WEST EUROPEAN POLITICS

WEST EUROPEAN POLITICS 84:309 | Fall Semester 2016 | 3 credits MW, 1:50-3:20 in Sage 4234 PROFESSOR TRACY H. SLAGTER Ph.D., University of Iowa (2006)...
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WEST EUROPEAN POLITICS 84:309 | Fall Semester 2016 | 3 credits MW, 1:50-3:20 in Sage 4234

PROFESSOR TRACY H. SLAGTER Ph.D., University of Iowa (2006) Office Location: Sage Hall 4626 Office Hours: TTh, 10:00-11:30am Cell Phone: (920)410-5244* Email: [email protected]

*Texts only, please. Note that email is the best way to reach me.

DEPARTMENT MAIN OFFICE Contact: Angelee Hammond Office Location: Sage Hall 4631 Office Phone: (920) 424-3456 Office Hours: M-F, 7:30am-4:30pm Email: [email protected] Facebook: UWO Political Science

Course Closed Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/166306 6227353127 (Click “Join.”)

TEXTBOOK There is no textbook for the course. Course readings can be found on our D2L site. I recommend that you either print them or keep them in a file on an electronic device so you have easy access to them. You should bring all readings to class with you on the day they appear on the syllabus.

IMPORTANT REQUEST Please bring your assigned reading materials to class each day we meet so that we can discuss them either as a large group or in smaller working groups. If you cannot locate a reading, please let me know ASAP so you can read it before our class meeting.

COURSE DESCRIPTION It’s an exciting time to be a Europeanist. After more than 40 years as a member, the United Kingdom voted in June 2016 to leave the European Union. Fallout from the “Brexit” led to the resignation of David Cameron as Prime Minster and the confirmation of Theresa May to take his place. Austria had a presidential election that ended in a “do-over,” giving renewed hope to a far-right candidate. The continuing refugee crisis has put Germany in the international spotlight as Chancellor Merkel helps to plot a course forward, all while also attempting to hold the EU together. France is facing challenges of its own from the far-right National Front and its popular candidate, Marine Le Pen. Jittery Sweden and Finland sat with the “big kids” at the NATO meeting in Warsaw, worried about Russia’s increasing military presence along their borders and near the Baltic Sea and a possible President Trump’s weakening of the alliance. Scotland might decide to hold its own referendum on leaving the United Kingdom and going it alone. And then there’s Turkey in Europe’s backyard, where Erdogan and uncertainty reign. Beset by big problems, Europeans find themselves in a decisive moment. This semester, we’ll look at the large issues facing European countries today. The refugee crisis, the rise of the far-right, independence movements, and European Union membership are just some of the topics we’ll cover, in addition to others that may arise in this rapidly changing environment. We’ll use the U.K., France, Germany, and Sweden as our core case studies. COURSE PREREQUISITES Although I am willing to sign interested students from any discipline into this course, students who have completed Political Science 101 (Introduction to Comparative Politics), 115 (Introduction to International Relations), or 301 (European Union Politics) will find that those courses provide a useful foundation for concepts and issues addressed in this course. Some knowledge (especially from introductory courses) will be assumed. Students who are struggling with the course because of the lack of background knowledge should see me for background readings and feel free to discuss them with me at any time.

COURSE FORMAT This is an upper-division course in political science, and it will be taught in a seminar style as much as is practical. This means that student input is required for the course to be successful (and fun). I expect that students attend class each week prepared to discuss the readings; completing the readings ahead of time is essential. My ability to teach is severely limited if you do not read.

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GLOBAL SCHOLAR Global Scholar courses build upon the knowledge, skills and perspectives that students gain in their (required) USP Global Citizenship (GC) course (formerly known as the Non-Western Culture requirement). Together, GC and GS courses aim to provide students with the knowledge of nations, cultures or societies beyond the U.S.; the recognition of how interaction, interdependence and inequity among diverse geographical, social, political, or economic systems have shaped historical and contemporary global challenges and opportunities; and the skills needed to engage with the responsibilities of informed citizenship in a complex, interdependent and changing world. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to: 













Describe and explain the basic features of European governance structures and compare them to structures in the United States; Understand the differences between the major party families in Europe and compare them to the party system in the United States and elsewhere; Comprehend and synthesize long and complex journal articles for content, and provide a brief, thoughtful summary of the arguments and the literature as a whole; Describe and explain the major challenges facing European countries and the ways in which our four country case studies have attempted to resolve them; Recognize and understand the broader impact of these four countries on Europe more generally, and on the rest of the world; Devise a research question related to current global challenges, craft an argument, and collect evidence to either support or refute your claims; and Understand the basics about the relationship between European countries and the European Union and the United States.

