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Course Decsription: 12-3

"... 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." Michel Foucault 

A disinterest in politics is something that no conscientious citizen can afford. This course is intended to provide students with a means of engaging in broad political questions:

Why are some societies plagued by war and violence, while others are stable and peaceful?

How are the values in one society passed along to new members, and why do they differ from the values in other countries?

Why does it matter how we structure the institutions of government, limit their powers, or determine which individuals should hold public offices and exercise authority over the rest of the population?
 

The success of political processes to channel disputes in a society can play a key role in ensuring a harmonious society, while their failure can lead to frustration that boils over into revolution or chaos. A comparative approach in this class, looking at how differently politics are organized in other countries, will provide a broader context to determine how well particular government structures and processes may work. 
   

Required Text:

Rand Dyck, Studying Politics: An Introduction to Political Science Fourth Edition (Very important to get the right edition of this text)

Readings for Political Science 100/101, Second Custom Edition (Very important to get the right edition of this text)

Course Organization:

One 2-hour lecture and one 1-hour tutorial each week. 
 

Grade Distribution:

15% Participation 
15% Mid-term examination 
35% Term paper 
35% Final examination 

Participation Marks include 10 points for general participation and 5 points for attendance. Students may miss one tutorial, but each subsequent absence results in one point deduction from the 5 attendance marks. All exceptions must be approved by the instructor. Students must bring the introduction to their essay to the tutorial in Week 9. Failure to bring a draft of your introduction to the tutorial will result in one point off from your tutorial participation marks.

Draft essays are due in class in Week 10. The draft essays will be commented upon but not graded; they will be returned to students in Week 12. Failure to submit a complete draft of your essay will result in a penalty of 10 points out of 100 on your grade for this assignment.

The final version of the essay is due at the last class held in Week 13.

Students must submit the final version of their essay to the Turnitin.com service in order to receive credit for the essay assignment. The Turnitin submission is due by 11PM on the day of the last class.

LATE ESSAYS WILL BE NOT ACCEPTED. A MARK OF “O - ZERO” will be assessed for papers handed in late without approval from the professor.

Final Exam: Tuesday, Dec 11: 12:00 - 2:00 pm

simon fraser university - - political science department

This class is taught by Andrew Heard

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