INTRODUCTION TO POLITICS POLITICS 111 Term 7 March 2010 Instructor Steve Hemelt Assistant Professor Department of Politics 304 South Hall Phone 319 895 4322 Email shemelt cornellcollege edu Office hours M Tu Th 11am 12pm and 2 4pm or you can always email or call to set up an appointment Class Meetings M F 9 11am with some exceptions 302 South Hall Consulting Librarian Laurel Whisler Social Sciences Phone 319 895 4260 Email lwhisler cornellcollege edu Course Description and Objectives This course introduces students to the study of political philosophy and American politics We will first explore the philosophical underpinnings of current government structures and systems We will then seek to characterize and analyze the current world of politics both American and international The overarching goal of this course is to expose you to a broad array of information concerning how we think about politics and the organization of people under a government We will examine concepts such as power human nature community the state citizenship rights authority freedom equality democracy ideology and justice We will also reflect critically on the strengths and weaknesses present in the structures practices and policies of the U S government By the end of this course it is expected that you will 1 understand the nature of American politics and the basic structure of political participation in the U S 2 critically consider your ideological stance in light of our study of political philosophy 3 enhance your critical thinking speaking and writing skills Required Texts There are several required texts for this course Lawson K 2006 The Human Polity 2nd ed Brief Version Boston MA Houghton Mifflin Company Plato 1968 The Republic of Plato 2nd ed A Bloom Trans New York NY Basic Books Locke J 1980 Second Treatise of Government C B Macpherson Ed Indianapolis IN Hackett Original work published 1690 Additional Reading In addition to the books listed above you will also have some assigned readings in the form of articles or excerpts from other texts These readings will be handed out in class available online Moodle or emailed to you Feedback I assume you also have goals for taking this class I am interested to know why you are taking this course as well as what you expect to learn from the experience I am also interested in your suggestions for improving the course overall Please feel free to share such comments and ideas with me as you think of them I will also pay close attention to end of course evaluations and suggestions Course Requirements Class Contribution In addition to showing up and reading your assignments I expect you to take an active and constructive role in class discussions Students who fail to show up or consistently fail to engage course material cannot expect to score well on this portion of the overall class grade Formal Reactions to Readings Each student will be required to submit two short reactions to daily readings These reaction pieces should be no more than two pages in length A reaction may articulate a few of the main points but it is not simply a summary You can react in a variety of ways You can talk about what was interesting to you in the readings and why how what you read relates to other class material how what you read informs some current event related to politics ask questions about what you didn t understand describe what you d like to learn more about based on the readings etc A signup sheet will be circulated during the first few days of the block Reactions are due at 9am on the two days you select On these two days you should also be prepared to take the lead in class discussion You should come prepared with 3 4 discussion questions related to the readings you critically considered in your reaction piece Exams There will be two exams throughout the course These exams will test your mastery of material covered and discussed in class as well as your ability to apply concepts developed in class and through readings to novel situations Reflection Paper Political Philosophy and Human Nature As you will notice throughout the first section of the course how one views and defines human nature shapes their view of the purpose of government You will have the opportunity to critically respond to the different viewpoints presented in this course in no more than 8 pages You will discuss the viewpoints of the major political philosophers we read describing how their views of human nature influence the type structure and scope of government they support You will then turn to analyzing your own view of human nature and its influence on the role you believe government ought to play in society We will discuss a bit more specific guidelines for this assignment in class 2 Current Events Article Discussion As a way to bring together the many different concepts we ll learn students will work in pairs to analyze a popular press article of interest The goal for this assignment is to apply a few specific concepts theories or frameworks learned in class to the current world of politics Students should be prepared to clearly and engagingly summarize their article for the class explain how they applied a few class concepts and then ask a few questions of the class to provoke discussion concerning the issue at hand A signup sheet will be circulated during the first few days of class Your overall grade in this course will be determined according to the following distribution Percent 10 15 40 25 10 Item Class Contribution Formal Reactions to Readings 2 at 7 5 each Exams 2 at 20 each Reflection Paper Political Philosophy and Human Nature Current Events Article Discussion Disabilities If you have a disability registered with the college that will require special accommodations for exams or other assignments please let me know as early as possible and no later than the third day of the term Information about the policies and procedures for accommodations of learning disabilities is available on the following Cornell website www cornellcollege edu academicaffairs disabilities Course Outline and Reading Schedule Below you will find specific readings exam dates assignment deadlines and other pertinent information for our day to day meetings WEEK 1 5 1 5 5 Monday March 1 9am Course Introduction Overview of Political Philosophy Tuesday March 2 9am World s Smallest Political Quiz Political Philosophy Human Nature and the Foundations of Political Regimes Reading Assignment Plato Books I and II Wednesday