Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus Course Description

Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus

Humanities Department

TEMPLATE

POLI206-Political Ideologies

Course Description

POLI 206 A survey and analysis of leading ideologies of the modern world such

as anarchism, nationalism, fascismand national scocialism, classical liberalism and

conservatism, Fabian socialism, Marxism-Lenism, and liberal democracy. Some

consideration of current extremist ideologies if both left and right. Examination of

the nature and function of ideologies in political movements and in governance.

Assessment levels: ENGL101/101A, READ120. Three hours each week. Formerly

PS121

POLI206 fulfills a General Education Program requirement. For more

information, please see www.montgomerycollege.edu/gened

Course Rationale

The course offers an introduction to political ideologies and the way they are expressed in

contemporary political literature. The study of ideologies makes clear the impact that

ideas can and do have on the lives of billions of people around the world. A study of

ideologies should impress the student with the fact that ideas are often the most potent

forces in the political world--ideas as justifications and as unifying banners.

Course Outcomes

Upon course completion, a student will be able to:

• Define, describe, and state the significance of the term “ideology.”

• Compare and contrast various ideological positions on the political spectrum.

• Identify the values and assumptions of each of these ideological positions.

• Describe the intellectual origins and historical conditions that have given rise to

Democracy, Anarchism, Fascism, Nazism, Socialism, Communism, & Jihadism.

• Examine critically the socio-political impact of these ideologies.

Teaching procedure

Political Ideologies introduces student to major ideologies, which - over the centuries - have been

forming social climate and hence have been shaping existing law and economic policies, and vice

versa; how moral, technogical and economic forces shape ideology. During the class, "classical"

texts of the respective ideologies will be discussed in order to understand the roots of ideological

and political views of today.

Furthermore, this course will not only explore the ideologies themselves, but it will also explore

the source of their appeal, and their practical impact on people's lives. Particular attention is given

to the meaning of “ideology” and to its place in contemporary politics, as well as to the

emergence of new ideologies and their relationship to social, economic and cultural forces.

We will explore some contemporary ideologies and their stories as they unfolded from the

nineteenth century through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century. This historical

investigation will be balanced by a close reading of primary documents dealing with the

ideologies under investigation. Following questions should be kept in mind as we conduct our

investigation:

Finally, we will be making use of selective readings, videos, film, guest speakers and field trips,

in an attempt to create an active learning environment. Therefore, attendance and participation

are essential. Students will take an active role in searching for evidence, examining viewpoints,

analyzing cause and effect, making conjecture and understanding the relevance of political

ideologies. Therefore, students must come prepared to discuss questions about each assigned

reading.

Course Materials

Required Textbook:

Heywood, Andrew, Political Ideologies: An Introduction . 6

ed (New York: Palgrave

Macmillan, 2012).

Required Readings:

Federalist Papers #10, #39,#51 by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison

(available at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/fedpapers.html)

(you can also find #10 and #51 at ourdocuments.gov Just look for Federalist papers in

the table of contents that scrolls at the top of the page)

Man and Socialism by Ernesto “Che” Guevara

(available at https://www.marxists.org/archive/guevara/1965/03/man-socialism.htm)

Doctrine of Fascism by Alberto Mussolini

(available at faculty.sm u. edu/.../THE%20DOCTR INE%.. )

The Communist Manifesto* by Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx

Mein Kampf* by Adolph Hitler

Road to Serfdom* by Friedrich Hayek

Atlas Shrugged* by Ayn Rand

The Wretched of the Earth* by Frantz Fanon

(* excerpts)

-Additional readings may be assigned by the instructor.

Suggested Additional Course Readings:

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis

The Emperor by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

Assessment & Grading Policy

Students’ grade for this course will depend on their ability to demonstrate their

understanding and measurement of the course objectives listed on page 2.

Grading Policy

The following grading standard will be used:

5 ideology journals (40 points each)………200 points

Midterm …………………………………...200 points

Final exam………………………………....200 points

Active learning (including quizzes) ……….100 points

Final paper ……………………….….…….100 points

Extra credit………………………………..TBD (40 points maximum)

Total..…800 points

720-800 points=A

640-719 points =B

560-639 points=C

480-559 points=D

0-479 points =F

A Superior work; student demonstrates comprehensive knowledge and

understanding of subject matter and course objectives

B Good; student demonstrates moderately broad knowledge and

understanding of course objectives

C Average; reasonable knowledge and understanding of course objectives

D Pass without recommendation; minimum knowledge and understanding of

course objectives

F Failure; unacceptable low level of knowledge and understanding of

subject matter. F is also for excessive absences, academic dishonesty or

misconduct.

