POLITICAL SCIENCE 461
SENIOR SEMINAR
Fall, 2006
1 credit
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Instructor: Dr.
Harbour
Office: East Ruffner 228
Office telephone:
395-2219
Office hours:
harbourwr@longwood.edu
MWF 11:00 - 12:00
TR 9:30 - 10:30
Table of Contents
Course
Description
Texts
Course
Objectives
Course
Outline
Course
Requirements Grading
Attendance
Policy
Honor
Code
Class
Discussion
Research
Papers
Bibliography
MFAT
Review Sites
Course Description: Capstone
course in political science. Research, writing, and assessment of student
outcomes. Required of majors in political science.
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Texts:
Kate T. Turabian. A Manual For
Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Sixth Edition.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Gregory
M. Scott & Stephen M. Garrison. The Political Science Student Writer's
Manual.
Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall Inc, 2000.
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Course Objectives:
Upon
completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a capacity for critical and analytical thought about issues
central to the study of politics.
2. Demonstrate an ability to communicate their knowledge and beliefs about
important political issues both orally and in writing.
3. Discuss the concepts that are essential to the serious study of politics.
4. Identify the methods by which a person can find information regarding
politics that is necessary and useful for responsible citizenship.
5. Discuss important philosophical and ethical issues associated with the
study of politics and participation in political life.
6. Describe the methods used by political scientists as they try to
understand the political dimension of the human experience.
7. Discuss how the study of politics has been shaped by the dynamic social
and technological forces found in contemporary society.
8. Produce a major research paper; present to the seminar and defend the
thesis of that paper.
9. Score well on the MFAT after review of course material studied in
political science curriculum.
10. Complete all the assessment activities relating to what the student has
learned and achieved while
majoring in the
political science program. Finish all assessment tests and surveys;
complete a
professional resume and web-based
portfolio documenting what the student has learned and
achieved as a major in the program
.
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Course
Outline: The
class meets once a week on Wednesdays
Week
1
Selecting a topic for investigation
Aug. 28 -
Read: Turabian and Scott & Garrison
Sept. 1
Discuss general reference sources (Discuss assessment)
MFAT information
Week
2
Developing the research topic
Sept. 4-8
Read: Turabian and Scott & Garrison (Review professional resumes)
Come to class with a tentative research topic
The class will discuss doing research on those topics
Begin review of literature and data on topic
MFAT review
Week
3
Developing a thesis statement
Sept. 11-15
Read: Turabian and Scott & Garrison
Come to class with a tentative thesis statement
The class will critique those statements
(Begin work on resume and portfolio)
MFAT review
Week
4
Continue search for information on topic
Sept.. 18-22
Read: Turbian and Scott & Garrison
Bring updated bibliography that also includes web sources
MFAT review
Weeks 5 -
7
Continue Research
Sept. 25-29
Begin
rough drafts based on Turabian style
Oct. 2-6
Discussion of issues being raised by your research and do bibliographies
Oct. 9-13
MFAT review
Fall
Break
October 16-17
Week 8 Oct.
19-21 Take
MFAT later this week (50% of semester grade)
Week
9
Complete rough drafts
Oct. 23-27
These must be handed in at the beginning of class on October 25.
You will provide a copy to your instructor and copies to 2 other
students. You will lose points from your semester grade for being
late on this assignment.
Week
10
Rough drafts will be returned to students with full critiques
Oct.
30 - Nov. 3
Critiqued papers will be returned on Wednesday, Nov.
2.
You will lose points from your semester grade for being late on
this assignment.
Weeks 11
-14
Oral presentation and defense of research conclusions
Nov. 6-10
This will be worth 10% of your semester grade.
Nov.13-17
Students are expected to ask good questions about the claims of
Nov. 20-24
the presenter.
Nov. 22-26
Thanksgiving vacation
Nov. 27-Dec. 1
The class will also complete all assessment activities during this
time.
Week
15
Final Presentations
Dec. 4-8
Your final papers are due on Wednesday, Dec. 6 and will count
for
30% of your semester grade.
Dec. 8
Last day of classes
Dec. 9
Reading Day
Final Exam
Period
December 11-15
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Course Requirements:
Major research paper
Oral presentation and defense of project
Contribution to class discussion
Critiques of rough drafts of two other
papers
Review of material studied in political science curriculum
Participation in all assessment activities: (1) Major field
achievement test, (2) Assessment surveys,
(3) Development of a professional
resume, (4) Development on disc of a web-based portfolio in which students
document their achievements by listing of major areas of study, concentrations,
minors, academic awards, accomplishments, research skills, technological
competencies, employment experiences, internships, knowledge of languages other
than English, cross-cultural experiences such as study abroad, leadership
positions, organizational memberships, and service learning experiences.
