POLI 3620 Syllabus
Course Syllabus
POLI 3620 - Comparative European Government
3 Credit Hours
Course Information
An analysis of the government of selected European Countries with attention to both theory and practice. Comparison with American institutions is emphasized.
This course is meant to introduce students to the history and politics of Europe. It is geared toward political science majors as well as non-majors. Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
- have a better understanding of the evolution of the state system in Europe, as well as the formation and impact of the European Union.
- students will also have a greater awareness of the individual histories and politics of the respective members of the European Union.
- students will also gain a greater awareness of the impact of Europe in international politics and economics.
The understanding of these concepts is measured by the exams, quizzes, and writing assignments illustrated later in this syllabus.
None
- Introduction: What is Comparative Politics?
Hancock, Introduction - Contemporary European History
E. Gene Frankland, Europe 10th edition 3-17 - The Development of the European Union:
Frankland, 17-35.
Kesselman and Krieger, European Politics in Transition, 471-490. - Politics in Great Britain:
Hancock, Part 1 - Politics in France:
Hancock, Part 2 - Politics in Germany:
Hancock, Part 3 - Politics Italian Style:
Hancock, Part 4 - Politics in Sweden
Hancock, Part 5 - The Big Bear, Politics in the Russian Federation:
Hancock, Part 6 - Politics in Poland
Hancock, Part 7 - Politics in East Central Europe:
Kesselman and Krieger, Part 7 - The Future of the EU:
Hancock, Part Part 8
None
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course. Move your cursor over the "Books" link in the navigation bar and select "Textbooks & Course Materials." Select your Program, Term, Department, and Course; then select "Submit."
Several articles will be available on library reserve. These are available at no cost to the student.
Minimum hardware requirements can be found here.
Minimum software requirements can be found here.
Common applications you might need:
- To read a PDF file download the latest version of Adobe Reader here
- Don't have Microsoft Word? Explore an alternative OpenOffice here
- Accessing a PowerPoint file? Download the PowerPoint Viewer here
Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab (for APA, MLA, or Chicago style)
The Writing Center Online Writer's Handbook
- Technical support information can be found on the TN eCampus Help Desk page.
- Smarthinking virtual tutoring is available FREE of charge. to access Smarthinking, visit the course homepage and select Smarthinking under Course Resources. You also view sample sessions to see what Smarthinking offers and how it works.
- Information on other student issues or concerns can be located on the TN eCampus Student Resources page.
Instructor Information
Please see "Instructor Information" in the Getting Started Module for instructor contact information, virtual office hours, and other communication information. You can expect to receive a response from the instructor within 24-48 hours unless notified of extenuating circumstances.
Participation, Assessments, & Grading
The exams will consist of short answer and essay questions. These are drawn from the required readings and the course notes. The exam will be available for during the period assigned for midterms and finals. Students are required to arrange for a proctor from an RODP testing center convenient to them. Please see the following website for a detailed discussion on testing procedures: http://www.tnecampus.info/steps-obtaining-proctor
Students will have two hours to complete the exam from when they first click on exam. Late submissions can be penalized. These are closed book examinations and you should not be using study aids while you are doing the test, this includes web sites. There will also be weekly quizzes given during the semester. These will be given on-line and students will have a limited period of time to take each quiz. A schedule of quizzes is available in the course. If there are any problems with scheduling please contact the instructor.
Please see the grading scale below regarding the final grade tabulation.
Grading Scale | |
Point Range | Assigned Grade |
900-1,000 Points | A |
800-899 Points | B |
700-799 Points | C |
600-699 Points | D |
under 600 Points | F |
Essays and Short Writing Assignments should be submitted via the assignment Dropbox tool in D2L. They should be submitted in a compatible program for D2L such as Word, WordPerfect, PDF, or Open Office.
There will be two essay assignments on topics related to the course. Essay papers should be 5-6 pages typed conforming to the format for writing assignments provided by the instructor. Topics and additional information will be provided by the instructor. The topics will be centered around the required readings with some outside research required. Topics will be provided at the beginning of the semester. Students are required to use at least three scholarly sources (books, and journal articles) other than the required readings. Note Wikipedia and other online encyclopedias are NOT considered scholarly sources. There will be other short writing assignments related to the course modules and required readings. (See course outline for a full schedule of assignment due dates.) This should be a 3-4 page submission via the dropbox tool on the question asked. Students are encouraged to critically evaluate the issue and give examples to illustrate their points. Each short assignment is worth up to 40 points. See the course schedule for specific dates. The assignments maybe submitted two days after the due dates with a penalty. Failure to submit the assignment by the end of the grace period will result in no points being awarded.
The ground rules for all writing assignments are as follows. Student should utilize a recognized style format such as MLA or the Chicago Manual of Style. They should be done in a 12 point font, preferably in Arial. All papers must be submitted by the due date or students will receive a failing grade for the assignment. If students are experiencing problems with the assignment they should contact the instructor as soon as possible.