5 ideology journals (40 points each)....200 points

After selected chapter readings and class discussions, you will submit a journal to reflect

your thoughts about the issue and the discussion. The journal should reflect your

understanding of the related material (in other words, what have you learned?), as well as

any opinions you have formed on the issue. This journal can be a first person reflection;

no research required. In addition, you can also consider questions you have from the

readings or presentations that you do not understand. I will be giving you some prompts

for each journal assignment.

-Journals must be typed and double-spaced. You do not need a cover page.

-The journal should be at approximately 1-2 pages, written in first person and

does not require references or additional research.

-Hard copies only.

Turning in a journal on time in the appropriate format and length gets you 12 “base”

points. The rest of the 20 points are based on the quality of writing and thorough

exploration of the topic.

Midterm …………………………………..200 points

Final exam………………………………...200 points

The two tests for this class, including the mid-term and the final follow a similar format.

Part of the test will be a test of details and terms using multiple choice or cloze items

(fill-in-the-blank). The second part of the exams will consist of questions that require

research and must have the format of a research paper.

Please note: All tests will be reviewed in class, but students will not be allowed to keep multiple

choice test questions.

Active learning (including quizzes) …..100 points

Completion of in-class assignments is counted toward the participation grade. The in-class

assignments include presentations on key concepts, chapter summaries, film reviews, writing

exercises, and ‘pop’ quizzes. You should expect a quiz every week based on the assigned readings.

Normally, participation exercises are worth five to twenty points (there is no make-up for missed

participation exercises). Your participation in discussion is expected. Your engagement will be

reflected in your participation grade.

Final paper ………………………..100 points

For your final project you need to think about an ideology and how you would apply it to

an actual place. Your paper should explain the process for applying the ideology; in

other words, how you will implement your ideology. You may work on implementation

in a fictional place, apply it to an actual location, or create a new country from an existing

one.

In addition, you can do a presentation for 30 extra credit. Your presentation can be done

with a partner.

Extra credit………………………TBD

Each extra credit assignment is worth 20 points. It can boost your final point score by up

to 40 points.

For example:

Student X has 635 points (C)

Student X earns 32 extra credit points with two extra credit assignments.

Final point total: 667=B (635 + 32= 667).

You may do more than one extra credit assignment, but there is a 40 point

maximum.

• This assignment must be typed, double-spaced using standard font. Hand

written papers will not be accepted.

• Length should be 2-4 pages, but remember: the better you address the

question, the better the score.

• Use MLA or APA Standard documentation for any references.

 Option 1 Attend a political rally, lecture, panel discussion, candidate forum or a

debate. Write a summary of the views the audience, the questions and your

critique of the speaker and/or candidate.

 Option 2 Movie Presentation- There are several films that illustrate political ideologies, or

talk about the major creators of those philosophies. For example:

Atlas Shrugged Che

The Triumph of the Will Reds

The Madness of King George V for Vendetta

The Red Menace

Your presentation should be no more than 10 minutes. You need to summarize the plot,

and describe how the film related to an ideology in class, and discuss the motivations of

the filmmakers. Movie reviews should be done near the time we cover that ideology in

class.

Attendance policy

Good attendance is essential. Students who accumulate more than two consecutive

absences may be dropped from the course at the instructor’s discretion.

Anyone more than 15 minutes late is considered absent.

Students with 9 or more total absences cannot get a participation score of more than

70% (C).

Students with no more than 3 total absences will automatically get 10 points added

to their participation score.

Attendance is a necessary part of this course because much of the test material comes from the

class lectures, in addition to the participation assignments.

There will be 30 class meetings for this course. If you think you will have problems to attend at

least 24 of the 30 sessions, you should seriously consider dropping.

**Please note: missing one class will have only a minor impact on your attendance score; consider

it a personal day. There is no need to present doctor’s notes, doctor appointments, etc. for missing

a class. There are no excused absences. Missing class is a part of adult life. It is the measure of

your resolve to figure out how to make up for missing class: do you have a classmate that you can

get notes from? If you missed a participation exercise, do you have a plan for doing extra credit to

makeup the missing points? If your car breaks down and you have already missed two classes,

what’s your ‘plan B’? And if you miss a test, there are no make-up exams. However, as mentioned

above, if you see yourself missing six or more classes, you should consider withdrawing.

Make-up policy

If you have a situation where you can’t come to class on a scheduled test date, please

inform me beforehand so I can arrange for alternative time to take the test at the

Assessment Center. There are no make-up tests.

Late work- Assignments, papers, etc. are due at the beginning of class on the respective

due date. Any papers must be printed. Journal assignments turned in more than 24 hours

after the due date will get ½ credit. E-mails and/or attachments will not be accepted.

Reviewing late work slows down the grading process and is not fair to students who

turned assignments in on time. Therefore, in order to be fair to other students, I will not

take exams or paper more than 24 hours after the due date.

