Syllabus

Why you should take this class

This class will teach you about politics around the world, focusing on subjects like democracy, the political roots of economic development, and how America's political system compares to that of other countries. If you are interested in political science as a concentration, this class will prepare you for more advanced subjects. If you just want to understand what is going on in the world, this class will provide you with useful theoretical frameworks and factual background on some of the most important countries.

Criteria for HASS CI Subjects

Because this is a HASS-D CI subject, it must meet the following mechanical criteria. This includes at least 20 pages of writing divided among 3-5 assignments (in the case of this class, three). Of these assignments, at least one must be revised and resubmitted. HASS CI subjects must further offer students substantial opportunity for oral expression, through presentations, student-led discussion, or class participation. In order to guarantee sufficient attention to student writing and substantial opportunity for oral expression, the maximum number of students per section in a HASS CI subject is 18, except in the case of a subject taught without sections where the faculty member in charge is the only instructor. In that case, enrollments can rise to 25, if a writing fellow is attached to the subject.

Requirements

Readings

Readings total approximately 85 pages per week and should take you about three hours, depending on how fast you read. The two books required for the class are:

Putnam, Robert. Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994. ISBN: 0691037388.

Dahl, Robert. How Democratic is the American Constitution? 2nd ed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003. ISBN: 0300095244.

Additional readings can be found in the readings section.

Class Participation

You are expected to participate actively and intelligently in class discussions. As a rule of thumb, you should plan to spend about an hour going over your notes from the readings and preparing for class each week after you have completed the readings. If you must miss a class, please notify the instructors in advance. (A list of legitimate and illegitimate reasons for missing class is available in the study materials section.)

Our somewhat odd habit is to assign students a participation grade for each class. Those absent from class will receive grades of 0 on a scale of 0-10; those who arrive late (i.e., after we have officially begun the class) will lose 5 points on the same scale. Those who are present but do not participate at all during class discussion or are unprepared when called upon will receive a grade of 5. All other students will receive grades based on the quality of their participation. Overall class participation grades at the end of the semester will be a straight average of participation grades, with the two lowest grades automatically discounted.

Class debates and presentation

There will be one in-class debate, in which all students are expected to participate. You will receive two grades for the debate – one based on your individual performance and one based on your team's performance. You will also be expected to present the results of your research paper to the class, and to comment on the papers of others.

Papers

Two papers, a short essay and a longer paper, are required in this course. More details about the papers are available in the assignments section.

Final Exam

There will be an ex-camera final exam that will address some aspect of political and economic development in Iraq, based on issues we have covered during the semester. For instance, you may be asked to assess the desirability of certain institutional arrangements in Iraq (e.g., federalism). Alternatively, you may be asked to address the extent to which constitutional engineering can enhance Iraq's prospects for establishing and consolidating a democratic regime. The topic will be discussed in greater detail during the last week of classes.

Grading

Plagiarism Clause

When writing a paper (or an essay exam), you must identify the nature and extent of your intellectual indebtedness to the authors whom you have read or to anyone else from whom you have gotten ideas (e.g., classmates, invited lecturers, etc.). You can do so through footnotes, a bibliography, or some other kind of scholarly device. Failure to disclose your reliance on the research or thinking of others is PLAGIARISM, which is considered to be the most serious academic offense and will be treated as such. If you have any questions about how you should document the sources of your ideas, please ask your instructors before you submit your written work.