"Summarize, Analyze, Argue....Repeat"
AMERICA'S FUTURE
IA 463
| Professor TERRENCE CASEY | Office: A209 Moench |
| PHONE: 877-8281 | RHIT Mailbox: #93 |
| E-Mail: casey1@rose-hulman.edu | Office Hours: MTRF 3rd or drop-in. |
"He who only knows his side of the case, knows little of that.”
--John Stuart Mill
This course offers a critical examination of the challenges
and opportunities facing American policymakers in the early 21st century. We
will explore various important foreign, domestic, and economic issues. By the
end of this course you will have developed a more informed and coherent
understanding of how the United States can maintain a prosperous, democratic and
(hopefully) peaceful world.
READINGS
– Readings for this course include:
(1) George McKenna and Stanley Finegold, eds.,
Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Political Issues,
17th Edition, McGraw Hill, 2011.
(2) Andrew Bennett and George Shambaugh, eds.,
Taking Sides: Clashing Views in American Foreign Policy,
5th Edition, McGraw Hill, 2010.
(3) Arthur Brooks,
The Battle: How the
Fight Between Free Enterprise and Big Government will Shape America's Future,
Basic Books, 2010.
(4) Fareed Zakaria,
The Post-American
World, W.W. Norton, 2009.
Books are available for purchase at the Institute bookstore.
Other readings will be assigned as appropriate. You are also expected to keep
abreast of major national and international events. We will begin every class
with a discussion of current events.
(A) Two Take-Home Exams (15% each, 30% total):
Based primarily on the readings from the
Taking Sides
books, you will have two take-home essays that should range between 4-8 pages
long. These will require you to summarize key points made by the respective
authors, analyze their arguments, and use this analysis to build your own
argument. The first exam will focus on the domestic policy section of the course
and the second will deal with foreign policy. Further details on the
requirements of these papers will be discussed in class.
(B) Two Critical Book Reviews (15% each; 30% total):
You will be required to write critical reviews (that is,
analyzing and critiquing, not just summarizing, the work) of both Arthur Brooks'
The Battle and
Fareed Zakaria's
The Post-American World.
Further
details on the assignment will be handed out separately.
(C) Research Paper (20% total), with an abstract and bibliography
(2.5%) due on
Friday, December 10th; a progress report (2.5%) due on Friday, January
21st, and the final paper (15%) due on Friday, February 11th.
You will be required to write a 10-15-page research paper on a domestic or
foreign policy topic of importance to the United States. More detailed
instructions will be handed out separately.
(D) Participation (20%):
This is a discussion class, so you are
expected
to come to each class prepared (i.e., having done the assigned reading) and
ready to actively participate in the discussion. Participation points are
not an automatic
bonus for showing up. If you do not do the
reading or never speak up, even if you attend class every day, you will get a
zero for
participation
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Citation Guide |
Research Paper Assignment |
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Critical Review of Brooks'
The Battle Assignment |
Critical Review of Zakaria's
The Post-American World Assignment |
| Midterm Take-Home Essay Exam | Final Take-Home Essay Assignment |
Topics and Readings
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WEEK 1: |
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Monday, Nov. 29 |
Introductory Session |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Intro. |
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Should Americans believe in a unique American
'mission'? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 1 |
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Wednesday, Dec. 1 |
Does Affirmative Action Advance Racial Equality? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 9 |
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Do We Need National Health Insurance? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 11 |
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WEEK 2: |
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Monday, Dec 6. |
Should the Courts Seek the "Original Meaning" of the Constitution? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 5 |
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Should Abortion be Restricted? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 10 |
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Wednesday, Dec 8 |
Are Americans Overtaxed? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 13 |
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Is Bigger Government Better Government? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 14 |
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Friday, Dec. 10 |
RESEARCH PAPER PROPOSAL & BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE
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WEEK 3: |
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Monday, Dec 13. |
The Battle,
Part I |
Brooks, Forward & Chapters 1-2 |
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Wednesday, Dec. 15 |
The Battle,
Part II |
Brooks, Chapters 3-4 |
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Friday, Dec. 17 |
CRITICAL REVIEW OF BROOKS'
THE BATTLE
DUE
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Dec 18-Jan 2 |
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CHRISTMAS BREAK |
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WEEK 4: |
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Monday, Jan. 3 |
Should campaigns be publicly financed? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 3 |
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Is Congress a "Broken Branch"? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 6 |
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Wednesday, Jan. 5 |
Should there be a wall of separation between
church and state? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 16 |
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Stopping Illegal Immigration: Should Border Security Come First? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 15 |
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WEEK 5: |
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Monday, Jan. 10 |
Is the Use of Torture Against Terrorist Suspects Ever Justified? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 19 |
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Is Warrantless Wiretapping in Some Cases Justified to Protect National
Security? |
Taking Sides-Political Issues,
Issue 19 |
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Wednesday, Jan. 12 |
OPEN TOPIC DAY |
TBA |
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Friday, Jan. 14 |
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II. America at Abroad -- Foreign Policy (Weeks 6-10)
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WEEK 6: |
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Monday, Jan. 17 |
Is American Hegemony Good for the United States
and the World? |
Taking Sides-Foreign Policy,
Issue 1 |
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Should Promoting Democracy Abroad be a top US
Priority? |
Taking Sides-Foreign Policy,
Issue 3 |
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Wednesday, Jan.19 |
Is the United States in Decline? |
Taking Sides-Foreign Policy,
Issue 2 |
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The Post-American World, Part I |
Zakaria, Preface and Chapter 1 |
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Friday, Jan. 21 |
RESEARCH PAPER PROGRESS REPORT DUE |
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WEEK 7: |
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Monday, Jan. 24 |
The Post-American World, Part II |
Zakaria, Chapters 2-4 |
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Wednesday, Jan. 26 |
The Post-American World, Part III |
Zakaria, Chapters 5-7 |
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Friday, Jan. 28 |
CRITICAL REVIEW
OF ZAKARIA’S |
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WEEK 8: |
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Monday, Jan. 31 |
Should the United States Preemptively Attack
Iran's Emerging Nuclear Weapons Capability? |
Taking Sides-Foreign Policy,
Issue 5 |
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Should the United States Negotiate with the
Taliban? |
Taking Sides-Foreign Policy,
Issue 6 |
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Wednesday, Feb. 2 |
Should the United States Challenge a Rising
China? |
Taking Sides-Foreign Policy,
Issue 8 |
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Should the United States Seek Negotiation and
Engagement with North Korea? |
Taking Sides-Foreign Policy,
Issue 9 |
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WEEK 9: |
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Monday, Feb. 7 |
Are Free Trade and Economic Liberalism Good for
the United States? |
Taking Sides-Foreign Policy,
Issue 14 |
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Is Fighting Climate Change Worth the Cost? |
Taking Sides-Foreign Policy,
Issue 15 |
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Wednesday, Feb. 9 |
Does US support for Israel
hurt our foreign policy? |
TBA |
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Friday, Feb. 11 |
RESEARCH PAPERS
DUE |
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WEEK 10: |
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Monday, Feb. 14 |
OPEN TOPIC DAY |
TBA |
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Wednesday, Feb. 16 |
OPEN TOPIC DAY |
TBA |
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Friday, Feb. 18 |
SECOND
TAKE-HOME EXAM DUE |
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