What is Politics?
Indv. 103, Section 11
Offered by the
Department
of History, University of Arizona
Spring semester, 2005
MWF, 11-11:50pm
Location: Center
for English as a Second Language (CESL) 102
Instructor:
David N. Gibbs, Associate Professor of History and Political Science
Office: Social
Sciences 227
Office Hours: Monday and Friday,
3:00-4:30pm
Tel: 621-5416
Graduate
Teaching Assistants:
1. Serpil Atamaz
Office: Social
Sciences 124A
Office Hours: Wednesday, 12-2:00pm
Tel: 621-3247
Email: serpil@u.arizona.edu
2. Masami Kimura
Office: Social
Sciences 124A
Office Hours: Wednesday, 9-10:50am
Tel: 621-3247
Email: masamik@email.arizona.edu
3. Dorata Tkaczyk
Office: Social
Sciences 124A
Office Hours: Monday, 12-2:00pm
Tel: 621-3247
Email: dtkaczyk@email.arizona.edu
Class homepage: www.gened.arizona.edu/dgibbs/indv_103g.htm
** Class
Announcements **
Students should check the above site regularly.
This class will focus on persuasion and propaganda, and their role in political history. The course will have four components: First, it will examine the role of propaganda in totalitarian regimes, such as Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany. Second, we will examine more "modern" forms of propaganda, as it appears in political advertising, speeches, and newspapers in the United States and other western democracies. Third, we will study the use of logical political arguments, and how these differ from propagandistic arguments. Fourth, this course aims to improve basic skills, especially the incorporation of logical thought and analysis into the writing of student papers.
The overall purpose of this course is to provide training on how to recognize political propaganda, and how to distinguish propaganda from reasoned, logical political arguments.
Students with Disabilities
I will be happy to arrange the exams in any reasonable way that is consistent with the student's needs, in cooperation with the UA Disability Resource Center Testing Accommodations. It is the student's responsibility to find out what the Center requires, to fill out the forms, and to undertake the necessary "foot work" for special arrangements. The student is responsible to make sure that all deadlines are met.
Exams
There will be three midterm exams and an optional final. If you opt not to take the final, then each of the three midterms will be worth one third of your final grade. If you opt to take the final, the grading will be as follows:
Midterm 1 (in-class) 20 percent;
Midterm 2 (take-home) 20 percent;
Midterm 3 (in-class) 20 percent;
Final (take-home) 40 percent.
If you take the optional final, you must accept whatever grade you get, whether it raises or lowers your overall course grade.
Students must take the exams on the scheduled dates. Please look at the syllabus and make sure that the exam dates are open for you. If you have an engagement scheduled for one of the required dates -- if you have a wedding or a sports event, for example -- then you should take another class. The following circumstances constitute legitimate reasons to miss an exam: illness, death in family, religious holiday, or mandatory military service. Students who present such reasons must be prepared to present documentation, such as a note from a doctor, clergy, or commanding officer.
On the take-home exams, the clarity and conciseness of the writing style will count toward your grade. Students who wish to improve their writing skills should consult the following classic: William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, fourth edition (Allyn and Bacon, 1999). It is short, inexpensive, and available in the UA bookstore. For those on a tight budget, an earlier version of this book is available online (click here for full text).
When turning in the take-home exams, students should attach copies of the first page of all research materials that were used in preparing the papers. Students should also keep copies of papers on their computers. The reason for these requirements is to dissuade plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. If I have any doubts about a student paper, I may ask the student to produce a computer disk and research materials.
Readings
The following required texts can be purchased at the University Book Store:
George Orwell, 1984 (New York: Signet, 1950).
Howard Kahane and Nancy Cavender, Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric, Ninth edition (New York: Wadsworth Publishing, 2002).
