Roanoke College
Department of Public Affairs
Introduction to Political Science (POLI 101 A)
FALL 2014
Instructor: Dr. Jonathan Snow
Contact: snow@roanoke.edu
Office: West 208
Office Hours: T 4:20-5:50pm and Th 1:10-2:40pm
Class Meeting: M/W/F 12pm-1pm
Course Objectives: The course objectives for POLI 101 are the following:
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Provide students with a general understanding of political science, its major subfields,
and its research methods.
Improve each student’s ability to think critically about politics.
Enhance each student’s writing skills.
Help students learn about major world and national issues and guide them on how to
access reliable information about these subjects.
Learning Objectives: Upon completing POLI 101, each student should have:
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Demonstrated basic knowledge of social science research methods through the
completion of a research methods project.
Articulated the basic principles of the scientific study of politics on exams and in written
assignments.
Expressed an understanding of the major subfields of political science on exams.
Improved writing and critical thinking skills through the completion of a short paper.
Required Readings: Magstadt, Thomas, Understanding Politics: Ideas, Institutions, Issues, 10th
Ed. Cengage, ISBN: 1111832560; Scott, Gregory M. & Stephen M. Garrison. The Political
Science Student Writer’s Manual, 7th ed., (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2012), ISBN: 978020583012; Daily newspaper or comprehensive news overview (such as Foreign Policy’s daily
newsletters); and additional readings listed and available on the course website.
Note: The Magstadt textbook, like most textbooks, is quite expensive. I have assigned the 10th
edition, instead of the newest (11th) edition in order to increase the likelihood of students being
able to find a copy, new or used, at a reasonable price. It is recommended that students use a hard
copy of this book, but used or rented copies are both very good options. If a student prefers to
use a digital copy, http://www.coursesmart.com/IR/7168453/9781111832568?__hdv=6.8
provides digital rentals for significant savings over the list price.
Attendance Policy: Attendance and participation are critical elements of this course. Sign in will
take place at the beginning of each class session. Students should make every effort to arrive on
time. Students arriving late are responsible for ensuring that their presence has been noted on the
sheet if attendance has already been taken.
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Frequent tardiness will result in a warning from the instructor, and any late arrivals after that
warning will be counted as an absence.
Absence from examinations or scheduled presentations without prior permission from the
instructor will result in a grade of “0”. No make-up examinations will be given. Additional written
assignments will be utilized to replace any exams missed due to an excused absence.
Students are permitted up to three absences, regardless of cause, without penalty. The fourth
missed class will result in a one point reduction from the final grade. The fifth and sixth missed
classes will each result in additional two point reductions.
Seven absences will result in dismissal from the course with a failing grade (DF). A DF has a
negative impact upon a student’s cumulative GPA. A formal written warning will precede such
dismissal. With this in mind, and since you can never predict when an unexpected crisis or
illness will come up, please reserve your quantity of permitted absences for true emergencies.
Grading:
1) Class Participation – 10%
2) Midterm 1 – 15% [Theory and Methods]
3) Midterm 2 – 15% [Domestic Politics – American and Comparative]
4) Midterm 3 – 15% [International Relations] (Note: This 3rd midterm is late in the
semester, to cover the final materials. Studying for this will also be part of studying for
the final, allowing you to maximize your efficiency in preparing for the exam.)
5) Research Paper (20%) and Class Presentation (5%) – 25% (The research paper will be on
a topic of the student’s choosing, and can focus on American Politics, Comparative
Politics, or International Relations, using one or more of the methodologies discussed in
Part Two of the course. Specific instructions will be handed out in class. Each student
will also give a 3-4 minute presentation of their research to the class.)
6) Final exam [Cumulative] on 12/12 from 2-5pm – 20%
Grading Scale: A = 93 and above; A-: 90-92.9; B+: 87-89.9; B: 83-86.9; B-: 80-82.9; C+: 7779.9; C: 73-76.9; C-: 70-72.9; D+: 67-69.9; D: 63-66.9; D-: 60-62.9; Below 60 = failing.
Late Work: All assignments must be turned in by the required date and time, in the format
specified in the instructions. Any late assignments will be marked down by 2 points for every
day that they are late, except in cases of a documented illness or personal emergency.
