POLS 1202 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Democracy, Eastern Bloc, Cuba
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
POLS 1202
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
POLS 1202 Lecture 1 8/27/18
Intro session
Daily Agenda
● Course overview
● About me
● Logistics
● Small tips
What is “Comparative Politics”?
● The domestic politics of different countries
○ International relations
■ Relationships between countries on issues of shared concern
○ American politics
■ Domestic politics of one country
○ Political theory
■ How should politics be?
● Why do politics work the way they do?
○ Why are there different governmental systems in different countries?
● Don’t typically need to know specific details about country backgrounds
○ Exception: when he spends a lot of time on one example
Course goals
● Learn how democracy works
○ What it does well
○ What democracy puts pressure on
● Understand why countries differ in levels and forms of democracy
● Learn how to read and analyze political science writing
● Sell some of you on being political science majors (if you aren’t already)
Themes
● Establishing democracy
● Democratic breakdown
● Representation
● Cultural variants and history
● Institutions
About me
● Oak 447
● matthew.m.singer@uconn.edu
● Office hours MW 2:30-4:00
● Don’t be afraid to email
○ But check the syllabus first
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
● Teaching Assistants
○ TAs will:
■ Lead sections and grade participation
■ Grade quizzes
■ Grade exams
■ Office hours
■ Review sessions
● Syllabus - on HuskyCT
○ Syllabus and Readings tab used most
■ Readings
■ Class slides
● Grades
○ Midterm 30%
○ Final exam 45%
■ Given questions ahead of time
● Given 5 ahead, 2 on exam
○ Quizzes 10%
■ 3-4 short answer, ~10 min during section
■ Every Friday except week 1 and after midterm
○ Section participation 15%
○ No exam/quiz makeup
○ Don’t ask about extra credit
■ If it will be offered, it will be offered to everybody
How to get the most out of this class
● Talk to me and the TAs
● Come to class
○ Fall 2009 informal study:
■ On average, each absence cost 10% of your midterm score
○ I will explain the readings
○ I will present things beyond the reading
○ Lectures often add to and deviate from notes/readings
● Read well
○ Take notes
○ What question did they try to answer?
■ Why do we care?
○ What theories did they consider?
■ Findings?
○ Were their methods/analyses convincing?
○ What can you critique or question?
■ How can you relate it to other things?
○ “So what?”
■ How does this connect to PoliSci, sociology, etc.
● Note taking:
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Relationships between countries on issues of shared concern. Don"t typically need to know specific details about country backgrounds. Exception: when he spends a lot of time on one example. Understand why countries differ in levels and forms of democracy. Learn how to read and analyze political science writing. Sell some of you on being political science majors (if you aren"t already) 3-4 short answer, ~10 min during section. Every friday except week 1 and after midterm. If it will be offered, it will be offered to everybody. How to get the most out of this class. On average, each absence cost 10% of your midterm score. Lectures often add to and deviate from notes/readings. How does this connect to polisci, sociology, etc. Try to write in your own words. Talking through topics with others is good. Describe how countries can be democratic in different ways. There are many characteristics that people associate with democracy that aren"t actually related.
