Reading- Relations Among States

1. The Interstate System: Key Elements

1.1. Bruce Russett and Harvey Starr, World Politics, Chapters 3-4, pp. 46-98

1.2. Shively, Power and Choice, Chapter 18.

• What is the international system?
• What are its key elements?
• Who are the key actors and what do they do?
• Be sure you understand ways in which nation-states are not the only important actors in the international system.
• How is the organization of politics and choice within states similar and different to that of the international system?

2. Order and Disorder Among States

2.1. John Gerard Ruggie, "Interests, Identity and American Foreign Policy,"

2.2. Samuel Huntington, "The Clash of Civilizations,"

2.3. Ronald Inglehart and Pippa Norris. "The True Clash of Civilizations ,"

2.4. Thomas Friedman, Chapter 1-2,

• Mearsheimer argues that the structure provided by the Cold War was important in limiting many conflicts within the international system.
• He, like others, worries about the lack of structure in the present system.
• Although some of his initial assumptions will disturb many of you, see if you can find examples from the past two or three years to support his argument.
• Huntington suggests that ethnicity and religion now have replaced ideology as the basis of political divisions in the world.
• Is what he calls "the clash of civilizations" so new, and if it is what are the prospects for war and peace in the coming years?
• Friedman raises the issue of the importance of technology as a focus for integration and conflict.

3. International Conflict: The North-South Case

3.1. Charles W. Kegley, Jr. and Eugene R. Wittkopf, "The North-South Conflict: Roots and Consequences of Global Inequalities,"

• The conflict between the haves and have-nots, the north versus the south has the potential to be the most intransigent international conflict in the next twenty years.
• What are its key elements?
• Are the ways in which it can be limited effectively?
• How much inequality is compatible with a just solution?

4. Just War

4.1. Neta C. Crawford, "Just War Theory and the US Counterterror War."

Reading- Citizens and Modern States

1. The Individual, Groups, and the State

1.1. Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, "Pericles' Funeral Oration"

1.2. John Locke, Second Treatise, Selections

1.3. The Federalist Papers 10, 37 and 51

1.4. Shively, Power and Choice, Chapter 2.

• What is the relationship between the individual and the political community?
• Western thought gives particular attention to the idea of the individual as distinct from the community, but this is far from universal.
• Consider how this idea is imbedded in the notion of the contemporary nation state.

2. Citizen Participation and Daily Life

2.1. Jane Mansbridge. Beyond Adversary Democracy. Chapters 12-16, pp. 139-232.

• What is political participation and what are the different realms of people's lives it can touch?
• Consider the consequences of a theory of political participation as you read Mansbridge's discussion about participatory workplace.
• What are the problems in participatory organizations?
• How is inequality inherent in all organization?
• When and why is inequality not necessarily unfair?

3. Citizen Participation and the State: Parties, Interest Groups, and Elections

3.1. Jane Mansbridge, Beyond Adversary Democracy, Chapters 17-22, pp. 233-303.

3.2. Shively, Power and Choice, Chapters 11-13.

• Political participation, is to many, the hallmark of modern democracy. Yet beyond voting every few years most citizens are hard pressed to say what participation entails.
• Mansbridge's final chapters push us to think about different conceptions of democracy in general and to consider democracy’s relevance for our personal and work environments as well as the larger political world.
• Think about participation as a social, not just individual, political act, and the importance of institutions and practices such as political parties, voluntary associations, and interest groups in the process in terms of the examples Shively presents.

4.Democracy, Civil Society and Democratic Transitions

4.1. Edward Shils, "The Virtue of Civil Society." Government and Opposition, 26 (1991), 3-20 (on reserve)

4.2. Gerhard Lehmbruch, "Consociational Democracy, Class Conflict, and the New Corporatism," pp. 53-61, and excepts from Philippe C. Schmitter, "Modes of Interest Intermediation and Models of Societal Change in Western Europe," (on reserve)

4.3. Shively, Power and Choice, Chapters 8-9.

• The post-Communist transition in Central and Eastern Europe is more difficult and more complicated that many expected in 1989.
• Simply holding elections is not enough to insure PS 101- 7 effective, stable democracies.
• Much recent attention has focused on the idea of "civil society," the notion that effective democracy requires many intermediate institutions between the state and the individual and these are still absent in much of the region.
• Consider this argument and make sure you understand its key elements.
• Yet civil society (called pluralism in some cases) is only one democratic model.
• Consider how it compares with corporatism as Lehmbruch and Schmitter describe it.
• Why do you think that corporatism and corporatist thinking is so uncommon in the United States?

Reading- Politics in the Modern State

Here we go!!

