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INTG-405 Citizenship: The Democracy Project Syllabus Course Description: The Democracy Project applies rigorous methods of inquiry—in academic as well as non-academic forms—to the enterprise of real world advocacy. While the required texts will provide background to the task at hand, the bulk of the course will consist of emulating a “think tank” (The Democracy Project) devoted to enhancing democracy—and, more specifically, democratic discourse-- in the U.S. and around the world. The class will explore proposals for radical change of one sort or another as well as approaches that stress continuity and view change with suspicion. Individually or collectively, students will then push proposals forward or formulate alternative viewpoints. As such, The Democracy Project will be made up of a variety of views, the object being to produce a compelling set of analyses and position papers each semester. While these papers will reflect the various interests of the instructor as well as the students, the work of The Democracy Project is also meant to be cumulative—with each class building on the work of previous classes. The long term goal of The Democracy Project is to produce publications that significantly advance the state of political discourse in the U.S. and globally. This semester we will spend considerable time observing and assessing the 2008 election as portrayed by the news media and late night talk shows. Required Texts: Russell L. Peterson, Strange Bedfellows: How Late Night Comedy Turns Democracy into a Joke Bryan Caplan, The Myth of the Rational Voter Donald A. Wittman, The Myth of Democratic Failure
Course Requirements: “Think tank” report (20% of course grade) Short exams and quizzes (30% of course grade) Attendance and participation (includes (30% of course grade) “semester project”) Comprehensive final exam (20% of course grade)
Think Tank Report: Students will be required to write a 3-5 page research paper on a think tank of their choice (a list will be provided). They will also present their findings in class. The following questions should be among those addressed in the paper and presentation. When and why was the think tank founded? What issues does it address? How are these issues addressed? Who funds the think tank? Does the think tank have an identifiable ideological bent? Does the student sympathize with the think tank or not? Why (not)? Semester Projects: Students this semester will be assigned to projects related to the 2008 election, development of the Democracy Project website, and other election related topics such as: “Beyond the Two Party System,” “Campaign Reform,” “Contemporary Challenges of foreign Policy” etc. As much as possible, the assignments will reflect the interests of students. Students may work individually or in teams. Each student will be expected to summarize his or her experience and findings in a 5-7 page paper (due Nov. 13). While project work will consist for the most part of research, analysis, and persuasive writing, there will be exceptions. As a working think tank, The Democracy Project will no doubt perform more smoothly if some students play an administrative role, coordinating the efforts of different teams and individual students. A knowledgeable webmaster also will come in handy. In addition, other forms of persuasive communication may be employed in addition to writing and editing. Film, drama, art, and music are all modes of expression capable of moving large populations of people toward a new understanding of the world. No matter what role students fulfill in The Democracy Project, the Citizenship Rubric mandates that they “learn to integrate general and disciplinary knowledge with experiential knowledge gained through direct contact with individuals and groups in the wider community.” This process of integration will be implemented in a number of ways. There will be a Democracy Project website, hopefully one which can incorporate an exchange of opinions with the greater public. We will also offer periodic press releases to the local newspapers and radio stations. Where appropriate, we will sponsor live public forums. Students also can choose to do their research in ways that accentuate experiential learning. This may include (but is not limited to) service projects related to better understanding and/or solving problems which afflict our democracy, work on political campaigns (either individual campaigns or as consultants), face to face interviews with people in the community, and other means by which the course can be made to transcend mere book learning.
Course Schedule and Assignments: Aug. 26-28 Tell me about yourself/the concept of citizenship/late night comedy/election 2008 Begin Peterson Sept. 2-18 Introduction to the world of think tanks/election 2008 in the media Complete Peterson Sept23-Nov6 Semester Projects (weekly reports) Nov11-Dec9 Is democracy functional? The Final Exam is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16th at 8:00 AM. |
Integrated Studies Courses
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