POLITICAL SCIENCE/INTERNATIONAL STUDIES 360 Western European Politics Fall, 2015 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30-3:45 pm Mundelein 620 Lake Shore Campus

Dr. Vincent Mahler
Coffey 327
(773) 508-3067
E-mail: vmahler@luc.edu
Office Hours: TTH: 10:00-11:15 am, M: 5:30-6:45 pm, and by appointment This course begins with an introduction to the comparative politics of developed democracies, focusing on political culture and attitudes; interest groups and political parties; political institutions; and public policy. We will then go on to discuss a (lively) overview of contemporary Western Europe by longtime reporter and commentator T. R. Reid. Next, we will explore political institutions, processes, behavior and policy in three major Western European countries, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Four times, spaced throughout the semester, I will offer brief factual comparisons of Western Europe and the United States in important areas, including public policy, the economy, education, social policy, and moral issues. If time permits, the course will conclude with a brief examination of the institutions and policies of the European Union, a regional organization linking twenty-eight European countries.

In an effort to enliven our discussion, at the beginning of most classes I will introduce an unusual fact, song or comedy sketch that in some way deals with Western Europe, with a particular focus on the smaller European countries.

READING

The required texts are Gabriel A. Almond, Russell J. Dalton, G. Bingham Powell and Kaare Strøm, eds. European Politics Today, 4th edition (New York: Pearson Longman, 2010); and T. R. Reid, The United States of Europe: The New Superpower and the End of American Supremacy ( New York: Penguin, 2004). Both books have been ordered at Folletts. They will be supplemented by a number of handouts and other material, as will be described in class.

Periodically throughout the semester, classes will begin with brief written and oral reports on Western European countries that are not among the three (the United Kingdom, France and Germany) that we will examine closely in the course. These will include Italy; Spain; at least one of the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg); at least one of the Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland); and possibly Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Greece or Portugal. Brief introductions to these countries will be presented by teams of students. Teams will ordinarily consist of three members; the number of countries covered will depend on the number of students registered for the class. Student reports should begin with a brief overview of the basic facts about a country (population, geography, income, ethnicity, religion, etc.). Presentations should then go on to describe its main political institutions, political parties, foreign policy, the current leadership, the results of the most recent election, important contemporary political debates and issues, etc. Reports should consist of two components. One is a 1-2 page (no more!) written summary of recent events to be distributed to the class. (If I receive reports in advance I will see to it that sufficient copies are photocopied.) The second is a Power Point presentation jointly presented by the members of the group. Group presentations should be no longer than 15 minutes. All students in a given team will be graded identically; it is students’ responsibility to make sure that everyone contributes his or her fair share in producing these reports. EVALUATION

Grades will be based on midterm and final examinations, a research paper of about 10 pages, which is described later in the syllabus; and the group presentation described above.

By September 24, students should submit a two-page written paper proposal. This should include a title, a one-page summary of the topic, and a bibliography including at least four sources. The paper assignment itself is described in detail below.

The midterm examination is scheduled for October 15.

Papers are due on Tuesday, December 1, in class. Papers received after this date will be penalized by one third of a letter grade for each day, or fraction of a day, they are late, excluding Saturdays and Sundays.

The final examination (which will not be cumulative) is scheduled for Saturday, December 12 from 4:15-6:15 pm in our regular classroom.

Grades will be apportioned as follows:

30% Midterm Examination 30% Final Examination 30% Research Paper 10% Group presentation

Class participation will also be a minor factor in the computation of grades, as is described later in the syllabus.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance in class is essential and roll will be taken regularly. Any student who is unavoidably absent or late should obtain class notes from a fellow student. Attendance at examinations is especially important, and a makeup examination will not be given except for a serious reason.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

In writing course papers, students must document all passages, paraphrases and/or ideas that are borrowed from any source, and direct quotations must be placed within quotation marks. Similarly, papers must represent research conducted for the course in which they are assigned and no other; it is not appropriate to submit a paper that has already been or will be submitted to another course. Finally, papers must be the product of students' own work. Papers written by anyone other than the student, including those purchased from commercial research services, are unacceptable.

Academic dishonesty on an examination or other assignment is also inconsistent with Loyola's standards of academic integrity. This includes, in the words of the catalog, "obtaining, distributing or communicating examination materials prior to the scheduled examination without the consent of the teacher; providing to, or obtaining information from another student during the examination; attempting to change answers after the examination has been submitted; [or] falsifying medical or other documents to petition for excused absences."

Additional rules concerning academic integrity and examples of acceptable and unacceptable conduct can be found at on the Loyola website at http://www.luc.edu/academics/catalog/undergrad/reg_academicintegrity.shtml. The minimum penalty for a violation of academic honesty standards is a grade of F on the assignment and referral to the Dean’s Office for possible disciplinary action.

