Personal Statement for Tenure Review - Lecture Notes | POSC 215 | Study notes Comparative Law and Politics

Personal Statement for Tenure Review

Teaching Section (abbreviated)

Bruce K. Rutherford

September 22, 2008

My teaching at Colgate has concentrated on classes that deal with the Middle East and

the Islamic world: Comparative Politics of the Middle East (POSC 215); Islam and Politics

(POSC 304); International Relations of the Middle East (POSC 363); and Core-Middle East

(Core 183). I also teach a seminar on democratization in the developing world, which compares

experiences with democratic transitions in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and East Asia

(POSC 437).

During my courses, I aim for students to accomplish four objectives:

- Achieve mastery of the course readings. This entails full understand of each reading’s factual

content and argument.

- Improve analytical skills. Students should develop the capacity to evaluate a complex

problem, break it into its components, examine the relationship among these components,

and then reassemble these components into a new understanding of the problem.

- Increase intellectual confidence. Students should gain a greater willingness and capability to

take a position on a difficult issue, explain this position, defend it from criticism, and

learn from this criticism.

- Strengthen communication skills. Students should increase their capacity to communicate

ideas verbally and in writing.

I pursue these objectives by employing the following techniques, which make up the

“tool box” that I draw upon when designing and teaching courses.

1. Reading assignments: I assign a heavy reading load from a variety of sources, including

textbooks, primary source readings by key thinkers and policymakers, analytical writings by

scholars in several disciplines, and commentary by political observers and pundits. My goal is to

give students an awareness of the multiple perspectives on any given issue along several

parameters: disciplinary (political science, history, sociology, law); political (the positions of all

key actors in a dispute); and professional (scholar, policymaker, journalist, and others). By the

end of my course, students have gained extensive experience analyzing a wide variety of types of

information, evaluating its accuracy, and weighing its soundness in order to arrive at a position.

2. Lectures by the instructor: I rely on lectures to convey essential information, place the

readings in a broader intellectual and policy context, and provide alternative perspectives on the

issues discussed in the readings. In most of my classes, I write an outline of the lecture on the

board and then derive my presentation from the points in the outline. This approach has several

advantages: it enhances the clarity of the presentation, as students can refer to the outline to

remind themselves how a given point fits into the overall flow of the lecture; it facilitates

studying, as I make these outlines available to students through Blackboard; and it allows me to

present the lecture without relying on notes. Instead, I can maintain maximum eye contact with

the audience and glance at the outline to remind myself of the next point in the argument, while

also moving out from behind the podium to interact more freely with students. This approach

has worked well at conveying information clearly in a manner that facilitates class discussion

and student questions.

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Personal Statement for Tenure Review Teaching Section (abbreviated) Bruce K. Rutherford September 22, 2008

My teaching at Colgate has concentrated on classes that deal with the Middle East and the Islamic world: Comparative Politics of the Middle East (POSC 215); Islam and Politics (POSC 304); International Relations of the Middle East (POSC 363); and Core-Middle East (Core 183). I also teach a seminar on democratization in the developing world, which compares experiences with democratic transitions in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and East Asia (POSC 437).

During my courses, I aim for students to accomplish four objectives:

Achieve mastery of the course readings. This entails full understand of each reading’s factual content and argument.
Improve analytical skills. Students should develop the capacity to evaluate a complex problem, break it into its components, examine the relationship among these components, and then reassemble these components into a new understanding of the problem.
Increase intellectual confidence. Students should gain a greater willingness and capability to take a position on a difficult issue, explain this position, defend it from criticism, and learn from this criticism.
Strengthen communication skills. Students should increase their capacity to communicate ideas verbally and in writing.

I pursue these objectives by employing the following techniques, which make up the “tool box” that I draw upon when designing and teaching courses.

