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Amber A. Díaz
Department of Political Science
Duke University
326 Perkins Library
Box 90204
Durham, NC 27708-0204

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Political Satire:
Is the Pen Mightier than the Sword?

Spring 2004 Syllabus

Instructor: Amber Díaz

Office hours: by appointment

(Instructor of Record: Dr. Jack Crittenden)

What does political satire achieve that "serious" pieces cannot? This semester, we will examine American politics through the viewpoint of satire in various forms including cartoons, articles, film/TV, and literature.

Some of the questions we will be asking in this course are: Does satire affect public opinion? Does it affect policymakers? Does political satire have a special role in a democratic society? Are there significant methodological differences among print, cartoon, and multimedia satire pieces?

Format of the Class

I will be assigning weekly readings and/or homework assignments that correspond to the weekly theme. I will usually spend the first part of class giving an overview of the week's theme, along with appropriate examples. We will then have a group discussion of the assigned reading for that week and/or you will have the opportunity to present any assignments and discuss them with the class. Because a large part of the class will be discussion-based, it is very important that you come to class prepared. You should keep in mind the questions from the reading guide as you read the assignments (please see Attendance Policy, below). There will be no tests or quizzes.

Attendance Policy

Because this class only meets once each week, it is vital that you attend all sessions. If you know that you will be absent on a particular date, you must inform me as soon as possible and provide appropriate documentation for it to count as an excused absence. More than two unexcused absences will result in automatic failure of this course. Please note that attendance includes preparation to participate in class discussion as well as completion of any assignments.

Conduct

Please review the ASU Student Code of Conduct and the ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy

Everyone is expected to treat others with respect during class.
Difference of opinion and disagreement can be excellent learning tools.
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Schedule

Week 1 - January 21: Course introduction and overview; Next Week's Assignment: Read "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift

Week 2 - January 28: What is political satire?; Next Week's Assignment: Read Revolutionary War Era selections

Week 3 - February 4: Revolutionary War Era; Next Week's Assignment: Read Early United States selections

Week 4 - February 11: Early United States; Next Week's Assignment: Read Civil War Era selections

Week 5 - February 18: Civil War Era; Next Week's Assignment: Read WWI and WWII Era selections

Week 6 - February 25: World War I and II Era; Next Week's Assignment: Read "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Week 7 - March 3: The Cold War, Part I; No assignment for next week!

Week 8 - March 10: The Cold War, Part II; In-Class Viewing: Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb; Next Week's Assignment: Find and bring to class a satirical editorial cartoon or opinion piece on any subject published during the 1990s from a newspaper or online source and be prepared to (briefly) discuss it with the class. (Note: You may use the State Press online archives, but I do not want everyone to use them. Most daily papers have online archives, so the ASU library indexes are a good place to begin - select "News and Newspaper Articles" from the drop-down Subject menu.) Be sure to clearly attribute your source.

***SPRING BREAK = MARCH 15-19 = NO CLASSES***

Week 9 - March 24: Post-Cold War Era; Next Week's Assignment: Read Dave Barry columns on tobacco lawsuits

Week 10 - March 31: Tobacco Lawsuits; Next Week's Assignment: TBD

Week 11 - April 7: Nuclear Proliferation; In-Class Viewing: "Duck and Cover" from The Awful Truth v.1; Next Week's Assignment: Find and bring to class a satirical editorial cartoon or opinion piece from a current newspaper (within the last two weeks) and be prepared to (briefly) discuss it with the class. (Note: You may use the State Press, but I do not want everyone to use it.)

Week 12 - April 14: Current Events; Next Week's Assignment: Prepare a brief, original work of political satire to present to the class during the final two weeks of the semester. (You will have the opportunity to sign up to present on either April 21 or April 28.) Use your imagination and what you have learned during this course. You may pick any topic or issue, either contemporary or historical. You may format your piece however you like - a short article, cartoon, multimedia presentation, etc. Please note: If you would like to make a multimedia presentation and will need a projector and/or equipment that accommodates PowerPoint, VHS, or DVD, you must inform me in class or by e-mail no later than one week ahead of time, so that I may reserve the equipment.

Week 13 - April 21: What is political satire? Semester in review, Part I; Next Week's Assignment: See April 14

Week 14 - April 28 - LAST DAY OF CLASS: What is political satire? Semester in review, Part II; (Since we have focused only on pieces contemporary to the events they satirize, if we have time, we will also briefly discuss anachronistic satire this week.)

***READING DAY: MAY 5 - FINAL EXAMS: MAY 6-12***