APLS 110 Introduction to Politics Bob Botsch (bobb@usca.edu), C-7 HSS Building

Home Syllabus Course Schedule and Assignments Text Blackboard Link

Course Schedule and Assignments (Check this frequently as I will be updating it many times throughout the semester!) Thursday, Aug 21. Course Introduction and Overview – are you politically competent? Tuesday, Aug 26. The Money Game: A Simulation              After experiencing this simulation in class today (due next class), you should write a 1 to 2 page paper (typed, 12 point font, one inch margins, double spaced) explaining what this game illustrates about politics. Try to tie your paper to one or two concepts in the first two readings, Chapters 1 or 2. This means you need to look ahead and get started on these readings! I really stress organization in papers using paragraphs and introductory sentences. So at a minimum you should have an introductory paragraph telling me what you are going to illustrate, a main paragraph giving me the details on what the concept is and specifically how things in the game illustrated the concept, and a summary paragraph in which you could add why this is significant to you and your life or to your understanding or misconceptions about politics. Thursday, Aug 28. Discussion of "Money Game" Simulation. WRITING ASSIGNMENT ON MONEY GAME SIMULATION DUE TODAY AT BEGINNING OF CLASS.             Sample Money Game Paper—link to be added later Tuesday, Sept 2. The History of Political Science and Major Concepts Assignment: Read Chapter 1 in online text and complete the Reading Mastery Questions on Blackboard for Chapter 1. To do this, you must log on to Blackboard. This MUST be completed by the beginning of class to get credit for the work! Thursday, Sept 4. Political Theory: Normative and Empirical (or "Is" and "Ought" Theory) Assignment: Read Chapter 2 in online text and complete the Reading Mastery Questions on Blackboard for Chapter 2. To do this, you must log on to Blackboard. This MUST be completed by the beginning of class to get credit for the work!           * ASSIGNMENT TO REGIONS FOR THE SIMULATION IN NEXT CLASS * Tuesday, Sept 9. A Simulated Constitutional Convention: Creating Baltakia WRITTEN HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT DUE (counts as 10 Blackboard questions answered correctly): draw up at least 2 concrete proposals dealing with the distribution of power for today's opening session of the Baltakian Constitutional Convention in the form of motions that you feel should become part of the Constitution. In drawing them up take into account the self-interest of the region you represent. For example, how many representatives should each region have? How will the chief executive be chosen? What will her powers be? What things will the central government be able to do and be prohibited from doing? HINT: the key issue in this simulation is representation and voting powers. That affects ALL other issues. Remember that you represent the people of your district -- they sent you and they expect you to protect their interests. If you do not, they will most certainly reject any Constitution you draft. Thursday, Sept 11. WRITING ASSIGNMENT ON CONVENTION SIMULATION              DUE TODAY-- What does the simulation illustrate about politics and              political theory? Again, tie ideas to the readings! (1-2 pages, same parameters              as the first paper). Tuesday, Sept 16. Review for Test 1 Thursday, Sept 18. TEST 1 This test covers the lessons of the Money Game, Chapters 1 and 2, and the lessons from the Constitutional Convention simulation. The test will have a mixed format: about 25 Multiple Choice, about 40 True/False, and a 10 point essay. You will need a long SCANTRON sheet (the one that has space for an essay), a #2 pencil, and a pen for the essay. BONUS EXTRA CREDIT: You may attend up to TWO local government meetings, such as a city council, county council, or school board meeting, and write a description of the meeting for up to 5 points extra credit for each one you attend. The typed description for each should include time, place and name of body that met, who was there, what they did, and what this meeting illustrates about something we have studied, such as political power, nature of or definitions of politics, political skills of average citizens, Machiavelli’s rules, political socialization, and so on, policy making process (see Chapter 9) and so on. Tuesday, Sept 23. Scientific Methodology and Statistics Assignment: Read Chapter 3 in online text and complete the Reading Mastery Questions on Blackboard for Chapter 3. To do this, you must log on to Blackboard. This MUST be completed by the beginning of class to get credit for the work! Thursday, Sept 25. . Voting Behavior and Survey Research Assignment: Read Chapter 4 in online text and complete the Reading Mastery Questions on Blackboard for Chapter 4. To do this, you must log on to Blackboard. This MUST be completed by the beginning of class to get credit for the work! ALSO: PRINT AND FILL OUT QUESTIONNAIRE AT END OF THE CHAPTER—           BRING TO CLASS—We will share the data so that we have the “coding sheet” all filled in. Friday, Sept 26. First Presidential Debate—9 pm—domestic policy Tuesday, Sept 30 Simulated Research Project in Chapter 4 Fill in the cells in the table in chapter 4 for the first hypothesis, H1, using the data we gathered on the class last time. That is the table with party identification on top and vote choice down the left side. Also set up table for H2 and fill that one in if you can—it will be similar to the table of H1, but uses ideology rather than party identification. If you have trouble doing this before class, do not worry as we will go over it in class. But trying to do it first on your own will really really help you understand what we are doing in class! We will take a look at a model research paper that I have had classes write in the past—see link below—but you will not have to write one because of the tight schedule this semester—lucky you! This will be a good way to review the research process. In-class research exercise.  