Mountain View College
Division of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Introduction to Comparative Politics
(GOVT 2371: 3 credits)
Fall 2006
SYLLABUS
Instructor: Jonathon York
E-mail: [email protected]
Office Number:
W238
Office Hours:
Monday/Wednesday 2-4pm; Tuesday/Thursday 3:30-4:30pm.
Telephone Number(s): 214-860-3664
Mountain View College Mission Statement
Equal Opportunity Statement
Educational opportunities are offered by Mountain View
College without regard to race, color, age, national origin, religion, sex,
disability or sexual orientation.
This syllabus is intended as a set of guidelines for
Government 2301: American Government I. Mountain View College and the
instructor reserve the right to make modifications in content, schedule, and
requirements as necessary to promote the best education possible within
prevailing conditions affecting this course.
I.
Course Description:
Prerequisite:
Developmental Reading 0093, English as a Second Language (ESOL) 0044 or have
met the TASP/Alternative Assessment Standard in Reading.
This is a unique need
course. Former course prefix/number GVT 211.
Prerequisite: None.
This course is an introduction to the comparative examination of governments,
politics, problems and policies with illustrative cases drawn from a variety of
political systems. Topics include power, state formation, nationalism and
identity, political culture, political economy, democratization, and
globalization. Students will explore
these concepts in the context of differing types of states, including
established democracies and republics, developing nations, and non-democratic
states. (3 Lec.)
Coordinating Board Academic Approval Number is 4509017125
A. COMMON INTELLECTUAL COMPETENCIES (as
specified by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board) for government
survey courses:
1. The ability to analyze and interpret a
variety of printed materials--books, documents, and articles--above the 12th
grade level.
2. The ability to produce clear, correct, and
coherent prose adapted to purpose, occasion, and audience--above the 12th
grade level.
3. Analyze the interpret
various forms of spoken communication, posses sufficient literacy skills of
writing, reading--above the 12th grade level.
4. think and analyze at
a critical level.
B. EXEMPLARY EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES for this course:
1. To
comprehend the origins and evolution of a variety of political systems, with a
focus on the growth of political institutions and the constitutions of these
political systems, conceptions of power, state formation, power, state
formation, nationalism and identity, political culture, political economy,
democratization, and globalization.
2. To
recognize and assume one’s responsibility as a citizen in a democratic society
by learning to think for oneself, by engaging in public discourse, and by
obtaining information through the news media and other appropriate information
sources about politics and public policy.
3. To
analyze, critically assess, and develop creative solutions to public policy
problems from a comparative perspective.
5. To
identify and understand differences and commonalities within diverse cultures.
6. To
analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and
global forces on the areas under study.
7. To develop and communicate alternative
explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues.
II.
Course Prerequisites:
Eligibility for enrollment in
Government courses in the Dallas County Community Colleges requires that Texas
Success Initiative (TSI) minimum standards in reading and writing be met. This
may include either passing the THEA exam or an equivalent (such as Accuplacer) or else having completed a Developmental
Studies series in THEA-deficient subject areas.
Because of the nature of some assignments in this course, this
instructor strongly recommends further that all students attempting this course
have completed English Composition 2 (ENGL 1302) or an equivalent
III.
Books/Materials:
McCormick,
John. Comparative Politics in Transition, 5th ed. Belmont, CA:
Thomson Wadsworth, 2007. (ISBN:
0-495-00760-9)
Supplemental readings from various sources, available online at http://www.geocities.com/diogenesjava/
Recommended Material: A variety of supplemental
material pertinent to contemporary issues in Comparative politics, including
but not limited to current issues of the New York Times, the Wall
Street Journal, the CIA World Fact Book Online and at least one
periodical published outside the United States.
A.
Introduction to
Comparative Analysis
a.
Classical comparative
analysis
i.
Herodotus
1.
Porter’s
Overview at University of Saskatchewan
2.
The World as seen by Herodotus
ii.
Thucydides
iii.
Plato
iv.
Aristotle (See
especially Parts VI - XI)
b.
Modern comparative analysis
i.
Machiavelli
1.
The Prince
ii.
Montesquieu
2.
The Consideration on the
Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and Their Decline
c.
Contemporary
comparative models
1.
Alfred Sauvy and George Kennan
2.
Mark
Palmer
ii.
Historical
spheres: Samuel Huntington
iii.
Performance: John
McCormick
B.
Case Studies:
a.
Liberal
Democracies
b.
Communist and
post-Communist Regimes
c.
Newly
Industrializing Countries (NICs)
d.
Less Developed
Countries (LDCs)
e.
Islamic Countries
f.
Marginal
Countries
This
course will follow a format based upon lecture and class discussion. Students will be expected to participate
actively during class discussion, as assignments will be discussed during class
time. While the required textbook for
this course provides the basic material and outline for American government,
some supplemental material, essential for understanding the fundamental
characteristics of and offering additional insight into the American regime,
will be provided.
