Courses and Syllabi

PLCP 311 -- Fall 2004

Politics in Western Europe

Course Description

European politics is of compelling interest for a number of reasons. For instance, the American founders drew inspiration from European philosophers, whose thinking was in turn shaped by their domestic environments. To move forward quickly in time, the two World Wars originated in part in European domestic politics. Reacting to wartime devastation, European political elites in the late 1940s and early 1950s undertook experiments in international cooperation whose fruits we can see today in the European Union. A basic premise of the course is the notion that, in studying European politics, we can learn--indirectly and at times directly--about politics in the United States. Indeed, one aim of this course is to shake up common assumptions about American politics.

The course compares political institutions and political processes across Western Europe, at both the national and the European Union level. At the national level, we focus principally on Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, but our comparisons include other countries as well. We explore such themes as the roles played by political parties, the politics of coalition government, the channels for citizens' participation in politics, the formulation and implementation of public policy, and the rise of new issues in politics.

The countries that receive special attention in the course provide good illustrations of different political institutions and socioeconomic settings. At the same time, several similarities across two or more of the countries make for intriguing comparisons. For one obvious example, all four countries are democracies today, but Germany and Italy experienced dictatorship between the two World Wars. Moreover, Britain, Germany, and Italy are all parliamentary systems, but parties operate rather differently in the different national parliaments; since 1958, France has had a hybrid presidential-parliamentary system. The end of the Cold War has profoundly affected Europe, but only Germany unified two formerly separate countries as a result.

Course format

I will devote much but not all of our class meetings on Mondays and Wednesdays to lecture. I expect each Monday and Wednesday class to have time set aside for questions from students; I will also occasionally plan non-lecture class activities.

Weekly discussion sections form an integral and essential part of this course. Be prepared to participate actively in each and every discussion section. By far the best way to learn from section is to make a comment, ask a question, or respond to someone else. For details on discussion sections, see the separate section syllabus prepared by Mr. Wheeler.

Course Requirements

The following requirements tap your knowledge and command of course materials in different ways. In other words, they allow you to present a "diversified portfolio" of talents. The requirements are deliberately spaced over the months of the semester so that, if you keep up with assignments, you are unlikely to meet undue pressure at any one point in time. You will earn about 43% of your course grade by late October, and about 70% of your course grade by late November.

30 percent -- one blue-book mid-term exam. The mid-term will cover material since the start of the semester. Topics and themes raised in readings, lectures, and class discussion are "fair game" for the exam.

28 percent -- blue-book final exam. The final exam will cover material since the start of the semester. That is, it will be cumulative. At the same time, the final will stress most strongly material since the mid-term.

15 percent -- discussion section and participation. Discussion and other forms of participation constitute a vital part of the course. To participate, you must attend; thus, the TA and I will occasionally take attendance. To participate, moreover, you must have done the readings; you should complete the assigned readings before class. Students who are absent from class more than 30 percent of the times that attendance is taken and who do not give the TA written, admissible excuses (e.g., medical excuses) will receive an F for participation. For more on discussion sections, consult the section syllabus.

5 percent -- proposal for the research paper. You must submit a concise statement of the central research question to be examined in your research paper. The research paper proposal should consist of two double-spaced pages, and should be followed by a third page listing a preliminary bibliography of at least six sources. Websites may not be included among the six preliminary sources. This is not a "throw-away" assignment. Make an investment in a compelling research paper proposal, and you increase substantially the probability of writing a good research paper. You will receive guidance on papers and paper proposals from the TA and me before proposals are due. Proposals will be evaluated on the letter-grade system, and late proposals will be penalized by a full letter grade (e.g., demoted from a B+ to a C+) for every day they are late. Proposals must be submitted both electronically (via e-mail or the Toolkit Homework Assignment submission page) and in hard copy.

7 percent -- partial draft and outline of the research paper. You must submit a partial working draft of your research paper, along with a tentative outline of the entire paper. The time and effort you invest in this assignment, too, will increase the probability of writing a good research paper. Moreover, feedback from the TA and me is very likely to sharpen your thinking, enhance your productivity in research, and improve your paper overall. The drafts-cum-outlines should be five pages total (four pages of prose and one page of outline); no submissions over six pages will be accepted. (If you find yourself running past six pages, read over what you have written, cut the superfluous, and preserve the essential.) These assignments will be evaluated on the letter-grade system, with late submissions penalized by a full letter grade (e.g., demoted from a B+ to a C+) for every day they are late. Submissions must again be routed both electronically (e-mail or Toolkit) and in hard copy.

