Course Description
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Political Science 6716 Scope and Epistemology Fall 2017 ASSIGNMENT 1: READ THIS CAREFULLY!! Instructor: Dr. Laura Sjoberg Contact: (email) [email protected] (phone) 352.575.8603 (skype): laurasjoberg Office: 203 Anderson (hours):: 3pm-6pm Tuesday & appointment Class Time: 1145am-245pm Tuesday Class Location: Political Science Conference Room COURSE DESCRIPTION This course surveys the big questions of epistemology in the study of politics, and the ways that those questions of epistemology impact the organization (sociology) of the discipline as well as its power structure (politics). It does so attempting to represent all of political science’s subdivisions (both the traditional American politics, comparative politics, International Relations, and theory subdivision and other divides like those between science and humanities, quantitative and qualitative, policy-relevant and not). You will note that, to many of these questions, there does not feel like there is a “right” answer – that is, both sides make compelling arguments, when in a vacuum and even when compared. W. B. Gallie suggested that there is a such thing as an “essentially contested concept” – one to which there is no easily reducible answer or description – instead, it is by nature always and everywhere subject to debate. I suggest that the notion of political science is an essentially contested concept – that there is no knowing what ‘it’ is, but instead just knowing the debates around what ‘it’ is. Yet we still must do (or perform) political science – so navigating the contestation is practically imperative. The practical part is why we start at, and focus on, epistemology (how we can know). If political science is (at least by large consensus) an enterprise in which knowledge is produced, then it is important to know what qualifies as knowledge and how one would produce it in order to become a producer of it. Most professors would tell you that, after surveying the available options and understanding the disciplinary contours, it is up to you to make a choice about ‘your’ epistemology. I take two issues with that. First, I think that ‘your’ epistemology (how you believe one can know) is deeply personal, and need not either be shared or translated into your work if you do not want it to be. The choice is what epistemological approach (or approaches) you use in your scholarly work, and how you justify those choices. Second, I believe those choices are not (and cannot be) independent of what you hope to accomplish with your research work – practical choices about navigating the enterprise of political science. I suggest these not only do but should weigh on your epistemological choices. As elsewhere in political science, it is important to have a deep understanding of even those perspectives to which you are diametrically opposed. In this spirit, this course asks you to work as hard to understand the approaches which make no sense to you as those that do. Accordingly, it presents each approach with a similar level of both gravity and depth, looking for not only respectful engagement but understanding. 1 GRADING The grade will be divided into five parts: 1) Contribution (20%) 2) Short Papers (30%) 3) Reading Reactions (10%) 4) CV and Website (10%) 5) Elements of Practical Participation (10%) 6) Final Exam (20%) The Grade Scale is: 94-100: A; 90-93: A-; 87-89: B+; 83-86: B; 80-82: B-; 77-79: C+; 73-76: C; 70- 72: C-; 67-69: D+; 63-67: D; 60-62: D- The University of Florida assigns the following grade points: A: 4.0, A-: 3.67, B+: 3.33, B: 3, B-: 2.67, C+: 2.33, C: 2.0; C-: 1.67, D+: 1.33, D: 1, D-: .67, E: 0, WF: 0, I: 0; NG: 0. CONTRIBUTION You are expected to attend all class meetings, and to be prepared to discuss the readings in depth. Please note that a portion of your final grade relies on your participation and attendance. By “contribution,” I do not mean being the person who is most willing to talk in front of the class. Contribution grades are based on the quality of participation – students who offer engaging and critical perspectives on course readings which reflect that they have read them. Attendance will be checked, and preparedness will be expected. If for some reason you will be unprepared for class on a given day, be sure to email me beforehand. Sharing your thoughts aloud is a requirement as most things that one can do with a Political Science Ph.D. require some amount of speaking in front of people. Still, if you have a question or something to share that you prefer not to ask or share in front of the class, it is fine to email me about it. SHORT PAPERS You will be asked to do three short papers over the course of the semester. Each will constitute 10 percent of your grade. 9/12/2017. Short paper #1 due. Write 2500-4000 words about what you know about politics, how you came to know what you know, and how you know you know it. Make sure to document the warrants to your arguments, what (if anything) you see as ‘evidence,’ how you would confront claims to that you do not know what you claim to know or that you are wrong, and what degree of certainty you would give your knowledge. Paper due by midnight Eastern Daylight Time. 10/10/2017. Short paper #2 due. Write 2500-4000 words about how you intend to contribute to knowledge in Political Science in graduate school and beyond. Start with a brief explanation 2 (like you would describe in just a minute or two to a senior scholar), and then expand. Include your proposed research agenda, what will make it count as knowledge, how you will demonstrate that it does add knowledge, and how you will counter criticisms that it does not add knowledge. Paper is due by 3pm Eastern Daylight Time. 11/7/2017. Short Paper #3 Due. Mock up the epistemology and methods section of a dissertation prospectus. It can be your planned dissertation, or a random pretend dissertation. Make sure that your methods section states the philosophical and epistemological wagers that you plan to make, and how you plan to translate those into knowledge about your proposed research subject. If you do not know the specifics about some technique (e.g., narrative analysis, statistics, formal modelling), be as descriptive as possible about what you want to get out of the use of the methods you use in terms of the production of knowledge. Make your methods section between 1000 and 1500 words. Due by 1145am Eastern Standard Time. READING REACTIONS You will be asked to write two two-page reading reaction papers on topics of your choice over the course of the weeks 2,3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11. These reaction papers will be a place for you to, after briefly demonstrating an understanding of the reading, let me know what you think about it and pose either questions you would like answered or questions you think would be good for the discussion in the class. If you are going to do a reading reaction for any given week, it is due via email on the Monday preceding the Tuesday class. Please do not choose weeks 10 and 11 because you do not feel like doing it before that. Please choose weeks in which you have a genuine interest in the topic and/or the reading speaks to you. CV AND WEBSITE So, you want to be a political scientist? You shall have a CV and a website. We’re going to work on them in this class. There are two due dates – the first draft of your CV and the second draft of your CV/first draft of your website. First Draft of CV: by 6pm Eastern Daylight Time, 10/10/2017. Second Draft of CV and First Draft of Website: by 1145am Eastern Standard Time, 11/21/2017. ELEMENTS OF PRACTICAL PARTICIPATION In Week 15 (11/28/2017), you will be asked to write two possible conference abstracts before class. These will constitute 5% of your grade. In Week 16 (12/5/2017), you will be asked to provide a brief plan for your first publishable idea. This will constitute 5% of your grade as well. 3 FINAL EXAMINATION The final examination is essay-based, and take-home. It will be distributed in class on December 5, and due one week later. It will consist of one essay question as practice for your future comprehensive examinations.. The answer should be between 2000 and 2500 words long. We will talk at length about what that means. This is sort of outdated, but still gives a good overview: http://polisci.ufl.edu/international-relations-exam-guide/. YOU MAY, SHOULD YOU BE SO BOLD, FORGO DOING THE FINAL EXAM TO TURN IN A DRAFT OF A DISSERTATION PROSPECTUS. There is no penalty for doing the final, and no reward for the dissertation prospectus. It will be graded as if you are a first year, first semester PhD student. HONOR SYSTEM All students are expected to follow the Honor Code at the University of Florida. “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.” On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” Any student found violating the Honor Code will be reported.