Political Science 341
African Politics
Fall 2013TTh 8-9:15 amHAL 209
Dr. Samuel S. Stanton, Jr.
Office:HAL 303E
Office Hours: MWF 9-11:30 am; TTh 11:30 am – 12:30 pm;Also available by appt.
Phone: 724.458.3854
Email:
“Do you realize what wealth Africa has? People are cutting each other’s throats for it, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg. What Africans are doing to Africans is unbelievable.”
--Joe Kadhi, Kenyan Journalist (1976)
“All nations, including those in Africa, are built to bring about a better life for the population and to avoid a government that actively kills their people in pursuit of nebulous, unattainable, and contradictory goals stated by corrupt leaders who are motivated by personal greed, that is disguised as religious or ethnic zealousy…It would be naïve to downplay the serious challenges that face what is, in per capita terms, the world’s least developed continent…But it is also worth appreciating that, with the passing of time, many of the ills that were inherited from colonialism have been remedied.”
--Wayne Edge , University of Botswana (2006)
We can’t go on blaming the colonialists eternally for all our problems. Yes, they set up the system, but it is us who have been unable to change it.”
--Joseph Maitha, University of Nairobi Economics
Professor (1979)
Overview: The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of the political landscape of Africa. Primarily the focus will be on sub-Saharan Africa. Africa is a continent of new states and old nations, where modernization does not occur easily and colonial legacies have left indelible scars. To the end of understanding this continent of contrasts this course is divided into three primary parts.
The first section of this course will develop an understanding of the general political and social landscape of Africa. We will look at historical contexts of politics and society from the pre-colonial era to the present. The sociocultural dimension of African politics will be looked at including issues of ethnicity, ideology and development. This section of the course will also look at forms of governance and changes in forms of governance in Africa along with a discussion of foreign relations and theoretical perspectives for understanding governance and politics in Africa. Included in this section of the course will be abbreviate demographic overview of regions and some individual states in Africa.
Second, we will look at development issues. Several key questions will be addressed regarding the slow economic growth in Africa. We will consider political, economic and social development as related to structural adjustment politics, international aid, national debt burden, and the human dimensions of development. During this section of the course we will also consider the impact of violent conflict on development (taking a close look at resource wars, ethnic conflict, electoral conflicts, and the Central African war of the 1990s).
Finally, the course will move into a series of debates over 20 major issues in modern Africa. Students will be involved directly in studying controversial issues that affect the political and social spheres of the African continent.
Based on this approach, students will learn that Africa is an extraordinary place. But it is a place of diametric opposites, where people flourish and people tragically die.
Goals:
- To aid students in development of an understanding of issues that affect African politics and society.
- To help students examine the application of this knowledge to their futures.
- To assist students in living lives that glorify and honor God through the advancement of knowledge.
Outcomes:
- Students will demonstrate the ability to explain the historical and social contexts relationship with current political behaviors in Africa. (Dept. Obj. 1,2, 5)
- Students will develop an understanding of critical issues affecting political development in Africa. (Dept. Obj. 1,2,5)
- Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze and critically critique required readings. (Dept. Obj. 2, 4, 6, 7)
- Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct research to support critical critique of readings. (Dept. Obj. 2, 4, 6, 7)
Measurement of Outcomes
Explanation of historical and social contexts in relation to current materials and ability to analyze readings will be determined by course examinations. Ability to understand critical contemporary issues will be determined by examinations and in-class presentations. The course paper will demonstrate student ability to analyze and conduct research.
General Objectives for Students Majoring in Political Science
- Have acquired knowledge of the four major subject areas (American Politics, Political Theory, International Relations, and Comparative Politics) of political science
- Be Competitive for graduate and professional school opportunities. Political science majors with strong academic records will be competitive for both master’s and Ph.D. programs in political science and other professional programs and will be competitive for financial stipends.
- Be familiar with entry level jobs suitable for political science majors.
- Be competitive for entry level jobs suitable for political science majors.
- Have the ability to read, comprehend, and evaluate content in professional political science journals, scholarly books, and websites..
- Show familiarity with, and the ability to critically evaluate, information sources in the Social Sciences.
- Demonstrate a mastery of research and writing skills in the field of political science.
- Develop and capacity to apply a Christian moral principles to issues and topics within political science, including using a Christian perspective to evaluate critically political ideas, public policies, and political figures. Simply stated, our aim is that students will seek to understand the field of politics as individuals who are committed to historic Christian thought.
Course Requirements: This course requires student participation. Students are required to complete two (2) take home essay examinations and an in-class final examination. Students are also required to participate in in-class topical debates. Finally, students are also required to write a 15-20 page course paper.
Participation: You cannot participate if you are not present. Participation is more than simply being in the room, participation is discussion, questioning, and answering. I understand that emergencies do occur and that university sponsored events may require students to miss class, please inform me one class prior to sanctioned absences and as soon as possible in the case of emergencies. Participation represents 15% of the course grade.
