Requirements

This Web Syllabus is the sole source of information for our course. I will change assignments and add mandatory readings and links throughout the semester. You are responsible for knowing about these changes.

And there’s more. This syllabus is much more detailed than the typical course syllabus.  I will also use this syllabus to provide a running commentary on the themes we are discussing.  This should help you understand how everything we do fits into a single, coherent narrative. You can also read ahead to see where we are going. In this sense, this syllabus is simply another type of required reading.

You should consult this syllabus on a regular basis. A great American philosopher agrees HERE

Readings in Paper

A major requirement for your discussion sections is that you have the assigned readings in front of you. This guarantees that you  will be able to refer directly to the sources (and not simply make something up).  If the required readings are linked to the syllabus, you must print them and bring them with you.

The Bookstore’s books can be expensive. I recommend that you do some comparison shopping on the sites of booksellers. In the case of the first title (America the Unusual), I will post links should you want to print the chapters.  However, if you buy the book, you can always print the chapters if it doesn’t arrive on  time. You can also print from the hard copies on Hesburgh Reserves.

John Kingdon, America the Unusual

Cas Mudde and Cristobal Kaltewasser, Populism: A Very Short Introduction

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto

Václav Havel, Open Letters: Selected Writings,1965-1990

Carolina Maria de Jesus, Child of the Dark

All of these books are available on Library Reserve.  Nonetheless, you are required to bring your personal copies to the relevant discussion sections. No exceptions

As the proud father of two Notre Dame graduates–and teacher of thousands of ND undergrads–I am acutely aware of the exorbitant cost of assigned readings. Hence, I do not have a lot of required books. Nor do I use a course reader. To save you money, I have put many of your readings on this syllabus. You should print all of the assignments marked PRINT. This is especially important for your Friday Discussion Sections. You MUST bring these printed readings to your Discussion Sections. Your TAs will call on you to refer to them directly. They may even give you a quiz!

I recommend that you create a binder in which you assemble these readings as we move from one section to the next.

Note:  Some of your article assignments can be found under the e-Locator heading on the Hesburgh Library site.  The relevant articles are linked to this syllabus.  Type the name of the journal and look for the appropriate year and month of publication.  Usually, the link will be to JSTOR or Pro Quest Social Science.

At this political and existential turning point in modern history, members of the ruling class must keep up with the news! I recommend that you get into the habit of reading any decent online newspaper or news magazine on a regular basis. Many are free.

Facts exist and they matter! The best way to judge the quality of a news source is whether it openly identifies and corrects its errors (see our reading from John Stuart Mill). Everybody makes mistakes, including journalists.  But factual truth is  verifiable.  If a source doesn’t routinely correct identifiable mistakes, you should be skeptical about its dedication to truth.

I strongly recommend that you follow the news on sites with  contrasting political views (again, see our reading from Mill). Be open to changing your mind.  I have changed my mind on important questions throughout my life.

Here are some news sources (some liberal, some conservative, all middle-of the-road) that I consider reliable:  The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Guardian.  American TV news shows drive me crazy (you only get to choose among an excessive focus on American politics, apoplectic handwringing and, at times, outright disinformation). However, there are welcome exceptions to this rule. For example, I recommend the PBS News Hour and the excellent Washington Week.  Bob Costa (ND ’08) was the former host of Washington Week until he stepped aside to write a book and become the CBS election analyst.  Bob took one of the variations of this World Politics course.

I also recommend following international news sources.  The BBC is good for non-US-centric information about the whole world. I watch the German news show, Tagesschau. You can watch Deutsche Welle in English. There are some excellent news links and articles in the right-hand  column of Blogside Inn.  I also highly recommend this survey of the world press:  Watching America 

Here’s an interesting journalistic opportunity that just appeared on Watching America: “Watching America is seeking VOLUNTEER TRANSLATORS age 18+ to translate foreign opinion pieces about the United States into U.S. English.”

There are two good reasons for following international news sources: You learn about how others perceive us. You also learn a lot about yourself and your country.

If you have equally reliable sources, please let me know.  One of you has submitted these reliable Chilean news sources:  The newspaper Emol: https://www.emol.com/ and the television channel “Canal 13”: https://www.13.cl/en-vivo

Virtual Readings

You, your classmates, and your TAs will routinely exchange ideas with Google documents. Participation in these virtual discussions is required. This format will help you prepare for your Friday sections by testing your ideas and encouraging you to make persuasive arguments. Politics is contentious.  There is nothing healthier than a little non-violent contention in the defense of one’s views. Feel free to change your mind. I have changed my mind on political topics throughout my life.

Your TAs will tell you how to turn in your assignments.

Other reading assignments are available on this syllabus. These include: Web links and links to online electronic sources in the Hesburgh Library.  Again, if your assignment says PRINT, you should print it immediately and bring it to your discussion section.  Psychologists have demonstrated conclusively  that students learn much more from a printed document than from a web page.

If your assignment says READ, you must read it.  There could be a quiz.

Visual Sources

There are several required films in the course. I will give you their locations at a later date.

“The War at Home”  Watch at home on Library Reserve It’s a great film. Invite your friends.

Don’t use ChatGPT or any other AI device! We will know if you do, and we won’t be happy!