COURSE OUTLINE

I. Politics in the Established Democracies

A. The European Context Reading: Almond et al., chapter 1 RAND Corporation Report, Europe’s Societal Challenges; download short report PDF at http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR400/RR479/RAND_RR479.sum.pdf B. Democratic Political Culture Reading: Almond et al., chapter 2 C. Interest Groups and Political Parties in Western Europe Reading: Almond et al., chapter 3 D. European Political Institutions and Public Policy Reading: Almond et al., chapter 4 II. Comparisons with the U.S.: Public Policy Handout distributed in class III. “The United States of Europe” Reading: Reid, all IV. Britain

A. The Context of British Politics
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 80-90

B. Political Institutions
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 90-99

C. Political Culture and Socialization Reading: Almond et al., pp. 99-105

D. Political Participation
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 105-120

E. Public Policy Outcomes
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 120-127

MIDTERM EXAMINATION V. Comparisons with the U.S.: The Economy Handout distributed in class VI. France

A. The Context of French Politics
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 128-133

B. Political Institutions
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 133-136

C. Political Culture and Socialization
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 136-145 D. Political Participation
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 145-169

E. Public Policy Outcomes
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 169-177

VII. Comparisons with the U.S.: Education Handout distributed in class

VIII. Germany

A. The Context of German Politics
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 178-188

B. Political Institutions
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 188-193

C. Political Culture and Socialization
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 193-199

D. Political Participation
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 199-213

E. Public Policy Outcomes
Reading: Almond et al., pp. 213-229

IX. Comparisons with the U.S.: Social Policy and Moral Issues Handout distributed in class

X. The European Union (if time permits) Reading: Almond et al., chapter 12.

RESEARCH PAPERS

You are free to choose any topic dealing with Western European political processes, institutions or policies, subject to my approval. The only requirement is that your paper compares two or more countries chosen from among the United States and the three Western European countries that will be examined in the course. For example, you may compare public health care policies in the United States and Germany; campaign finance in Britain and France; electoral turnout in the United States and Britain; environmental policy in France and Germany; or the political role of the media in Germany, France and the United States. In special circumstances, other Western European countries may be substituted for one of the “big three,” but in all cases papers must compare at least two countries, at least one of which is in Western Europe.

The paper should be about 10 pages in length. The following list offers a sampling of the political processes, institutions and policies that you may choose to compare; many other possible topics are available:

Immigration policy Immigration
Ethnic politics
Campaign finance
Relations with less developed countries
The role of opposition parties
The politics of abortion
The politics of the death penalty
Labor unions in politics
Legislative committees
Interest groups
The legal profession
The internal organization of political parties
The politics of the environmental
Candidate selection
Judicial review
Freedom of the press
Religion and politics; church-state relations
Taxation systems
The organization of the executive branch
Women in politics
Social security Defense policy
Electoral turnout
Mass transit policies
The politics of crime
Relations between the central government and regional governments
Environmental politics
The politics of gun control
Participation in the European Union
Foreign policy toward [the U.S, China, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, etc.]

As to citations, your paper should employ parentheses-style citations, which are used in most political science journal articles and many scholarly books. Here is how they work:

For an article or book, refer to the author or authors in the body of the text. For example:

As Smith argues (2008: 59-62), “[quote from Smith]”

Or: Many scholars have claimed that . . . [end of sentence] (Smith, 2008; Jones, 2010; Williams, 2001).

At the end of the paper, include a bibliography, with authors in alphabetical order by last name. List books like this: Smith, John (2008) Title. New York: Columbia University Press.

List articles like this: Jones, Mary (2010) “Article Title,” American Political Science Review 102 [this is the volume] (January): 259-322.

In citing a website, you should include as much information as possible, definitely enough that a reader is able to easily access the website him/herself. Here is an example: Armingeon, Klaus, Philip Leimgruber, Michelle Beyeler, and Sarah Menegale. 2014. Comparative Political Data Set, 1960-2012. Berne, Switzerland: Institute of Political Science, University of Berne. http://www.ipw.unibe.ch/content/team/klaus_armingeon/comparative_political_data_sets/index_eng.html.

Scholarly books and articles should constitute most, if not all, of the sources for your paper. In particular, don’t rely exclusively on websites, particularly ones of opinion (as opposed to those maintained by governments or international organizations). Such websites are often subject to little or no quality control and the information they supply may be biased or factually incorrect. A very good investment that will serve you well in your entire college career is Kate Turabian, (2013) A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations, 8th ed. (Chicago, University of Chicago Press). At $18.00, it is a real bargain.

GRADE RANGES

Possible examination and paper grades:

4.33 A+ 4.00 A 3.67 A- 3.33 B+ 3.00 B 2.67 B- 2.33 C+ 2.00 C 1.67 C- 1.33 D+ 1.00 D 0 F

Grades for the midterm and final examinations, and the paper will be averaged. For class attendance and participation, 0.10 may be added but will not be deducted. The resulting average will be assigned final grades according to the following ranges:

A 3.83 or above A- 3.50 - 3.82 B+ 3.17 - 3.49 B 2.83 - 3.16 B- 2.50 – 2.82 C+ 2.17 – 2.49 C 1.83 – 2.16 C- 1.50 – 1.82
D+ 1.17 – 1.49
D 0.83 – 1.16
F below 0.83