Academic Integrity

**College guidelines for academic integrity are strictly

enforced. Copying materials or otherwise using the words,

thoughts, audio/video/graphic files of others is plagiarism,

which could result in various penalties ranging from project

failure to course failure. Please refer to the Student Code

of Conduct in the Student Handbook.

Important Information Link

In addition to course requirements and objectives that are in this syllabus, Montgomery

College has information on its web site (see link below) to assist you in having a successful

experience both inside and outside of the classroom. It is important that you read and

understand this information. The link below provides information and other resources to

areas that pertain to the following: student behavior (student code of conduct), student e-

mail, the tobacco free policy, withdraw and refund dates, disability support services,

veteran services, how to access information on delayed openings and closings, how to

impact your classes. If you have any questions, please bring them to your professor. As

rules and regulations change they will be updated and you will be able to access them

through the link. If any student would like a written copy of these policies and procedures,

the professor would be happy to provide them. By registering for this class and staying in

this class, you are indicating that you acknowledge and accept these policies.

http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/mcsyllabus/

Classroom Behavior Policies

Please follow these guidelines:

 Come to class on time and prepared.

 Do not invite outside guests without the professor’s prior

knowledge.

 Keep the classroom clean and orderly. Food and drinks are

not permitted in the classroom.

 We are in a democratic and diverse culture- that means you

may have life or learning experiences that will broaden our

understanding of political ideologies and systems. I will

expect to hear reasoned and thoughtful insights from you that

can contribute to the course. In order for students to feel

comfortable expressing their opinion, it is important to be

respectful of other people’s ideas, values and beliefs.

 Speaking up is encouraged. The only stupid question is the

unasked one!

 Out of respect for all the students, please switch off cell

phones during class. If you are an emergency contact, please

let me know at the beginning of class, switch your phone to

vibrate, excuse yourself if you have to take a call, and take

the call outside. Repeated cell phone use in class will result

in an absence.

Week 1

Topic: Introductions, syllabus review

Reading Assignment for Thursday: Introduction: ideology & ideologies

(chapter one)

Reading Assignment for next Tuesday: Chapter 2: Liberalism and the

Federalist Papers #10, #39 and #51

Week 2

Weekly Topics: liberalism

Reading Assignment for next Tuesday Chapter 3: Conservatism and

Introduction of Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek

Week 3

Weekly Topics: Conservatism and the values of libertarian thinking

Journal #1 DUE

Reading Assignment for next Tuesday: Chapter 4: Socialism and Part 1 (“A

spectre is haunting Europe…” Bourgeois and Proletarians) of “The

Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

Week 4

Weekly Topics: Socialism Part 1: utopian and commune origins

Origins and development of socialism

Reading Assignment for next Tuesday: Reading Assignment for next Tuesday:

Man and Socialism by Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Week 5

Weekly Topics: Socialism part 2: Marxism and socialism in the 21st century

Reading Assignment for next Tuesday: Chapter 5-Anarchism

Week 6

Weekly Topics: Origins and developments of anarchism

Journal #2 DUE

Week 7

Weekly Topics: midterm and review

Midterm Exam (in-class portion)

Get take-home section of mid-term

Reading Assignment for next Thursday: Chapter 6 Nationalism and The

Doctrine of Fascism by Alberto Mussolini

Week 8

Weekly Topics: Nationalism and the politics in the 21

century

Fascism and dictatorships: origins and development

good bad and ugly: the many sides of nationalism part 1

good bad and ugly: the many sides of nationalism part 2

Midterm Exam Take home section Due

Reading Assignment for next Tuesday: Chapter 7-Fascism and Mein Kampf

by Adolph Hitler

Week 9

Weekly Topics: the origins and development of fascist dictatorships

country selection and partnerships for final presentation

Reading Assignment for next Tuesday: Chapter 8-Feminism

Week 10

Weekly Topic: developments and origins of feminism

Journal #3 DUE

Reading Assignment for next Tuesday: Chapter 9- Ecologism

Check with MyMC Class schedule for YOUR specific deadlines to drop with

W for Spring semester

Week 11

Weekly Topic: The ecology movement: origins and development of the ecology

movement

Reading Assignment for next Tuesday: Chapter 10 Religious Fundamentalism

Week 12

Weekly Topic: origin and development of religious fundamentalism (if you live in

a glass house…)

Journal #4 DUE

Reading Assignment for next Tuesday: Chapter 11 Multiculturalism

Week 13

Weekly topic: Multiculturalism: is it a viable political ideology or a tactic?

Reading assignment for next Tuesday: Chapter 12 Conclusion- the post-

ideological age

Week 14

Weekly topic: The end of ideology?

Journal #5 DUE

Final paper presentations All extra credit due

Final Paper Due

Week 16

Final Exam 2:45-4:45