Introduction to Politics I

Course code:                  IRS 201                

Term and year:               Fall 2024

Day and time:                 Tuesday 815-1100   

Instructor:                     PhDr. Ing. Radka Havlová, Ph.D.  

Instructor contact:         radka.havlova@aauni.edu

Consultation hours:        Tuesday 1430-1530 upon prior agreement with the instructor

 

Credits US/ECTS	3/6	Level	Introductory
Length	15 weeks	Pre-requisite	None
Contact hours	42 hours	Course type	Bachelor

1.    Course Description

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the main concepts in the study of politics, with a special emphasis on the comparative method. Attention will be paid to the concept of democracy and its differences from the notion of authoritarian regimes. We will be discussing the possibilities and limits of the transferability of democracy to non-European states on the example of the Arab Spring. We will examine the division of power in parliamentary, semi-presidential and presidential systems as well as the phenomena of elections and electoral processes. We will also consider problems such as the relation between democracy and development, the role of the media, populism (as an internal threat to democracy), as well as external threats to it related to divergent religious and cultural outlooks around the world

Throughout the semester, we will be closely observing the development of elections, protests and appointments of key figures on the international political stage.

 

2.    Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

·           Understand the basic concepts, structures and theories used in comparative politics

·           Be familiar with the ways governments operate, are elected and formed in democratic and autocratic systems

·           Be familiar with the role of media and political movements and interest groups in the realm of politics, campaigns and policy formation

·           Critically relate the theoretical concepts to various data sets and case studies

·           Present their views in a coherent manner in an oral presentation or a written essay.   

 

 

 

3.    Reading Material

Required Materials

·           Hague R., Harrop M. and McCormick, J. (2010), Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction. Eighth Edition. Palgrave Macmillan. Multiple copies available in the AAU library, call number 320.3 HAG.

·           Olson, Mancur (1993) "Democracy, Dictatorship and Development", American Political Science Review 87(3): 567-576.  Available via NEO. 

·           Huntington, Samuel (1993) “The Clash of Civilizations” Foreign Affairs 72 (3): 22-49. Available via NEO.

 

Recommended Materials

Sections of books available in the library or on the NEO system

·           Albright, M. (2018) Fascism: A Warning. First Edition. Harper Collins

·           Heywood, A. (2019) Politics. Fifth Edition. Palgrave MacMillan.

·           Hofstede, G. (2010). Cultures and Organizations. Software of the Mind, McGraw Hill Professionals

·           Linz, J. J., & Stepan, A. C. (1996). Problems of democratic transition and consolidation: Southern Europe, South America, and post-communist Europe. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

·           Mudde, C. (2004) The Populist Zeitgeist. Government and Opposition 39 (4): 541-563

·           Rotberg, R. (2003). Failed States, Collapsed States, Weak States: Causes and Indicators. In Rotberg R. (Ed.), State Failure and State Weakness in a Time of Terror. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.

 

List of recommended articles and other learning sources

·           Arendt, H. (1953) “Ideology and Terror: A Novel Form of Government.” The Review of Politics 15 (3): 303-327.

·           Dekelbaum, Z. (1928) “Constitution of the United States Compared with the Constitutions of Mexico, Germany and Russia.” Notre Dame Law Review 4 (3): 178-191.

·           Gorbach, J. (2018) Not Your Grandpa's Hoax: A Comparative History of Fake News, American Journalism, 35:2, 236-249

·           Schmitter, P. and Karl T. (1991) “What Democracy is…and is Not.” Journal of Democracy 2 (3): 75-88. 2/13

·           World Economic Forum, Global Risk Report 2020, http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risk_Report_2020.pdf

Conflict Barometer, www.hiik.de

4.    Teaching methodology

The course will be taught as a combination of lectures and seminars, presenting the main theoretical concepts and illustrating them with case studies. The seminar part of the lesson will feature either a class discussion, where the students, divided into four groups of 5-6 students, debate a given topic and present their opinion, or a student presentation. Students will get a chance to choose a topic reflecting their interests at the beginning of the semester. Students will be encouraged to interact and ask questions during both parts of the class. There will be a final exam at the end of the semester.

