Europe and the World

Europe and the World

This assignment covers Weeks 4, 5, and 6, and it is due the end of Week 6.

Text: Bingham Powell, et al, chapters 8, 9, and 10
Comparative Politics Today: A World View, 10th edition, 2012, by Bingham Powell, Russell Dalton, and others. Published by Pearson Longman.

Video: Lord Patten, “Europe and the World,” January 30, 2006.

Article: Ronald Inglehart. 2000. “Globalization and Postmodern Values,” Washington Quarterly vol. 23, issue 1 (winter): pp. 215-228. (This article must be accessed using the Troy Library electronic databases. See “How to Access Troy Library Materials” in the Start Here area.)

https://trojan.troy.edu/library/databases-social.html
Library ID -gsullivan132057
Library PW -06181976
· Select "Social Sciences" from the menu on the left.
3. A very good database to startwith is the first one listed, Academic Search Complete. Click on that one. Usually, that is the only database you will need. You can try others later.
4. You will need to log in. Note that you use your normal Troy email user ID and Troy email password.
5. Once you log in, you are at the page where you will enter your search parameters. Or, you can select the "Advanced Search" tab at the top of the page for more search options. I usually use the Advanced Search.
6. If you are trying to retrieve a specific article, just enter the article’s title or the author’s name.
7. If you are researching a topic, enter a key word or phrase. Also, select "Full Text" and select "Search within the full text of the articles."
8. For your scholarly articles, select "Peer Reviewed." You can also specify the name of a journal, such as Foreign Affairs, or one of the others listed in the "Guidelines" document.
9. If you are specifically looking for newspaper articles, you will need to click on the "Choose Databases" tab at the top of the page, and then select the database called "Newspaper Source."
10. Once you are familiar with Academic Search Complete, explore some of the others. JSTOR is especially good for peer-reviewed, scholarly articles, although JSTOR does not have the most recent editions of journals.
These simple procedures will bring high quality academic publications to your fingertips. These searches are far superior to "Google" or "Yahoo" searches. The research component of this course requires you to use scholarly journals as sources, and these can only be obtained through databases such as these provided by the Troy Library. This type of research is what distinguishes graduate-level study from undergraduate.
Video: Harold Wilensky, “Comparing Rich Democracies,” September 29, 2002.

Instructions:
· Answer the following questions from the course texts and the video assignment.
· Each answer should be 200 to 500 words in length, single-spaced with an extra line between paragraphs.
· Use Times New Roman, size 12.
· Bullets and text tables are okay.
· Be sure to answer all parts of the question. Give each part of a question a separate paragraph.
· Responses should be well written and well organized essays. Use of bullets is okay. In some cases, a table may help to compare and contrast two or more concepts.
· Grades are based on the substantive content of the answers, and the quality of the writing.
· Save your responses in an MS Word document. Put your name in the document name and on the first page of the assignment, such as “Smith, Study Questions Set 2.”
· Attach your document within the Study Questions Set 2 area within the Week 6 assignment area.
· To avoid plagiarism, if you quote from the text or one of the readings, use quotation marks and an informal citation; for example, (text, page 33) or (Inglehart, page 56).
Chapter 8: Politics in Britain

1. The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and this country is essentially a multinational state. What does this mean, a multinational state? Identify and describe the various parts of the country. In what ways is this significant?

(For our purposes, the names England, Britain, Great Britain, and UK will be used generally interchangeably.)

2. Compare the U.S. and the English constitutions. In your opinion, what are some advantages and disadvantages of each as compared to the other?

3. Using the table function in MS Word, compare the role and authority of the U.S. president and the British prime minister. In your opinion, what are some advantages and some disadvantages of each as compared to the other?

4. Explain the British first-past-the-post electoral system. Describe the arguments made by those who defend and those who oppose this type of electoral system? In your opinion, is this a good or bad way to elect the Parliament?

5. Identify the major political parties in Great Britain. Use an MS Word table to compare these parties in regard to their ideologies, issue positions, recent electoral performance, and so on.
From the video interview with Lord Patten:

6. Discuss the three ideas Lord Patten identified as the basis for the European Union. In your opinion, which of these three ideas seem to be most and least relevant today? Explain.
Chapter 9: Politics in France

7. Since the French Revolution in 1789, France has been governed by a series of constitutions and different forms of government. Today, the constitution and government is the Fifth Republic. Briefly describe the historical circumstances that led to the creation and (in four cases) the downfall of each of the five governments, beginning with First Republic.

8. How does the position of president of the Republic under the Fifth Republic differ from the position of president under earlier republics? What are some of the more important powers of the French president today? How do these powers compare with those of the American president?

9. How has the distrust of government and religious and antireligious traditions affected French political culture and politics historically and currently?

10. Identify the main political parties in France. Use an MS Word table to compare these parties in regard to their ideologies, issue positions, recent electoral performance, and so on.

11. Compare the French electoral process used for voting in Parliamentary elections with that used in the United States for congressional elections. And compare the French process for voting in presidential elections with that used in U.S. presidential elections.
From the article by Ronald Inglehart

12. What does Inglehart say about value change and postmodern values? What and who are the “materialists” and the “postmaterialists”?
Chapter 10: Politics in Germany

13. Germany’s historical path differs from that of England and France in that the German state unified relatively late. Describe the circumstances of the creation of the German state in 1871. In what ways did Germany’s experience affect politics in Germany?

14. Another difference between Germany and other European nations is Germany’s federal system. What does this mean? What is a federal system? In your opinion, how significant is this in regard to Germany’s politics?

15. Still another difference between Germany and England and France is the extent to which the political culture of Germany has changed since World War II. Describe some of the ways political culture has changed in Germany. In your opinion, what are some of the reasons this occurred?

16. Identify the main political parties in Germany. Use an MS Word table to compare these parties in regard to their ideologies, issue positions, and recent electoral performance, and so on.

17. Describe the German electoral system. In your opinion what might be some advantages and disadvantages of this way of electing representatives to the national legislature?
From the video interview with Harold Wilensky

18. Briefly describe three of the key elements in Wilensky’s research: convergence theory, mass society theory, and corporatism.

19. Discuss the one or two most interesting observations you made from Wilensky’s interview in regard to his comments about specific countries.
20. Short answers from the text chapters 8, 9, and 10, just a one sentence definition for each: (some of these are country specific, and others are general terms, and they are all mixed up in no sequence from the chapters)

Basic Law
Downing Street
Judicial review
Bundestag
Prefect
Proportional representation
Westminster
Ecole Nationale d’Administration
Weimar Republic
Whitehall
Value-added tax
Devolution
National Assembly
Government
House of Commons
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