Political
Science 101
POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES
Spring
2005
T
SS
304
Instructor:
Mr. Jeffery Zavadil
Office:
Coor Hall 6779
Hours:
M W
Phone:
480-965-5881
e-mail:
zavadil@asu.edu
General
Studies Requirements Met:
Social
and Behavioral Sciences
(SB)
Course
Description and Goals
This
course surveys the major ideologies that shaped the politics of the modern
world, including liberalism, conservatism, communism, and fascism; we will also
examine some of the ideologies of our own postmodern period, including
liberation ideologies, environmentalism, and fundamentalist Islamism. The main
goal of the course is to gain a greater understanding of these systems of ideas
by examining their origins, analyzing the arguments used for and against them,
and tracing out their implications for people’s lives. The study of ideologies is not an exercise in academic
irrelevance: millions of people have fought, suffered, and died in the name of
these ideologies, which continue to organize politics across the world today.
Textbooks
You
are required to purchase both of the
following books:
1)
Political
Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, 5th Edition, by
Terence Ball and Richard Dagger.
2)
Ideals
and Ideologies: A Reader, 5th Edition, Terence
Ball and Richard Dagger, eds.
Political
Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal (hereafter
PIDI) will be the textbook for the
class, and gives an overview of the ideologies that we will be studying; Ideals and Ideologies (hereafter I&I) contains short readings to
complement the textbook. These selections are from original authors who have
influenced various ideologies, such as Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, and Karl Marx.
At this point, I have not yet ruled out an occasional reading drawn from other
sources, but if I do decide to assign such a reading it will be made available
to you as a handout. Always bring both
books to class.
These
two books are available in the ASU bookstore, although you might be able to find
better prices through other local bookstores or through various online
booksellers. Be sure to buy both books,
and be sure to get the Fifth Edition.
Course
Requirements and Grades
Attendance &
Participation
This
course will mix informative lectures with active learning exercises, small group
discussions, and larger classroom debates. As much as possible, lessons will be
designed to stimulate your active attention and participation; students who are
actively involved in learning find the subject more interesting, learn the
material better, develop critical thinking, teamwork, and communications skills,
and most importantly they learn how
to learn.
In
order to encourage this, your active participation in class debates and
activities is expected and will make up a significant part of your grade. I will
not take formal attendance; however, since you’re graded on participation, and
since you can’t participate if you’re not in class, your participation grade
will reflect your attendance. Since this class only meets once per week, it is
imperative to attend every class session: we will cover material that you will
not find in the readings, but that you will be responsible for on examinations.
If you miss class, you will have a great deal of difficulty passing the course.
You
will be graded on participation as follows: most in-class exercises will require
you or your group to write something related to the assigned readings on paper,
or you will have to do a worksheet, or something similar; this “paper trail”
will be collected at the end of the class period, and if you participated and your work shows evidence that you came
to class prepared, you will receive participation points for the day. The
instructor reserves the right to deduct points for those students who come late
to class or who leave early. Participation points will be distributed across the
semester and totaled at the end. Bottom line: if you come to class prepared and
do the exercises, you’ll get the points. Participation (and by extension
attendance) will count for 20% of your grade.
If
I suspect that students are not doing the assigned reading, I reserve the right
to resort to surprise quizzes that count towards your participation grade.
Exams
There
will be two exams, a mid-term and a final. Each will count for 40% of your
grade; the final exam will not be cumulative. These exams
will consist of multiple choice, matching, true/false, and probably short
answer. You will be responsible for all of the assigned material in the textbook
and the reader, as well as for everything that is discussed in
class.