 

 

5.    Course Schedule

Date	Class Agenda
Session 1 3.9.2024	Topic: Course introduction. The problem of politics. Key concepts of political analysis – ‘power’, ‘authority’, ‘government’, ‘state’ and ‘democracy’ Description: How does power differ from authority? What is the difference between a governing body and a state? What is democracy, and is it truly the best possible form of government? Reading: Hague – Harrop – McCormick p. 1-23 Assignment/deadlines: Assignment of presentation topics
Session 2 10.9.2024	Topic: The State and the nation Description: Key topics that we will be discussing involve the distinction between political community and political organization such as the modern state, as well as the key prerogatives the state claims to possess vis-à-vis its citizens and other states. But there is a further core distinction between nations and states. What happens when there is a mismatch between the nation and the state? Reading: Hague – Harrop – McCormick, p. 61-82 Assignments/deadlines: Structure your topics and find literature for your presentations, possibility to consult presentation proposals
Session 3 17.9.2024	Topics: Failed states, weak states, and state power Description: What are the sources of power inside the state as political organization? Why do states strive so hard to get power? What is a “failed state” and to what extent does it depend on the recognition by, and interaction with, other states?  Reading: Hague – Harrop – McCormick p. 52-70; Rotberg, “Failed States, Collapsed States, Weak States: Causes and Indicators” (Chap. 1) Assignments/deadlines: Assignments/deadlines: Presentation proposals due via NEO
Session 4 24.9.2024	Topic: Government and the division of power. Parliamentary, semi-parliamentary and presidential systems Description: How is power distributed in political systems? How do the parliamentary, semi-parliamentary and presidential systems differ? Discussion of various systems of division of power in students home countries. Reading: Hague – Harrop – McCormick, p. 249-344 Assignments/deadlines: Presentation 1
Session 5 1.10.2024	Topic: Elections and electoral process, political parties Description: What are the main types of electoral systems in modern democracies and how do they work? What are their main advantages and disadvantages? What is the purpose of political parties? Readings: Hague – Harrop – McCormick, p. 161-226 Assignments/deadlines: Presentation 2
Session 6 8.10.2024	Topic: Political systems and regimes Description: What is the difference between democracy and authoritarian regimes? What are the basic characteristics of a democratic political system? Reading: Hague – Harrop – McCormick, p. 83-117 Assignments/deadlines: Presentation 3

 

 

Session 7 15.10.2024	Topic: The transferability of democracy Description:  Can democracy be transferred to other countries or is it closely associated with the Western system? We will examine the recent efforts, particularly the Arab Spring in the MENA region, to transfer democracy to non-European countries and the results of this process Reading: Hague – Harrop – McCormick, p. 83-98 Assignments/deadlines: Presentation 4
Session 8 22.10.2024	Mid-term exam. Exam via  NEO Description: Mid-term revision, students must demonstrate their understanding of topics covered in the first half of the semester (Sessions 1 through 7) Reading: all readings up to now
29.10.2024	Mid-term break No classes
Session 9 5.11.2024	Topic: Dictatorship, Democracy and Development Description: How does political organization impact on development (in terms of economic growth and taxation)? What is the benefit of having rulers who are “stationary bandits” rather than “roving bandits”? Why, according to Olson, is democratic government better than either of those? Reading: Olson, Mancur (1993) "Democracy, Dictatorship and Development", American Political Science Review 87(3): 567-576. Available via NEO.  Assignments/deadlines: Presentation 5
Session 10 12.11.2024	Topic: Media and Politics Description: In this seminar we will be discussing the role of the media in contemporary politics. Does the media constitute a “fourth branch of government”? How does it contribute, and potentially impair, the democratic process? Does access to the media by private persons such as Silvio Berlusconi in Italy and Donald Trump in the US give them disproportionate political power in the public sphere? We will also examine the role of global media in the contemporary world. Readings: Hague – Harrop – McCormick, p. 139-159; Gorbach, J. (2018) “Not Your Grandpa's Hoax: A Comparative History of Fake News” Assignments/deadlines: Presentation 6
Session 11 19.11.2024	Topic: Culture as sources of societal and political conflict Description: What is the role of culture in contemporary politics? How do cultures differ in their basic values? We will discuss the famous Huntington´s “clash of civilizations” theory and Hofstede´s cultural comparison. Reading: Hofstede, pp. 1-47; Huntington, Samuel (1993) “The Clash of Civilizations” Foreign Affairs 72 (3): 22-49. Available via NEO. Assignments/deadlines: Presentation 7
Session 12 26.11.2024	Topic: Religion as a source of societal and political conflict Description: What is the role of religion in politics and society? We will discuss how religion is a factor in various conflicts around the world. Reading: Conflict Barometer (www.hiik.de) Assignments/deadlines: Presentation 8

