An introduction to the use of politics for the resolution of conflict in communities, nations, and the international system through the study of political concepts and relationships, with applications to current problems.

Text: J.N. Danziger, Understanding the Political World: A Comparative Introduction to Political Science (9th), Longman, ISBN 9780205644599.

Reading assignments should be completed by the indicated dates.

Orientation for fall or spring; for summer

Rules

Schedule

scope & means (ch. 1)

of states (and governments), nations, & systems (ch. 5)

politics & economics (ch. 8)

violence (ch. 12)

politics as power (ch. 3)

politics between states (ch. 11)

political thinking (chaps. 2 & 4)

constitutional arrangements (chaps. 6-7)

change (ch. 10)

globetrotting (chaps. 13-15)

 

This course is part of the ASU General Education curriculum. It has been included as part of that curriculum in order to enable you to develop a strong foundation in the social sciences. In this class, we will study politics, political institutions and political systems. Such systems are one of the many ways in which humans manage and structure their relationships with one another. By developing such a foundation, you become prepared for the roles you will be expected to fulfill as a citizen and decision-maker in a democratic America and the larger global society.

Your development will be demonstrated by the ability to:

§   Explain the processes and effects of individual and group behavior

§   Analyze events in terms of the concepts and relational propositions generated by the social science tradition