Course Documents

These first documents need to be downloaded and read by each member of the class, as the fundamental guidelines for the course are provided therein.

Syllabus

The course syllabus lists the general requirements and expectations for the course. All specifics for the course and for the assignments mentioned in the syllabus can be located on this website. Check both the syllabus and this website for instructions regarding assignments.

Each professor should make available to the students a syllabus of the course. This syllabus needs to include such information as an outline of the course topics, a listing of necessary assignments, a schedule of test dates, and the grading policy. Why? The syllabus serves as an ‘offer’ between the student and the professor. A syllabus does not remove the student’s responsibility for attending class sessions, nor does it constrain the professor from changing the specific elements of the syllabus.

Style Sheet

The course stylesheet explains how to format all papers for this class. All papers that you hand in for credit, except for in-class activities, must adhere to this stylesheet. Failure to adhere closely to the stylesheet may result in you failing to pass this course. At the very least, a student who does not follow the stylesheet will not receive as many points as he/she would otherwise receive.

References

This document explains and shows how to properly reference all of your works for this class. The APSA is the American Political Science Association. This document provides explanations how to properly cite and reference your sources. The easiest way to fail this class is to fail to cite and reference your sources. The easiest way to lose points in this class is to fail to cite and reference properly.

What information must be cited? There is no need to cite facts deemed ‘common’ knowledge. How do we define common knowledge? If the ‘common’ person knows it as a fact, then it is common knowledge. However, there are two exceptions to this rule: if your entire argument centers on a fact, or if the fact is contentious in the discipline (though not contentious to the common person). In both of these cases, cite the fact. It is better to over-cite than under-cite.

Wikipedia is a wonderful encyclopedia, and Dictionary.com is a fantastic dictionary—both are available online 24/7/365. However, neither are acceptable sources for any work you do in this course. The reason Wikipedia is not acceptable is identical to the reasons encyclopedias are not, in general, acceptable: they are excellent quaternary sources. A primary source is a first-hand account of an event. A secondary source is an analysis using primary sources. A tertiary source is summary or compilation of primary and/or secondary sources. Each level we move out introduces inaccuracies and blurring of the differences between terms and theories within the discipline. Encyclopedias are quaternary sources. As such, they give good general background on items, but do not successfully distinguish the fine shades of meaning. This is also the reason using dictionaries is not acceptable. The audiences are the general public. As such, words are used in different ways than we use them in the discipline.

The Examinations

The First Examination

The First Examination for the course will occur during class on Friday, October 26. To help you attain the level of mastery that you seek, all of the PowerPoints and Outlines have been posted in the ‘Lectures’ section of this site. Additionally, I am providing both a review and a practice for the First Examination. Use all of this material wisely, for you are wise, indeed, grasshopper.

Here is the answer key to the practice exam.

The Final Examination

The Final Examination for the course will occur on December 11, 2007, from 8:00am until 9:40. To help you attain the level of mastery that you seek, all of the PowerPoints and Outlines have been posted in the ‘Lectures’ section of this site. Additionally, I am providing a review sheet for the final. Use all of this material wisely, for you are wise, indeed, grasshopper.

Reading Guide

This course document is more specific, as it refers to a specific reading assignment. These are not the written assignments associated with the readings, they are thought questions only.

The Communist Manifesto, Questions and Reading Schedule

This is the list of reading assignments for The Communist Manifesto along with some questions designed to make you think about the readings. Read these questions both before and after you actually read the section. The ‘before’ will give you things to pick out of the reading. the ‘after’ will refresh your memory about what the reading covered.

All Assignments

Scavenger Hunt

Starting from the course website, find the answers to each of the questions on this assignment. Also, include the URI address from which you got the answer. Of course, type your answers and follow the style sheet (as always). Enjoy!

Five Hypotheses

After reviewing what makes a good hypothesis, write five of them.

The Purpose of Government

According to the philosophers selected for you, what is the purpose of government? You will have to find out this information on the Internet yourself. You will have to use more than just one source. There are many good websites available. Make sure that you only use appropriate websites (a.k.a. do not use only Wikipedia). In other words, research the answer.

The Supreme Cases Paper

This activity is to be done in groups of (at most) four. Your first task as a group is to exchange with each member of your group contact information and your first meeting time. I will be checking with you at some time in the future to make sure you completed this step. Once you have done that, your second task is to divide the workload acceptably among the members of your group. Your third task is to choose one of the Supreme Court cases on the list and write a short paper about it. This short paper will explore the milieu of the case, its questions, its answers, and its effects on the United States. Finally, your short presentation will present the court case to the rest of the class.
Group Assignments

Political Leanings

The primary purpose of the political leanings activity is to have you think about where you are in relation to others in terms of your political ideology. If you answer the questions accurately, the results will be accurate. You may be surprised where you are in the political spectrum.

Additional Assignments

Causal Hypotheses

The press is free to write just about anything it so desires (slander is illegal). To some, this is both a blessing and a curse. This results in both a free, investigative press and a hodgepodge of misinformation based on the flimsiest of logical threads. This assignment will give you the opportunity to parse through (online) newspaper stories and really think about their causal statements.

The Constitutional Scenarios Activity

This activity was done in class on September 24, 2007.

Supplemental Readings

The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, commonly known as the Articles of Confederation, was the first governing document, or constitution, of the United States of America. It was written in summer 1777 and adopted by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777 in York, Pennsylvania after a year of debate. In practice it served as the de facto system of government used by the Congress ("the United States in Congress assembled") until it became de jure by final ratification on March 1, 1781. At that point Congress became the Congress of the Confederation. The Articles set the rules for operations of the "United States" confederation. The confederation was capable of making war, negotiating diplomatic agreements, and resolving issues regarding the western territories; it could print money and borrow inside and outside the US. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Constitution

The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. It was adopted in its original form on September 17, 1787 by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later ratified by the people in conventions in each state in the name of "We the People." The Constitution has a central place in American law and political culture. The U.S. Constitution is the oldest written national constitution except possibly for San Marino's Statutes of 1600, whose status as a true constitution is disputed by scholars. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Communist Manifesto

The Manifesto of the Communist Party, usually referred to as The Communist Manifesto, was first published on February 21, 1848, and is one of the world's most influential political tracts. Commissioned by the Communist League and written by communist theorists Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx, it laid out the League's purposes and program. The Manifesto suggested a course of action for a proletarian (working class) revolution to overthrow the ruling class of bourgeoisie and to eventually bring about a classless society. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Prince

Il Principe (The Prince) is a political treatise by the Florentine public servant and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. Originally called De Principatibus (About Principalities), it was written in 1513, but not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death. The treatise is not actually representative of the work published during his lifetime, but it is certainly the most remembered, and the one responsible for bringing "Machiavellian" into wide usage as a pejorative term. (Source: Wikipedia)

Full Download

This last link provides all of these links in one easy-to-download package. It is a large package that includes some readings I have yet to weave into the course, and it does not include any of the copyrighted information. But it is rather handy, no? The file size is 785kb and needs a standard unzipping utility like WinZip^© or the one that came with Windows XP^©. If an open source solution appeals to you, 7-Zip^© and IZArc^© are excellent products.

All of these downloads.