15 percent -- research paper of no more than 15 pages. The key feature of the paper is that you must go beyond merely describing politics in whatever country (countries) you choose; you must analyze and explain political outcomes by addressing a general research question. In other words, the goal is not to narrate "what happened when"--you need to grapple with the issues of why and how. You will find several documents on the Materials page of course website that offer you detailed guidelines for the paper. In October, we have one discussion section devoted to providing you with additional guidance on the paper. Papers will be evaluated on the letter-grade system, and late papers will be penalized by a full letter grade for every day they are late. All papers must meet the following minimum requirements: proper citation of references (for more on this topic, see the section on plagiarism at the end of the syllabus), proper grammar, correct spelling, and an apt, informative title. Do not assume that electronic proofing aids will catch all grammatical and spelling errors; read and re-read your drafts, preferably not on screen, as you work towards the final version of the paper. The 15-page limit assumes double-spacing, a legible font (12 point), and reasonable margins. That limit includes footnotes, tables, and figures, but excludes references. Submissions must again be routed both electronically (e-mail or Toolkit) and in hard copy.

Classroom environment

My expectations for everyone in this class reflect the goals and ideals of the University as a whole and the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs (EOP) at U.Va. The EOP admirably states those goals and ideals at http://www.virginia.edu/eop/:

The University of Virginia is committed to the total development and well-being of all members of the University community--students, faculty, staff, and the public. ...EOP is guided by ideals embedded in the University's mission to support a community of excellence in teaching, service, and scholarship. These ideals are respect, integrity, openness, consideration, justice, responsibility, individuality and collective strength.

In keeping with that statement, I expect everyone in this class to treat each other with courtesy, respect, consideration, and fairness. I view as unacceptable any activities in class (such as reading newspapers or private chatting) that are not related to the collective goals of the class.

Readings

Two books contain a number of reading assignments for the course and should be purchased at the U.Va. Bookstore:

• Michael Gallagher, Michael Laver, and Peter Mair, Representative Government in Modern Europe 3rd ed., New York: McGraw Hill, 2001.
• Lowell Turner, Fighting for Partnership: Labor and Politics in Unified Germany, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998.

Additional required readings can be downloaded from our class website at:
http://toolkit.itc.virginia.edu/cgi-local/tk/UVa_CLAS_2004_Fall_PLCP311-1

Assigned readings in this syllabus are set off by a

• bullet like this;

you should finish readings before the date of the class meeting under which the reading is listed.

Disclaimer: The assignments may undergo changes as we move through the semester. Exam dates will not change. I will announce--in class and via e-mail--any modifications in reading assignments at least one week before the reading is to be completed. All students are responsible for knowing any changes made to the syllabus.

Class Meeting Topics and Reading Assignments

 

Wed., Sept. 1.  An introduction to the study of politics in Western Europe.

I must attend an out-of-town conference on Sept. 1, but class will still meet briefly. Mr. Wheeler, the Teaching Assistant for CP 311, will answer questions about the syllabus and will begin to address questions about enrollment in class and section.

 

Discussion sections do meet this week.

Before section, read:

• Michael Gallagher, Michael Laver, and Peter Mair, Representative Government in Modern Europe, 3^rd ed., New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001 (hereafter, GLM), Ch. 1, pp. 1-13.

Germany

Mon., Sept. 6.  German federalism: Elements and origins. 

• GLM, first half of Ch. 6, pp. 135-150, and Box 6-1 (pp. 165-66).
• Josep M. Colomer, ed., Political Institutions in Europe, New York: Routledge, 2002 (hereafter, Colomer), Ch. 1, pp. 1-15.
• Schmidt in Colomer, "Germany: The Grand Coalition State," introductory section (p. 57 and first two paragraphs of p. 58) and pp. 74-89.

Wed., Sept. 8.  Federalism: A closer look.

• GLM, remainder of Ch. 6, pp.150-169.
• Schmidt in Colomer, pp. 69-74.

 

Mon., Sept. 13.  Elections, parties, the legislature, and the executive.

• Schmidt in Colomer, pp. 58-68, references at pp. 89-93.
• GLM, Ch. 8, pp. 202-233.

 

Wed., Sept. 15.  Actors incorporated into the policy process:  Organized interests. 

• GLM, Ch. 14, introduction and other chapter portions, pp. 398-407, 418-419.
• Lowell Turner, Fighting for Partnership: Labor and Politics in Unified Germany, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998 (hereafter, Turner), Preface, Prologue, Ch. 1, and Ch. 2 (pp. vii-x, 1-48).

In class today, we will choose case studies to read for next week. (See below.)

 

Mon., Sept. 20.  The "social partners" and the challenges of German unification. 

