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講義概要/Course description
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Controversies on institutional reforms in U.S. politics
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達成目標/Course objectives
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By finishing this course, students will gain understanding of multiple perspectives on how the U.S. political system is/isn't working, should work, and could be remedied. Students will also consider whether parallel problems exist in Japanese politics.
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学部・研究科のディプロマポリシー（卒業認定・学位授与の方針）に基づき、当該科目を履修することで身につく能力 / Abilities to be acquired by completing the course in accordance with the faculty and graduate school diploma policy (graduation certification and degree conferral)
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学部・研究科のディプロマポリシー（卒業認定・学位授与の方針）/ Undergraduate and Graduate Diploma Policy (Graduation Certification and Degree Conferral)
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履修条件（事前に履修しておくことが望ましい科目など）/Prerequisite
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No previous course is required. For those who are not familiar with the U.S. politics, the 2nd week will be devoted to basic questions and answers on the U.S. political system.
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授業計画/Lecture plan
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1
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| 授業計画/Class |
Course Selection: Students who want to enroll in this course must answer an exam question, which is due at 2:50 pm, Thursday, April 6. The question for this exam will be released on Monday, April 3 on Course Power.
If 15 or fewer students submit their answers before the deadline, all of them will be enrolled in this course (but we will automatically register you for this course, so be careful). In the case in which more than 15 students submit an exam answer (which never happened before), a selection will be made and only those who passed the selection can enroll in this course.
[履修に関しての重要事項]「プリゼミ」は15人以下の少人数で行うことが基本なので、初回授業の終了時4月6日（木）14:50 を締め切りに、オンライン・セレクションを行います。試験問題は4月3日に Course Power で発表し、回答者が15人以下の場合は全員登録できます（自動的に登録されるので注意して下さい）。もし15人以上の回答者がいたら、試験の内容によってセレクションを行い、合格者のみが登録できるものとします。 |
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2
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| 授業計画/Class |
Questions and Answers period to obtain basic understanding of the U.S. politics. |
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3
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| 授業計画/Class |
Overview of the U.S.Constitution
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4
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should the U.S. have a national primary to choose party nominees instead of allowing Iowa and NewHampshire to go first?
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5
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should the U.S. President be chosen by a nation-wide election like France rather than by electoral college (選挙人団)？
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6
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should the House of Representatives be elected by proportional representation （比例代表制）rather than from single member districts（小選挙区制）?
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7
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should the U.S. adopt a national referendum system （国民投票）to make laws outside the Congress?
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8
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should voting be mandatory (義務的) ?
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9
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should criminals be given the right to vote?
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10
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should political donations from large corporations be restricted?
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11
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should the media be politically neutral?
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12
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should legislators be allowed to allocate budgets to their own districts and particular groups which support them?
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13
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should states be allowed to set their own alcohol drinking age limits? |
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14
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should states are allowed to set the minimum drinking age? |
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15
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| 授業計画/Class |
Should the terms of the Supreme Court Justices be set for fixed years instead of lifetime?
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| 事前学習/Preparation |
Read the chapter assigned for the class of the week. |
| 事後学習/Reviewing |
Toward the end of the class, students are asked to write a reaction paper based upon the discussion of the week. |
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授業方法/Method of instruction
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| 区分/Type of Class |
対面授業 / Classes in-person
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| 実施形態/Class Method |
通常型 / regular
補足事項/Supplementary notesThis course is given in a seminar format rather than a lecture format. One or two student(s) will make their presentations, followed by class discussion. Toward the end of the class, the instructor will give basic information for understanding the class material of the next week. Then students will be given time to write reaction papers.
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| 活用される授業方法/Teaching methods used |
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成績評価方法/Evaluation
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| 1 |
その他 Others
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20%
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Presentations (20 points). Students will make two presentations summarizing the reading assignment and stating their positions on the issue of the week.
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| 2 |
平常点 In-class Points
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30%
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Participation in class discussion (30 points). Students will be evaluated on their contributions to raise the quality of class discussion.
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レポート Report
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50%
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Reaction papers (maximum 50 points). At the end of each week, students will be given 10-15 minutes to write their reflections on the class discussion, and are given either 3 or 4 points depending on their quality. Extra points will be given on good comments.
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課題（試験やレポート等）に対するフィードバックの方法/Feedback methods for assignments (exams, reports, etc.)
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I will return the reaction papers with my comments in the following week to each student who wrote the paper.
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教科書/Textbooks
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| | 著者名
Author | タイトル
Title | 出版社
Publisher | 出版年
Published year |
| 1 |
Rechard J. Ellis and Michael Nelson eds.
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Debating Reform: Conflicting Perspectives on How to Fix the American Political System, 2nd ed.
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Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press
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2014
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メッセージ/Message
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Although this course is offered entirely in English, how fluently you speak English is not very important. Your willingness to learn something new is more important. Asking basic questions in class will not be punished; rather it is encouraged.
Reading assignments are not short; but by finishing this course, you will feel rewarded to have achieved one big academic goal.
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キーワード/Keywords
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U.S. politics
institutions
reform
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