Examinations: You will be given two (2) take home examinations during the course of this semester. Each exam will require you to answer 3 of 5 questions. Exam responses will be typed, double-spaced, normal size (10 or 12 pt) font, with 1” top, bottom, side margines. Students will use a citation style in keeping with the examples attached to this syllabus. Each exam is 15% of the course grade. The final exam will be comprehensive and based on the previous two examinations. It will be completed during the scheduled finals period. The final exam is 10% of the course grade.
In-Class Presentations: Several class sessions will be devoted to in-class presentations. Students will be assigned positions on topics from the Taking Sides; African Issues text. Eash student will be responsible for one pro and one con position. Students will be responsible for developing their arguments for or against a statement beyond the arguments given in the text. The book provides an argument that can be used to support the con or pro side of the issue, it is up to the student to go beyond this single argument and to incorporate other arguments and facts to support a pro or con stand on the individual issue. Each side will be given 10 minutes to present their argument. Students are required to turn in an outline and resource list at the time of their presentation. The presentation(s) will count as 20% of the overall grade. The rubric for grading is as follows:
25 pts: Presentation Quality (can you be heard, how do you appear,
communication skills)
75 pts: Content of Argument (knowledge, content of visual supplements if used,
use of facts, detail of supporting arguments, ability
to answer questions regarding presentation)
Course Paper: A course paper is required in this class. The required length is 15-20 pages. The paper should follow APSA, see the attached style and citation guide at the end of the syllabus. Style and grammar do matter and will count 20 points toward the final grade. The paper is 40% of the overall grade. Papers are due by 8am on Nov 21st. A hard copy is required.
Paper Topic: A student may chose to write a research paper over a research question of his or her own interest, or a student may write a country briefing. If a student chooses to do a research paper it is expected that the paper represent an empirical research effort. Students choosing to do the country briefing will chose a country and write a brief on this country for the incoming U.S. ambassador. The brief will include demographics, descriptions of political institutions, discussion of important issues and events, and recommendations to the incoming ambassador in at least 2 issue areas.
NOTE: Students choosing to write country briefings will receive a grade no higher than 89. The paper will be graded on the 100 point system and any paper earning 89 or higher will be assigned an 89. Only students engaging in an empirical research project as explained in class will be eligible to receive a grade of 90 or higher on the paper assignment.
Final Exam: A comprehensive exam covering readings and debates. It will be essay format. This exam is 10% of your grade instructions will be given in class.
Grades:
15% Participation
30% Exams (15% each)
20% Presentations
25% Course Paper
10% Final Exam
Grading Scale:
90-100A
80-89B
70-79C
60-69D
Under 60F
A +/- grade is give at the discretion of the instructor based on student performance. For instance, a student with an 89.5 grade with poor attendance and without much quality participation will receive a B, the same grade would merit a B+ or A- with quality and quantity participation shown throughout the semester. The key to getting bumped up is quality of participation. On the other end of the spectrum, a student with an 80 who had poor participation will earn a B-.
Attendance and Behavior: You are adults in an upper division course, I feel no compulsion to take role and keep tabs on your attendance. However, you cannot participate if you are not in attendance. This course will center on discussion of the literature as a pathway to learning critical thinking skills. Basically, follow the rules of the university concerning building use and personal conduct and everyone will be just fine.
Academic Dishonesty Policy
Plagiarism:Plagiarism is a serious violation of moral and academic principles. It involves claiming as one’s own original work the ideas, phrasing, or creative work of another person. As such, plagiarism is a direct violation of the biblical commandments against stealing, bearing false witness, and covetousness; thus, the Grove City College policy. I encourage our students to think seriously about the demands of their Christian faith in regards to this issue.
We remind students that plagiarism includes the following:
1)any direct quotation of another’s words, from simple phrasing to longer passages, without using quotation marks and properly citing the source of those words;
2)any summary or paraphrase of another’s ideas without properly citing the source of those ideas;
3)any information that is not common knowledge —including facts, statistics, graphics, drawings—without proper citation of sources;
4)any cutting and pasting of verbal or graphic materials from another source—including books, databases, web sites, journals, newspapers, etc.—without the proper citation for each of the sources of those materials; this includes any copyrighted artwork, graphics, or photography downloaded from the Internet without proper citation;
5)any wholesale “borrowing,” theft, or purchasing of another’s work and presenting it as one’s own, whether from the Internet or from another source;
6)any presentation of “ghost-written” papers—whether paid for or not—as one’s own original work;
7)making one’s work available for copying by others, as well as copying work posted on the Internet or otherwise made available by another.
The above statement is taken from the Grove City College Bulletin and The Crimson. Plagiarism in written work in this course will result in a grade of 0 being assigned to that work. Opportunity to correct and resubmit the work is based on time remaining in the course, nature of the plagiarism (is it simply forgotten or improper citation or is it cutting and pasting entire sections of someone else’s work), and whether or not this is a repeat offense for the individual student.
