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Course Information
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Course Description:
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A theoretical and empirical comparison of various political processes, structures, and ideologies among selected countries. Particular attention will be paid to the role of ideologies and to how democracy has been instituted in different countries. A more complete description of this course, including learning objectives, assignments, and grading policy can be found in the online syllabus.
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Course Objectives:
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Students who successfully complete the requirements of this course should, by the end of the semester, be able to do following:
- distinguish among different political ideologies
- describe in theoretical terms the Westminster Model of democracy
- describe in theoretical terms the Consensus Model of democracy
- explain theoretical and practical differences between two-party and multiparty systems
- compare and contrast interest-group pluralism versus corporatism
- compare and contrast parliamentary versus presidential democracies
- discuss and assess the impact of globalization on state sovereignty
- evaluate the relationship between political culture and political institutions in the polities examined
- evaluate democracies using measurable criteria
- identify and rank the factors that are conducive to democratization
- identify and rank the factors that are conducive to democratic stability
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Prerequisites and Co-requisites:
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There are no prerequisites or co-requisites for this course.
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Course Topics:
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Key topics covered in this course include the following:
- political ideologies
- theories and models of democracy
- globalization
- transnational political issues in the areas of health, trade, the environment, and immigration
- democracy and economic systems
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Specific Course Requirements:
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Aside from general computer literacy and a desire to enhance our understanding of the world by reading, discussing, and writing about social and political issues of central importance in today's world, there are no specific requirements for this course.
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Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
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Required Textbooks:
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Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com
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Supplementary Materials:
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Hardware Requirements:
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Software Requirements:
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The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include a web browser, Acrobat Reader, and a word processor that allows you to save files in Microsoft Word format.
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Instructor Information
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TBR Instructor |
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Assessment and Grading
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Testing Procedures:
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The final examination for this course will consist entirely of essay questions. There will be one quiz and one mid-term essay and a term paper. Students are also required to participate in weekly discussion forums.
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Grading Procedure:
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Grading for this course is based on the following percentile breakdown:
- Online Participation: 20 percent
- Quiz: 10% /Term paper 20 percent
- Midterm Exam: 20 percent
- Final Examination: 30 percent
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Grading Scale:
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The following scale is used in assigning grades in this course:
90-100:A
80-89: B 70-79: C 60-69: D <60: F
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Assignments and Participation
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Class Schedule (readings and assignments):
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Online Participation:
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As mentioned above, your weekly online participation represents 20 percent of your final grade for this course. Therefore it is vitally important that you not only answer all questions posted but remark on post by other students.
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Punctuality:
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It is imperative that you keep up on the weekly readings and participate in a thoughtful and thorough manner.
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Course Ground Rules
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Major ground rules have already been alluded to above. To reiterate, make sure you participate each week in our discussion forum. Keep up with the readings and turn writing assignments in by the specified times and dates. I will provide you with more information about the writing assignments in the coming weeks.
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Guidelines for Communications
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Email:
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- 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
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Discussion Groups:
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- Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion.
- 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 positive and constructive in group discussions.
- Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
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Web Resources:
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Library
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The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. 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 must be included in all courses.
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Students With Disabilities
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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.
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Syllabus Changes
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The instructor reserves the left 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.
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Technical Support
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Telephone Support:
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If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the Eduprise Help Desk by calling
1-877-725-4357 (toll free)
or go to their website at:
http://eduprise.custhelp.com
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