POLS 4700: Governments of Developing Nations

Instructor: Augustine Hammond, Ph.D.
Office: E 312 Allgood Hall
Phone: (706) 729 – 2278
Email: ahammon3@aug.edu
Webpage: www.aug.edu/~ahammon3

Introduction: This course is intended to provide an overview of the political processes and issues in developing nations with particular emphasis on Africa. It will examine the historical and institutional settings of political development and dynamics in developing countries. The course is organized across themes that cut across the boundaries of countries and thus will not focus on politics within individual countries. The course will involve an understanding of concepts such as colonialism, nationalism, political conflict and stability, development and globalization and how they relate to political processes in developing countries.

Objectives: The course aims at equipping students with the intellectual tools and perspectives necessary for understanding the complex factors influencing contemporary politics in developing nations, particularly African countries. At the end of the course, it is expected that students will develop an:

• Understanding of the history of political processes in developing nations
• Appreciation of developing nations devoid of the negativity (ethnocentric bias) often associated with developing nations
• Understanding of the complexity of socio-economic, cultural, religious, political and external factors shaping the political processes of developing nations
• Appreciation of the role and importance of third world countries in the global world
• Ability to critically evaluate and apply political concepts and theories to developing nations
• Ability to develop and articulate a coherent perspective of political processes in developing nations
• Appreciation of working effectively in teams

Course Expectations: To achieve the objectives of this course, students are expected to:

• Attend all class sessions and actively participate in class discussions and exercises
• Complete all assigned readings and materials PRIOR to the class period during which they are presented or discussed
• Work in their assigned groups in covering the course materials and on their group projects
• Conduct individual and group research related to developing countries
• Take turns in making a brief presentation on a chapter of their choice (from the assigned readings)
• Participate actively in discussions on Vista WebCT

Prerequisite: To enroll in this course, students must have taken POLS 1101 (Introduction to American Government) and had a grade of C or better.

Readings: Readings for the course will be drawn primarily from:

• Payne, R. J. and Nassar, J. R. (2006) Politics and culture in the developing world: The impact of globalization (2 ed). New York: Pearson Longman
   
  To help build the contextual framework for this course by enriching understanding of the complex nature of African society, students are required to read the following Novels:
• Achebe, C. (1987) Anthills of the Savannah. New York: Anchor Books
• Achebe, C. (1989) A Man of the People. New York: Anchor Books

Recommended Text

• Stiglitz, J. E. (2002). Globalization and Its Discontents. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

In addition to these readings, supplementary materials that might be useful for understanding the issue(s) under discussion will be assigned.

During class sessions we will be drawing from political events in developing nations to enhance our understanding of issues under discussions. Accordingly, students are required to follow political events in developing nations with keen interest. Below are some sources through which you can obtain information on current political events:

BBC African News - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm 
CNN - http://www.cnn.com/
MSNBC - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
PBS - http://www.pbs.org/

Students are encouraged to look for articles on relevant themes of the course (and for their papers) from the following journals:

Development and Change
Journal of Third World Studies
The Journal of Developing Areas
Third World Quarterly
World Development
Journal of International Affairs

Some Web sites for Information on Africa
http://www.undp.org/ (United Nations Development Program – Source of statistical data on demographic, health, education, social, economic issues, including the Human Development Report)
www.nepad.org (New Partnership for Africa’ Development – Source of information on effort toward development and good governance in Africa)
http://www.uneca.org/ (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa – Source of statistical data and papers of issues related to Africa)
http://www.africa-union.org/ (Organization of Africa Union – Source of information on issues and current development in Africa)  
http://www.africaaction.org/index.php (organization in the U.S. working on African affairs – Source of papers on issues related to Africa)

Course Format: The class will be organized on a seminar format with considerable opportunity for students to exchange their views, beliefs and understanding of the materials. The political processes of developing countries has changed over the years and still evolving and this offers several channels for students to express their views and opinions on these processes. Students will be organized into smaller groups to work not only on class project but to serve also as a “study group”; helping each other understand the materials, prepare for class, quizzes and exams. Aside from normal classroom discussions, there will also be an opportunity for students to generate and/or participate in discussion in the Discussion Room on Vista WebCT.

Course Evaluation: Students performance in this course will be evaluated by a combination of quizzes, exams, individual and group writing assignments and presentations as follows:

Quizzes                                                 100 Points [25 Points each]
Exams                                                   350 Points
Mid-term Exam                                     150 Points
Final Exam                                            200 Points
Papers                                     
Individual Paper                                     100 Points
Group Paper                                          200 Points
Presentations
Individual                                               50 Points                    
Group                                                    50 Points
Class Discussion                                     50 Points
Team Work – Group Evaluation         50 Points
WebCT Discussion                              50 Points

Total                                                     1000 Points     

Extra Credit:  NO extra credit is available in this class.

The final grades will be reported as percentage of the total points (1,000 points) and will be graded as follows:

A = 90 – 100%
B = 80 – 89% 
C = 70 – 79%
D = 60 – 69%
F = Below 60

Quizzes: There will be four quizzes – two before and two after mid-terms. The quiz will consist basically of multiple choice and short answers and will cover materials contained in both the text and class discussions. Each quiz will worth 25 points.

Exams: The will be a mid-term and final exams. The exams will comprise of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions. Both exams will be in-class and closed book. The exams will cover materials contained in both the text and class discussions with the final exams covering only materials covered after the mid-term exam. The mid-term exams will be worth 150 points and the final exam 200 points.  

