COURSE UNIT TITLE

: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
UIR 1203 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE COMPULSORY 3 0 0 4

Offered By

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (English) ((UOLP-New York Eyalet University (Suny Albany))

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IBRAHIM SAYLAN

Offered to

Political Science and International Relations (English) ((UOLP-New York Eyalet University (Suny Albany))
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (English) ((UOLP-New York Eyalet University (Suny Albany))

Course Objective

The aim of this course is to familiarize students with the basic concepts, actors and institutions in politics. Historical settings in which various modern political institutions developed and evolved, and major theoretical and ideological approaches to political issues will also be introduced in order to enhance students' skills to critically and comparatively analyze political problems.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Demonstrating understanding of different approaches to politics and political analysis, and reflecting critically on common-sense assumptions about political processes.
2   Identifying key concepts and categories in political science in order to be able to cope with advanced analyses and debates in the field.
3   Identifying fundamental political actors and institutions, and their dynamic relationship to broader social environments.
4   Demonstrating understanding of the functioning and limitation of state machinery in different contexts.
5   Developing skills to scientifically justify and effectively convey one's political arguments.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Introduction, What is Politics Chapter 1 pp.33-72
2 Studying Politics Chapter 1 pp.33-72
3 Political Ideologies Chapter 2 pp. 73-122
4 Political Ideologies Chapter 2 pp. 73-122
5 State Chapter 3 pp. 123-158
6 Democracy and Legitimacy Chapter 4 pp. 159-206
7 Types of Political Regimes Chapter 5 pp. 207-241
8 Political Economy and Globalization Chapter 7 pp. 275-309
9 Representation, Elections and Voting Chapter 10 pp. 389-427
10 Parties and Party Systems Chapter 11 pp.428-464
11 Groups, Interests and Movements Chapter 12 pp. 465-500
12 Assemblies, Executives Chapter 15 pp.576-609
13 Executives Chapter 14 pp. 537-575
14 Constitutions, Law and Judges Chapter 13 pp. 501-536

Recomended or Required Reading

Heywood, Andrew (2019). Politics (5th ed.). Hampshire and New York, NY: Palgrave
Macmillan.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

1. Lecture
2. Group discussion
3. Class discussion

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MT Midterm
2 ASS Assignment
3 FN Final
4 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MT * 0.40 + ASS * 0.10 + FN * 0.50
5 RST RESIT
6 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MT * 0.40 + ASS * 0.10 + RST * 0.50


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

Students must be able to recognize and describe key concepts in politics.
Students must be able to properly explain various definitions, classifications,
contexts and controversies regarding the subjects of the course.
Students must be able to properly justify their arguments in a given topic and
effectively convey them.
In addition to the exams, students will meet the requirements of Assignment that is
structured as debate. Students will prepare according to the topics on the debate lists
that will be announced at the beginning of the semester and participate in the debate
in the relevant week.
The Rubric that will be used to evaluate students' Assignment performance:
a) Poor (0%) b) Fair (40%) c) Good (60%) d) Very good (80%) e) Excellent (100%)
The Assignment evaluation criteria (Total Points 100):
Preliminary Preparation - 30 points a) No preliminary preparation b) Preliminary
preparation is insufficient c) Preliminary preparation is sufficient d) Preliminary
preparation comprehensively done from various sources e) Preliminary preparation is
comprehensive and includes preparations for possible questions
Debate - 60 points a) The student participated in the debate but did not take the floor
b) The student took the floor but failed to put forward sufficient arguments c) The
student presented his/her arguments in an organized and adequate manner d) The student
was able to defend his/her arguments sufficiently e) The student presented his/her
arguments and successfully defended his/her position by responding to counter arguments
Communication Skills - 10 points a) The student participated in the debate but did not
take the floor b) The student made eye contact with the opposite group c) The student
made eye contact with the class d) The student could communicate in such a way that
s/he could draw attention to herself/himself e) The student used communication skills
effectively, including proper sentence structures, body language, and tone of voice.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

1. Attending at least 70% of lectures is mandatory.
2. Cheating in the exams and plagiarism of any type will result in disciplinary action.
3. You are expected to come to class on time. Attendance may be checked anytime during class. Please do not demand being marked present if you were absent during the check
4. Each student will be part of a group assigned by the instructor. In the beginning of each week's class, two groups will make a 15-20 minutes debate on a question for discussion. Question(s) and the position of each group on the issue will be anounced by the instructor at Week 2.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

ibrahim.saylan@deu.edu.tr
Office: 244/B

Office Hours

To be announced.

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 14 3 42
Preparation for midterm exam 1 10 10
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 14 3 42
Preparation for final exam 1 10 10
Preparing presentations 1 4 4
Final 1 1 1
Midterm 1 1,5 2
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 111

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13
LO.15
LO.25
LO.34
LO.4
LO.5