George W. Bush argues in "The Bush Doctrine" that there is "a single sustainable model for national success," which is based on "freedom, democracy, and free enterprise."
The president states:
People everywhere want to be able to speak freely; choose who will govern them; worship as they please; educate their children-male and female; own property; and enjoy the benefits of their labor.
These values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every society-and the duty of protecting these values against their enemies is the common calling of freedom-loving people across the globe and across the ages.
Do you find Mr. Bush's arguments to be persuasive? Does the United States have a duty to protect democracy around the world? Does democratization promote peace and American security? Is the "democratic peace" a "law of politics" or an historical accident?
What role do procedural restraints and normative influences play in the "democratic peace?" As more countries become democratic, should we expect a decline in the incidence of war?
If you are convinced by these arguments, explain why in a short essay in the Democratic Peace discussion; if you're not convinced, explain why in the Democratic Coincidence thread. In either case, defend your position with either logical arguments or contemporary or historical facts. Post your essay no later than midnight on April 21.
Respond to the postings of a least two other students, one from each of the two threads, no later than midnight on April 23. What are the strengths and shortcomings of the other students' arguments? How could their arguments be strengthened?
Discussions
Because of the nature of this course, I have found that punctual postings and responses are critical to both the success of the course and the success of individual students. It is impossible for me to read and respond to several hundred messages and assignments in the last week of class. Therefore I have created a grading policy that rewards both the quality and punctuality of your responses and assignments.
About half of your Discussion grade will be based on the punctual completion of assignments. Thus, you could minimally fulfill the Threaded
Discussion requirement (60 points) simply by turning in all of the assignments on time, assuming that your contributions demonstrate that you tried your best. Grades for threads submitted late will be penalized.
The rest of the Discussion grade will depend on the quality of your work. Your postings should be well written and clearly address the issues being discussed. I expect each writing assignment to have:
(1) A clear introduction that addresses directly the question posed by the instructor;
(2) A body of factual examples that support your thesis; these examples may be drawn from either the assigned readings or footnoted sources researched independently by the student; Wikipedia is not an appropriate source for academic essays;
(3) A coherent paragraph structure that highlights your main points; and
(4) Appropriate citations for materials drawn from the works of others; plagiarized threads will be penalized.
If I have some concerns or comments about your thread, I will post a response. My comments are intended to help you improve your threads. If you respond to my comments, you may earn additional points. In order to earn a perfect score, you generally have to post an excellent thread the first time around and by the assigned deadline.
In addition, you must respond to the threads of at least two other students, one in each of the two weekly threads. Remember: each week there is a "pro" and a "con" thread. You must read posts in each of the two folders and respond to at least one post in each of the two threads by the deadline in order to receive full credit.
Your main Discussion posting should be approximately 400-600 words in length. Long, rambling, unfocused messages discourage readership and suggest fuzzy thinking. It is more difficult to express ideas in short essays than in long ones. In addition, your responses to the postings of other students must be thoughtful and demonstrate careful consideration of your colleague's ideas. Responses like, "Nice job," do not satisfy the requirements of this assignment. These responses must include a comment on a posting from each of the two weekly threads.
It is not necessary to post a "perfect" essay (100 out of 100 points) to earn an "A" on the threads; neither is it necessary to earn 787 points for the semester to earn an "A" in the class. A score of 90 out of 100 points on your thread is an "A-" and the equivalent of an "A" in the class because Santa Monica College does not use a Plus/Minus grading system.
I expect that your responses to the postings of other students will be respectful and conducive to a collaborative learning experience.
Controversy and disagreement cannot be avoided in a political science class but disrespectful, insulting language and intellectual intolerance (i.e., "flaming") will not be permitted. Writing about the factors necessary for a successful, online learning experience, Rupert Wegerif writes:
"Forming a sense of community, where people feel they will be treated sympathetically by their fellows, seems to be a necessary first step for collaborative learning. Without a feeling of community people are on their own, likely to be anxious, defensive and unwilling to take the risks involved in learning. . . This style is democratic, respectful, open to challenges, prepared to give grounds for statements and seeking critically grounded consensus."
It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. I expect students to abide by the commonly accepted rules of academic discourse.
Disagreements based on opposing interpretations of facts, including disagreements with the Instructor, are encouraged. Ad homonym attacks and name-calling, which are altogether too typical of much political discourse in America today, will be penalized.
Plagiarism will be penalized. It is easy to "copy and paste" materials from the Internet and it is equally easy for instructors to detect such behavior. Your threads must be original works, with proper citation for facts and ideas drawn from the works of others.
I read each posting and every response and grade them all. I do not necessarily respond to each posting in the Discussion, however. If I do not respond to your posting, please take no offense. I respond only when I wish to advance the discussion. Also, if I respond to your post with an "Ok," it means that your thread satisfies the requirements of the assignment; an "Ok" does not mean that I personally agree with the content of your statement.