 

 

Session 13 3.12.2024

Topic: Threats to Democracy from “the inside”. Populism. Description: In this class we will analyze what causes democratic backsliding (i.e., decline in the quality of democracy). What are the current challenges to democracy in the western liberal democracies (populism, nationalism, polarisation)? What are common challenges in new democracies? Can any country be “democratic for good”? We will also focus on external challenges to democracy - the increase in the number of authoritarian states in the world. Poland and Hungary today will be used as case studies, and will analyze their historical experiences with both nationalism and authoritarianism and compare it to their current political climate. We will discuss the question of “what is the biggest threat to democracy today?”. Readings: Mudde, C. (2004) The Populist Zeitgeist. Government and Opposition 39 (4): 541-563 Assignments/deadlines: Presentation 9, Seminar papers due (submission via NEO)

Session 14 10.12.2024

Topic: Concluding discussion – major threats in the current world Description: In the final session, we will review the course via the prism of current global security threats. We will have a comprehensive discussion on the topic “what are the biggest global security threats at the moment?” Are they political (democratic vs. authoritarian regimes, polarisation, populism, democratic backsliding)? Are they economic (rising income inequality)? Cyber (cyber warfare, disappearing protection of privacy)? Ecological (changing climate)? Health (pandemics?). We will compare them in order of danger and impact and then compare the current situation to historical figures to gain perspective and maintain some level of optimism where possible? Reading: World Economic Forum, Global Risk Report 2020 Assignments/deadlines: Presentation 10

6.    Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)

Assignment	Workload (hours)	Weight in Final Grade	Evaluated Course Specific Learning Outcomes	Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes*
Active class participation	42	10%	·      Regular and active participation ·      Ability to analyze and to effectively discuss the possibilities of further development of int. organizations.	Critical thinking Effective communication
Proposal of research presentation	10	5%	·      Ability to analyze the activities and legal acts of selected int. organizations in different fields including security, trade, development, environment, and human rights	Critical thinking
Mid-term exam	30	25%	·      Subject knowledge on history, theory, purpose and activities of major int. organizations	Critical thinking
Presentation of research project	40	25%	·       Ability to analyze the activities and legal acts of selected int. organizations in different fields including security, trade, development, environment, and human rights ·       Think critically and to provide possible solutions for presented problems; ·       Evaluate the effectiveness of given int. organizations and to assess their impact Present the results of analysis in class	Critical thinking Effective communication
Seminar paper	45	35%	Subject knowledge on the history, theory, purpose and activities of major global and regional int. organizations	Critical thinking
TOTAL	150	100%

*1 = Critical Thinking; 2 = Effective Communication; 3 = Effective and Responsible Action

7.    Detailed description of the assignments

Proposal of presentation and seminar paper

Students must submit a proposal of presentation and seminar paper by Week 3, i.e. by 17 September 2024 via NEO. The proposal must include the topic, research question, structure and at least 5 reliable resources which the students plan to use in their presentation and seminar paper.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Timely submission of presentation through NEO	50%
Contents of presentation and seminar paper proposal: research question, structure, at least 5 reliable resources	50%

 

 

Mid-term exam

The exam will be cover the topics from the first half of the semester. Students will have to demonstrate that they have a good understanding of the most relevant issues and concepts and that they are able to provide swift and correct answers. The mid-term will be a free-form essay of about 800 words and will take place online via NEO. Students will choose one of three comprehensive questions covering the topics discussed in the first half of the semester. The mid-term will take place on 22 October 2024 from 830 till 1100 at AAU, however, students will take the mid-term exam in NEO (online) while sitting in the classroom.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Ability to correctly evaluate the main purpose of each question	50%
Ability to reflect broader context of each question	25%
Ability to provide correct answers under the time limit	25%

 

 

Presentation of research project

Students need to select and to sign up for a research project and present the selected topic in class according to the presentation schedule. Presentations will be prepared individually by each student and must be submitted at least three days prior to the presentation day via NEO – Assignments. Presentations can be submitted in PPT or any other suitable presentation program format. The presentation shall be 20 to 25 minutes long and students must always prepare questions for class discussion. List of presentations will be published in NEO in week 2 after students sign in for their presentations. All presentations must be submitted for review via NEO at least two days prior to the presentation date.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Timely submission of presentation through NEO	5%
Visual format of presentation	20%
Contents of presentation: correct, recent information, to analyze main problems and suggest creative solutions; ability to apply and to demonstrate acquired knowledge from the course; ability to link the topic of the presentation to the overall topic of the class; ability to apply a concrete theory to a presented problem; ability to formulate credible claims and evidence	50%
Contact with students, engagement of students in discussions: continuous contact with students while presenting, clear speech, good intonation and eye contact, positive body language, ability to stress most significant aspects of analyzed topic while presenting, ability to answer questions from audience, ability to engage fellow students in discussions	20%
Compliance with time limit: presentation length between 30 and 40 minutes, space for discussion with fellow students	5%