NOTE TO POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJORS If you are currently a Political Science major or if you think you will be one of our majors in the future, it is important that you save your graded coursework from this class, preferably in your D2L ePortfolio or in the Google Drive associated with your University email account. Seniors in our department are required to take Political Science 401, a seminar in which students’ progress through the major is surveyed and a portfolio of their work is created. If you have questions, please see me after class. CHANGES I reserve the right to change any portion of this syllabus at any time in the semester in order to accommodate the needs and pace of this particular group. If you’re actually reading this syllabus, prove it by posting a random photo of Angela Merkel (no need to caption it!) on the course closed Facebook page. Really. Do it.

GRADING AND ASSIGNMENTS The grading scale I use for this course is 93/90/87, as detailed below: A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D F

94-100 90-93 87-89 84-86 80-83 77-79 74-76 70-73 67-69 65-66 0-64

Grades are determined as follows:

 Participation (10%): You should be in class every session with your completed readings and any notes you have taken on those readings. Your participation grade will reflect any absences as well as those times when I call on you and you are obviously un- or under-prepared. If you show up every session but never say a word in class, expect a C for this portion of your grade.  Discussion Questions and Leadership (15%): Every student will be responsible for serving as a discussion leader for one of our course readings. This student will prepare and post discussion questions for the class on our group Facebook page.  Midterm Examination (20%): The midterm examination will be a take-home essay of approximately 5-7 pages. You will receive the prompt one week before the essay is due.

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 Global Challenges, European Solutions Research Design (35%); includes drafts and required meetings): This paper will require you to think of how Europe responds to challenges that transcend national borders. More details will follow in class.  Final Examination (20%). The final exam for this course will be a single short essay question distributed in the second-to-last week of the semester and due on the final day of class. You will answer this question in about five double-spaced pages. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY I will not tolerate plagiarism of any kind. All students should familiarize themselves with the University’s policies on academic dishonesty and know the consequences of plagiarism or cheating. In this course, plagiarism on any assignment will result in a grade of F for the course and the Dean of Students Office will be notified. If you are

uncertain about methods of attribution, please see me any time.

STUDY EUROPE *IN* EUROPE The Department of Political Science is offering a study abroad trip in Europe this spring interim. Spend three weeks in Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom and earn six credits talking about the European Union, Brexit, welfare state politics, and how Europeans are addressing major world problems like terrorism, immigration and environmental degradation. We leave on May 14 and return to Oshkosh on June 2, 2017. Talk to Profs. Slagter or Scribner about this unique opportunity. Space is limited to the first 20 students who sign up; you do not have to be a Political Science major to participate, and all courses will be offered in English. The two courses on offer are 301 (European Union Politics) and 312 (Politics of the Welfare State). See the Office of International Education site for more details on how to apply: http://www.uwosh.edu/oie/away/explore

SCHEDULE OF TOPICS, READINGS, AND ASSIGNMENTS September 7

September 12 September 14 September 19 September 21

Introduction to the course, readings, and assignments, plus tips for reading and note-taking for this class. Bring a copy of the syllabus to class today and every day we meet, as it is not unusual for me to make changes as the semester progresses.

NOTE: In class we’ll talk about some basic concepts for comparison. You should write these down and make sure you understand them! Concepts include, but are not limited to, the following: democracy, cleavage, federalism, unitary system, multiparty system, coalition, pluralism, corporatism, parliamentarism, and presidentialism. We will use these terms repeatedly in this course.

Social and Economic Development: the United Kingdom READ: Polanyi, Karl. 1944. The Great Transformation. Boston: Beacon Press. Chapters 3 and 6. Social and Economic Development: Germany READ: Dahrendorf, Ralf. 1967. Society & Democracy in Germany. New York: Doubleday. Chapter 4.

Social and Economic Development: France READ: Knapp, Andrew and Vincent Wright. 2006. The Government and Politics of France. London: Routledge. Chapter 1. Social and Economic Development: Sweden READ: Tilton, Timothy. “The Social Origins of Liberal Democracy: the Swedish Case.” American Political Science Review 68: 1974.

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September 26 September 28 October 3 October 5 October 10

October 12 October 17 October 19

Structure of Government: Parliamentary Government READ: Cox, Gary. 1987. The Efficient Secret. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Structure of Government: Upper Houses READ: Baldwin, Nicholas and Donald Shell. 2001. Second Chambers. London: Frank Cass. Chapter 1.

Structure of Government: Constitutions and Constitutional Courts READ: Stone Sweet, Alec. “Constitutional Courts and Parliamentary Democracy.” West European Politics 25: 2002.