Extra Credit
There
will be no opportunities for extra credit. However, a make-up paper option will
be available to those students who perform poorly on the mid-term. This short
paper (4-5 pages) will consist of a topic relating to one of the political
ideologies that we study, to be chosen by the student in consultation with the
instructor. Successfully completing this paper will boost your mid-term exam
grade to the minimum score for the next higher grade: i.e., if you got a D/62%
on the mid-term, your grade would improve to C/70%, or if you failed the
mid-term, your grade will become a D/60%. Students who wish to take advantage of
the make-up paper option must do the following: 1) Meet with the instructor
during his office hours (or by appointment) to discuss your idea for a paper; 2)
Present him with a one-page proposal for a paper no later than April
5th, which he will approve or disapprove and return; 3) Submit a
complete draft of the paper by April 26th, which the instructor will
read and return with comments; 4) Turn in a final draft of the paper by May
3rd. Both submitted drafts must be neat, clean, and free of
grammatical and spelling errors.
Excused Absences
If
you have a legitimate, documented reason that inhibits you from attending class
or an exam, such as a medical or family emergency, arrangements should be made
with your instructor before hand, if at
all possible. I am happy to accommodate religious holidays, but I will not allow make-up examinations for
other non-emergency situations.
Here
is the overall grading scale for the course:
Grading
Scale
|
Exams:
|
80% |
|
Midterm |
(40%) |
|
Final |
(40%) |
|
Participation |
20% |
|
Total: |
100% |
Academic
Honesty
It
goes without saying that plagiarism and academic fraud of any kind is forbidden;
see the attached statement on plagiarism for a definition and the consequences
you may face for committing academic fraud. Bottom line: don’t cheat, do your
own work, and put some effort into the class, and you won’t have any
problems.
Classroom
Civility and Decorum
In
any course on political ideologies, some disagreement is to be expected. Be
prepared to be exposed to ideas that you may disagree with, and eve find
offensive (such as Nazism, for example). At times, class discussions may become
heated. Just remember that the point of any discussion is not to cram your ideas and opinions into
other people's ears, but to learn as much as you can from others while sharing
your own well-considered point of
view. No single one of us is as smart as all of us together, and one way that we
learn is through an exploration of our differences and disagreements. However,
we can only do this if we are civil and courteous about it. There is one basic
rule of thumb to follow in class discussions: always treat everyone else with respect and
dignity. Accordingly, we will follow these rules in
class:
1)
Criticize
arguments, not people.
Always aim your criticism or doubts at what someone has said, not at the person
who spoke.
2)
Use
appropriate language, and an appropriate tone.
Don't shout, but talk loud enough so that everyone can hear you. Don't use
vulgarity. And under no circumstances is name-calling of any sort acceptable.
3)
Do
not interrupt others.
Wait until the speaker has finished before offering your response.
4)
Take
turns.
Don't dominate the floor; if you've been talking for a while, let others say
their piece. Share the "discussion space" with others. Indeed, you should pay
attention for those of your classmates who seem hesitant to participate and
encourage them to do so.
5)
Listen
attentively to what others say.
Don't tune others out; good discussion requires more listening than talking on
everyone's part.
6)
If
you feel your temperature rise, take a minute to cool off.
If you get angry, count to ten - really. It will distract your mind from what
made you mad, and then you'll be better able to calm down. And if you get really
riled up, ask permission to leave the room for a few minutes to calm down.
7)
If
your classmates (or your instructor!) forget to be fair and courteous, remind
them, but do so fairly and politely.
It's easy to forget to be respectful in the heat of an argument, so pause and
listen if someone politely points out that you've broken one of the rules.
There’s no need to be defensive or to continue to try and prove that you’re
right; it’s OK in this class to admit it when you lost your head, as long as you
correct your behavior.
8)
Respect
your teacher.
Come to class, come to class on time, don't leave early, follow instructions,
don't read outside materials in class, stick to the class topic during small
group discussions.
9)
Respect
your classmates.
Turn off your cellphone and pager, don't whisper private conversations, and
don’t otherwise disrupt the class.
10)
Respect
yourself.
Come to class prepared, having done the reading; do your homework; arrive with
an open mind and an attitude that you are ready to learn; be ready and willing
to participate in class activities. Get enough sleep, eat your vegetables, and
call your mother.
