Political
Science 499: The POLS Capstone Seminar
Spring 2016 T, Th,
1:45-3:30, in Ramstad 205. |
Sid Olufs, X-153, olufs@plu.edu
Office Hours: M 12:30-1:30, T 9:30-12:30, W
3:30-4:30, plus by appointment. |
The course assignments page. We sometimes use the course Sakai
site.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Intensive study into topics, concepts,
issues and methods of inquiry in political science. Emphasis
on student research, writing, and presentation.
Seminar
participants will write a senior paper following guidelines discussed in the
class. We will meet as a class some of the time, work independently other times
(with required individual readings and meetings with instructor), and then
reconvene as a class to discuss the papers.
Meetings are scheduled for February 9, 11, 16, 18; March 1, 3,
15, 17; April 5, 7, 12; and all
days in May (3, 5, 20,12, 17,19).
The Department desires that students have the following
knowledge, skills and abilities upon their completion of the major:
1.
You should be able to read
at a level appropriate to the discipline.
You can demonstrate this by writing literature reviews, books reviews,
diagramming arguments from readings, and answering questions about readings with
reference to text evidence.
2.
You should be able to write
at a level suitable for professional application. You can demonstrate this by writing a
paper, and by pursuing the writing process
*topic declaration and justification,
*concepts/approaches/methods (literature review section),
*diagramming
arguments,
*successive
drafts that critically respond .
3.
You should be able to speak
to communicate your argument to a group.
You can demonstrate this by interaction in class, class presentation of results from
diagramming arguments, writing book reviews, and by participating in classroom
group assignments, such as answering questions about readings with reference to
text evidence
4.
You should be able to think
critically. You can demonstrate
this by writing papers, participating in classroom group assignments, such as
evaluating a policy claim in the light of evidence, and by identifying in each
the critical component.
5.
You should be able to think
logically. You can demonstrate
this by diagramming arguments, writing policy papers, and presenting arguments
to the class.
Coursework will be evaluated according to these
criteria. Participation is required
(10% of total, 3 missed classes result in deduction of the entire 10%), regular
exercises and stages of papers will be turned in (50%, no late items accepted), and the paper shall be conceptually clear, well-written, and free of errors (40%).
The methods
course, POLS 301, is a prerequisite for this course. If it is not required for you, you need
to come into class the first day with a draft of your research design. Contact Olufs now if this applies to
you.
Students should
be prepared to do the following the first week of class.
á Write abstracts
of articles and book chapters.
Check your writing handbook for descriptions of abstracts.
á Construct a
research question.
á Perform a
literature search on your research question. You need to develop distinctions between
mass media, think tanks (and different types of think tanks), and various types
of refereed or peer reviewed journals.
á Write a survey
of the literature you have found, with citations for specific claims.
á Be able to
interpret tables and graphic displays of data.
á Critically read
and make editorial comments on papers.
General criteria for papers are described on the course web site. Your writing handbook has many tips on
this.
The required
text for the course is Booth, et.al., The Craft of Research, Third Edition 978-0226065663 Earlier editions are suitable as
well. It is brief and well written.
For an example of a well-constructed piece of professional
literature, please see Martin Gilens, ÒInequality and
Democratic Responsiveness,Ó Public
Opinion Quarterly, 69 (Special Issue 2005) No. 5: 778-796. Remember that political science borrows from
many disciplines, including history, economics, philosophy, sociology, and
psychology. No one article will
reflect the full range of work in the discipline.
Your paper drafts will be returned with a variety of correction symbols. The top of the assignments page
has links to writing resources.
Ever wonder what are the twenty most cited articles in
political science? This is one way
of understanding the content of the discipline. Here is a list for most
cited articles the various Wiley journals, in the journal Perspectives
on Politics, in other APSA journals, in the journal
Political Analysis, in International
Political Science Review, in Journal of Public
Administration Research and Theory, in Social Politics,
in Contributions to
Political Economy....
Other items, including emergency procedures and grade
dispute policies, are
found here.