Politics of Western Europe
POLS 4207 - D1
Spring 2015
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2:15 – 3:05
Memorial Hall, Room 205
Instructor: Dr. Raluca Viman Miller
Office hours: Dahlonega Campus –DOB Room 117- MWF 1-2 PM and M 10-11 AM
Cumming Campus -Room 283 -Tuesday and Thursday 1-2 PM
Contact info: 706-867-4525
If you do not receive a timely reply to your e-mail that means I did not receive your e-mail! You must e-mail me from your UNG student account to confirm that you are the one attempting to communicate. You must include your full name, class and section you are attending in the subject line (e.g. John Smith POLS 2301 C1). You must communicate with me using your UNG email address NOT the D2L account.
Course Description:
This course aims to provide students with a broad overview of the politics and political systems of Western Europe. It will analyze a wide variety of democratic political institutions found across Europe such as party systems, electoral systems and types of government and regimes. Students will also learn about the functions of these institutions using examples from specific European countries. This course will be organized by country, rather than by topic providing the necessary contemporary and historical background meant to help exemplify the theoretical concepts. This course will also introduce students to the European Union and will examine how this organization influences European democracy. Students will compare and contrast the different European political systems which differ from their own US democracy.
Texts and Readings:
M.Donals Hancock, et al, Politics in Europe, 6th Edition (Sage: CQ Press, 2015) –referred here as PiE
Lisa A. Baglione, Writing a Research Paper in Political Science, 2nd Edition (Sage: CQ Press, 2012)
Digital material will be available to you on D2L.
One of the main national news papers to be read daily. You can subscribe on-line free of charge. Our meetings will address issues found in the media regarding contemporary issues. Failure to comply with your daily readings from the news paper will result in a poor participation grade.
CNN: http://www.cnn.com
MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com
Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com
New York Times http://www.nytimes.com
Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com
BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi.html
Newspapers Online: http://www.onlinenewspapers.com
Middle East Times: http://www.metimes.com
Watching America: http://www.watchingamerica.com/index.shtml
Requirements: You are expected to actively participate in class discussions, have appropriate classroom conduct and respect the academic environment. As well, you are to show respect to your classmates by turning off your cell phones, pagers and any other communication devices you may have that could potentially disrupt the class. Do NOT consult your electronic devices during lectures. If you expect an important call or text please stand up and make use of your telephone in the hallway. I reserve the right to ask you to leave the classroom if I consider that your behavior is disruptive to the educational process. You must take notes. You are welcome to use a computer etc yet, if I observe that you make use of the computer to browse the internet or you use it in any other way that is not related to note taking you forfeit the right to use it in this class.
Class begins at precisely 2:15 pm and ends no later than 3:05 pm. Do not start packing to leave prior to 9:50 am.
An attendance sheet will be circulated each day. Your presence in class will give you a great advantage during examinations due to the fact that certain material will only be available during class lectures. Also, questions from our free debates might be included in the examinations. Your attendance will be rewarded. If your grade is borderline between two grades, I will consider giving you the higher grade.
Most class sessions will combine some mix of lecture and discussion/debate. All students should come to class having read the assigned reading for the day, as lectures are designed to complement the readings, not summarize or substitute for them. Current events will be an integral part of the class sessions and may be included on the exams. Videos and guest speakers may also be used on occasion.
This syllabus is a proposed plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary; students will be notified in advance.
Additional mandatory material will be posted on line. You must pay attention to your D2L account. You are responsible for the communication and the material posted on line. It is part of the class requirements, no excuses will be accepted.
There is absolutely no tolerance for cheaters. Plagiarism means and F for the assignment and will result in failing the class indifferent of the rest of the grades. I will make sure that I clearly communicate with you what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. No excuses are good enough, familiarize yourself with what plagiarism means, and if you are not sure ask me for more clarifications.
Students with disabilities must follow the university guidelines. Must present the disabilities paperwork in private and discuss in private all their needs prior to the beginning of the class. You must make sure that you understand all assignments and requirements for the class and if you have any need for additional adjustments you must make me aware ahead of time.
University policy and definition of disruptive behavior:
“Students who exhibit behaviors that are considered to obstruct or disrupt the class or its learning activities are subject to sanctions under the Board of Regents Policy on Disruptive Behavior. Behaviors which may be considered inappropriate in the classroom includes, but is not limited to, sleeping, coming in late, talking out of turn, inappropriate use of laptops or mobile devices, verbal behavior that is disrespectful of other students or the faculty member, or other behaviors that may be disruptive. Students who exhibit such behavior may be temporarily dismissed from the class by the instructor and will be subject to disciplinary procedures outlined in the Student Handbook.”
For additional information please consult:
http://ung.edu/academic-affairs/policies-and-guidelines/supplemental-syllabus.php
We will go over the policies in detail during first class!
Grading system: The grades will be based on the following scale. You can achieve a total of 1000 points during this class this semester.
