Final Exam - Wednesday, 5/14

Your final exam will be given in-class on May 14. You will have the full class period to write your exam; that means 80 minutes, or approximately 40 min. per question. The exam will consist of two essay questions. You will be randomly assigned two of the following four questions:

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of parliamentary and presidential systems of government? Which do you think is a better system?
2. How do different electoral systems affect political parties?
3. In what ways are interest groups and social movements similar? In what ways do they differ? Which of the two is more effective?
4. Why do countries go to war? How can they avoid war?

We will review these questions in class on Monday, May 12.

As a reminder, I look for two things in your answers. First is coherence; make sure you answer the question, and present a coherent, organized answer to it. It helps if you include an introductory paragraph that lays out your thesis and explains what will follow. A concluding paragraph that restates the thesis is also helpful.

The second thing I look for is completeness. This does not mean to spit out everything you know about a subject; instead, include everything you can that is relevant to the question asked. Examples are helpful, but not required.

Finally, please remember that there is no single right answer to these questions; your solution can be different from mine, as long as you provide evidence and argumentation.

Please note that you are allowed to bring ONE 3x5" index card to the exam. You can write whatever you would like on this card, on either side, using however small a font as you'd like - WITHIN REASON. Do NOT try to use 5-pt font to squeeze in every possible word you can; do NOT simply try to write out your essay, and then copy it into your exam book. You will have to submit your card with your exam, and I will not give credit for answers that are chiefly copied off of your card. I'm trying to give you the tools to succeed in this exam; please do not abuse my generosity.

One final note that is already in the syllabus: if you fail to show up for the exam, and are unable to produce a valid excuse WITH DOCUMENTATION, you will fail the exam. Good luck!

Research Papers due Monday, May 5

There is no assignment for next week; instead, we'll be watching the film, "Why We Fight."

Remember, however, that your research papers are due Monday. A few reminders:

• Don't forget to attach your first draft (if you submitted one), WITH MY COMMENTS, to the final draft.
• Don't forget to attach your SOURCES to the final draft as well. These should be copies of any internet sources or other printed materials.

See you Monday.

Assignment for Wednesday, 4/30

For Wednesday, please read Chapter 18 in Shively, "Global Politics: Politics Among States (and Others)." This likely will be our last assigned reading for the course, so get those summaries in.

Assignment for Monday, 4/28

For next week, read Chapter 13 in Shively, "Social Movements and Contentious Politics." Summaries are welcome.

Assignment for Wednesday, 4/23

For Wednesday, read Chapter 12 in Shively, "Structured Conflict: Interest Groups and Politics." Feel free to write a summary.

Assignment for Monday, 4/21

Next week we'll continue with political participation by looking at political parties. Read Chapter 11 in Shively, "Parties: A Linking and Leading Mechanism in Politics." Feel free to write a summary. (Many of you NEED to do so.)

Assignment for Wednesday, 4/16

On Wednesday, we'll move into a new section of the syllabus; we'll be dealing with political participation. Please read -- and, if you'd like, summarize -- Shively's Chapter 10, "Elections."

As I mentioned in class, there are only 4-5 more opportunities for writing summaries before the semester ends, so get cracking.