1. Varieties of Political Organization: Cross Cultural Comparisons

1.1. Lorna Marshall, "!Kung Bushman Bands,"

1.2. Marshall Sahlins, "Poor Man, Rich Man, Big-Man, Chief: Political Types in Melanesia and Polynesia,"

1.3. Donald V. Kurtz, "Strategies of Legitimation and the Aztec State,"

1.4. Shively, Power and Choice, Chapter 10.

• Although politics is found in all human communities, it can take many different forms.
• These articles point out some of the diversity of political organization found in different preindustrial societies ranging from hunting and gathering bands to complex states.
• They also suggest important variation in political leadership styles and the organization of authority.
• In addition to identifying this variation, consider why it occurs and what its consequences are. PS 101- 5
  

2. The Rise of the European State: The Case of France

2.1. Shively, Power and Choice, Chapter 3.

2.2. Clifford Geertz "The Integrative Revolution: Primordial Sentiments and Civil Politics in the New States," (article)

3.3. Eugen Weber, Peasants into Frenchmen: The Modernization of Rural France, 1870-1914. Selections. (article)

• The nation-state is the quintessential form of modern political organization.
• It is clear that the nation-state is an organizational form, but it also can be the object of great emotional attachment. Geertz, an anthropologist, explores this loyalty in a classic article about the nations of Asia and Africa.
• Weber's study of France is instructive and important in raising important questions about the relationship between national identity and state formation.
• His detailed historical analysis suggests that the formation of the state preceded the development of a sense of "Frenchness," that the state power of the state was used to change identities among many rural people living in France, and that this could only occur with the technological changes in the later part of the 19th century.

It should suggest important questions about the nature of states today.

3. Decision Making and State Institutions: What Do States Do?

3.1. Shively, Power and Choice, Chapters 4-7.

• Modern states make and implement policies. But what exactly does this mean.
• Think about various areas of our lives and consider how they are affected by state action.
• How do different concerns compete for attention of the state?
• Shively raises the question of how we are to evaluate state action as governments make policy.
• What is your reaction to his criteria of efficiency and fairness?
• How do they sometimes complete?

Finally, how are we to think about the relationship between the state and its citizens?

3.2. Shively, Power and Choice, Chapters 14-17.

• Democratic nation states are organized in many different ways.
• The most striking contrast is between presidential and parliamentary systems.
• Make sure you understand not just what the key differences are between the two, but what difference they make.
• In other words, how might it matter if the US was a parliamentary, and not a presidential, democracy?

What is the role of the bureaucracy and the rule of law in each? Consider the contrasting examples Shively presents.

4. The Politics of Equality and Group Differences

4.1. Douglas Rae, Equalities. (on reserve)

4.2. Lani Guinier, "Groups, Representation, and Race Conscious Districting: A Case of the Emperor's Clothes,"

4.3. William G. Bowen and Neil L. Rudenstine, "Race Sensitive Admissions: Back to Basics,"

• There is social and cultural diversity in all modern nation states.
• What are its political consequences?
• These readings focus on different ways to think about the concept of equality and ask you to apply them to questions of ethnic and racial differences.
• To what extent are these differences the greatest source of political tension in modern states?
• To what extent can structural formulas protect minorities and ensure them full citizenship? Rae points out different meanings of equality.
• Make sure you understand the distinctions he makes between group and individual equality in particular.
• Guinier points out why majoritarian democratic procedures may PS 101- 6 not meet the needs of many majorities.
• In what ways are her arguments similar to Mansbridge's?
• Bowen and Rudinstine examine the theory and some data behind affirmative action in college admissions.
  
  

Reading- Thinking about Politics

1. Introduction: What is Politics?

1.1 W. Phillips Shively, Power and Choice: An Introduction to Political Science. Chapter 1 and Appendix.

• What is politics?
• What is political action?
• Compare the different conceptions of politics found in Shively
• Is politics associated exclusively with the state or is it found in all social units?
• What does it mean to talk about the politics of family relationships?
• How does our understanding of the political affect what we study and how we study it?

2. Politics as Conflict

2.1. Robert J. Spitzer, The Politics of Gun Control.

• A prominent feature of contemporary politics is conflict between groups with different ideologies and life styles.
• Perhaps no issue in American politics typifies this better than the issue of gun control (with the possible exceptions of abortion and gay rights).
• Spitzer provides both an overview and analysis of this issue and explains why and how it has become so divisive in American politics.
• Try to understand why proponents on each side understand the conflict so differently and are willing to commit such great resources to their cause.
• To what extent do opponents of gun control feel their identity is wrapped up on the issue?
• How and why is identity central to understanding the intensity of the dispute?
• Can you imagine a constructive solution to this divisive conflict?

