Politics and Governance 12 (Dual Credit Course) |
Scott Campbell Email: [email protected]
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Course Overview:
This course will introduce students to fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and outcomes of politics in a variety of nations. The two courses aim to illustrate the rich diversity of political life, to show available institutional alternatives, to explain differences in processes and policy outcomes, and to communicate to students the importance of global political and economic changes. Students will learn important skills in writing, speaking, debating and assessing aspects about politics, governments, nation states, political cultures, ideologies, social movements, the news media and more.
"... why am I so interested in politics? If I were to answer you very simply I would say this: why shouldn't I be interested? That is to say, what blindness, what deafness, what density of ideology would have to weigh me down to prevent me from being interested in what is probably the most crucial subject to our existence, that is to say the society in which we live, the economic relations in which it functions, and the system of power which defines the regular forms and regular permissions and prohibitions of our conduct? The essence of our life consists, after all of the political functioning of the society in which we find ourselves. So I can’t answer the question of why I should be interested; I could only answer it by asking why I shouldn’t be interested."
--philosopher Michel Foucault, in a debate with linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, 1971
This course will introduce students to fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and outcomes of politics in a variety of nations. The two courses aim to illustrate the rich diversity of political life, to show available institutional alternatives, to explain differences in processes and policy outcomes, and to communicate to students the importance of global political and economic changes. Students will learn important skills in writing, speaking, debating and assessing aspects about politics, governments, nation states, political cultures, ideologies, social movements, the news media and more.
"... why am I so interested in politics? If I were to answer you very simply I would say this: why shouldn't I be interested? That is to say, what blindness, what deafness, what density of ideology would have to weigh me down to prevent me from being interested in what is probably the most crucial subject to our existence, that is to say the society in which we live, the economic relations in which it functions, and the system of power which defines the regular forms and regular permissions and prohibitions of our conduct? The essence of our life consists, after all of the political functioning of the society in which we find ourselves. So I can’t answer the question of why I should be interested; I could only answer it by asking why I shouldn’t be interested."
--philosopher Michel Foucault, in a debate with linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, 1971
Course Textbook (as a reference only - on loan in the school library):
Eric Mintz, David Close, and Osvaldo Croci, Politics, Power and the Common Good, 4th ed. (Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2014)
Course Readings:
Mainly newspaper, other media and journal articles – that both instructors will be referring to in our lectures. These readings can be accessed through my website or through the PSC 105 website, or in many cases, a Google search of the title. Ask your instructors for further clarification if needed.
Preparation/Organization:
Make a sincere effort - engage actively in the classes and as you do the assigned work, be open to new ideas and methods, follow suggestions and improve where you can, learn from your mistakes, get extra help when you need it.
Due to the vigorous pace and nature of the course, it is your responsibility to catch up, find out and complete assignments, hand in work due, and reschedule (as soon as possible) all missed tests, presentations, and due dates if you must be absent. That being said, students who attend on time with assignments done, appropriate materials and are ready to learn are most successful.
Self responsibility is the key to developing safe and respectful learning environments...“I own my thoughts, language, behaviours, actions, and outcomes being self responsible allows me to move forward to a full life, deeper learning, and an attitude that does not blame others.”
Assessment
Assessment and evaluation will be done in a variety of ways – by you, by us (the teachers), and by your peers. The most important part of assessment is that it helps us learn by showing us what we can and cannot do; the most important part of evaluation is that it indicates how well we are able to show what we know, in a particular way, about a particular subject, at a particular point in time. It is NOT a measure of how smart we are overall. However, it is part of our education system, and we will work with it. The thing to remember is that the result of any assessment or evaluation is NOT a judgment; it is a tool that we can use to improve our learning.
Evaluation Breakdown
Participation – 15%
Class Discussions
Obviously, attendance is key – but so is active engagement. This entails contributing to class discussions in a positive way, as well asking questions of your teachers and peers.
Debates
All students will participate in debates. Details to come (and I am open to suggestions…)
Assignments - 35%
Media Assignment
Critical to our understanding of politics is understanding the role the media plays in our daily lives. This includes mainstream media (newspapers, broadcast news, for example) and social media (twitter, Instagram, etc). Both have been forces for good in democracies, but they also play increasingly controversial roles in the disruption of public debate. Your task will be to review a political story/controversy and analyze both the form and content of a variety of sources.
One Pagers - 20%
Writing pieces declared as “one pagers” are given randomly during a learning phase and are designed as an opportunity for the student to demonstrate technical command of the relevant concepts/ideas/terminology and to continue to work with the ideas of politics, governments, states, political cultures, social movements and ideologies that underpin the course objectives. In all likelihood, the “one-pager” will be based on readings from Poli Sci 105, in addition to lectures, discussions, and guest speakers during a particular learning phase.