Papers:

• Individual Paper: Each student will choose an African country and write 3 – 5 page overview paper of the country. The paper should provide a historical and political overview and a review of recent developments in the country.
• Group Paper: Each student group will write a 12 – 15 pages paper (including references) on a topic of choice. The topic must deals with a contemporary issue facing developing nations (topic must be approved by the instructor). The research should integrate the theoretical issues address in class and as they relate to the political processes in developing nations.

Presentation:

• Individual Presentation: Each student will make a short presentation (about 10 – 15 minutes) of his/her overview paper on an African country.
• Group Presentation: Each group of students will make a short presentation (about 10 – 15 minutes) of the group research paper.

NOTE : All presentations must be accompanied by a handout to the class, highlighting major issues addressed in the presentation.

• Evaluation of all presentations will include inputs from fellow students. For the evaluation of the group presentation, only input from students who are not members of the group will be considered.

Class Discussion: Each student will take turn in making a brief presentation and leading discussion on a chapter of his/her choice (from the assigned readings)

Team Work: Group members will evaluate each others performance toward group discussions and the project.

WebCT Discussion: All students are required to initiate and participate in discussions (related to the course) on Vista WebCT

Course Policies

• Attendance::Regular attendance is crucial for the success of this course and students will be required to attend all class sessions. Students accumulating THREE unexcused absence prior to mid-term will be dropped from the course. Students accumulating SIX unexcused absence over the semester will automatically receive a grade of F. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class and students who are late to class will be considered absent.
• Make-up Exams::There will be no Make-up exams EXCEPT under exceptional circumstances such as illness or medical emergencies. Missing an exam without university-approved excuse or a verifiable reasonable excuse (e.g. a doctor’s note) will result in a zero on the exam. Make-up exams, if any, will be arranged only after a review of student’s written request and satisfaction with the authenticity of accompanying excuse note.
  NOTE: Normal doctor’s visit does not qualify as medical emergency and will not necessitate make-up exams.
• Late Papers/Assignments: Late papers will not be accepted under any circumstance except under condition of medical emergency (acceptable documentation will be required). “Late” is defined as not being turned in during the class period it is due.  Papers will not be accepted via e-mail unless the student can present a doctor’s excuse or some other reason(s) the instructor deems acceptable.  Papers which are “dropped off” in the mail box of the instructor on the due date (unless directed by the instructor) are also considered “late” since they were not turned in during the class period as required.
  Communication Device: The use of all communication devices including cell phones, pagers, beepers, and other communication devices in class is prohibited. Any of these devices should be “turned off” prior to entering class.
  Eating and Drinking: Eating in class is prohibited unless for a special occasion and with the instructor’s prior approval. This notwithstanding, drinks (including water, soft drinks and coffee) are allowed in class but students who spill drinks must clean it up as soon as possible.
• Availability: I will make every effort to be available, outside of class periods, to help students having difficulty with the course material and/or requiring advice. My office phone, e-mail address and office hours are listed at the beginning of the syllabus. Office hours are periods where it is guaranteed you can meet with me in person – just drop in.  If those hours are not convenient, you can contact me to set up an appointment. There is one rule about appointments:  If you make an appointment with me, I expect you to keep it.  If I can make a special effort to meet with you, at a time and date convenient to you, you can certainly make the effort to keep the appointment. I will make it a point to meet students without appointment, outside the posted office hours, in cases of extreme necessity.
  The easiest way to get in touch with me is by e-mail (ahammon3@aug.edu). Students should expect to receive response to their e-mail messages within 24 hours, provided it was e-mailed before 12:00 noon on a week day of normal school session. I will also communicate important information about the class through e-mail as well as post additional and/new information including lecture notes and class activities on Vista WebCT. It is therefore the responsibility of students to check their campus e-mail and visit Vista WebCT regularly for any update and essential information relating to the class.
• Written Papers: All written papers should be typed using the following specifications:
• 12 inch font size with the normal style and Time New Roman
• Number all pages, except the cover page (if any)
• One-inch margin at all sides of a page
• Double space all content, except direct quotations longer than three lines
• Appropriate and consistent citation style, preferably the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style
• The cover page should contain the topic, your name (names for the group paper), name of the course and the due date.

Evaluation of all papers will be based on the content (arguments presented and their organization), correct use of language (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc) and citation (appropriate citation and bibliography style). The papers should contain a thesis statement, reasoned analysis and synthesis, conclusion, and bibliography.
                                                                                                                  
ADA Compliance: Students with any form of physical or learning disability should please inform the instructor and contact the Testing and Disability Services at 706-737-1469 immediately.

Plagiarism, cheating and dishonesty: The university regulations on plagiarism, cheating and academic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. Plagiarism includes but not limited to the presentation of ideas, words, techniques, etc of someone without properly acknowledging the source. Further information on plagiarism and cheating, and the penalties that go with it is available from the ASU Catalog under Student Code of Conduct.

COURSE SCHEDULE [Subject to Change]

Students are expected to read the material assigned (and other relevant materials posted on Vista WebCT) for each lecture prior to the lecture, and be prepared to discuss in class issues raised by the materials.

HOME
BIOGRAPHY
COURSES
FAVORITE QUOTES
LINKS
MAP