POLIS 1104 - Comparative Politics of Rising Powers
North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2014
-
General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code POLIS 1104 Course Comparative Politics of Rising Powers Coordinating Unit Politics and International Relations Term Semester 1 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Incompatible POLI 1104 Assessment Small group discovery (25%), Online test I (15%), Online test II (20%), Exam (40%) Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Dr Czeslaw Tubilewicz
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
-
Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
At the successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1 Define the key terms in Comparative Politics 2 Discuss the political history, institutions, political cultures, political parties, interest groups, political issues, cleavages, and the major political conflicts of various contemporary political systems 3 Compare and contrast major aspects of democratic and non-democratic political systems 4 Compare and contrast economic challenges facing developed and developing states 5 Debate the role of a state in economic development 6 Participate in group discussions about contested concepts with confidence and with tolerance for other points of view 7 Navigate the large amounts of research material available in this subject through both traditional academic sources and through the use of information technology University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 3, 4, 5 An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 3, 4, 5, 7 Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 6 A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. 7 A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 2, 3, 4, 5 A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. 6 An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 6, 7 -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
Students need to purchase a copy of the course reader from the Image and Copy Centre, Level 1, Hughes Building.Recommended Resources
In the past, this course used the text by Gabriel Almond, G. Bingham Powell, Russell J. Dalton and Kaare Strom (eds.), Comparative Politics Today: A World View (New York: Longman, 2010). There should be numerous second-hand copies of this textbook if you wish to go beyond the Course Reader.
Recommended academic readings are also made available on Myuni.
Internet Resources
ABC News Radio http://www.abc.net.au/newsradio/links/useful.htm (A useful collection of world newspaper URLs)
Longman Comparative Politics Reference Site http://k-12.pisd.edu/schools/pshs/soc_stu/comp_gv/links.htm (a good geography test, some useful basic country data, and a few internet links)
Comparative Politics: practice tests
http://www.appracticeexams.com/ap-comparative-government
Comparative Politics, Working Papers at Yale University:
http://www.yale.edu/leitner/papers.html
Columbia University Resource Site:
http://library.columbia.edu/subject-guides/social-sciences/compol.html
Democracy at Large: http://www.ifes.org/Content/Publications/Democracy-at-Large.aspx
Foreign Government Resources: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~graceyor/govdocs/foreignnew.html
Governments on the WWW: http://www.gksoft.com/govt/en/
Poly-Cy Guide to Internet Resources for Political Science: http://crl.du.ac.in/Publication/E-Resources%20in%20Public%20Domain-Final/Political%20Science/Bird%27s%20Eye%20View/Websites/Internet%20Resources%20for%20Political%20Science.htm
Country Study Sites
Area Studies (@ Keele University): http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area.htm
BBC Country Profiles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/country_profiles/default.stm
CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
Cultural Profiles Project: http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/index.html
Economist Country Briefings: http://www.economist.com/topics
Human Development Reports: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/
Library of Congress Country Studies: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
The National Bureau of Asian Research: http://www.nbr.org/
Political Database of the Americas: http://pdba.georgetown.edu/
Profiles of Countries and Regions: http://www.imf.org/external/country/Index.htm
A Selection of Comparative Politics Journals:
African Studies Quarterly: http://web.africa.ufl.edu/asq/
Asian Survey: http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublication?journalCode=asiansurvey
Comparative Politics: http://www.jstor.org/journals/00104159.html
Comparative Political Studies: http://cps.sagepub.com/
Development: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/development/index.html
Problems of Post-communism: http://www.mesharpe.com/mall/results1.asp?ACR=ppc
Third World Quarterly: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/01436597.asp
Journals in area studies: http://www.tandf.co.uk/libsite/productinfo/journals/onlinecollections/politics/
Cambridge series in comparative politics (books): http://www.cambridge.org/ar/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/comparative-politics/series/cambridge-studies-comparative-politics
Online Learning
The POLI 1104 MyUni site contains announcements, copies of many course materials such as lecture notes, lecture recordings, assigned and recommended readings, a discussion forum, and links to useful web sites. You should check this site regularly. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
One lecture will be online via MyUni; the other lecture will be in-class. They outline the material to be discussed in each week’s tutorials. The online lecture provides the background for the in-class lecture.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
2 x 1-hour lectures (or equivalent) per week 24 hours per semester 1 x 1-hour tutorial (or equivalent) per week 12 hours per semester 3 hours tutorial preparation per week 36 hours per semester 3 hours assignment preparation per week 36 hours per semester 2 hours reading per week 24 hours per semester 2 hours research per week 24 hours per semester TOTAL WORKLOAD 156 hours per semester Learning Activities Summary
Schedule Week 1 What is comparative politics: Methods Week 2 What is comparative politics: Concept Week 3 The rise and fall of great powers Week 4 The United States of America Week 5 China Week 6 The European Union Week 7 Russia Week 8 Japan Week 9 India Week 10 Brazil Week 11 Nigeria Week 12 Exam preparation Small Group Discovery Experience
All tutorial activities are structured around small group learning that encourages and supports team work and a lively exchange of ideas. -
Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assessment Task Task Type Weighting Learning Outcome Tutorial participation and presentation Formative and Summative 20% 1-7 Team project Formative and Summative 15% 1-7 Mid-semester online test Formative and Summative 5% 1-7 Final online test Formative and Summative 10% 1-7 Exam Summative 50% 1-7 Assessment Detail
Information available on enrolment.Submission
Information available on enrolment.Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.
-
Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
-
Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- International Student Support
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
- YouX Student Care - Advocacy, confidential counselling, welfare support and advice
-
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Elder Conservatorium of Music Noise Management Plan
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
-
Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.
The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.