Reading assignments: I assign a heavy reading load from a variety of sources, including textbooks, primary source readings by key thinkers and policymakers, analytical writings by scholars in several disciplines, and commentary by political observers and pundits. My goal is to give students an awareness of the multiple perspectives on any given issue along several parameters: disciplinary (political science, history, sociology, law); political (the positions of all key actors in a dispute); and professional (scholar, policymaker, journalist, and others). By the end of my course, students have gained extensive experience analyzing a wide variety of types of information, evaluating its accuracy, and weighing its soundness in order to arrive at a position.
Lectures by the instructor: I rely on lectures to convey essential information, place the readings in a broader intellectual and policy context, and provide alternative perspectives on the issues discussed in the readings. In most of my classes, I write an outline of the lecture on the board and then derive my presentation from the points in the outline. This approach has several advantages: it enhances the clarity of the presentation, as students can refer to the outline to remind themselves how a given point fits into the overall flow of the lecture; it facilitates studying, as I make these outlines available to students through Blackboard; and it allows me to present the lecture without relying on notes. Instead, I can maintain maximum eye contact with the audience and glance at the outline to remind myself of the next point in the argument, while also moving out from behind the podium to interact more freely with students. This approach has worked well at conveying information clearly in a manner that facilitates class discussion and student questions.

Analytical papers and exams: In these assignments, I present a provocative statement or controversial policy and call upon the student to evaluate it. The student’s job is to describe the core issue, present the competing arguments, evaluate the evidence supporting each argument, and reach a conclusion regarding which view he/she considers most convincing. I provide students with detailed comments on their written work, particularly their papers. I try to begin with a positive observation, and then provide specific critiques of strengths and weaknesses in the essay. I also offer specific suggestions for improving each student’s writing technique. For paper assignments, I type my comments on a separate sheet of paper. The comments run approximately one page in length, single spaced. I keep a copy of these comments on my computer and refer to it when evaluating subsequent papers by the same student, in order to assess the student’s progress. I also keep an electronic copy of each student’s paper for this same purpose.
Reaction papers: Each student is required to attend at least two events outside of class that are related to the course, such as a campus lecture, a film, or a cultural performance. The student then prepares a short essay that summarizes the key points made at the event; indicates whether he/she agrees or disagrees with these points; and explains his/her position using ideas and evidence from the class readings. This assignment exposes students to new perspectives on the course topic, often from disciplines other than political science. It allows them to explore this new perspective on their own initiative while further developing their writing and critical thinking skills. It also makes them aware of the many opportunities at Colgate for learning outside of the classroom.
Research papers: In addition to assigning research papers in my classes, I have worked with several students on their independent research projects. I have advised seven students who wrote honors theses and two students who conducted independent research during the summer. Working with students on their original research has been among the most enjoyable experiences during my time at Colgate. I regard the advising process as a collaborative effort in which the student and I jointly explore an important and interesting question. I often gain valuable insights into my own work during this process. My approach to advising students on their research emphasizes a high degree of interaction to help them pose a clear research question, develop a research strategy, identify relevant sources, conduct research, analyze this information, draw a clear conclusion, investigate (and disprove) alternative explanations, and present the project’s findings in a succinct and persuasive manner.
Student presentations on readings: I routinely require students to present the course readings in class. I have two objectives with this assignment: develop the student’s capacity to distill a complex reading down to its three or four key points; and increase the student’s public speaking skill and confidence. I enforce a rigid time constraint of 10 minutes on these presentations, in order to deter students from simply describing the reading at great length. I use the key issues raised in the student’s presentation as the starting points for class discussion. After class, I send the student a detailed e-mail regarding his/her grade on the presentation and a few suggestions for improvement.
Analytical presentations by students: In these assignments, I give a student a specific question to address or a provocative statement to evaluate. His/her presentation must have the following characteristics: identify the core issues; present the competing arguments; evaluate the validity of these arguments; and take a position. We then proceed to a class discussion that

by grounding each class in four principles, which are stated explicitly and reiterated throughout the semester:

clarity of thought and expression in order to articulate a position accurately;
analytical rigor in order to evaluate this position fairly and thoroughly;
intellectual flexibility in order to understand competing views;
willingness to engage constructively with opposing views in order to refine and develop a position.

This approach encourages students to test their presuppositions in an intellectual environment that is respectful and supportive. It also empowers them to understand the complexity and subtlety of the issues that shape the Middle East, and to develop their own well-informed positions on the region.

Personal Statement for Tenure Review - Lecture Notes | POSC 215, Study notes of Comparative Law and Politics

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