POL
1201.2A
Politics: Contemporary Issues (WINTER 2012)
Time: M, W, 11:30 - 12:45pm Professor: Dr. Alexandra Dobrowolsky
Class Location: LA 171 Email:
adobrowolsky@smu.ca
Office Phone: (902) 420-5895 Office Hours: Tues. & Thurs. 1 - 4:00pm,
Office location: MN
405 * or by appointment
Course Objectives:
This course
introduces students to the study of politics through the lens of current
political issues and challenges. “Politics” is broadly conceived and includes a
wide range of ideas, institutions, interests, and identities, as well as
multiple forms of governance, in a changing, globalizing, political, economic
and socio-cultural world.
The course
has three interrelated objectives. First, students will develop a general
understanding of politics and its broader relevance. Second, students will be
encouraged to develop their critical thinking in relation to contemporary
political issues. More specifically, students will be required to formulate,
articulate and situate informed and appropriately substantiated views on an array
of political concerns. This will be accomplished through required and
supplementary course readings, as well as class discussions and formal class debates.
Third,
the ultimate aim of the course is to aid students in acquiring the necessary
analytical tools to become politically aware, active and engaged citizens.
Course Requirements:
Concept
Quiz (date: Feb. 8 ) 15%
Debate
Presentation 15%
Critical
Commentary (6 pages, due: Mar. 14 ) 30%
Participation
/ Attendance 10%
Final
Exam (in scheduled exam period) 30%
Course Texts:
1) Janine Brodie and Sandra Rein, Critical Concepts: An Introduction to Politics,
4th ed., Pearson, 2009.
2) Mark Charlton, Crosscurrents: International
Relations 5th edition,
Thomson/Nelson, 2010.
Critical Commentary
You will be required to write a Critical Commentary on
one of the debate topics for this term (note: must be a topic apart from the
one on which you present). Your Commentary will be due on March 14. Consider
this assignment to be like writing a book review, but instead of reading and
commenting on a whole book, you will be asked to critically assess, in
an informed and substantiated manner, one debate topic we cover in this term.
You will choose a chapter from your Mark Charlton ed., Crosscurrents (2010) course text, and then analyze how this debate
is presented in light of four different types of sources on the same
topic. Each commentary should be
approximately 6 pages long, including the bibliography.
PLEASE NOTE:
All
components of this course must be completed to receive a passing grade. Your
Critical Commentary will require proper English language usage and appropriate
referencing, and will be graded accordingly. Please make use of the Writing
Centre and consult the Political Science Style Handbook, (i.e., The Writing Centre, APA Style Guide Political Science Department) for appropriate
referencing. Your Critical Commentary will be handed in on time. No
extensions will be granted in this course. If accepted, a penalty of
one grade point (e.g., from A to A-, from A- to B+) per day will be imposed on
late submissions.
Students with
disabilities should meet with the professor at the start of the term to discuss
alternative arrangements/accommodations, if necessary.
PLAGIARISM: constitutes a serious academic offence.
Taking someone else’s work or quoting another person’s research/writing without
reference; taking unattributed material from the internet; submitting the same
piece of work for credit in more than one course, are all examples of academic
fraud (see the Academic Calendar on “Academic Integrity and Student
Responsibility”, pp. 21-22). Students found committing these or other offences
will receive a grade of zero for the work(s) in question and will be reported.
Topics,
I) Jan. 4: Introductions
Required:
*buy
your textbooks and be sure to get the right editions: Brodie & Rein
textbook 4th
Edition (2009); and Charlton
textbook 5th Edition (2010)
II) Jan. 9: Power, Politics & the
Required reading:
*Brodie & Rein, Chapter 1
**Sign up for Group Debates, Jan. 16
III) Jan. 11 / 16 / 18 : Classical & Contemporary Political Ideas &
Why They Matter Now
Jan. 11:
Ideologies, Conscious & Unconscious
Sept. 12: Dominant
Ideologies & Their Variations
Sept. 18:
Radical Ideologies & Their Variations
Required readings:
*Brodie & Rein, Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 14
IV) Jan. 23: Ideology &
Democracy in Action? Political Parties
& Elections
Required reading:
*Brodie & Rein, Chapter 11
V) Jan. 25/ 30/ Feb. 1: Political Ideas &
their Effects, Global & Local
Required readings:
*Charlton Issues 8 & 9
**DEBATE 1, Feb. 1: Can Trade Liberalization Benefit both Rich and Poor?
Issue 8 in Charlton
**DEBATE 2, Feb. 6: Has Globalization Been Detrimental to Women?
Issue 9 in Charlton
*Feb. 8 / 2012
CONCEPT QUIZ
VI) Feb. 13 / 15 / 27: Civil
Society, Mobilization & Contentious Politics
Required readings:
*Brodie & Rein, Chapters 13 & 23
*Charlton Issue 10
**DEBATE 3, Feb.15 Was the
READING WEEK FEBRUARY 20-24 / 2012
VII) Feb. 29 / Mar. 5 / 7: Culture &
Diversity
Required readings:
*Brodie & Rein, Chapters 15 & 16
*Charlton Issue 1
**DEBATE 4, Mar. 5: Is the World Fragmenting into Clashing Cultures?
Issue 1 in Charlton
MAR. 7: TIPS ON WRITING & RESEARCHING CRITICAL
COMMENTARY
REMINDER: CRITICAL COMMENTARY DUE MAR. 14
VIII) Mar. 12 / 14 / 19 / 21: Human
Rights, Indigenous Rights, Constitutions, Courts & Justice
Required readings:
*Brodie & Rein, Chapters 8 & 17
*Charlton Issues 16 & 15
**DEBATE 5, Mar. 19: Are Truth Commissions Useful in Promoting
Human Rights and Justice? Issue 16 in
Charlton
**DEBATE 6, Mar. 21: Do We Need an International Criminal Court?
Issue 15 in Charlton
IX) Mar. 26 / 28: Migration,
Citizenship & Security
Required readings:
*Brodie & Rein, Chapter 12
*Charlton Issue 13
**DEBATE 7, Mar. 28: Should Human Security Be the Core Value of
Canadian Foreign Policy? Issue 13 in Charlton
X) Apr. 2: Catch Up, Wrap Up & Review
Required:
*Catch up on any missed readings
*Start
studying for the final exam
Good Luck with Final Exams!