If your participation in intercollegiate athletic competition conflicts with any of the requirements
for the course, please provide a letter from the Director of Athletics stating the dates of these
conflicts no later than September 15th. Student athletes whose participation does conflict with
the standard course obligations will have to agree to and sign a specific alternative plan of action
for completing all course requirements. This plan will be designed to assure that such students
are full participants in the class despite any necessary absences. As such, additional alternative
assignments may be necessary to ensure that athletes are completing the same amount and level
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of work as their peers. Any such agreement must be finalized and signed before the first midterm
(see schedule below).
Plagiarism/Academic Honesty: All students in this course are expected to adhere to the highest
academic integrity as outlined in the Academic Integrity at Roanoke College Handbook. Any
instance of suspected academic dishonesty will result in referral to the Academic Integrity
Council.
Academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to): plagiarism, either by quoting without
including quotation marks or paraphrasing without citation; using any material during an exam
that is not explicitly authorized; copying from another student; buying papers; borrowing papers;
lending papers; using a paper in two classes without the permission of both instructors; and
buying or selling any lecture notes, exams, papers, or any other course materials.
While students are encouraged to discuss ideas and concepts with other class participants, all
written work should be solely produced by the individual student. Students may consult the
writing center or other campus resources for advice, but papers are not a collaborative project.
If you are ever in doubt about whether any action violates this policy, please do not hesitate to
contact the instructor. Neither ignorance of these policies nor the lack of an intention to cheat or
plagiarize will be considered a legitimate defense. Raise questions you have before problems
arise and remember it is always better to turn an assignment in late than it is to cheat or
plagiarize (although it is certainly much better to plan ahead and not turn it in late at all).
Class Cancelation: In the case of college-wide class cancelations, students will be informed via
email and/or the course website of any course-specific adjustments. If a cancelation is required
particular to this class, students will also be informed electronically, and make-up plans will
follow.
Disabilities and Learning Differences: If you need academic accommodations because of a
documented disability, please be aware that the instructor must be provided with an official
“letter of accommodation” or other formal notice from The Office of Disability Support
Services, located in the Goode-Pasfield Center for Learning and Teaching in Fintel Library. Such
letters should be received no later than one week prior to (the first of) any assignments for which
the student wishes to receive accommodations. For questions about documenting a disability of
any sort, or requesting academic accommodations, please contact Rick Robers, M.A.,
Coordinator of Disability Support Services, at 540-375-2247 or e-mail robers@roanoke.edu.
Electronics: New technologies provide both terrific opportunities for more engaged learning,
and the pitfalls associated with constant distractions. A plethora of studies in recent years have
investigated the effects that electronics and perpetual connectivity have on student learning.
Most have concluded that individuals are considerably worse at multitasking than they believe
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they are and that distractions in the classroom are having a profoundly negative impact on
student learning.
The use of electronics in the classroom can be distracting to both the user and those around him
or her. Based on these scientific studies, it is my belief that students should substantially limit
their use of electronic devices in the classroom and take notes by hand, since other studies have
shown that retention of new information is generally much greater when an individual has
handwritten notes. But this is merely a strong suggestion; students may experiment with taking
notes via computer or tablet if they wish. However, I reserve the right to forbid the use of any
electronics at any time in the future if students abuse these policies. In particular, students who
chose to use electronic devices should limit themselves to activities directly related to the class
(i.e. NO FACEBOOK, email, or chat) and take care to ensure that their use is not a distraction to
others. Students caught using electronics for non-class related activities will lose their individual
privilege to use such devices in future classes, and will be marked absent for the day. Cell/smart
phones are never permitted, and should be turned off before class.
Recording Lectures: All lectures and class discussions/presentations for this class are private
and cannot be recorded without the explicit permission of the participants. If you wish to record
any element of this class, you must first seek written permission from the class instructor, and all
students in the class (as well as guest speakers) must be informed that audio/video recording may
occur. If these conditions are met, recording of lectures or class presentations is solely authorized
for the purposes of individual or group study with other students enrolled in the same class.
Permission to allow the recording is not a transfer of any copyrights in the recording. The
recording may not be reproduced or uploaded to publicly accessible web environments.