Cheating on Take Home Essay Examinations:
1) Rules of Plagiarism do apply to take home examinations.
2) Discussion of material and sharing of notes, readings, etc. with classmates taking the same exam is NOT cheating.
3) Cheating is defined as:
a)copying portions of any other student’s answer and claiming it as your own
b)paraphrasing portions of any other student’s answer and claiming it as your own
c)obvious sharing of answers that while not copied or paraphrased show exacting and distinctive sharing of ideas, logical thought processes, and craftsmanship of the answer
PENALTY:
1) violations of cheating defined as type a or b will receive a 0 for the answer that exhibits cheating occurred.
2) violations of cheating defined by type c mean that the violation involves more than one person. In this case the parties involved will share the grade earned by the answer. For example if the answer earned a possible 30 points out of 33 1/3 points possible, the grade of 30 will be divided among each party to the cheating.
3) The penalty if applied will be reported to the Student Faculty Review Committee for their review and recommendation of any further action.
Communication: Things always change over the course of a semester, which necessitates changing dates for assignments and the course outline. I will communicate with you as much information as possible at the start of each class. As a backup to this, I will create an email list for the class and will email all pertinent information to the members of this class, so check your email.
Texts:
2013. Global Studies: Africa, 14th Edition. Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
Moseley, William G., Ed. 2011. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial African
Issues,4thEdition. Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
Moss, Todd J. 2011. African Development, Making Sense of the Issues and Actors, 2nd
Edition. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.
Course Outline: This is not set in stone and will be changed as necessary.
27 AugCourse Introduction
29 AugGet some reading done, Dr. Stanton will be at a conference and
class meetings will not be held.
3-19 SepIntroduction to Africa
--Regions and political structures (Global Studies: Africa)
--Colonialism and the Legacy (Moss, chp 2)
--Socio-political context (Moss, chp 3)
--Democratization (Moss, chp 5)
24 Sep – 22 OctDevelopment in Africa
--The puzzle of slow growth (Moss, chp 6)
--Economic reform politics (Moss, chp 7) [suggested outside
reading: Collier, The Bottom Billion]
--International aid and debt burden (Moss, chps 8-9, 12-13)
[suggested reading: Sachs, The End of Poverty; Moyo, Dead Aid]
--Human dimensions of development (Moss, chp 10)
First Exam passed out Oct 3, Due Oct 10 at start of class Covers material through economic reform politics.
24 Oct –14 NovConflict in Africa
--Introduction to violent conflict in Africa (Moss, chp 4)
--Ethnic conflict in Africa (viewing of documentary on Darfur and
Southern Sudan conflicts, viewing of documentary on Rwandan
genocide)
--Resources and conflicts in Africa (viewing of blood diamonds
documentary)
--Major war in Africa [suggested reading: Prunier, Africa’s World
War)
Exam 2 passed out on Nov 14, Due Nov 21at start of class
19 Nov – 10DecIn-Class Presentations (Moseley, Taking Sides: Africa)
--exact topics and schedule to be determined later
Final Examination Dec 14, 7pm. Instructions for final exam will be discussed in class.
Guide to Country Brief
Rather than seeking an answer to a unique political question, you are being asked to prepare a briefing paper. A briefing paper should cover numerous areas in a short space. The following elements should be included:
--demographics
--geography
--primary resources
--primary economic activities (agricultural, industrial, service related)
--type and form of government
--primary political figures and organizations
To enhance this paper, you are asked to review major economic, political and social issues in the given country and to make recommendations regarding U.S. policy for the future. Here is where you show off your ability to grasp the issues affecting development for the given country and offer suggested practical paths for the U.S. government to take in dealing with this country.
Research relies on the evaluation of multiple sources. If you rely on one or two sources for most or all of your research, you probably do not have a full grasp of facts and information. If you fail to cite all sources you have used properly, you have engaged in plagiarism. Papers that include plagiarism earn an automatic 0. Popular media should generally be avoided as a source of information (although use of sources such as the New York Times, London Times, etc. for specificity of events and statements made by people is acceptable). Textbooks should also generally be avoided as a source of information (if you have a question about whether or not a book is a textbook, just ask your professor). Generally, for a paper of 20 pages in length you would desire about 15 quality sources of information.
These papers are to be done using 1 ½” top margin, 1” bottom margins, 1 ½” right and 1” left margins, and a standard font (11 or 12 point, not 14 point font) double spaced. The proper style is APSA, a modified version of APA. A cover sheet should be used, that includes your title, your name, and the course and instructor for which the paper was prepared.
Style and grammar do matter, a paper written poorly makes it difficult to understand your arguments and can affect grading of the content of the paper. Because grammar matters, proofread!!! Because grammar matters do not use dangling modifiers, end sentences with prepositions, use sentence fragments, etc. Because style matters, look at a style manual and use appropriate citation style (not citing the source of information used in your paper is plagiarism), use appropriate bibliography styles, and always number your pages appropriately. These papers are graded 30% on style and grammar, 70% on content.