We will use the data we gathered to test some other hypotheses. Model sample research paper. Thursday, Oct 2. Review for Test 2 Vice Presidential Debate—9pm Tuesday, Oct 7. TEST 2 Second Presidential Debate—9 pm—“town hall” format Thursday, Oct 9. FALL BREAK – midpoint in semester Tuesday, Oct 14. Bilateral Negotiations: War and Peace Game. You MUST print this document BEFORE coming to class in order to play the game in class. It runs about 12 pages. Wednesday, Oct 15. Third Presidential Debate—9 pm—foreign policy Thursday, Oct 16. Discussion of the War and Peace Game WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: What did you learn about political negotiations, international relations or defense policy (see chapters 5 and 6 in the text) from playing the War and Peace game? Same parameters for paper is in earlier papers (1-2 pages).  Tuesday, Oct 21. International Relations Assignment: Read Chapter 5 in online text and complete the Reading Mastery Questions on Blackboard for Chapter 5. To do this, you must log on to Blackboard. This MUST be completed by the beginning of class to get credit for the work! Thursday, Oct 23. American Defense Policy Assignment: Read Chapter 6 in online text and complete the Reading Mastery Questions on Blackboard for Chapter 6. To do this, you must log on to Blackboard. This MUST be completed by the beginning of class to get credit for the work! Tuesday, Oct 28. Read Graham Green, The Quiet American -- Answer the following questions and hand them in for homework . In class today we will discuss the book in terms of how to (and how not to) militarily intervene in another nation. I will also give you a mini-history of the Vietnam War. Note that the book can be read on two separate levels -- as a love story and as an allegory warning about the US involvement in nations about which it knows little. WRITTEN HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Questions (counts as 10 Blackboard questions answered correctly):                 1) Describe the major characters in the story and the roles that they play.                 2) What factors led to Pyle's death?  Thursday, Oct 30. The Quiet American, continued. WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE. There are many lessons in this book about military intervention into another nation. Most of the lessons are in the form of mistakes to avoid. As you should have figured out, Pyle represents the U.S. in the book. We are now involved in military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. We will talk about these lessons, based in part on the book and in part from our experience in Vietnam and other places (Samolia, Lebanon, Bosnia, Haiti, and Kosovo, to name a few of the more prominent ones.) Write a paper on what the book suggests about our intervention into Iraq. To put the question in a different way, what can we learn about Pyle's (America's) mistakes in Vietnam to help us understand what has happened in Iraq and what the likely outcome there will be. Can we learn how to avoid disaster in the future? Same parameters as in past papers (1-2 pages).             Lessons from the Vietnam War -- click here (I will activate this after the papers are completed) Tuesday, Nov 4. ELECTION DAY—NO CLASS Thursday, Nov 6. Discussion of election results: Why ????? won and what it means. Tuesday, Nov 11. Comparative Politics Assignment: Read Chapter 7 in online text and complete the Reading Mastery Questions on Blackboard for Chapter 7. To do this, you must log on to Blackboard. This MUST be completed by the beginning of class to get credit for the work! Thursday, Nov 13. Review for Test 3 Tuesday, Nov 18. TEST 3 Thursday, Nov 20. American Politics and Culture: Individualism versus Community Assignment: Read Chapter 8 in online text and complete the Reading Mastery Questions on Blackboard for Chapter 8. To do this, you must log on to Blackboard. This MUST be completed by the beginning of class to get credit for the work! Tuesday, Nov 25. Public Policy Assignment: Read Chapter 9 in online text and complete the Reading Mastery Questions on Blackboard for Chapter 9. To do this, you must log on to Blackboard. This MUST be completed by the beginning of class to get credit for the work! Thursday, Nov 27 THANKSGIVING! Tuesday, Dec 2. Public Administration Assignment: Read Chapter 10 in online text and complete the Reading Mastery Questions on Blackboard for Chapter 10. To do this, you must log on to Blackboard. This MUST be completed by the beginning of class to get credit for the work! SIMULATION: An exercise in Equal Employment Hiring—read and bring handout to class. WRITTEN HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT (counts as 10 Blackboard questions answered correctly): Create a chart comparing the qualifications of all the job candidates. Thursday, Dec 4. Alternative Futures: Science Fiction as a Research Tool Assignment: Read Chapter 11 (it is only a page) and complete your reading of Huxley, Brave New World – you should know that this book is not what it seems to be on the surface. Many students totally misunderstand the book.             WRITTEN HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS (counts as 10 Blackboard questions answered correctly):                 1. Describe the major characters of the book and the roles they play.                 2. List 5 sayings that the people who live in Brave New World learn to live by and describe why these sayings are important for the smooth functioning of the society. Review for Test 4, which will be given in the final exam period, which is Thursday December 11 at 8 am.