Politics 342 Syllabus

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DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL STUDIES 
POLITICS 342: Political Participation

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COURSE DESCRIPTION

New Zealand is often thought to be among a number of 'disaffected democracies'.  Voter turnout and party membership are in decline, particularly among the young. Many people distrust and disdain politicians and the political process. Seeking explanations for such current problems of representative democracy, the course provides an introduction to the international literature on political participation, with New Zealand material where it exists. Among other things, we explore the nature of 'social capital', the significance of political knowledge, the effects of globalisation, and emerging generational differences in political participation. Moving out of the comfort zone of stable democracies, the course also assesses the motives for 'extreme' forms of political participation such as revolution and revolt, and the extent to which new forms of political participation may have taken the place of the old.

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PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course, you should —

• Have an understanding of the key concepts associated with political participation.
• Be aware of empirical evidence that can be used to test claims about political participation made by theorists, politicians, and political commentators.
• Be aware of the major contemporary debates about political participation in the discipline of political science.
• Have developed a good understanding of the underpinnings of democracy in public attitudes, opinion, and political behaviour.               
  

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COURSE STRUCTURE

This course is made up of a series of twenty two lectures and eleven discussion sessions.  The first two hours, Thursday 11-12, and Friday 10-11, will be lectures, although there will be opportunities for questions and discussion at various points. Friday 11-12 will provide more opportunities for interaction and discussion. Depending on how much time has been spent in discussion during the lectures, some lecturing may spill over into this period. Depending on the size of the class, consultation with students, and the teaching space assigned, some of these sessions may take on different formats such as small groups that report back, or more structured debates.

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COURSE ASSESSMENT

FIRST ESSAY
Value:         25% of Final Grade
Due:           3PM Monday April 2
Length:       1,250 – 1,750 words
Topic:         See list of approved topics in this Syllabus.  

SECOND ESSAY
Value:         25% of Final Grade
Due:           3PM Friday 25 May
Length:       1,250 – 1,750 words
Topic:         See list of approved topics in this Syllabus.  

EXAMINATION
Value:          50% of Final Grade
Date:          (Time and Location TBA)
Duration:    Two hours

Students will be required to answer three questions from a list of twelve questions which will reflect the general themes of the course.

Plussage DOES apply in this course.

All students are expected to have read and understood the latest version of the Department's Coursework Guide, available free-of-charge from the Department Office or via the Department website.

Students are advised to consult the lecturer or undergraduate advisor (in this order) at the earliest possible opportunity if, for any reason, they experience problems in completing an assessment

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PLAGIARISM AND TURNITIN.COM

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence.  The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting his or her learning.  Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced.   This requirement also applies to sources on the world-wide web.  A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms.  Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

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READINGS  

Main Reading  

A copy of the following is in the Short Loan Collection (Kate Edgar Commons) and the book is also available for purchase from the UBS Books.  

Pippa Norris, Democratic Phoenix. Reinventing Political Activism, Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2002 (323.042 N85)  

Recommended Readings  

Dalton, Russell, 2004. Democratic Challenges, Democratic Choices: The Erosion of Political Support in Mass Democracies. Oxford, Oxford University Press (321.8 D15)

Franklin, Mark N., 2004. Voter Turnout and the Dynamics of Electoral Competition in Established Democracies Since 1945. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (324.9 F83)

Milner, Henry, Civic Literacy. How Informed Citizens Make Democracy Work, University Press of New England, 2002 (306.2 M659) - SL

Pattie, Charles, Patrick Seyd, and Paul Whitely, Citizenship in Britain: Values, Participation, and Democracy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2004 (323.60941 P29)

Putnam, 2002, Bowling Alone. The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York, Simon and Schuster (306.0973 P98) - SL

Webb, P., Holliday, I., and Farrell, D., ed., Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Societies. Oxford:Oxford University Press, 2002 (324.2091713 W36) 

There is a course booklet that will be distributed to all students in the course containing the readings specified for each lecture, where they are not available in Norris and Milner.

How to Locate Readings  

In the Lecture Programme available in the longer version of this syllabus you will see essential and recommended readings.  Where SL appears beside a reading, that reading is available from the Short Loan collection.               

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ELECTRONIC RESOURCES                               

Course materials and lecture presentations will be posed on Cecil. Please ensure that your email address is current.  

Recommended Websites  

The following are some useful websites:  

Data for Comparative Political Science <http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/jvowles/Data_Com_Pol_Sci.html> 
(this website includes links to a variety of datasets that can be used for comparative analysis).       

Comparative Study of Electoral Systems <http://www.cses.org>
(this website includes data from numerous countries, and you can generate your own tables).    

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SCHEDULE OF LECTURES

For the latest version of the course syllabus and lecture outline, and more readings please click here.