 

 

Seminar Paper

Students prepare a seminar paper on the topic of their presentation to understand the analyzed topic in more depth. Seminar papers should be between 2000 and 2500 words long and should fulfill all the criteria of an academic paper (formal arrangement of the paper, reference to academic resources, research question, and analysis of the research question etc.). Paper must be submitted via NEO by 3 December 2024 23:59 Prague/CET time.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Formal arrangement of seminar paper	10%
Reference to resources	20%
Language, stylistics	10%
Research question, analysis of research topic	60%

 

 

Class participation

 

Active participation and contribution to class discussion. Students should actively participate in class discussion. Discussions are an important mechanism for developing critical thinking and presentation skills.

 

Assessed area	Percentage
Knowledge and comprehension of the weekly reading assignments	50%
Critical thinking about the issues explored in the readings	50%

 

 

 

8.    General Requirements and School Policies

General requirements

All coursework is governed by AAU’s academic rules. Students are expected to be familiar with the academic rules in the Academic Codex and Student Handbook and to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work.

Electronic communication and submission

The university and instructors shall only use students’ university email address for communication, with additional communication via NEO LMS or Microsoft Teams.

Students sending e-mail to an instructor shall clearly state the course code and the topic in the subject heading, for example, “COM101-1 Mid-term Exam. Question”.

All electronic submissions are through NEO LMS. No substantial pieces of writing (especially take-home exams and essays) can be submitted outside of NEO LMS.

Attendance

Attendance, i.e., presence in class in real-time, at AAU courses is default mandatory; however, it is not graded as such. (Grades may be impacted by missed assignments or lack of participation.) Still, students must attend at least two thirds of classes to complete the course. If they do not meet this condition and most of their absences are excused, they will be administratively withdrawn from the course. If they do not meet this condition and most of their absences are not excused, they will receive a grade of “FW” (Failure to Withdraw). Students may also be marked absent if they miss a significant part of a class (for example by arriving late or leaving early).

Absence excuse and make-up options

Should a student be absent from classes for relevant reasons (illness, serious family matters), and the student wishes to request that the absence be excused, the student should submit an Absence Excuse Request Form supplemented with documents providing reasons for the absence to the Dean of Students within one week of the absence. Each student may excuse up to two sick days per term without any supporting documentation; however, an Absence Excuse Request Form must still be submitted for these instances. If possible, it is recommended the instructor be informed of the absence in advance. Should a student be absent during the add/drop period due to a change in registration this will be an excused absence if s/he submits an Absence Excuse Request Form along with the finalized add/drop form.

Students whose absence has been excused by the Dean of Students are entitled to make up assignments and exams provided their nature allows. Assignments missed due to unexcused absences which cannot be made up, may result in a decreased or failing grade as specified in the syllabus.

Students are responsible for contacting their instructor within one week of the date the absence was excused to arrange for make-up options.

Late work: No late submissions will be accepted – please follow the deadlines.

Electronic devices

Electronic devices (e.g. phones, tablets, laptops) may be used only for class-related activities (taking notes, looking up related information, etc.). Any other use will result in the student being marked absent and/or being expelled from the class. No electronic devices may be used during tests or exams unless required by the exam format and the instructor.

Eating is not allowed during classes.

Cheating and disruptive behavior

If a student engages in disruptive conduct unsuitable for a classroom environment, the instructor may require the student to withdraw from the room for the duration of the class and shall report the behavior to the student’s Dean.

