Lesson Report:
Title: Power, Authority, and “Who Gets What�: Launching Political Inquiry through Lived Decisions and Campus Power Mapping
Synopsis: This first seminar introduced core political science concepts—power and politics—by grounding them in students’ lived experiences and visible campus structures. Through a guided free-write and a “power mapping� field activity, students practiced identifying actors, rules, and stakes in everyday decisions, then applied a working definition of politics as decisions about who gets what, when, and how. The session emphasized how power operates through rules, authority, incentives, and limited resources, setting up a shared conceptual foundation for the course.
Attendance
– Number of students mentioned absent: 0 (exact attendance taken via Telegram group; total class size referenced as ~20)
Topics Covered (chronological, with activity/topic labels)
1) Welcome, expectations, and course habits
– Objectives for today:
– Begin learning student names.
– Reinforce key ideas from the assigned reading (power, politics).
– Complete two activities: free-write on decisions and campus power mapping.
– Study habit emphasized:
– Keep a paper notebook and pen; build dense notes for midterm/final.
– Reading check:
– Few students completed the reading; instructor asked students to at least extract main points in future.
2) Free-write activity: “A decision made for you�
– Task instructions (students wrote individually in notebooks):
– Identify one significant life decision that was made for you (by a parent, school, government, friend, etc.).
– Answer four prompts:
1) What was the decision?
2) Who was involved? (name people if possible, not just institutions)
3) What was at stake? (consequences of following vs. not following)
4) Name one rule that compelled compliance (phrased as a “should�: e.g., children should obey parents).
– Instructor model (trash example) to illustrate “stakeâ€� and “ruleâ€�:
– Decision: Mother requires taking out the trash.
– Stakes for student: pleasant-smelling apartment; mother’s mood; retaining phone; avoiding punishment.
– Stakes for mother: clean home; teaching responsibility; maintaining obedience/authority.
– Underlying rule: “Children should obey their parents.â€�
– Discussion focus:
– Everyone in a decision has something to gain/lose; consequences exist for both parties.
– Rules can be practical and normative (e.g., cleanliness) and value-laden (responsibility, obedience).
3) From authority to power: clarifying core concepts
– Who had power in the student examples? Typically parents, grounded in authority.
– What is authority? The recognized right to make decisions for others.
– What happens when authority is disobeyed? Punishments and restraints (loss of phone, social/financial restrictions).
– Working definition of power:
– Power is the ability to achieve desired outcomes by getting others to do things—even when they do not want to.
– Not merely agreement; includes compliance under threat of consequences.
4) Politics defined and situated in scarcity
– Reading-linked definition: Politics is about decisions over who gets what, when, and how.
– Resources are limited (water, land, money, seats in a class), which creates competition and necessitates distribution decisions.
– Framing for the course: track how power and rules shape distribution and compliance.
5) Campus activity: Power Mapping (field exercise)
– Purpose: Identify visible manifestations of power in the university setting and analyze them using the class framework.
– Pairing: Students worked with Tuesday partners (in some cases, adjusted).
– Instructions to collect:
– How is power visible? (e.g., uniforms, cameras, ID checks, signage, posted rules, forms).
– Who is involved? (list specific roles/people, not just institutions).
– What is at stake for each party? (benefits and sanctions for compliance and noncompliance).
– Time: ~15–20 minutes walking around campus.
6) Debrief: Applying the framework to concrete campus cases
– Case 1: Library as a site of power (Asnay’s group)
– Visibility: ID required to borrow; enforced quiet; no food; cleanliness norms; loan periods; fines for late returns.
– Actors: Librarians/staff and students.
– Stakes:
– Students: Access to books and quiet study; fines if late; potential suspension of borrowing privileges.
– Librarians: Accountability for collections; administrative scrutiny if books are lost or rules unenforced.
– Conceptual notes:
– Power is not binary; both sides hold some power and face consequences.
– Case 2: Professors and the syllabus
– Visibility: Syllabi as written rules (attendance, grading, deadlines, AI policy).
– Actors: Instructor, students, department chair/program (e.g., “Gurkhamâ€�), administration.
– Stakes:
– Students: Grades, participation credit, progression toward graduation.
– Instructors: Departmental and administrative oversight if course outcomes are problematic (e.g., mass failures).
– Conceptual notes:
– Distinguish written laws (syllabus) from unwritten norms; power operates within oversight chains.
– Case 3: Surveillance cameras and security
– Visibility: Cameras throughout campus; security staff monitoring.