Structure of Government: Constitutions and Constitutional Courts READ: Nicol, Danny. 2002. EC Membership and the Judicializaton of British Politics, Chapter 1.

Structures of Government: Electoral Systems READ: Calvo, Ernesto. 2009. “The Competitive Road to Proportional Representation.” World Politics 61: 254-295 or Ahmed, Amel. 2010. “Reading History Forward: the Origins of Electoral Systems in European Democracies.” Comparative Political Studies 43: 10591088. (We will assign who reads which one.)

Structures of Government: Timing of Elections READ: Becher, Michael, Sylvain Brouard and Isabelle Guinaudeau. 2016. “Prime Ministers and the electoral cost of using the confidence vote in legislative bargaining: evidence from France.” West European Politics, 1-23.

Political Parties: Christian Democracy READ: Minkenberg, Michael. 2010. “Party Politics, Religion, and Elections in Western Democracies.” Comparative European Politics 8: 385-414.

Political Parties: Social Democracy READ: Berman, Sheri. 2011. “Social Democracy and the Creation of the Public Interest.” Critical Review 23: 237-256. (D2L)43:

Midterm Examination distributed today October 24

October 26 October 28 October 31

Political Parties: the Far Right READ: Hellstrom, Anders, Tom Nilsson, and Pauline Stoltz. 2012. “Nationalism vs. Nationalism: the Challenge of the Sweden Democrats in the Swedish Public Debate.” Government and Opposition 47: 186-205 OR Rydgren, Jens and Patrick Ruth. 2013. “Contextual explanations for radical right-wing support in Sweden: socioeconomic marginalization, group threat, and the halo effect.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 36: 711-728.

Political Parties: the Greens READ: Markovits, Andrei and Joseph Klaver. 2015. “Alive and Well into the Fourth Decade of their Bundestag Presence: A Tally of the Greens’ Impact on the Federal Republic of Germany’s Political Life and Public Culture.” German Politics & Society 34: 112-140.

Midterm Examination DUE today (FRIDAY)! Submit to D2L Dropbox as PDF. Women in Politics

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November 2 November 7 November 9 November 14

November 16 November 21 November 23

November 28

November 30 December 2

December 5

December 7

READ: Bird, Karen. 2003. “Who are the Women? Where are the Women? And What Difference Can They Make? Effects of Gender Parity in French Municipal Elections.” French Politics 1: 5-38 Welfare State Politics READ: Pierson, “The New Politics of the Welfare State,” (D2L) and Clayton and Pontussen, “Welfare State Retrenchment Revisited” (D2L) Welfare State Politics READ: Hinnfors, Jonas. 2008. “The Puzzling Lack of a Social Dilemma.” Scandinavian Political Studies 31: 69-90. Everything You Need to Know about the EU in 90 Minutes (or less) READ: European Union. “How the European Union Works.”

Europeanization and Euroskepticism READ: Van Elsas, Erika J., Armen Hakhverdian and Wouter van der Brug. 2016. “United against a common foe? The nature and origins of Euroscepticism among left-wing and right-wing citizens.” West European Politics, 1-24 OR Prosser, Christopher. 2016. “Dimensionality, ideology and party positions towards European integration.” West European Politics, 731-754.

European Union: European Identity? READ: Galais, Carol and Andre Blais. 2016. “Do people feel more of a duty to vote in some elections?” West European Politics, 755-777. (I am looking for another reading on this as well.) Meetings on Papers (required; scheduled) See paper assignment sheet for tips on getting the most out of these short meetings.

Thanksgiving Recess: no class!

The Refugee Crisis That Won’t End READ: Ostrand, Nicole. 2015. “The Syrian Refugee Crisis: A Comparison of Responses by Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.” Journal on Migration and Human Security 3: 255-279 AND Bucken-Knapp, Gregg, Jonas Hinnfors, and Andrea Spehar. 2014. “Political Parties and Migration Policy Puzzles: the European Scene.” Comparative European Politics 12: 557-567.

We’re Leaving: Independence Movements READ: Lineira, Robert and Daniel Cetra. 2015. “The Independence Case in Comparative Perspective.” Political Quarterly 86: 257-264. (Note that I might change this reading if something newer comes along post-Brexit.) Papers DUE! (NOTE: this is a Friday.)

The Future(s) of Europe READ: Berman, Sheri. 2012. “Warnings from History.” Journal of Democracy 23: 7-14.

Why Study Europe, Anyway? READ: TBA Final Exam distributed

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December 12 December 14

Writing Day; no class. Use your time wisely; ask questions if you need to! I will be in my office during our class time unless I tell you otherwise. Final Exams DUE!

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