grading scale: • • • • •. 55 to 50 correctly answered questions 49 to 34 correctly answered questions 33 to 28 correctly answered questions 27 to 22 correctly answered questions 21 to 1 correctly answered questions. = = = = =. A B C D F. ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS Determining the letter grade requires adding the total number of points per criteria and then dividing that number by four. Your instructor evaluates every paper according to the following criteria: • Content & Development 4 points possible • Organization & Structure 4 points possible • Format – including images 4 points possible • Theoretical Arguments 4 points possible • Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling Students 4 points possible Let us assume that a student receives four points per criteria. Adding all points equals twenty. Dividing that number by four equals five, which the grading scale below shows that student receiving an “A” for the assignment. Refer to the next page for the grading rubric. • • • • •. 5 points = 4 points = 3 points = 2 points = 1 points =. A B C D F.

(5) ESSAY ASSIGNMENT GRADING RUBRIC.

(6) Weekly Schedule of Topics & Course Calendar (TURN PAGE FOR COURSE CALENDAR) August 28th: Lecture will introduce the course. Your instructor will review the basic theoretical constructs of political science. This will essentially be a review of political science 1. Students are encouraged to read the packet handout titled “The Fundamentals Of Political Science”. This is part 1 of “Transparency” that is hosted in the publications section of www.tabakian.com or in the supplemental reading section of the Moodle Course Site. August 30th: We continue our discussion from last week. Your instructor will review the directions for Minor Paper Assignment #1 and the Final Research Paper Assignment. Minor Paper Assignment #1 is due no later than September 9th. The Final Research Paper Assignment is due no later than December 14th. September 4th: Comparative Politics is a distinct subfield of the political sciences. This class focuses on those distinct characteristics of the discipline. We will answer the following questions: What is politics? How and why are governments created? How do governments interact with one another? What factors influence the actions of a nationstate? READ: Chapter 1 from “Comparative Politics Today. September 6th: Minor Paper Assignment #1 is due. Directions for Minor Paper #2 are given. It is due no later than September 30th. We continue our conversation from the last class regarding the creation, interaction and maintenance of governments. September 11th: Quiz #1 will be given today. September 13th: Why and how does one compare? We will answer this question as well as examine how political systems form, along with their structures and functions. Our class discussion will also examine rationalist, culturalist and structural approaches to comparing. READ: Chapter 2 from “Comparative Politics” and the article, “The Future In Comparative Politics”, by Robert H. Bates. September 18th:Class examines the three levels of political culture. Many have argued that the United States is currently fighting a war not against a particular nation-state, but a particular culture. This has been defined as a war declared “By The West Against The West”. Culture as a major influence of public policy will be examined, including political socialization READ: Chapters 3 to 4 from “Comparative Politics”. September 20th: Trends shaping contemporary political cultures will be examined to better understand the impact of “Transition”. Interest group conflict as a major influence over societal norms of behavior is a factor in every nationstate. REVIEW: Chapters 3 to 4 from “Comparative Politics”. September 25th: Interest aggregation, political parties, various forms of governments and how public policy is created will be examined. Interdependency will also be discussed. READ: Chapters 5 to 7 from “Comparative Politics” September 27th: Quiz #2 will be given today. Minor Paper #2 is due! READ the article, “Introduction: The Complex Politics Of Canadian-American Interdependence”, by Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye, Jr. October 2nd: Directions for Minor Paper #3 will be given. It is due no later than November 4th. Class examines interdependency among nation-states. Our lecture focuses on Keohane’s and Nye’s article, “Introduction: The Complex Politics Of Canadian-American Interdependence”. October 4th: Many have argued that democracy has triumphed. We will examine this contention. READ the article, “The Paradoxes of Contemporary Democracy”, by Evelyne Huber, Dietrich Rueschemeyer and John D. Stephens. October 9th: Have we truly reached what Francis Fukuyama calls, “The End Of History”? Or are we facing the next war over culture? READ the article, “Reflections On The End Of History Five Years Later”, by Francis Fukuyama..

(7) Weekly Schedule of Topics & Course Calendar (Continued) October 11th: Our class continues to examine Fukuyama’s contention that we are at the end of history. October 16th: Students are to introduce their research topics to the class. Active participation is required. October 18th: Students are to introduce their research topics to the class. Active participation is required. October 23rd: We begin our review of case studies with the politics in Britain and France. READ: Chapters 8 and 9 from “Comparative Politics”. October 25th: Politics of Germany and Japan will be our topic of discussion. READ: Chapters 10 and 11 from “Comparative Politics”. October 30th: Russian and Chinese politics will be discussed. READ: Chapters 12 and 13 from “Comparative Politics”. November 1st: MINOR PAPER ASSIGNMENT #3 IS DUE! Mexican and Brazilian politics are to be examined. READ: Chapters 14 and 15 from “Comparative Politics”. November 6th: Politics of Iran and India are slated for discussion. READ: Chapters 16 and 17 from “Comparative Politics”. November 8th: We discuss the ramifications of the “Arab Spring” for the international community. November 13th: Class examines the politics of Nigeria and the United States. READ: Chapters 18 and 19 from “Comparative Politics”. November 15th: Our class examines whether the “War On Terror” is in fact a “War On Culture”, or as Samuel Huntington argues, “The West Versus Rest”. READ the article, “The Clash Of Civilizations”, by Samuel P. Huntington. November 20th: Your instructor will answer any questions regarding the final research paper assignment. November 22nd: THANKSGIVING! NO CLASS! November 27th: Students are to present their research findings to the class. Active participation is required. November 29th: Students are to present their research findings to the class. Active participation is required. December 4th: FINAL RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT IS DUE! REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM! December 6th: REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM! December 11th: THE FINAL EXAM IS SCHEDULED FROM 9:30AM TO 11:30AM!. Topics and dates are subject to change. Announcements will be made in class. Students are responsible for adjusting the calendar. Online hosting of course materials is done as a courtesy. The instructor makes no guarantees that online access to course materials will always be available..

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