vcc.ca
POLI 1100: Introduction to Politics and Government
Effective date
September 2016
Department
UT Humanities
School
Arts and Sciences
Description
This course introduces the study of politics and government and will explore the major concepts, methods, approaches and issues in political science, as well as the primary components of government structure and the political process. The course also prepares students for further study in political science by providing conceptual and analytical (quantitative and qualitative) tools appropriate to the field by looking at three particular dimensions:
1. Political behaviour;
2. Political institutions; and
3. Political outcomes
Credits
3.0
Year of study
1st Year Post-secondary
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify various areas of specialization in political science and the general scope and methods of the discipline at an introductory level;
- Define selected concepts such as government, law, power, democracy, state, society, freedom, and equality;
- Explain the basic features of political ideologies such as liberalism, conservatism, and socialism;
- Explain patterns of voting behaviour and party competition, and how electoral systems influence voters and parties;
- Identify and describe the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government;
- Explain how different institutional designs of democracy work;
- Explain basic political processes such as elections and interest articulation, aggregation, and communication;
- Describe how political science explains policy outcomes;
- Identify further studies in subfields such as political theory, Canadian government, international relations and world politics, comparative politics, among others.
Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
None
Hours
Lecture, Online, Seminar, Tutorial: 60
Total Hours: 60
Total Hours: 60
Instructional Strategies
Lectures, class and group discussion, and library research.
Grading System
Letter Grade (A-F)
Passing grade
D
Evaluation Plan
|
Type |
Percentage |
Assessment activity |
|
Participation |
15 |
Seminar participation |
|
Midterm Exam |
20 |
|
|
Final Exam |
30 |
|
|
Project |
10 |
Paper Proposal (1-3 pages) |
|
Project |
25 |
Term Paper (3000 words) |
Course topics
- Thinking like a Political Scientist: politics, government, power, influence, coercion, state, authority, civil society, and democracy, and the rudimentary methods of political science; great political thinkers in liberalism, conservatism, socialism, environmentalism, and feminism.
- Analysing Political Behaviour: the role and evolution of electoral systems, interest groups, and political parties and the relationship of these processes to voting behaviour.
- Analysing Political Institutions: the role and functions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches; survey of various political regimes.
- Assessing Political Outcomes: the function of the civil service and the role of other decisional actors in terms of policy formulation and implementation.
Notes:
- Course contents and descriptions, offerings and schedules are subject to change without notice.
- Students are required to follow all College policies including ones that govern their educational experience at VCC. Policies are available on the VCC website at:
https://www.vcc.ca/about/governance--policies/policies/. - To find out if there are existing transfer agreements for this course, visit the BC Transfer Guide at https://www.bctransferguide.ca.