Overview of Classes:
Week One: Introduction – Overview of the four major subfields of political science
Part One: Political Theory
1) The classical theorists
2) Early modern theorists
3) The intersection of “theory” & “science”
Part Two: Methods
1) Introduction
2) Research questions
3) Dependent and Independent Variables
4) Research Design
5) Quantitative and Qualitative methodologies: Similarities & differences
Part Three: Domestic Political Systems
A: The American System
1) The foundations and ties to political theory
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2) Federalism
3) The branches of government
4) Elections
a. The 2014 Election
B: Comparative
1) Political systems
2) Comparative case selection – how it is done
3) Cases – a look at a handful of different countries around the world and a comparison
of each to the American system, and to each other.
Part Four: International Relations
1) The major paradigms
2) Polarity and relative strength
3) War and peace
4) International Organizations
5) Environmental questions
Daily Schedule
Subject to Change. Reading assignments will be updated and announced in class and/or via the
course Inspire site. Make sure to keep up with any changes, and always ask if you are confused.
8/27 – Introduction and Course Overview [Readings: Magstadt Ch1. (Background Reading)]
8/29 – Introduction to Political Theory [Readings: Plato: Apology & Crito (Doing what's right)]
9/1 – Political Theory [Readings: Plato: Republic Book I (Justice)]
9/3 – Political Theory [Readings: sel. from Machiavelli: The Prince (Doing what's necessary)]
9/5 – Political Theory [Readings: sel. from Hobbes: Leviathan (The social contract for order)]
9/8 – Political Theory [Readings: sel. from Locke: Second Treatise (The social contract/rights)]
9/10 – Political Theory [Readings: Marx and Engels: Communist Manifesto (Justice, redux)]
9/12 – Methodology – Introduction/Choosing Research Questions
9/15 – Methodology – Dependent and Independent Variables
9/16 – 7:30pm Gordon Wood Constitution Day Speaker “Advice for the Egyptians from the
American Founders” – Mandatory Lecture (in place of class 9/26)*
9/17 – Methodology – Research Design
9/19 – Methodology – Qualitative/Case Studies
9/22 – Methodology – Quantitative Methodologies
9/24 – Midterm 1
9/26 – No Class – But turn in paper prospectus for approval (see in-class handout and review
Turabian, pp.6-19)
9/29 – Domestic Political Systems – American and Comparative Systems & Ideals – [Readings:
Magstadt pp.21-40]
10/1 – Types of Democracies (American and others) – [Readings: Magstadt pp.59-85]
10/3 – Authoritarian Systems – [Readings: Magstadt pp. 88-114]
10/6 – Totalitarianism – [Readings: Magstadt pp. 116-139]
10/8 – Writing Tutorial: Style, Organization, Citation (Readings: Turabian, Skim Chapters 2&4,
and read chapters 2&5 and pp.152-158).
10/10 – American Politics – The Branches of Government
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10/13 – No Class
10/15 – No Class
10/17 – No Class
10/20 – American Politics – Federalism
10/22 – Paper Due and Presentations
10/24 – Presentations
10/27 – American Politics – The Midterm Elections
10/29 – American Politics – Other Issues
10/31 – Comparative Politics – The United Kingdom and France
11/3 – Comparative Politics – Germany and Japan
11/5 – Comparative Politics – India and Israel
11/7 – Midterm 2
11/10 – International Relations – Realism and Polarity
11/12 – International Relations – Liberalism
11/14 – International Relations – Constructivism and other challenges
11/17 – Conflict and War
11/19 – Economics and Peace
11/19 – 7:30pm - Kristen Powers/Melissa Moschella Fowler Speaker/Benne Center for
Religion & Society “The Meaning of the 2014 Elections” (Attendance Strongly
Encouraged)
11/21 – International Organizations
11/24 – International Law
11/26 – No Class
11/28 – No Class
12/1 – Environmentalism
12/3 – Midterm 3
12/5 – Conclusion and review
12/12 Final Exam from 2-5pm
*Attendance at the lecture on 9/16 is required and will be demonstrated with a two paragraph
summary/reflection. If a student is unable to attend they have three alternative options: 1) Use
this as one of your class absences (to be treated as any other missed class would be); 2) Attend
the optional lecture on 11/19 and submit the two paragraph assignment for that (but keep in mind
that you may not know in September what your conflicts will be in November); 3) Write a 1200
word think piece related to the 9/16 lecture topic.
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