3. Politics as Community Decision-Making

3.1. Jane Mansbridge, Beyond Adversary Democracy, Chapters 1-11, pp. 1-138.

• While political activity in all societies shares some common elements, politics occurs in and is studied in specific settings.
• Mansbridge examines two in detail—a New England town and a participatory workplace-- to understand what she calls unitary and adversarial democracy.
• The first eleven chapters present an initial statement about the two forms of democracy—make sure you understand what she means by each and how they help you understand the New England town and other small communities.
• Later, I'll complete the book.

Off to the internet!!

Off to the internet!!

1. Lorna Marshall, "!Kung Bushman Bands," Africa. 30 (1960), 325-354.

2. Marshall Sahlins, "Poor Man, Rich Man, Big-Man, Chief: Political Types in Melanesia and Polynesia," Comparative Studies in Society and History. 5 (1963), 285-303.

3. Donald V. Kurtz, "Strategies of Legitimation and the Aztec State," in Frank McGlynn and Arthur Tuden (eds), Anthropological Approaches to Political Behavior. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1991, pp. 146-165.

4. Eugen Weber, Peasants into Frenchmen: The Modernization of Rural France, 1870-1914. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1976, Selections from Chapters 1,6,7,12,15,16,29.

5. Clifford Geertz "The Integrative Revolution: Primordial Sentiments and Civil Politics in the New States," in Geertz (ed). Old Societies and New States: The Quest for Modernity in Asia and Africa, Free Press, 1963, pp. 105-128 and 153-157.

6. Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, "Pericles' Funeral Oration."

7. John Locke, Second Treatise, Chapter 5, Chapter 7 sections 87-90, Chapter 19 section 222.

8. The Federalist Papers 10, 37 and 51.

9. William G. Bowen and Neil L. Rudenstine, "Race Sensitive Admissions: Back to Basics." Paper adapted from the Chronicle review, February 7, 2003.

10. Douglas Rae, Equalities. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1981, Chapter 1, pp. 1-19.

11. Lani Guinier, "Groups, Representation, and Race Conscious Districting: A Case of the Emperor's Clothes," in The Tyranny of the Majority: Fundamental Fairness in Representative Democracy. New York, Free Press, 1994, pp. 119-156.

12. Edward Shils, "The Virtue of Civil Society." Government and Opposition, 26, (1991), 3-20.

13. Gerhard Lehmbruch, "Consociational Democracy, Class Conflict, and the New Corporatism," pp. 53-61, and excepts from Philippe C. Schmitter, "Modes of Interest Intermediation and Models of Societal Change in Western Europe," pp. 63-68 in Philippe E. Schmitter and Gerhard Lehmbruch (eds), Trends Toward Corporatist Intermediation. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1979.

14. Bruce Russett and Harvey Starr, World Politics, NY: W. H. Freeman, 1995, Chapters 3-4, pp. 46-98.

15. John Gerard Ruggie, "Interests, Identity and American Foreign Policy," in Constructing the World Polity: Essays on International Institutionalization. London: Routledge, 1998, pp. 203-228.

16. Samuel Huntington, "The Clash of Civilizations," Foreign Affairs, 1993, 22-49.

17. Ronald Inglehart and Pippa Norris. "The True Clash of Civilizations ," Foreign Affairs, 2003, 62-70.

18. Thomas Friedman, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, 1999, Chapter 1, pp. 3-24

19. Charles W. Kegley, Jr. and Eugene R. Wittkopf, "The North-South Conflict: Roots and Consequences of Global Inequalities," in World Politics: Trend and Transformation, 5th Edition, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994, pp. 90-130.

20. Neta C. Crawford, "Just War Theory and the US Counterterror War." Perspectives on Politics. 1, 2003, 5-26. PS 101- 4

Off to the library!!

Off to the library!!

1. W. Phillips Shively, Power and Choice: An Introduction to Political Science. 8th ed. NY: McGraw Hill, 2003.

2. Robert J. Spitzer. The Politics of Gun Control. Second Edition. Chatham, NJ: Chatham House, 1998.

3. Jane Mansbridge. Beyond Adversary Democracy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.

I'm tired of being slow on the uptake... I'ma start learning

DABBLE INTO POLITICAL SCIENCE

note: Among political scientists there is great disagreement about what the field's core questions are and how best to study them. It's typically introduced to through sub-fields (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Politics, or Political Theory.) I'm going to stretch my muscle-- think analytically about politics, and the different ways of understanding it.

First Let's consider the way people think about politics. Then, how are political organizations constructed. Next let's look at teh citizen vis-a-vis the state. And finish of with a gander at international relationships.

To to that end let's read the New Yourk Times and the local paper every day. Check out some readings from basic college texts and articles, ann of course respond to them here. :-P

Because this is a self-study deal, I hope my blog entries provide a way to formulate thoughts about specific theories, to raise questions, to ask for clarification, and to make connections among ideas presented by smart people.

Wish me luck!!