10:10-11:00 MWF POSC 310
218 Smith 2001S
Mr. Miller
European
Governments
A well-known French political
scientist, from my old school, the Institut d'Etudes Politiques at
Aix'en-Provence, recently asserted that the French national state and
government no longer existed as far as folks in the Marseilles area were
concerned. What mattered for them was
local politics. At the other end of the
spectrum, another French political scientist (and, an old, dear friend of mine)
has recently written that, as far as regulation of international migration is
concerned, the French state is dépassé and no longer a significant factor. For her, European politics and identity are
more important. Maybe in light of views
such as these, a course on European governments no longer is necessary.
The national state or Westphalian
system born of eighteenth century Europe is evolving. Some scholars now speak of post-national politics and virtually
all agree that the power and authority of European national states is eroding
due to challenges from above and below.
Yet, to argue that national politics no longer matters strikes me as
premature at best.
At the risk of seeming hopelessly
out-dated and out of fashion, I maintain that national states and their
domestic politics still matter a great deal.
I recognize that all European states are permeated by transnational
forces and influences and that the European Union and cross-national regional
politics are of tremendous importance.
But understanding of European politics still must be grounded on a solid
appreciation for the distinctive patterns of politics in national
contexts. To this end, this course will
be structured around five European polities selected mainly for their
significance to the grand scheme of European politics. The key to the course endeavor involves
comparisons of institutions and patterns of political behavior between the five
cases.
The course will begin with a
presentation and discussion of the French-language film Hate. The purpose here is to illustrate the
significance of understanding European politics to Americans who also face
significant immigration, integration and racial questions. Throughout, I will endeavor to demonstrate
how by understanding European politics, one begins to truly understand American
politics. I hope to present in class
two films over the course of the semester - and ask you to view The Promise on
your own in the Morris Library. The
Promise and Hate are available at the media-viewing desk in the basement of
Morris Library. The Voyage of Hope is
available at Blockbuster and other local film rental outlets. The course written project will require you
to write about these three films in conjunction with assigned world-wide web
readings, a report on recent transatlantic conferences about human trafficking
and the European section of the monthly Migration News. The title of your essay, which should not
exceed fifteen typewritten, double-spaced pages should be Europe and its
immigrants: Insights from film and the world wide web. The essay must include analysis of the three
films and the assigned world wide web sources.
All should be referenced in the essay.
The essay is due May 9 and will determine 25% of the course grade. Students also will be required to write
midterm and final essay-style exams.
The format for each will involve a choice of identifications (worth 20%
of the exam grade) and of essays (worth 80% of the exam grade). The midterm will count for 25% and the
two-hour final for 50% of the term grade.
Please bring blue books to the exams.
The midterm is tentatively scheduled for March 23 and the final is set
for the final exam period.
Mr. Miller's office is in 466
Smith. His office hours are 11:15-12:15
and 1:15-2:15 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. (He expects that he'll be in his
office most of those days from 12:15 - 1:15 as well) or by appointment. His office telephone is 831-1926 and his
email address is HYPERLINK mailto:mjmiller@ude.edu mjmiller@ude.edu. Messages for him can be left in his mailbox
in 347 Smith Hall.
Required Books
Philip
Norton, The British Polity, Fourth Edition, Addison Wesley Longman,
2001.
Ronald
Tiersky, France and the New Europe.
(This book was originally published by Wadsworth but Wadsworth has been
absorbed by another publishing company.
This book was not in the UD bookstore as of January 25 but should be in
by the start of class.)
David
R. Conradt, The German Polity, Seventh Edition, Longman, 2001.
Hilary
Partridge, Italian Politics Today, Manchester University Press, 1008.
Joan
DeBardeleben, Russian Politics in Transition, Second Edition,
Houghton-Mifflin, 1997.
Required films
The
Promise
Hate
Voyage
of Hope
Required www
reading
report
on human trafficking in the transatlantic area
reading
of monthly Migration News (February,
March, April).
Schedule of
lectures and readings
DATE Lecture Reading
2/7 view Hate
2/9 view Hate Norton,
Ch. 1-2
2/12 overview of course, discuss
Hate Norton,
Ch. 3-4
2/14 The British Model of Democratic
Stability Norton,
Ch. 5-6
2/16 Challenges to the model Norton,
Ch. 7-8
2/19 view first part of Voyage of
Hope Norton,
Ch. 9-10
2/21 Still a two party system? Norton,
Ch. 11-12
2/23 The UK and the EU Norton,
Ch. 13-14
2/26 The Irish Question Norton,
Ch. 15-16
2/28 British asylum crisis Migration
News
3/2 The French model of
democratic instability Tiersky TBA
3/5 French regimes
3/7 Vichy France
3/9 Algeria and the origins of
the Fifth Republic
3/12 Institutions of the Fifth
3/14 French Presidents
3/16 towards democratic normalcy?
3/19 The National Front Migration
News
3/21 Muslims in France Migration
News
3/23 MIDTERM EXAM
4/2 view second part of Voyage of
Hope Conradt,
Ch. 1
4/4 The German Questions Conradt,
Ch. 2
4/6 The German model of
democratic instability Conradt,
Ch. 3-4
4/9 Das Modell Deutschlands Conradt,
Ch. 5-6
4/11 Germany in the EU Conradt,
Ch. 7-8
4/13 The Nazi legacy Conradt,
Ch. 9-10
4/16 Immigration challenges Migration
News
4/18 The Italian model of democratic
instability Partridge,
Ch. 1-2
4/20 The Italian party system Partridge,
Ch. 3-4
4/23 Italian Communism Partridge,
Ch. 5-6
4/25 Italian terrorism in comparison Partridge,
Ch. 7
4/27 the dirty hands scandal/ second
Republic? Partridge,
Ch. 8
4/30 Italy: land of immigration Migration
News
5/2 Italy in the EU Partridge,
Ch. 9
5/4 Russian absolutism DeBardeleben,
Ch. 1
5/7 Collapse
of the Soviet system DeBardeleben,
Ch. 2
5/9 Collapse
of the USSR DeBardeleben,
Ch. 3-4
5/12 Russian
diaspora and the CIS DeBardeleben,
Ch. 5-6
5/14 conflict
in Chechnya: legacy of ethnic cleansing DrBardeleben, Ch. 7
5/16 Russian,
the EU and human trafficking Migration
News
Final Exam