Academic
Development
The
political science department at ASU has resources that you may not be aware of,
so don't hesitate to ask about things that can make your academic experience
more rewarding! If you have questions about a political science as a field or
about academic opportunities such as honors programs, scholarships, internships,
or study abroad, your instructor will help connect you with the right people,
either the department's staff or faculty. Feel free to contact me during office
hours; my office hours and contact information are listed at the beginning of
the syllabus.
Student
Support
If
you require additional classroom support or accommodations because of disability
or impairment, please let your instructor know as soon as possible so that he
can work with DRS to meet your needs. Information regarding disabilities is
confidential.
Sometimes
we all need a little help getting through a stressful semester. There are a
number of support units on campus that can provide tutoring, training, or just
someone to talk to. Here are a few:
§
Counseling
and Consultation: www.asu.edu/counseling_center
§
Disability
Resources: www.asu.edu/drs/
§
§
§
Career
Services: www.career.asu.edu/
§
Student
Financial Aid Office: www.asu.edu/fastt/
§
Student
Health and
§
§
Student
Legal Assistance: www.asu.edu/studentlife/legal/
§
Computer
Assistance: www.asu.edu/it/fyi/menus/student.html
§
EMPACT
Suicide & Mental Health Crisis Hotline: (480) 784-1500 (in the
§
Sexual
Assault/Abuse Hotline: (602) 254-9000
POS
101 Schedule Spring 2005
T
|
Week
1 |
1/18 |
Introductions
& Syllabus; Ideology and Modern Politics |
|
Week
2 |
1/25 |
Ideology
& Democracy
|
|
Week
3 |
2/1 |
The
Foundations of Liberalism
|
|
Week
4 |
2/8 |
Classical
Liberalism
|
|
Week
5 |
2/15 |
Liberalism
Divided
|
|
Week
6 |
2/22 |
Conservatism
& the Reactionaries
|
|
Week
7 |
3/1 |
Conservatism
Today
|
|
Week
8 |
3/8 |
MID-TERM
EXAM |
|
SPRING
BREAK | ||
|
Week
9 |
3/22 |
Socialism
from More to Marx
|
|
Week
10 |
3/29 |
Karl
Marx & the Revisionists
|
|
Week
11 |
4/5 |
Anarcho-Communism;
Revolutionary Marxism in the Twentieth Century
|
|
Week
12 |
4/12 |
Fascism
& Nazism
|
|
Week
13 |
4/19 |
Liberation
Ideologies
|
|
Week
14 |
4/26 |
Environmentalism
|
|
Week
15 |
5/3 |
Radical
Fundamentalism; Ideology in the Future
|
|
Finals
Week |
5/10 |
FINAL
EXAM |
Abbreviations
Key:
PIDI
= Political Ideologies and the Democratic
Ideal
I&I
=
Ideals and
Ideologies
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
POLICY ON ACADEMIC HONESTY
Preamble: Academic honesty is the foundation and
cornerstone of scholarship and education.
Faculty and students alike are under an obligation to be honest
themselves and to encourage honesty in others. The following policy statement is meant
to specify and clarify what this means in practice.
Academic
Honesty: Academic honesty includes, but is not
confined to: doing one's own work,
accurately quoting and citing all sources, acknowledging any help received from
others, and taking care to claim credit only for one's own
work.
Academic
Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty includes, but is not
limited to: fabrication or
falsification of sources and/or quotations, cheating on examinations or other
assignments, plagiarizing, forging or altering academic documents, and claiming
or taking credit for work that is not one's own. Examples include but are not limited
to: altering grades on a transcript
(forgery), making up quotations (fabrication), falsely representing others' work
as your own (plagiarism), referring to books or notes during a closed-book exam
(cheating), taking a paper off the Internet or some other source and falsely
claiming it as one's own (plagiarism), or submitting the same paper for two
courses without first obtaining permission from instructors in both courses
(cheating).
Plagiarism is defined as the taking of ideas and/or words from another
person and passing them off as one's own.
All direct quotations must be enclosed within quotation marks (")
or indented and single-spaced, and the source and page number(s) cited in
parentheses or in a footnote.
Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism, a very serious academic
offense. Ignorance is no
excuse.