MA Seminar: American Political Culture and Institutions

Master's seminars
obligatory courses

students should be interested in the interactions between the world of politics and social development.

REQUIREMENTS: open head, ability to think critically and INTELLECTUAL COURAGE

Blended learning

This seminar is meant for the students who wish to write their thesis in the broadly defined "domestic politics" but also international relations, political culture, political psychology and political anthropology.

VERY IMPORTANT: Due to the extremely short time span for the seminar (7 months only) students are strongly encouraged to come to the seminar with the research area/topic/subject already though out (not a specific title of the MA thesis). I encourage you to get in touch with me as soon as you decide to register for my seminar, prior to vacations preceding the start of the seminar.

This seminar is meant for the students who wish to write their thesis in the broadly defined "domestic politics" area. You may sign up for this seminar if you are interested in any of the following fields of study:

1. institutions of American democracy (the Presidency, Congress, the Supreme Court)

2. the policy process (making public policy, relations of power in the public sphere, bureaucratic dynamics, implementation)

3. political behavior (elections, lobbying, interest groups, political parties, social movements, minorities and politics of identity);

4. political culture (values, attitudes, political consciousness, legitimacy, collective identity, political symbols and rituals, political heroes and myths);

5. political marketing: language of politics, political communication: verbal and symbolic;

6. political leadership (role of individuals in the system, presidents, great politicians, African-American leaders);

7. political psychology (presidential character and style);

8. ideologies (classic and post-New Deal liberalism, republicanism; political extremism)

9. foreign policy (foreign policy decision-making, foreign policy rhetoric, crisis rhetoric, foreign policy lobbying, American role in the world)

If you are not sure if your interests and current state of mind (and knowledge) fall within any of the areas mentioned above please see me before registration.

Sample topics of M.A. theses (in each of the above issue areas):

1. Lyndon Johnson and the Civil Rights - Presidential use of extra-constitutional powers

2. Political power of the bureaucracy at the stage of policy implementation

3. The impact of the undisciplined character of American parties on the legislative process

4. Politics of commemoration - political uses of memory in the public spaces

5. Presidential crisis rhetoric - George Bush and the war in Iraq

6. The populist tendency in American political leadership

7. Richard Nixon - a psycho-biographic study of leadership

8. Democratic Fundamentalism in America

9. Making Barack Obama's vision of the World come true

REQUIREMENTS AND SCHEDULE:

The deadlines are general guidelines for people who write a standard thesis, consisting of three chapters, introduction and conclusions. If your work is divided differently there will be special arrangements to match the character of your research project. University rules require me to give you a grade for each semester of the M.A. seminar. Since your work may be a "work in progress" i.e. a version without final revisions, I feel it would be unfair to base this grade solely on the quality of the chapter handed in. Therefore, I will base my grading on how precisely you stick to the schedule we agree on. A good paper handed in on time will earn you a 5. However, please note, that fives for the first and the second semester do not need to result in your overall grade for the thesis being 5. The grades for the semesters reflect my evaluation of your hard work, responsiveness to discussions about your work, discipline in handing in the work on time. Therefore I can imagine that one can get three 5s and an overall three for the thesis.

First semester: regular attendance and participation in class discussions. Homeworks. In the first semester of the seminar you will be asked to prepare several small (1-2 pages) homework projects that will be a reflection of your familiarity with methodological matters. Class readings and lectures will be devoted mainly to issues of methodology in order to find the best approach for your research. The bulk of your grade will come from my evaluation of your thesis prospectus. The prospectus is due no later than the last regular class of the semester.

Second semester: you are supposed to submit the first chapter of your thesis by mid-December. Also, I am expecting a detailed bibliography at the same time.

Third semester: the third chapter of your work is due by the end of February and the final, third chapter is due by May 10. The whole project should be finished BEFORE vacations i.e. no later than June 15.

COMMUNICATION:

All work should be submitted in printed form. Full chapters only. I will not accept "drafts", "almost finished", "so close to finishing" works. Each time you submit a piece of your thesis include a plan that we have agreed on, it helps me see where this piece should fit in.

