Congratulations! You’ve found your way to the PSC 330 blog. Here, I’ll be posting short articles that help to link the content of the course to what’s going on in the world. I’ll let you know on Twitter when a new post is up by tweeting with the hashtag #PSC330. This feed will also include links to additional news items or opinion pieces that are relevant to our course. If you’re not on Twitter, you can check the WebCampus Twitter widget or look on my website: rebeccagill.net. Just click on the “330” link on the menu bar.
Many of these blog posts will pose a question about the the breadth, limits, and interaction of government powers. You will choose from among these questions the topic for each of your three short papers in the course. Really, though, you’ll probably need to narrow the question a bit and form it into an appropriate argument that you can defend in your short papers. There’s much more information about this on our WebCampus page in the “Short Papers” folder.
The material on the blog is required, just as is the material in the book. You need to read the appropriate book section and the blog before you come to class. Each blog post will include the date by which I expect you to read it. I will be posting the blogs several class periods ahead so that you have the information you need to get started on your papers. I’ll post these a bit in advance, but not too far ahead; I want to make sure I have the chance to update these with any new cases or content that is relevant to the discussion.
The blog content will feature prominently in most of our classroom discussions, and it is fair game for both the in-class clicker questions and the exams. Remember, if I preface a link by saying “read this,” then the material on the linked page is required, too. Enjoy!
-RG
