reading and take note and answer questions

PIA EXERCISE SHEET 3 Due before 12 noon on Monday, 5 October (Week 3)

Make sure you leave sufficient time to complete the tasks (reading and thinking!) and also to deal with the technology (library searches, resources access, Turnitin etc). If you have waited until Monday morning to begin, you are probably too late!

Make sure you have done the following • Read through the full Module Handbook on Bb so you can understand more about the module’s subject

matter, learning outcomes, assessment criteria, and regulations. • Keep learning to use the PIA Bb site and keep up with module announcements and weekly tasks. • If you have arrived late and haven’t completed an Exercise Sheet before, please, carefully read “About

Learning Portfolio Reading Notes – READ THIS FIRST”! You will find this in the Learning Resources section of the PIA Bb site.

• If you haven’t completed Exercise Sheet 1 yet, you can still do it now without penalty. • Watch the Lectures in the Week 2 Folder. (These will appear by Tuesday evening this week)

Reading and Notetaking Task (3)

1) Read the indicated sections of the following three textbooks*: • Hoffman and Graham, 2015, Introduction to Political Theory, pp.xi-xv. (This is the first five and half

pages of the Introduction.) • Heywood, 2015, Key Concepts in Politics and International Relations, pp.x-xiv. (This is the section

entitled “Uses and Abuses of Political Concepts”) • Heywood, 2004, Political Theory: an Introduction, Chapter 1, pp. 1-6 and 9-14 (“Introduction:

Concepts and Theories in Politics”), but you can skip the grey text boxes on pp.7-9.

2) Take structured notes on each source: • Begin your notes on a source by writing the source and all of its bibliographic details at the top of

the page (Author, year, title, publisher). • Don’t try to write down everything you read. Pick out the key points. Be sparing. • Structured note-taking: Pick out sections and themes from the text and use sub-sections and bullet

points to organize your work. Choose categories that help you make sense of the material. Create your own structure or see how to make structured notes.

• Minimize your use of quotation. Write in your own words as much as possible. Note down how YOU understand the material.

• If quoting, use short quotations or partial quotes – but always use quotation marks. • Always keep track of the page number in brackets every time you use a new page. Like this: (p.21).

All quotations should be followed by an in-line reference. • Use your reading to improve your vocabulary. Make a list of terms you don’t understand and look

these up in a dictionary (unless they are political theory concepts in which case you can look them up in Heywood 2015 above!).

3) Answer the following questions 1. List some advantages you gained from reading three books on the same topic, including two

separate readings by the same author. 2. Why is it so important to clarify the meaning of political concepts? 3. What do you think are the key differences between political theory, political philosophy and

political science? 4. Define behaviourism, positivism, empiricism, and anti-foundationalism. (You can glean these

from the readings or try looking them up in Heywood, 2015.) 5. What is normative theory. What is value-freedom? 6. Is the use of factual evidence ethically neutral? 7. Is it possible to devise political concepts that have no normative implications? 8. Can we make statements about politics without theorizing at the same time? 9. Give some examples of common everyday abstractions we use to help us understand the world. 10. What is the aim of political theory? What should be the aim of political theory?

When answering the questions above:

• Write in complete sentences and in your own words as much as possible. • Aim to write between one to five full sentences on each question. • Insert inline references – including a page number - to show where you got particular answers. Like

this: (Heywood 2004: 9). Make sure to include the year so we know exactly which book you are using.

• Tip: where relevant, use more than one source to answer a question. (Reference each one, following the material you learned from each book)

• Be prepared to discuss the issues in a small group during the seminar. • Be prepared to share at least one of these answers in front of the whole class during the seminar.

*You will find the essential readings on the Module Reading List under Learning Resources. When accessing the books, you may be taken to a page giving you a range of access points. Choose “Shibboleth”, then enter our university name. You should then be able to sign in with your usual Westminster login details. If you encounter problems finding or accessing a source at any point, remember to Ask a Librarian!

Skills Task (2): Searching and Evaluating Sources

1) Library Search • Now return to the Further Reading list at the end of Heywood 2004, Chapter 1 (p.14). • Go to the Library Search page and look these sources up. Make a list here of which of the sources

are available in our library • Find the Library Search link under Learning Resources on our Module Bb site.

2) Judging the Credibility of Sources

• Go to p. 3 of the Module Handbook and find the bullet pointed section about news sources. • Using one (or both) of the two credibility- and bias-checking websites, classify the news sources

listed according to their political bias and credibility. • Also enter any other news sources normally read by you, your parents, and others you know. List

the results of these, too. (Don’t miss the final question on the next page!)

• Did any of these results surprise you?

How to Submit your Work

Submit your work by 12:00 noon on Monday, October 5th through the Turnitin submission portal in the Week 2 Folder on Bb. You will need to type up your notes, even if they are initially handwritten. Write your answers into a word document and Save As: “Your Full Name, Exercise Sheet 3”. Inside the document, include your name, student number and the section headings in this sheet so we can easily see which parts you are answering.

If you need information about how to submit: follow the Online Submission Guidance, and these instructions. More information about what Turnitin is and how it works is at the bottom of this FAQs page. If you have problems with Turnitin see the FAQs. Then, if still having issues, you can Log a Call to IT. It is important to leave plenty of time to complete and submit your work in case you have technical issues.