Students engaging in behavior which is suggestive of cheating will, at a minimum, be warned. In the case of continued misconduct, the student will fail the exam or assignment and be expelled from the exam or class.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism obscures the authorship of a work or the degree of its originality. Students are expected to create and submit works of which they are the author. Plagiarism can apply to all works of authorship – verbal, audiovisual, visual, computer programs, etc. Examples are:

·                     Verbatim plagiarism: verbatim use of another’s work or part of it without proper acknowledgement of the source and designation as a verbatim quotation,

·                     Paraphrasing plagiarism: paraphrasing someone else’s work or part of it without proper acknowledgement of the source,

·                     Data plagiarism: use of other people’s data without proper acknowledgement of the source,

·                     False quotation: publishing a text that is not a verbatim quotation as a verbatim quotation,

·                     Fictious citation: quoting, paraphrasing, or referring to an incorrect or a non-existent work,

·                     Inaccurate citation: citing sources in such a way that they cannot be found and verified,

·                     Ghostwriting: commissioning work from others and passing it off as one’s own,

·                     Patchwriting: using someone else’s work or works (albeit with proper acknowledgement of sources and proper attribution) to such an extent that the output contains almost no original contribution,

·                     Self-plagiarism: unacknowledged reuse of one’s own work (or part of it) that has been produced or submitted as part of another course of study or that has been published in the past,

·                     Collaborative plagiarism: delivering the result of collective collaboration as one’s own individual output.

At minimum, plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment and shall be reported to the student’s Dean. A mitigating circumstance may be the case of novice students, and the benefit of the doubt may be given if it is reasonable to assume that the small-scale plagiarism was the result of ignorance rather than intent. An aggravating circumstance in plagiarism is an act intended to make the plagiarism more difficult to detect. Such conduct includes, for example, the additional modification of individual words or phrases, the creation of typos, the use of machine translation tools or the creation of synonymous text, etc. The Dean may initiate a disciplinary procedure pursuant to the Academic Codex. Intentional or repeated plagiarism always entail disciplinary hearing and may result in expulsion from AAU.

Use of Artificial Intelligence and Academic Tutoring Center

The use of artificial intelligence tools to search sources, to process, analyze and summarize data, and to provide suggestions or feedback in order to improve content, structure, or style, defined here as AI-assisted writing, is not in itself plagiarism. However, it is plagiarism if, as a result, it obscures the authorship of the work produced or the degree of its originality (see the examples above).

AAU acknowledges prudent and honest use of AI-assisted writing, that is, the use of AI for orientation, consultation, and practice is allowed. For some courses and assignments, however, the use of AI is counterproductive to learning outcomes; therefore, the course syllabus may prohibit AI assistance.

A work (text, image, video, sound, code, etc.) generated by artificial intelligence based on a mass of existing data, defined here as AI-generated work, is not considered a work of authorship. Therefore, if an AI-generated work (e.g. text) is part of the author’s work, it must be marked as AI-generated. Otherwise, it obscures the authorship and/or the degree of originality, and thus constitutes plagiarism. Unless explicitly permitted by the instructor, submission of AI-generated work is prohibited.

If unsure about technical aspects of writing, and to improve their academic writing, students are encouraged to consult with the tutors of the AAU Academic Tutoring Center. For more information and/or to book a tutor, please contact the ATC at: http://atc.simplybook.me/sheduler/manage/event/1/.

Course accessibility and inclusion

Students with disabilities should contact the Dean of Students to discuss reasonable accommodations. Academic accommodations are not retroactive.

Students who will be absent from course activities due to religious holidays may seek reasonable accommodations by contacting the Dean of Students in writing within the first two weeks of the term. All requests must include specific dates for which the student requests accommodations.

9.    Grading Scale

Letter Grade	Percentage*	Description
A	95–100	Excellent performance. The student has shown originality and displayed an exceptional grasp of the material and a deep analytical understanding of the subject.
A–	90–94
B+	87–89	Good performance. The student has mastered the material, understands the subject well and has shown some originality of thought and/or considerable effort.
B	83–86
B–	80–82
C+	77–79	Fair performance. The student has acquired an acceptable understanding of the material and essential subject matter of the course, but has not succeeded in translating this understanding into consistently creative or original work.
C	73–76
C–	70–72
D+	65–69	Poor. The student has shown some understanding of the material and subject matter covered during the course. The student’s work, however, has not shown enough effort or understanding to allow for a passing grade in School Required Courses. It does qualify as a passing mark for the General College Courses and Electives.
D	60–64
F	0–59	Fail. The student has not succeeded in mastering the subject matter covered in the course.

* Decimals should be rounded to the nearest whole number.

 

Prepared by: Dr Radka Havlová                                 

 

Date: 29.7.2024

 

Approved by: Dr Silviya Lechner

Date: 14.8.2024