Several articles listed below are available through electronic databases. Other materials, as indicated, are available through the library's electronic reserve (Ereserve). The readings from the electronic reserve and from the databases can be obtained free of charge at any computer on campus. Early in the semester, we will have a scheduled class session in the library, where I will provide instruction in the use of online databases. Students who want further instruction on using online databases can check my page, "How to Use Electronically Accessible Publications" (click here for full text). You can also ask the reference librarians at the library, who are very helpful.
I may make small changes in the reading list -- with advance notice -- during the course of the semester.
Week of January 12
Introduction
No assigned reading.
Week of January 17
Logical Reasoning: What Is an Argument?
Kahane and Cavender, Logic, chaps. 1, 2.
Day of January 17 -- Martin Luther King Day, no class.
Week of January 24
Logical Fallacies I
Kahane and Cavender, Logic, chap. 3.
Week of January 31
Logical Fallacies II
Kahane and Cavender, Logic, chap. 4.
Week of February 7
Logical Fallacies III
Kahane and Cavender, Logic, chap. 5.
Week of February 14
Review of Fallacies
No readings.
First (in-class) midterm exam: February 18.
Week of February 21
Analyzing Arguments
Kahane and Cavender, Logic, chap. 8.
Week of February 28
Writing Essays
Kahane and Cavender, Logic, chap. 9.
John Grimond, Economist Style Guide (online version), 2002. This is the standard writing guide used by journalists at The Economist magazine of London. Read the following sections: "Introduction," "Unnecessary Words," "Jargon," "Tone," and "Journalese and Slang." For full text, click here.
Recommended:
Kahane and Cavender, Logic, Appendix ("More on Cogent Reasoning").
Week of March 7
What is Propaganda?
"How to Detect Propaganda," Propaganda Analysis, November 1937. Available through Ereserve.
"Some ABCs of Propaganda Analysis," Propaganda Analysis, December 1937. Available through Ereserve.
Recommended:
Kahane and Cavender, Logic, chap. 7.
Last day to drop the class: March 8.
Week of March 14: Spring Break, no class
Week of March 21
Propaganda in Totalitarian States I
Orwell, 1984.
Week of March 28
Propaganda in Totalitarian States II
In class viewing of film The Triumph of the Will, followed by discussion. Note: Viewing this film is required.
George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language," in George Orwell: A Collection of Essays (Garden City, NY: Doubleday-Anchor Books, 1954). For full text, click here.
Week of April 4
Propaganda in U.S. Politics
Kahane and Cavender, Logic, chap. 11.
"How to Analyze Newspapers," Propaganda Analysis, January 1938. Available through Ereserve.
Week of April 11
Propaganda and the Cold War
Daniel Golden, "After Sept. 11, the CIA Becomes A Force on Campus," Wall Street Journal, October 4, 2002. For full text, click here.
Elizabeth Nickson, "Mind Control: My Mother, the CIA, and LSD," London Observer, October 16, 1994. Full text available through Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe.
Second (take-home) midterm exam: Handed out in class April 15; due April 18, 5:00pm.
Week of April 18
Case Study: War in Afghanistan
A. Petrov, "A Soviet Perspective on the Invasion of Afghanistan," Current Digest of the Soviet Press, January 1980. This is a translation of a Pravda article ("Limited Soviet Contingent"), which justifies the invasion. Available through Ereserve.
David N. Gibbs, "Does the USSR Have a ‘Grand Strategy’? Reinterpreting the Invasion of Afghanistan," Journal of Peace Research 24, no. 4, 1987. Available through JSTOR.
Week of April 25
Case Study: Afghanistan II
Ronald Reagan, "Proclamation 5034 -- Afghanistan Day," March 21, 1983. For full text, click here.
"Forgotten Coverage of Afghan 'Freedom Fighters': The Villains of Today's News were Heroes in the '80s," Extra, January/February 2002. For full text, click here.
Third (in-class) midterm: April 27.
Week of May 2
General Review
No assigned readings.
Optional (take-home) final exam: Handed out: last day of class, May 4; due May 6, 5:00pm.