Course Syllabus
Athabasca University
Political Science (POLI) 277
Introduction to Political Science I: Concepts, Structures, and Institutions (Revision 3)
Revision 3 closed, replaced by current version.
View previous syllabus
Opened in Moodle September 9, 2008.
Delivery mode: Individualized study, individualized study online or grouped study.
Credits: 3 - Social Science
Prerequisite: None.
Centre: Centre for State and Legal Studies
POLI 277 has a Challenge for Credit option.
Course website
Overview
POLI 277 is the first half of AU's introduction to politics course. It can be taken alone for students requiring 3 credits in political science, but not wishing to take both introductory courses. For students desiring a thorough introduction to political science, those intending to do other political science courses, both introductory courses are recommended. Together with POLI 278, POLI 277 introduces students to the basic concepts, ideas, and institutions of politics. The course begins by defining such concepts as politics, power, influence, authority, and legitimacy, and then indicates how these concepts relate to the basic institutions of government.
At the heart of the POLI 277 is a comparison of the liberal-democratic state in Canada, Britain, and the United States.
Outline
Unit 1: Introduction
Unit 2: Government, Politics, Power, and Influence
Unit 3: Understanding the Modern State (I)
Unit 4: Understanding the Modern State (II)
Unit 5: The British and American Constitutional Experiences
Unit 6: The Canadian Constitutional Experience
Unit 7: The Executive
Unit 8: The Bureaucracy and Policymaking
Unit 9: The Legislative Branch of Government
Unit 10: The Judiciary and the Political Process
Evaluation
To receive credit for POLI 277, you must complete the following assignments and achieve a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent) and a grade of 50 percent or better on the final examination. The weighting of the assignments is as follows:
| Assignment 1 | Assignment 2 | Assignment 3 | Final Exam | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15% | 20% | 25% | 40% | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbooks
Dye, Thomas R., and Harmon Zeigler. 2003. The Irony of Democracy. 12th ed. Toronto, ON: Thomson/Wadsworth.
Landes, Ronald G. 2002. The Canadian Polity: A Comparative Introduction. 6th ed. Scarborough, ON: Prentice-Hall.
Other Materials
The course materials include a study guide, student manual, and reading file.