• All students should read Turner, first pg. of Ch. 3, Chs. 4-7, Epilogue (pp. 48, 82-153). 
• Each student should read one case study within Ch. 3. Be prepared to discuss "your" case study in class Mon. and/or discussion section this week.

Bring your copy of the Turner book to class and section.

 

Britain

Wed., Sept. 22.  Parties and elections in Britain.

• GLM, Ch. 11, pp. 300-338.
• Iain McLean, "The Semi-Detached Election: Scotland," in Anthony King, et al., New Labour Triumphs, Chatham, NJ: Chatham House, 1998, pp. 145-175.

 

Mon., Sept. 27.  The centralization of power in the British cabinet.

• GLM, Ch. 3, pp. 41-67.
• Gary Cox, The Efficient Secret: The Cabinet and the Development of Political Parties in Victorian England, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987, Chs. 1, 6, and 13 (pp. 3-8, 45-67, 169-170).

 

Wed., Sept. 29.  Voting behavior in Britain.

• GLM, Ch. 9, pp. 234-270.
• Mark Franklin and Matthew Ladner, "The Undoing of Winston Churchill: Mobilization and Conversion in the 1945 Realignment of British Voters," British Journal of Political Science, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Oct. 1995), pp. 429-452.

If you have any questions about the quantitative methods used in this article, note them down, keep reading, and bring your questions to class!

 

Mon., Oct. 4.  The British welfare state:  Continuities and change.

• GLM, Ch. 13, pp. 375-397, and portions of Ch. 14, pp. 407-422.  Review Box 14-1, originally assigned Sept. 15.

Note:  The reading load here is deliberately somewhat lighter so as to facilitate your review and study for the mid-term, to be held Oct. 6.

 

Wed., Oct. 6.   In-class mid-term exam.  Bring blue books with you.

 

No discussion sections meet the week of Oct. 4-8.

 

Mon., Oct. 11.  No class meeting – Enjoy the Reading Holiday!

 

Wed., Oct. 13.  A puzzle about the European Union:  The link between national-level politics and EU politics.

• Clifford J. Carrubba, "Net Financial Transfers in the European Union: Who Gets What and Why?," The Journal of Politics, Vol. 59, No. 2 (May 1997), pp. 469-496.  

If you have any questions about the quantitative methods used in this article, note them down, keep reading, and bring your questions to class!

 

Section this week:  Workshop on framing research paper questions.

• Carol Mershon, "The Costs of Coalition: Coalition: Theories and Italian Governments," American Political Science Review, Vol. 90, No. 3 (Sept. 1996), pp. 534-535 and figure on p. 536.  (You need not read the full article.) 
• Brandice Canes-Wrone, David W. Brady, and John F. Cogan, "Out of Step, Out of Office," American Political Science Review, Vol. 96, No. 1 (March 2002), pp. 127-129.  (You need not read the full article.)
• Mershon. "Research Paper Guide," prepared for this class. 

The above reading is short but crucial.  You have another key assignment for section: Use your pre-exam review of past class notes and readings in order to define a research question for your paper. Be prepared to present your paper ideas to fellow class members

France

Mon., Oct. 18. The impact of regime change on French parties.

• GLM, Chs. 2 and 7, pp. 14-40 and 171-201.
• Joseph A. Schlesinger and Mildred S. Schlesinger, "The Stability of the French Party System: The Enduring Impact of Two-Ballot Electoral Rules," in Michael S. Lewis Beck, ed., How France Votes, Chatham, NJ: Chatham House, 2000, pp. 130-152.

 

Wed., Oct. 20. The legislature, the Prime Minister, and the President in the French semi-presidential system.

• GLM, Ch. 4, pp. 68-95.
• Ellen M. Immergut, "The Rules of the Game: The Logic of Health Policy-Making in France, Switzerland, and Sweden," in Sven Steinmo, Kathleen Thelen, and Frank Longstreth, eds., Structuring Politics: Historical Institutionalism in Comparative Analysis, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992, pp. 57-89.

 

Mon., Oct. 25. The rise of the extreme right:  France in comparative perspective. 

• Roger Karapin, "Radical-Right and Neo-Fascist Political Parties in Western Europe," Comparative Politics, Vol. 30, No. 2, January 1998, pp. 213-234. 

Paper proposals are due at the latest by 11 a.m. in class, Mon., Oct. 25. (Also submit an electronic copy of the proposal after class, at the latest by 3 p.m. Mon., Oct. 25.) Attendance will be taken toward the end of class today. Penalties apply to proposals submitted after Oct. 25, 11 a.m.

 

Wed., Oct. 27. Race policies in France and Britain.

• Erik Bleich, Race Politics in Britain and France, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003, Chs. 1 and 6, pp. 1-16 and 142-167.  