During the semester students are expected to participate in commenting on a discussion question pertaining to each module’s readings. Students are required to do participate in all of the weekly discussions. Students will contribute to the discussion asynchronously on-line in a timely manner once the issue has been posted. In order to participate in the discussion students will have to do the required readings. It is hoped that this will stimulate discussion between members of the class and the instructor. Each discussion question carries a value of up to 20 points depending on the quality of participation. Failure to participate in a meaningful way in the discussion will result in no points awarded for that question. In attention students are also required to comment on other students postings on all of the discussion topics. Each of these is worth ten points each. Students need to make substantive comments and questions and engage in a dialogue on the issue being discussed in a civil and respectful manner. Simply saying "that is correct" or "I agree" is not enough. Students need to offer some of their own analysis. The Discussion Postings and Responses should be done in the discussion section of D2L in order to track and grade them more effectively. Also discussion and response postings will only be accepted during the weeks there are pertaining to or one to two weeks ahead of schedule. Late discussion and response postings will not be accepted and will be given a zero grade. All Discussion/Response Due dates are in the syllabus and on the course calendar.
Graded Items | |
Description | Points |
3 Short Writing Assignments @ 40 points each | 120 |
12 Discussion Postings @ 20 points each | 240 |
12 Response Postings @ 10 points each | 120 |
12 Quizzes @ 10 points each | 120 |
2 Essay Assignments @ 100 points each | 200 |
2 Exams @ 100 points each | 200 |
Total Points | 1,000 |
During the semester students are expected to participate in commenting on a discussion question pertaining to each module’s readings. Students are required to participate in all of the weekly discussions. Students will contribute to the discussion asynchronously on-line in a timely manner once the issue has been posted. In order to participate in the discussion students will have to do the required readings. It is hoped that this will stimulate discussion between members of the class and the instructor. Each discussion question carries a value of up to 20 points depending on the quality of participation. Failure to participate in a meaningful way in the discussion will result in no points awarded for that question. In attention students are also required to comment on other students postings on all of the discussion topics. Each of these is worth ten points each. Students need to make substantive comments and questions and engage in a dialogue on the issue being discussed in a civil and respectful manner. Simply saying "that is correct" or "I agree" is not enough. Students need to offer some of their own analysis. The Discussion Postings and Responses should be done in the discussion section of D2L in order to track and grade them more effectively. Also discussion and response postings will only be accepted during the weeks there are pertaining to or one to two weeks ahead of schedule. Late discussion and response postings will not be accepted and will be given a zero grade. All Discussion/Response Due dates are in the syllabus and on the course calendar.
Students are required to complete assignments on time and should check in with the course at least once every 48 hours.
Course Ground Rules
The following two statements (1., 2.) were derived from the TBR System-wide Student Rules document, released January 2012:
RULES OF THE TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS STATE UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM OF TENNESSEE SYSTEMWIDE STUDENT RULES CHAPTER 0240-02-03 STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS
Read the document in its entirety here.
1. Standards of Conduct:
- Students are required to adhere to the same professional, legal and ethical standards of conduct online as on campus. In addition, students should conform to generally accepted standards of "netiquette" while sending e-mail, posting comments to the discussion board, and while participating in other means of communicating online. Specifically, students should refrain from inappropriate and/or offensive language, comments and actions.
2. Review the TN eCampus Academic Integrity/Academic Honesty Policy:
- In their academic activities, students are expected to maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited.
Such conduct includes, but is not limited to:
- an attempt by one or more students to use unauthorized information in the taking of an exam
- to submit as one's own work, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, computer programs, or other products prepared by another person,
- or to knowingly assist another student in obtaining or using unauthorized materials.
Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited.
Students guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly through participation or assistance, are subject to disciplinary action through the regular procedures of the student’s home institution. Refer to the student handbook provided by your home institution to review the student conduct policy.
In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed, the instructor has the authority to assign an "F" or zero for an activity or to assign an "F" for the course.
Other Course Rules:
Students are expected to:
- Participate in all aspects of the course
- Communicate with other students
- Learn how to navigate in Brightspace
- Keep abreast of course announcements
- Use the assigned course management (Brightspace) email address rather than a personal email address
- Address technical problems immediately:
- Observe course netiquette at all times.
Guidelines for Communications
Email:
- Always include a subject line.
- Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
- Use standard fonts.
- Do not send large attachments without permission.
- Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
- Respect the privacy of other class members
Discussions:
- Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
- Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
- Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
- Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
- Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
- Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
- Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
Library
The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in TN eCampus programs and courses. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading will be included within the course modules. To access the Virtual Library, go to the course homepage and select the Virtual Library link under Course Resources.
Students with Disabilities
Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.
Syllabus Changes
The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this syllabus is for general information purposes only. While we endeavor to keep this information up-to-date and accurate, there may be some discrepancies between this syllabus and the one found in your online course. The syllabus of record is the one found in your online course. Please make sure you read the syllabus in your course at the beginning of the semester. Questions regarding course content should be directed to your instructor.