1. exam one 200 points
2. exam two 200 points
3. exam three 200 points
4. presentation of weekly readings 100 points
5. participation 100 points (50 points extra credit for exceptional participation)
6. research paper 200 points
1050-900 points A
899-800 points B
799-700 points C
699-600 points D
less than 600 points F
Exams: Each is worth 200 points out of your final grade. NO make up exams available except agreed upon in advance and only under EXTRAORDINARY and DOCUMENTED circumstances. They will be take-home exams and you will turn in both an electronic version (on Turnitin) and a hard copy in class.
Presentation of weekly readings: we will set up a schedule for presentation of assigned texts in advanced. The texts will be available to you all. The presentation should introduce the main arguments of the texts and briefly explain the historical background and the larger context. The length of the presentation should be about ten minutes (PowerPoint is expected). The written text should be five pages. Presenters will also be responsible for facilitating the class discussions by being the experts on the texts and formulating two discussion questions. Whether you are presenting or not, everybody is required to read all the text unless they are marked as additional. Presenters will post their slides and written analysis on D2L by midnight prior to class.
Participation: Your class participation is very important. They will count for 10% of your grade but as you can see, you can obtain extra credit by being active in class. I expect active debates over the issues discussed in class – your physical presence alone does not count towards the full 100 points out of your final grade. I will communicate with you in mass via Desire2Learn. You must check D2L often in order to keep informed. I will post your grades on D2L. If you have any school related events that will prevent you from attending class, please provide a written excuse in advance. More than six absences during the entire semester will result in a failing grade (F). You must present valid and written excuses for missing class. A hand written note from a parent does not constitute an excuse. Doctor excuses will be verified. I will also not discuss your situation via e-mail with a parent or any other relative or friend except a legal document is provided. I will only communicate to YOU and via UNG.EDU e-mail accounts.
You are expected to participate actively in the discussion. This is our time to learn. You do not need to be intimidated. Everyone is in the same position. If somebody makes a mistake, be patient and understanding. Make any criticism about the argument and the issue, not about the person. People cold see things differently, even though they have the same facts. During the course there may be some unforeseen circumstances which arise that alter the schedule below in this case it will be YOUR responsibility to monitor announcements to find out what those adjustments might be.
Research Paper: this is a full research paper. You choose your own topic. You will use Turnitin.com to submit it electronically on the date of April 17 by midnight. You must also bring a hard copy to class on April the 17th. The two versions must be identical. Both versions must be turned in on time in order to receive full credit. Each late day (including weekends and holidays) will cost you 10% of your grade. You must use outside resources and have at least 12 full pages of text.
You need to type all your assignments, except otherwise specified. I will no accept a hand written assignment. It needs to be double spaced with one inch margins and using a 12-point font Times New Roman. Make sure that you include all relevant information. Name as it appears in the Banner (not the one you prefer to use daily), the title of your work, dat, class information. The papers will be evaluated based on the quality of the arguments and analysis, organization, clarity, grammar and style and adequacy and correctness of citation. Make sure you make a clear distinction between your ideas and the ones obtained from different sources. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and web sources are not excluded from this rule. Your bibliographical sources need to be consistent with one style, whichever you choose. Information on bibliographical styles: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
January 5 M Introduction
I. United Kingdom
January 7 W
January 9 F
January 12 M
January 14 W
January 16 F
January 19 M MLK Holiday
January 21 W
January 23 F
Read: Christopher J Carman (PiE pp. 3-94) + D2L
II. France
January 26 M
January 28 W
January 30 F
February 2 M
February 4 W
February 6 F
February 9 M
Read: William Safran (PiE pp. 99-203)
February 11W EXAM 1 (take-home exam, use your time efficiently, check D2L to find out your questions)
III. Germany
February 13 F (your exams are due on Turnitin by 2 pm + hard copy in class)
February 16 M
February 18 W
February 20 F
February 23 M
February 25 W
February 27 F
Read: David P. Conrad (PiE pp.213-309) +D2L
February 27 last day to withdraw without academic penalty
IV. Italy
March 2 M
March 4 W
March 6 F
March 9 M
March 11 W
March 13 F
Read: Raffaella Y. Nanetti and Robert Leonardi (PiE pp. 317-443) + D2L
March 16 – March 21 Spring Break
March 23 M EXAM 2 (take-home exam, use your time efficiently, check D2L to find out your questions)
V. Sweden
March 25 W (your exams are due on Turnitin by 2 pm + hard copy in class)
March 27 F
March 30 M
April 1 W
April 3 F
April 6 M
April 8 W
Read: M. Donald Hancock (PiE pp. 451-511) + D2L
VI. European Union
April 10 F
April 13 M
April 15 W
April 17 F (RESEARCH PAPER DUE)
April 20 M
April 22 W
April 24 F
Read: M. Donald Hancock (PiE pp. 645-729) +D2L
May 1st Friday 3-5 pm Final Exam (3)
(take-home exam, use your time efficiently, check D2L to find out your questions, no hard copy necessary, your exam is DUE BY 5PM ON TURNITIN- NO EXCEPTIONS)
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