Italy

Mon., Nov. 1.  The Italian party system: Roots, stability, and signs of change.

• Sidney Tarrow, "Maintaining Hegemony in Italy: 'The Softer They Rise, The Slower They Fall!'" in T. J. Pempel, ed., Uncommon Democracies: The One-Party Dominant Regimes, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1992, pp. 306-332. 

 

Wed., Nov. 3.   The making and breaking of Italian governments.

• GLM, Ch. 12, pp. 339-374.
• Carol Mershon, "The Costs of Coalition: Theories and Italian Governments," American Political Science Review, Vol. 90, No. 3 (Sept. 1996), pp. 534-554.

 

Mon., Nov. 8.  No class and no reading assignment. Paper drafts/outlines are due by 12 noon, Mon., Nov. 8, in both hard and electronic copy. Penalties apply to late submissions.

 

Wed., Nov. 10.  Corruption.

• Eric C.C. Chang and Miriam Golden, "Competitive Corruption: Factional Conflict and Political Malfeasance in Postwar Italian Christian Democracy," World Politics, Vol. 53 (July 2001), pp. 588-622. (May change to more recent Chang-Golden article.)

 

Mon., Nov. 15.  The "new" Italian politics.

• Paul M. Sniderman, et al., The Outsider: Prejudice and Politics in Italy, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000, Ch. 4, pp. 91-126.

 

Wed., Nov. 17.  No class and no reading assignment. Use the time to wrap up work on your research paper, which is due at the latest by Mon., Nov. 22, 6 p.m.

 

Mon., Nov. 22.  No class and no reading assignment. Research papers are due at the latest on Mon., Nov. 22, 6 p.m.  Submit both a hard and electronic copy. Penalties apply to late submissions.

 

Have a great Thanksgiving!

The New Europe and European Union

Mon., Nov. 29.  Remaking Europe from West to East.

• Peter Mair, "What Is Different About Post-Communist Party Systems?," in Peter Mair, Party System Change, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, pp. 175-198.
• Short additional assignment TBA.

 

Wed., Dec. 1.   Decision-making institutions and processes in the European Union.

• GLM, Ch. 5, pp. 96-134.

 

Mon., Dec. 6.  The evolution of the EU:  Toward federalism?

• Assignment TBA.

 

Wed., Dec. 8.  Comparisons and conclusions.

No reading assignment.  You do a "thinking assignment," however: Review past class notes and readings in order to prepare for a general class discussion of conclusions from the semester.  Be ready to raise any questions you have in class and section.

 

In-class blue-book final exam is Dec. 18, Saturday, 9 a.m.-12 noon. 

Important Guidelines: Plagiarism vs. Proper Citation

Under the Honor System at this University, plagiarism warrants expulsion. Obviously, you should never plagiarize. According to the pamphlet, Academic Fraud and the Honor System, published by the University of Virginia (no date given): "Plagiarism is the use of the distinctive ideas or words belonging to another person without adequate acknowledgment of that person's contribution." Taking responsibility for your own intellectual work and giving credit to others for their work go to the heart of what we do at a university. To repeat: You should never, under any circumstances, plagiarize.

The U.Va. English Department places acts of plagiarism into three categories: "failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas; failing to enclose direct quotations in quotation marks; failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words" (quotation from http://www.engl.virginia.edu/wctr/plagiarism.html). Avoid all three sorts of pitfalls.

If I identify an instance of plagiarism in any assignment submitted by a student, that student will earn the grade of F on the assignment.

How do you make sure you understand proper rules of citation vs. acts of plagiarism? Consult such classic style manuals as The Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press, 14th ed., 1993) and William Strunk, Jr., and E. B. White, The Elements of Style (Macmillan, 3rd ed., 1979). The following URLs are also likely to be helpful:

• http://www.engl.virginia.edu/wctr/plagiarism.html This excellent site gives examples of proper citation and proper paraphrasing, and thus clarifies what constitutes plagiarism. Check references too.
• http://plagiarism.phys.virginia.edu Includes a wealth of related links.
• http://trc.virginia.edu/Resources/Online.htm Resources on cheating and plagiarism from the U.Va. Teaching Resource Center.
• http://www.academicintegrity.org From the Center for Academic Integrity. Rich source, well worth investigating.
• http://www.duke.edu/web/HonorCouncil/citation.htm Excellent Duke webpage on proper citation, with extremely helpful links.
• http://www.rbs2.com/plag.htm Superb site on why plagiarism is wrong and what it is. One of the few sites to discuss plagiarism as a legal issue.
• http://www.georgetown.edu/honor/plagiarism.html Useful site, though in my view not as good as the Duke one.