Course Requirements
Robert D. Kaplan, Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History (Vintage 1994).
Joseph Rothschild and Nancy Merriwether Wingfield, Return to Diversity: A Political History of East Central Europe Since World War II (Oxford University Press 1999).
Timothy Garton Ash, The Magic Lantern (Vintage 1990).
Jeffrey Sachs, Poland’s Jump to the Market Economy (MIT 1993).
Tina Rosenberg, The Haunted Land: Facing Europe’s Ghosts After Communism (Random House 1995).
This course is designed to provide an introduction to East-Central European politics. Rather than taking a country-by-country approach to studying the region, the course focuses on major topics of interest across the region. Of course, we will examine these topics in the context of individual countries as well as through comparisons of the expeiences different nations. For example, during our exploration the problem of decommunisation, we will focus particularly on Czechoslovakia but also make comparisons to East Germany and Poland.
After examining the failure of East-Central European democracy during the interwar period, the course turns to the catclysm of World War II and then the Communist period. The second half of the course focuses on problems of the post-Communist period. How can the nations of East-Central Europe best reform their economies? What type of institutions and electoral system have these newly democratic nations established? Which parties have thrived in these new democracies? How strong is support for freedom and democratic institutions? How have minority groups fared under these newly democratic regimes?
Participation. Students are expected to attend class. Twenty percent of the final grade will be based on class participation. In order to facilitate class discussion, students should complete all of the assigned readings before class. Participation is not judged so much on the quantity of your participation as on the quality of it. Participation also includes the level of respect shown for myself and your collegues by arriving at class on time and listening attentively to the questions and comments of other students. Chattering during class or interrupting others when they are speaking are two good (and rude) ways to lower your participation grade.
Exams. The midterm is scheduled for March 7. The midterm will include at least one essay question as well as a short-answer section. Failure to attend the midterm will result in the student receiving a grade of zero on the exam unless the student has made appropriate arrangements to makeup the exam in advance (Even if you are very sick, you should give me a call). The midterm will count for around 15 percent of the final grade. The final exam is scheduled during exam period in May 2 at 5:30pm and will count for around 20 percent of the final grade.
Papers. Students will write short 2-3 page essays for 8 of the 11 classes based on the reading assignment for that class. See web page with essay topics (also handed out in class). Students are not expected to need to do any outside reading to complete these assignments. All papers are due at the beginning of the appropriate class and students must attend any class for which they write a paper. Late papers will not be accepted. Students are strongly encouraged not to skip writing any papers early in the semester as pressing assignments for other classes or the chance illness make it advisable to save up skipped weeks for a rainy day. Collectively, the papers will count for around 40 percent of the final grade.
Substantive accuracy and the quality of writing (including argumentation, organization, grammar, syntax, clarity, and format) are both important, so it wouldn't hurt to check out my page of writing tips. Papers must include citations as appropriate; I encourage parenthetical citations for the short paprs as they are quick and easy as well as being the standard in political science.
Academic Integrity CodeWhile I encourage you to talk about your assignments with your classmates, and even work together, I expect you to do your own work. You may receive help with getting information online, but this is to be in the form of getting assistance while doing the assignment. If you hand in information received or downloaded by others, it will be considered a violation of the Academic Integrity Code. All references to the works of others must be properly credited. That means direct quotations must be in quotations and sourced; paraphrased material must be sourced. At American University, we take violations of academic conduct very seriously. According to the Academic Integrity Code, ethical violations include (see the Academic Integrity Code itself for an official and more complete list and definitions of these violations):
| Plagiarism: Using the work or ideas of others without proper attribution. This includes both the direct quotation and paraphrasing the work of others without citation. Turning in for credit the work of others as your own also violates this rule. |
| Inappropriate Collaboration: Working closely with others requires acknowledgement. Utilizing work done in collaboration with others for another class without permission of the instructor and proper citation also violates this rule. |
| Dishonesty in Exams: Gaining the assistance of others in the completion of exams (with or without their knowledge) without permission of the instructor. Exams should be your own work. Giving unauthorized assistance on exams also violates this rule. |
| Recycled Papers: Papers (and portions of papers) submitted for one course may not be submitted again for credit in another course without permission from the instructors in both courses. You also may not resubmit for credit a paper (or portions of papers) written at another institution. The purpose of taking additional coursework is to gain new knowledge and this goal is not achieved if new work is not completed for the course. |
| Falsification of Data: Falsifying data or distorting supporting documentation means that others may not rely on your conclusions or your ability to conduct honest research and is consequently prohibited. |
| Interference with Other Students' Work: This is self-explanatory and self-evidently despicable. |
Go to my Home Page, the GOVT 532 Home Page, or the GOVT 532 Syllabus.
The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the American University. If you have any questions about this page, please email David Lublin at dlublin@american.edu. This page was last updated on January 7, 2002.