– Actors: Security personnel, students, faculty/staff.
– Stakes:
– Students/staff: Deterrence and sanctions for rule violations; increased safety; recovery help if theft occurs.
– Security: Duty to intervene and report; accountability if incidents are missed.
– Conceptual notes:
– “Feeling of controlâ€� matters; power includes perception and can yield safety benefits (carrot and stick).
– Case 4: Gym/PE instruction
– Visibility: Coach commands (push-ups, laps); structured class routines.
– Actors: Instructor and students; administrative oversight.
– Stakes:
– Students: Course pass/fail; impact on graduation if failing required PE.
– Instructor: Accountability if students are noncompliant or outcomes are poor.
– Conceptual notes:
– Clear example of commands with immediate compliance demands; two-way stakes visible.
– Case 5: Add/Drop forms and enrollment caps
– Visibility: Students seeking instructor signatures; capacity limits; administrative forms.
– Actors: Students, instructor, registrar/administration.
– Stakes:
– Students: Securing a seat needed for timely graduation.
– Instructor: Must adhere to capacity rules; subject to oversight if over-enrolled.
– Conceptual notes:
– Resource scarcity sharpens power dynamics; often a negotiation under constraints.
– Instructor synthesis across cases:
– Power relations are multi-directional, not purely top-down.
– Both punishment (sticks) and benefits (carrots) structure compliance.
– Oversight layers matter; actors are embedded in larger systems and rules.
7) Wrap-up and logistics
– Unpresented groups will share at the start of next seminar.
– Communication: Join the seminar Telegram group (also used for attendance capture).
– Readings:
– If you missed today’s reading, complete it over the weekend.
– An additional short reading (basics of politics, rules, and power definitions) will be posted tonight on e-course.
Actionable Items
Immediate (before next class)
– Post the second short reading to e-course and announce via Telegram.
– Send a Telegram reminder to complete both readings (today’s and the new one) and bring paper notebooks.
– Use the Telegram group to finalize attendance for this session; reconcile with roster (~20 students).
– Plan time at next session for remaining groups to present their power-mapping findings.
Short-term (next 1–2 sessions)
– Prepare a mini-lecture/board outline clarifying:
– Power vs. authority; incentives (carrots) and sanctions (sticks).
– Laws (written rules like syllabi) vs. norms (unwritten expectations).
– Resource scarcity and distribution (“who gets what, when, howâ€�).
– Create a brief reading guide (key terms and 2–3 guiding questions) to improve reading uptake.
Ongoing
– Continue learning and recording student names; consider a quick name/pronunciation check-in at the start of class.
– Reinforce the paper notebook expectation and how to structure notes for exams.
– Clarify and reiterate the AI policy and participation expectations listed in the syllabus.
Homework Instructions:
ASSIGNMENT #1: Weekend Reading — Basics of Politics, Rules, and Power
You will read a short text that introduces and clarifies the core ideas we worked with in seminar (power, politics, and rules) so you can connect the definitions to our “power mapping� activity and next week’s discussions.
Instructions:
1) Access the new short reading that the instructor will post tonight. It covers the basics of what politics is, what rules are, and definitions of power.
2) Read it carefully before our next class on Tuesday.
3) In your paper notebook (your “lifeline� for the midterm and final), write:
– The definition(s) of politics presented (e.g., decisions about who gets what, when, and how) and of power (e.g., the ability to achieve desired outcomes from others even when they don’t want to).
– Two concrete examples from our university that illustrate these ideas (for instance: security checking IDs at entrances, library borrowing rules and fines, the syllabus as written rules, surveillance cameras, or the gym instructor’s authority).
– One question or point you want clarified next class about power, rules, or politics.
4) Bring your notebook to class and be ready to briefly apply these ideas when we continue from the power-mapping activity.
ASSIGNMENT #2: Catch-up Reading — Today’s Assigned Reading (if you did not complete it)
If you didn’t finish the reading that was assigned for today, complete it over the weekend so you’re fully prepared to follow and contribute to the next seminar.
Instructions:
1) Access the reading that was assigned for today (already posted).
2) Read it fully before Tuesday’s class.
3) In your paper notebook, summarize the main points and note how they connect to:
– Politics as decision-making about who gets what, when, and how.
– The role of rules, authority, and consequences in shaping behavior (as discussed with examples like parents’ authority, library deadlines, security checks, and instructors’ grading power).
4) Flag any sections you found confusing so you can ask about them at the start of next class.