Op-Ed Assignment - 10%
Your “op-ed” will be written as a traditional short essay that would be submitted to a newspaper. You have a strict word limit of 650 words. We will distribute a list of topics for the “op-ed”s by the end of September. They will also be available in the Assignment section on D2L.
Security Council Debate & Position Paper
As part of a delegation, you will be tasked with representing a nation on the Security Council and resolving an international crises. As a delegation, you must submit a (group) position paper and openly debate the proposals forwarded by other member states to the crises at hand.
Unit Tests - 15%
At the end of each of our units we will have an in-class short answer quiz.
Group Presentation Assignment (in tandem with PSC 105) - 10%
See PSC 105 syllabus.
Final Exam- 10%
This will be a combination of a take-home write and in-class review of the course.
Due date policy: Hand in work on time.
Extensions: Talk to me before the due date if you could be late (or on the due date if something unforeseen comes up) - just be honest about why. Ask for an extension if you will need one, and you will probably get one. If you organize your time and plan ahead, it will work out.
Demonstration of learning: if you have a true desire to express what you have learned in a different way, or need to show that you understand something that you missed, there are some assessment alternatives you can find out about from your teacher.
Eric Mintz, David Close, and Osvaldo Croci, Politics, Power and the Common Good, 4th ed. (Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2014)
Course Readings:
Mainly newspaper, other media and journal articles – that both instructors will be referring to in our lectures. These readings can be accessed through my website or through the PSC 105 website, or in many cases, a Google search of the title. Ask your instructors for further clarification if needed.
Preparation/Organization:
Make a sincere effort - engage actively in the classes and as you do the assigned work, be open to new ideas and methods, follow suggestions and improve where you can, learn from your mistakes, get extra help when you need it.
Due to the vigorous pace and nature of the course, it is your responsibility to catch up, find out and complete assignments, hand in work due, and reschedule (as soon as possible) all missed tests, presentations, and due dates if you must be absent. That being said, students who attend on time with assignments done, appropriate materials and are ready to learn are most successful.
Self responsibility is the key to developing safe and respectful learning environments...“I own my thoughts, language, behaviours, actions, and outcomes being self responsible allows me to move forward to a full life, deeper learning, and an attitude that does not blame others.”
Assessment
Assessment and evaluation will be done in a variety of ways – by you, by us (the teachers), and by your peers. The most important part of assessment is that it helps us learn by showing us what we can and cannot do; the most important part of evaluation is that it indicates how well we are able to show what we know, in a particular way, about a particular subject, at a particular point in time. It is NOT a measure of how smart we are overall. However, it is part of our education system, and we will work with it. The thing to remember is that the result of any assessment or evaluation is NOT a judgment; it is a tool that we can use to improve our learning.
Evaluation Breakdown
Participation – 15%
Class Discussions
Obviously, attendance is key – but so is active engagement. This entails contributing to class discussions in a positive way, as well asking questions of your teachers and peers.
Debates
All students will participate in debates. Details to come (and I am open to suggestions…)
Assignments - 35%
Media Assignment
Critical to our understanding of politics is understanding the role the media plays in our daily lives. This includes mainstream media (newspapers, broadcast news, for example) and social media (twitter, Instagram, etc). Both have been forces for good in democracies, but they also play increasingly controversial roles in the disruption of public debate. Your task will be to review a political story/controversy and analyze both the form and content of a variety of sources.
One Pagers - 20%
Writing pieces declared as “one pagers” are given randomly during a learning phase and are designed as an opportunity for the student to demonstrate technical command of the relevant concepts/ideas/terminology and to continue to work with the ideas of politics, governments, states, political cultures, social movements and ideologies that underpin the course objectives. In all likelihood, the “one-pager” will be based on readings from Poli Sci 105, in addition to lectures, discussions, and guest speakers during a particular learning phase.
Op-Ed Assignment - 10%
Your “op-ed” will be written as a traditional short essay that would be submitted to a newspaper. You have a strict word limit of 650 words. We will distribute a list of topics for the “op-ed”s by the end of September. They will also be available in the Assignment section on D2L.
Security Council Debate & Position Paper
As part of a delegation, you will be tasked with representing a nation on the Security Council and resolving an international crises. As a delegation, you must submit a (group) position paper and openly debate the proposals forwarded by other member states to the crises at hand.
Unit Tests - 15%
At the end of each of our units we will have an in-class short answer quiz.
Group Presentation Assignment (in tandem with PSC 105) - 10%
See PSC 105 syllabus.
Final Exam- 10%
This will be a combination of a take-home write and in-class review of the course.
Due date policy: Hand in work on time.
Extensions: Talk to me before the due date if you could be late (or on the due date if something unforeseen comes up) - just be honest about why. Ask for an extension if you will need one, and you will probably get one. If you organize your time and plan ahead, it will work out.
Demonstration of learning: if you have a true desire to express what you have learned in a different way, or need to show that you understand something that you missed, there are some assessment alternatives you can find out about from your teacher.