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Contents
Methodologies
Assessment
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Western Political Systems:Different Contexts

Course Code :
PSC 301
Level :
Undergraduate
Course Hours :
3.00 Hours
Department :
Department of Political Science

Instructor information :

Area of Study :

This courses deals with a set of controversial and rather academically conflicting concepts that always come to mind while dealing with the notion of the West, the north-south and the east-west analogies. The course deals with the West in terms of regions to pinpoint their particularities and differences. In that respect, this is translated as follows: 1) USA, 2) Europe (differentiating between the nature of Eastern and Western Europe), 3) Australasia, 4) Latin America and the Caribbean, 5) Russia and 6) Japan. The lecturer focuses on the region suitable for the current affairs, while studying their political systems in association with, but not limited to, the following: political culture, public opinion, the role and presence of mass media, economic development, societal reforms or developments, foreign policy formations as well as constitutionalism. Course Goals: • Address the main differences between the conflicting issues dealt with in the course and their characteristics or attributes. • Became aware of the diversity within the Western part of the world, rather than bulking them. • Comprehend the correlation between domestic and regional political and economic practice according to development issues, foreign policy calculations and constitutional procedures and practices.

For further information :

Telephone: 16383 (16FUE)
E-mail: [email protected]

Western Political Systems:Different Contexts

For further information :

Telephone: 16383 (16FUE)
E-mail: [email protected]

Western Political Systems:Different Contexts

Course outcomes:

a. Knowledge and Understanding:

1-	Define the differences between countries within the same region in the Western world.
2-	Recognize the common trends they share historically, politically and economically.
3-	Identify methods most suitable in studying the different regions in Western culture.

b. Intellectual Skills:

1-	Explain the difference between different Western regions such as Australasia and Europe for example, and why.
2-	Explore the different conceptual and cultural constructs of these different regions and how that is reflected in their political systems, people’s practices and media.
3-	Examine and focus on a chosen case study while highlighting the main issues associated with it.
4-	Evaluate the possible lessons learned in the Arab and Egyptian contexts from the cases studied and examined.

c. Professional and Practical Skills:

1-	Apply knowledge in research on how media and pressure groups can affect political practice in the chosen case studies.
2-	Relate between chosen cases and how their practices of democracy, freedom, economic and social justice and that in the Arab world in general, and Egypt in particular.
3-	Illustrate the ability to carry out a methodologically adequate research to pinpoint the relationship between theory and practice.

d. General and Transferable Skills:

1-	Allow the use of more techniques and methods in researching.
2-	Evaluate different Western regions and how they operate with respect to their cultural and political as well as economic settings.
3-	Compare and contrast between different western regions and reflect on what aspects from their practices have been imported or exported to or from other cultures or world regions; politically, economically and socially.

For further information :

Telephone: 16383 (16FUE)
E-mail: [email protected]

Western Political Systems:Different Contexts

Course topics and contents:

Topic	No. of hours	Lecture
Introductory Lecture and Course Outline	3	1
General conceptual setting: what is “western”, “eastern”, “southern” and “northern” in world, regional and domestic politics? Historical developments of the terms.	3	1
Historical reflections on: USA and Canada, their relations, general nature of political systems	3	1
Eastern and Western Europe: struggles, wars, the Soviet / Russian influence, racial matters and the EU	6	2
Japan and Israel as part of the West?	3	1
Midterm Exam		1
People, mass media and mass pressure: theory and practice	6	2
Mechanisms of political development: selected cases	3	1
Mechanisms of economic development: selected cases	3	1
Application of knowledge: films, clips or books/ literature discussions and presentations	6	2
A comparative and analytical overview of tackled matters in the semester	3	1
Final Exam		1

For further information :

Telephone: 16383 (16FUE)
E-mail: [email protected]

Western Political Systems:Different Contexts

Teaching And Learning Methodologies:

Teaching and learning methods
Demonstration videos
Presentation
Simulations
Debates
Group discussion
Research Paper

For further information :

Telephone: 16383 (16FUE)
E-mail: [email protected]

Western Political Systems:Different Contexts

Course Assessment :

Methods of assessment	Relative weight %	Week No.	Assess What
Course Work (Attendance, Participation, Assignments, Quizzes, Research Paper…)	30.00		To assess understanding, and to assess theoretical background of the intellectual and practical skills.
Final Exam	40.00	15	To assess knowledge and intellectual skills.
Midterm Exam(s)	30.00	7	To assess professional skills.