Attendance and Participation: You are
required to attend classes. You are permitted 3 absences -- after that
your grade will suffer (please note: attendance is 10% of your final grade).
If you have an emergency that precludes your coming to class, please let
me know as soon as you can. The course will be part lecture and part discussion
and as such I will place a heavy emphasis on your participation.
To facilitate this, I will ask that you come prepared with at least one
question related to the readings. These questions will be collected
and utilized in our discussions. They will not be graded as such, but they
will be used to form your overall grade for participation.
Assignments: In addition to attendance, there will be five graded assignments in this course. You must complete all five assignments in order to earn a passing grade.
Exams: There will be two mid-term exams and a final exam for this course, made up from material from readings and lectures (which do not always coincide). Exams are usually identification/short answer/essay type, and so require that you purchase and bring a blue book. There may on occasion be a small quiz or two, particularly if participation in class seems to be flagging due to inattention to readings.
Country Report. The country report will offer you the opportunity to integrate in a more formal way the information learned in the course. The paper, of approximately 10 pages in length, will be your opportunity to examine in some detail a country of your choosing other than the ones we cover in class (i.e., Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Russia and Poland).The paper should cover the major issues in that country’s political life, both domestically and in its foreign policy. I realize that each country has many major issues.You should read first about the country and then select what you consider to be the most important. Since many of the issues we’ll be discussing in class are of concern across Europe, you should also relate debates on these issues to what we discuss in class. You should include the positions of major political parties on the issues, as well as differing viewpoints across the political spectrum. You should use published sources and Web sources. We’ll devote part of one class to discussions of European politics on the Web. The paper will be evaluated on the basis of content, clarity of argument, and writing style (including grammar, spelling, and punctuation). DUE: in class, Tuessday, December 4. One full grade will be deducted for every day (including Saturday and Sunday) that the paper is late. I recommend (but do not require) that you submit a draft of your paper well before it is due so that you can receive timely feedback.
The process of writing the paper will not be accomplished in one step but (as with all good writing) will be done in stages. The critical components of this process are:Topic: Before writing a paper, you need to figure out what question you are attempting to answer. In this assignment, you are to hand in a statement of your basic research question. (Details to be discussed in class.) This assignment is to be submitted in class on Tuesday, October 9. It will not be graded, but 2 points will be deducted from the final paper for every day it is late.Annotated Bibliography: Before writing a paper, you need as well to research the subject matter. In this assignment, you are to hand in a short, annotated bibliography containing both Internet and other sources for your paper. (Details to be discussed in class.) This assignment is to be submitted in class on Tuesday, November 13. It also will not be graded, but 2 points will be deducted from the final paper for every day it is late.
NB: If you must miss any assignment, you must discuss this with me in advance and receive permission to take a make-up. Unless there are reasonable extenuating circumstances, failure to arrange this in advance will result in a failing grade for that assignment.
This is the total number of assessments available for your course
grade. I do not award extra-credit points.
Students with Disabilities: In accordance
with University policy, if you have a documented disability and require
accommodations to obtain equal access, please contact the instructor at
the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an
accommodation is required.
PART 1.INTRODUCTION TO EUROPEAN POLITICS
T 8/28 Orientation to course. What is Europe? 10,000 Years of History in One Hour (Or So).
R 8/30 The “New” Europe? What is Europe Thinking Now?
T 9/4 Concepts in Comparative Politics
R 9/6 The Governments of Europe. European Politics on the Web. Country Profiles writing.
PART II. COUNTRY STUDIES: THREE EUROPEAN DEMOCRACIES
T 9/11 United Kingdom: Historical Legacies and Political Culture
R 9/13 UK (cont’d): Policies and Practices
T 9/18 France: Historical Legacies and Political Culture
Assignment: ADP: Ch. 5 (pp. 138-151)
R 9/20 France (cont’d): Policies and
Practices.
Assignment: ADP: Ch.5 (pp. 151-194). AE: #10, “Forces of Change
in a Conservative Society”. Handouts: TBA.
T 9/25 Germany: Historical Legacies and Political Culture
R 9/27 Germany: Policies and Practices. Discussion and review.
T 10/2 Examination 1.
R 10/11 Russia: Towards a New Society
T 10/16 Russia: Is it a Democracy?
R 10/18 Poland: Transition to Democracy
T 10/23 Poland: Policy Making in a New Democracy
PART IV: CURRENT ISSUES IN EUROPE
R 10/25 Globalization and the Political Economy of Europe
T 10/30 What is the Future of the European Welfare State?
R 11/1 The European Welfare State (cont’d). Discussion and Review.
T 11/13 Nationalism and European Right-Wing Parties (cont’d)
R 11/15 Ethnic Conflict
T 11/20 Ethnic Conflict (cont’d)
THANKSGIVING
– HAPPY TURKEY DAY
T 12/4 The EU: On-Going and Current Issues
R 12/6 Wrap-Up. Discussion and review.
T 12/11 Final Exam Time (12:45-3:00 pm).