After we meet in person and discuss your work, you are expected to correct your chapter by incorporating the revisions we have talked about. All corrections MUST be typed in bold print so that I can see the progress easily. The fact that you are working on revisions should not hold back your work on the next chapter (unless the scope of revisions is really staggering). After you submit your work (on time) you can expect that I will read it in no later than two weeks.

For communication please use email (Szklarscy@poczta.onet.pl, or Bohdan.Szklarski@uw.edu.pl (in that order of preference) and sms or in extra special cases a telephone. My number is: 606839856. Please use it judiciously. In communication with me please always identify yourself. We can always find a time to meet that suits both of us.

FINAL NOTE:

If you do not agree to the following terms, please do not register for my M.A. Seminar as exceptions to these rules will be extremely scarce

various texts on the methodology of social science research:

Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb, Joseph Williams, The Craft of Research

James Lester, James Lester jr Writing Research Papers - A Complete Guide

Po ukończeniu tego kursu student:

1. WIEDZA:

- znajomość koncepcji o teorii w wybranej dziedzinie;

- poznają metody badań jakościowych;

- nauczą się czytać teksty naukowe z dziedziny politologii;

- rozumieją znaczenie nauki we współczesnym świecie;

- mają pogłębioną wiedzę na temat współzależności kultury i polityki;

- znają zaawansowaną terminologię w dziedzinie swoich badań, rozpoznają złożone relacje między zjawiskami politycznymi i społecznymi;

2. UMIEJĘTNOŚCI:

- odczytywanie wyników badań jakościowych;

- zadawać pytania naukowe, rozumieć sposób w jaki nauka może pomóc zrozumieć rzeczywistość;

- budować projekt badawczy i wyszukiwać materiały źródłowe i opracowania;

- potrafią interpretować teksty naukowe i zajmować krytyczny wobec nich stosunek;

- formułują własne hipotezy badawcze;

- przygotowują pisemne i ustne raporty z badań;

- piszą dłuższe teksty naukowe;

3. KOMPETENCJE SPOŁECZNE:

- potrafią samodzielnie wyznaczyć zadania do wykonania i dostosować do nich działania;

- przygotowują projekty z wykorzystaniem poprzednio zdobytej wiedzy co pokazuje, że uczenie jest procesem ciągłym;

- popularyzują wiedzę występując publicznie z wynikami badań;

- sprawnie posługują się językiem angielskim dla przekazania zaawansowanych treści naukowych.

First semester: regular attendance and participation in class discussions. Homeworks. In the first semester of the seminar you will be asked to prepare several small (1-2 pages) homework projects that will be a reflection of your familiarity with methodological matters. Class readings and lectures will be devoted mainly to issues of methodology in order to find the best approach for your research. The bulk of your grade will come from my evaluation of your thesis prospectus. The prospectus is due no later than the middle of December (before Christmas).

I am expecting a detailed bibliography the end of January.

Second semester: you are supposed to submit the first chapter of your thesis by the end of February. Second chapter by mid April and the last chapter by the end of May. If you wish to graduate in September then your last chapter is due at the end of June. I will not work with you after the end of June. (except for absolutely extraordinary circumstances).

COMMUNICATION:

All work should be submitted in printed form. Full chapters only. I will not accept "drafts", "almost finished", "so close to finishing" works. Each time you submit a piece of your thesis include a plan that we have agreed on, it helps me see where this piece should fit in.

After we meet in person and discuss your work, you are expected to correct your chapter by incorporating the revisions we have talked about. All corrections MUST be typed in bold print so that I can see the progress easily. The fact that you are working on revisions should not hold back your work on the next chapter (unless the scope of revisions is really staggering). After you submit your work (on time) you can expect that I will read it in no later than two weeks.

For communication please use email (Bohdan.Szklarski@uw.edu.pl) and sms or in extra special cases a telephone. My number is: 606839856. Please use it judiciously. In communication with me please always identify yourself. We can always find a time to meet that suits both of us.

FINAL NOTE:

If you do not agree to the following terms, please do not register for my M.A. Seminar as exceptions to these rules will be extremely scarce

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