Grading
Procedure
Student
performance will be evaluated using a combination of reading quizzes,
examinations, and a semester comparative project. Reading quizzes will occur at
the end of each logical unit of instruction. Each reading quiz will constitute
2% of the total grade for the course.
The mid-semester exam and the final exam will each constitute 25% of the
total grade for the course. The Semester Comparative project, including a
dossier and presentation, will determine 25% of the total grade, while class
participation will determine the remaining 5%.
Academic
Dishonesty
The
Student Code of Conduct, which is printed in the college catalog, prescribes
penalties for students found guilty of any form of "academic
dishonesty." Any student found
guilty of cheating, fabrication, facilitation academic dishonesty, plagiarism,
or collusion may receive an F in the course and be suspended from college. For the purposes of this course, a single
deliberate act of plagiarism will result in failure for the course, regardless
of performance in other areas of evaluation.
Grade
Scale
The
grading scale for this course is standard and should be familiar to most:
A =
90 to 100
B =
80 to 89
C =
70 to 79
D =
60 to 69
F =
59 and below
Grades are based on the following:
Semester Comparative project 25%
Reading Quizzes
20%
Midterm Examination 25%
Class Participation
5%
Final
Exam 25%
Total 100%
At the end of the term, all
grades are rounded to the nearest whole number.
Students are expected to
attend regularly all classes in which they have enrolled. Students have the
responsibility to attend class and to consult with the instructor when an
absence occurs.
Instructors are responsible
for describing class attendance policy and procedures to all students enrolled
in their classes. If a student is unable to complete a course (or courses) in
which he/she is registered, it is the student's responsibility to withdraw from
the course by the appropriate date. (The date is published in the academic
calendar for each year.) If the student
does not withdraw, he/she will receive a performance grade, usually an F.
Students are expected to
complete all examinations at the time they are administered. Should a student miss an exam, he or she must
arrange a time to make up said exam.
Make up exams should be taken within one week of the original exam date.
Assignments should be
completed in a timely manner. No late assignments will be accepted after the
final exam is administered.
Financial Aid Statement
·
If you are
receiving Financial Aid grants or loans, you must begin attendance in all
classes. Do not drop or stop attending
any class without consulting the Financial Aid Office (W140). Changes in your enrollment level and failing
grades may require that you repay financial aid funds.
·
Students who
receive federal financial aid and withdraw from all Fall
2005 courses on or before November 17, 2005, will be required to repay a
portion of the federal aid received.
Students who complete an enrollment period with a grade of F in all
courses will be required to repay a portion of financial aid received unless an
instructor documents that the student participated in the class through the 60%
point of the enrollment term.
Withdrawal
Dropping a Course or
Withdrawal from the College: To drop a class or withdraw from the College,
students must obtain a drop or withdrawal form and follow the prescribed
procedure. Should circumstances prevent a student from appearing in person to
withdraw from the College, the student may withdraw by mail by writing to the Registrar. No drop or withdrawal requests are accepted by
telephone. Students who drop a class or withdraw from the College before the
semester deadline receive a "Withdraw" in each class dropped.
The deadline for withdrawal
with a "W" this semester is Thursday, 2006.
Third Attempt to Enroll in a Course
Effective Fall 2005, the Dallas County Community Colleges charge a higher tuition rate to students registering the third or subsequent time for a specific course. All third and subsequent attempts of the majority of credit and Continuing Education/Workforce Training courses will result in a higher tuition to be charged. Developmental Studies and some other courses are not charged a higher tuition rate. Third attempts include courses taken at any of the Dallas County Community Colleges since the Fall 2002 semester.
The Disability
Services/Special Services Office offers a variety of support services for
students with disabilities. Students
requesting services are responsible for providing current educational or
psychological/medical documentation from a qualified professional verifying the
disability and the need for services.
For additional information, contact the Disability Services/Special
Services Office at Mountain View College or see http://www.dcccd.edu/Current+Students/Student+Services/Disability+Services/.
Mountain View College Disability Services
Office
Office: W145
Phone: 214-860-8845
Fax: 214-860-8845
Relay Texas: 800-735-2988
VII.
Other Information
Arts, Humanities, and Social Science Division Office
Office: E40
Phone: 214-860-8624
Hours: 7:30 a.m.--8:30p.m. M-R
7:30 a.m.--4:30p.m. F
Learning Skills
Center
Office: W170
Phone: 214-860-8538
Hours: 8:00a.m.--9:00p.m. M-R
8:00a.m.—2:00p.m. F
Help with grammar and mechanics is also available online at http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/
Religious Holidays: Students
who will be absent from class for the observance of a religious holiday must
notify the instructor in advance. Please
refer to the college catalog Student Obligations section.
Classroom Policy: Drinks
with lids are allowable but must be taken with you when you leave the
classroom. All trash must be deposited
outside the classroom.