Spring 2018  |  POL 1201 Section 001: Political Ideas and Ideologies (48868)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
4 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Freshman Full Year Registration
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
01/16/2018 - 05/04/2018
Tue, Thu 02:30PM - 03:45PM
UMTC, West Bank
Anderson Hall 250
Enrollment Status:
Open (147 of 149 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Analysis of key concepts and ideas (e.g., freedom, equality, democracy) as they are constructed by major theories and ideologies (liberalism, conservatism, socialism, etc.).
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?jctronto+POL1201+Spring2018
Class Description:
Are media politically biased? Must politicians have "dirty hands," and thus, be liars? How should we understand capitalism? Are we all deceived about the nature of reality? What is different about living in "the information age?" This course serves as an introduction to political thinking by focusing on this basic problem in political life: how do different ways of thinking about the nature of knowledge affect political life? We will begin with ancient political thinkers, consider some modern thinkers, some vexing contemporary thinkers, and end with a discussion of contemporary issues about knowledge and politics. Because college students are all being exposed to new ways of thinking, these questions about knowledge and politics are not really as abstract as they might seem. How do "college ways of knowing" affect us? Thinking in theoretical terms about these transformations will enable students to better understand political argument as well as their own values.
Grading:
Students will primarily be graded on: three (3-5 pp) papers that they will write over the course of the semester and final examination. Class participation will also count. Grading will reflect improvement over the course of the semester. Students will have an opportunity to rewrite one paper. The final will include material from the entire semester.
Exam Format:
The final exam will be a take-home short essay. The questions will distributed on the first day of class, so students can thikn about it all semester.
Class Format:
Lecture/Discussion: 90%, using a Socratic method and group discussions. Students will participate in one poster session towards the end of the semester.
Workload:

80-120 Pages Reading Per Week

12-18 Pages Writing Per Term

1 FINAL Exam

3 3-5 page Papers


Other Workload: Students will be expected to spend at least two hours before each class meeting reading and thinking about the assigned readings


Students should purchase the specific editions of the assigned texts
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/48868/1183
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
9 January 2017

ClassInfo Links - Spring 2018 Political Science Classes

To link directly to this ClassInfo page from your website or to save it as a bookmark, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=1201&term=1183
To see a URL-only list for use in the Faculty Center URL fields, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=1201&term=1183&url=1
To see this page output as XML, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=1201&term=1183&xml=1
To see this page output as JSON, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=1201&term=1183&json=1
To see this page output as CSV, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=1201&term=1183&csv=1
Schedule Viewer
8 am
9 am
10 am
11 am
12 pm
1 pm
2 pm
3 pm
4 pm
5 pm
6 pm
7 pm
8 pm
9 pm
10 pm
s
m
t
w
t
f
s
?
Class Title