The professional resume and disc with the web-based portfolio must be acceptable
to the instructor, but students do not have to put their material on the web for
public viewing unless they wish to do so.
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Grading: 50 % of your grade will be based upon
your score on the MFAT (Major Field Achievement Test). 30% of your semester
grade will be based on the final research paper required for the course. 10%
will be based your contribution to class discussion and 10% on the oral
presentation and defense of your thesis. Failure to hand material in on time
will result in points lost on your final grade. As part of the effort of the
college and department to assess our program in political science, students
taking this course will be required to take any assessment tests and surveys the
department believes to be necessary. Students failing to participate in the
assessment efforts will not receive a passing grade for this course. Meeting the
assessment requirements for this course also requires development of a
professional resume and web-based portfolio.
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Attendance Policy: The attendance
policy for this class is the same as the college policy found in the Student
Handbook.
The attendance policy for this course is the college policy found
in the College Catalog and Student Handbook:
Students are expected to
attend all classes. Failure to attend class regularly impairs academic
performance. Absences are disruptive to the educational process for others. This
is especially true when absences cause interruptions for clarification of
material previously covered, failure to assume assigned responsibilities for
class presentations, or failure to adjust to changes in assigned material or due
dates. It is the responsibility of each instructor to give students a copy
of his or her attendance policy in the course syllabus. Instructors may assign a
grade of “0” or “F” on work missed because of unexcused absences. Instructors
have the right to lower a student's course grade, but no more than one letter
grade, if the student misses 10 percent of the scheduled class meeting times for
unexcused absences. Instructors have the right to assign a course grade of
“F” when the student has missed a total (excused and unexcused) of 25 percent of
the scheduled class meeting times. Students must assume full responsibility for
any loss incurred because of absence, whether excused or unexcused. Instructors
should permit students to make up work when the absence is excused. Excused
absences are those resulting from the student's participation in a
college-sponsored activity, from recognizable emergencies, or from serious
illness. Faculty may require documentation for excused absences in their
attendance policy. Student Health Services can provide documentation only for
students hospitalized locally or absent at the direction of Student Health
Services personnel.
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Honor Code: Students are expected to
live by the Longwood Honor Code. All work done for the class must be pledged.
Your instructor will not tolerate any form of cheating.
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Class Discussion: Students are
expected to make contributions to class discussion.
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Research Papers: Your research
topic will be based upon a subject you are interested in and will center around
a thesis you will advance and defend.
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Bibliography:
Kate T. Turabian. A Manual For Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations. Sixth Edition.
Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1966.
Gregory M. Scott & Stephen M. Garrison. The
Political Science Student Writer's Manual.
Third
Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc, 2000.
Suggested Reading or Reference:
Howard S. Becker. Writing for Social
Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or
Article. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press,
1986.
Diane Hacker. A Pocket Style Manual. Boston: Bedford Books of
St. Martin’s Press, 1993.
Diane E. Schmidt. Expository Writing in
Political Science: A Practical Guide. New York: Harper
Collins College Publishers, 1993.
Academic Journals:
The American Political Science Review
The Presidential Studies Quarterly
Foreign Affairs
Current History
Journal of the History of Ideas
Political Theory
And many others found in library reference room
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MFAT REVIEW SITES
Political
science majors can go to the site below for online quizzes on basic American
government and politics information:
When you get to the site select a
chapter and then look under review where you will find several types of
quizzes. It is strongly recommended that you take all the multiple choice
and true false quizzes for every chapter. The website will give you the
right answer and take you to a page in the book where you can review the
information.
James MacGregor Burns, J.W. Peltason, Thomas E. Cronin,David B.
Magleby. Government By
the People. Third Edition. Brief
Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.
The following
webstie contains a text study guide and the online quizzes for each chapter:
http://cw.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/burns4/
History majors can go the the following sites for onlline quizzes to prepare
for the MFAT.
Go to the Prentice Hall sites below, select a chapter, and
then do the multiple choice and true false test. The sites grade the tests
for you and gives you text material where you can read about the item.
For
first half of American history go to: http://cw.prenhall.com/bookbind/public_html/pubbooks/faragher3/
(The multiple choice questions are under fact/finder)
For the second
half of American history go to: http://cw.prenhall.com/bookbind/public_html/pubbooks/faragher4/
For a text based quiz for all of Western Civilization to to: http://cw.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/kagan/
(Do multiple choice and true false)
History majors may review world
history with quizzes from the following sties:
Take as many quizzes as
possible. The sites give the answers and text material.
Up to 1500
at: http://cw.prenhall.com/bookbind/public_html/pubbooks/spodek2/
(You may find multiple choice questions under fact/finder)
After 1500
at:
http://cw.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/esler2/
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