Professor Wattier's HomePage Fall 2000 Academic Calendar
Assuming you already have access to the World Wide Web, you will need three web surfing tools for this course: (1) a Web Browser (2) an E-Mail program and (3) Adobe Acrobat Reader.
If you have recently purchased a multimedia microcomputer, your system probably already has browser and e-mail software programs installed. You will only need to install the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
If you are using someone else's computer (e.g., at the Crisp Center in Paducah, KY, or at the Ft. Campbell Center or a lab on the main campus), DO NOT INSTALL ANY SOFTWARE WITHOUT PERMISSION.If you wish to install Internet Explorer and its E-Mail program, select
If you with to install Netscape Communicator and its E-Mail program, select
If you need to install the "free" Adobe Acrobat Reader*, please select
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*PDF links in the course syllabus (e.g., the Book Report section) reference Adobe Portable Document Format files that can be accessed with the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Department: Political Science and Legal Studies
Course Number: POL 260 Credit Hours: 3 Semester: Fall, 2000
I. Title: Introduction to Political Behavior
II. Instructor: Mark J. Wattier
Office: BB-153C
Telephone: 762-2695
E-mail: Mark.Wattier@MurrayState.Edu
Office hours:
III. Class location and meeting times: 12:30 - 1:20 pm MWF in BB-551
IV. Catalog description: An introduction to major concepts and systems of thought useful in explaining and understanding political behavior.
V. Purpose: The purpose is to determine whether, and to what extent, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle ("is the law of cause and effect a myth?") is applicable to the study of political behavior.
VI. Course objectives: The primary learning objectives of the course are:
VII. Course outline
Course Introduction: 8/21
Visit:
The People's Choice
8/23 & 25 Read
: Rossi's review of The People's Choice (pp. 313-322) in Peter H. Rossi. 1964 (originally 1959). Four Landmarks in Voting Research. In Frank Munger and Douglas Price (eds.). Readings in Political Parties and Pressure Groups. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell [PDF].Voting
8/28 & 8/30 Read:
9/1 & 6 Read: Natchez's review of The People's Choice and Voting (Chap. 2, Social Politics) in Peter B. Natchez 1985. Images of Voting/Visions of Democracy. New York: Basic Books
9/8: Read: Janowitz, Morris and Warren E. Miller. 1952. The Index of Political Predisposition in the 1948 Election. Journal of Politics 14:710-727 [PDF].
The Voter Decides
9/11 & 13 Read: Rossi's review of The Voter Decides (pp. 332-338) in Peter H. Rossi. 1964 (originally 1959). Four Landmarks in Voting Research. In Frank Munger and Douglas Price (eds.). Readings in Political Parties and Pressure Groups. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell [PDF].The American Voter
Candidate Choice in The American Voter
Voter Turnout in The American Voter
Suggested Readings:
Criticisms:
An Economic Theory of Democracy
Suggested Readings:
The Responsible Electorate
Suggested Readings:
Read: G. Bingham Powell, Jr. 1986. American Voter Turnout in Comparative Perspective. American Political Science Review, 80: 17-43. Powell concludes: "In comparative perspective, the American registration rules, electoral system, and party system inhibit voter participation, outweighing by far the attitudinal advantage" (18).
Models of Voter Turnout
Second Examination: 11/27
Read:
Consumer Behavior
Prior Behavior in Models of Political Decision Making
Prior Behavior in a Model of Electoral Decision Making
Third Examination: 12/14
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!Book Reviews Due: 12/8
Make-Up Examinations: 12/7 (starting at 2:00 p.m.)
VIII. Instructional activities: We shall study political behavior in multiple ways, including but not limited to lectures, class discussions, reports, assigned readings, and web sites.
IX. Field and clinical experiences: None.
X. Resources: Course resources include an instructor with over twenty years experience, excellent reading materials, and students ready, willing, and able to have fun while learning.
XI. Grading procedures
Course grade: The course grade will be a weighted average of the course requirements: class attendance, 5 percent; class participation, 10 percent; the book review, 15 percent; the first and second examinations, 25 percent; and, the third examination, 20 percent.
Examinations: This course has three in-class, essay examinations. (Please see the date of each examination in the course outline.) Each examination will cover only the assigned reading and lecture material for each unit of the course. In other words, the tests are not comprehensive, although each test will cover its unit comprehensively. Each examination will have three major sections: (1) concept identification, (2) conceptual distinctions, and (3) an analytical essay. My grading scale is:
| A+ | 100 or higher |
| A | 90 to 99 |
| B | 80 to 89 |
| C | 70 to 79 |
| D | 60 to 69 |
| E | 00 to 59 |
Make-up examinations: Each student is expected to take examinations on the regularly scheduled day (see examination dates in the course outline). If an examination cannot be taken on the scheduled day, the instructor must be notified in writing at least twenty-four hours before the examination. If you follow this procedure, you may take a make-up examination, which will be similar to the missed examination, on Thursday, December 7. If you do not follow this procedure, you may take a make-up examination without any choice of topics on the same day. Make-up examinations will only be given on December 7, which means that if you miss more than one examination you will take more than one make-up on December 7. If you miss both the regularly scheduled examination and its make-up, a grade of E will be assigned the examination(s) in question. Exceptions to these policies will only be granted when extremely extenuating circumstances are evident.
Book Review: This course requires either a book review of one of the classic studies reviewed in the first unit of the course.
The book review should describe the book's
contents and evaluate its contributions (e.g., see The New York Times at http://www.nytimes.com). The instructor must approve (OK, MJW) the selected book. Students are expected to review one of the studies from the "Classics" unit of the course.The review must follow a standard paper format. If you are not familiar with a standard format, consult either a manual such as Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations or the Bibliography Styles Handbook on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/bibliostyles.htm
The book reviews must be typed papers; no hand-written ones will be accepted. A recommended minimum length is ten (10)type-written pages. The paper should be your own work (see Statement on Plagiarism [PDF]) and be well written (see The Write Stuff [PDF]).
The book report is due on Friday, December 8 during class. Late papers will be penalized a letter grade for each day the paper is late. The paper is 15 percent of the course grade.
Class participation: Class participation is important. It is 10 percent of the course grade. By class participation I mean both asking and answering questions about the general subject of each lecture topic. I sincerely welcome and wish to encourage your participation in class discussions. Class attendance is surely a necessary condition for class participation; however, class attendance without participation does not earn class participation credit.
XII. Attendance policy: Students are expected to attend class. Attendance is 5 percent of the course grade. A record of class attendance will be kept and the number of absences will be tallied. Attendance grades will be awarded on the following basis:
| A | 0 to 1 absence |
| B | 2 to 3 absences |
| C | 4 to 5 absences |
| D | 6 to 7 absences |
| E | 8 or 9 absences* |
*If the number of recorded absences is equal to or greater than ten (10), the course grade will be lowered one (1) letter grade.
XIII. Textbook: None. All reading assignments will be available in PDF format.
XIV. Prerequisites: None.
XV. Academic Dishonesty policy--This policy is posted in each classroom in the Business Building and also is available at
Academic Dishonesty (PDF).