Lesson Report:
**Title: Exploring Power and Political Dynamics**
**Synopsis:**
In this session, the class delved into the fundamental concept of power, its definitions, manifestations, and implications in political contexts. The objective was to equip students with the foundational understanding necessary for exploring more complex political ideas in future sessions. The lesson encouraged students to reflect on their personal experiences with power, examined the spectrum of power in societal structures, and introduced political science research methodologies.
**Attendance:**
– Absent: Ayturgan, Salma, Nahida
**Topics Covered:**
1. **Introduction to Power Concepts**
– Began with seating arrangements to foster a collaborative atmosphere.
– Emphasis on defining foundational political science terms: power, legitimacy, authority, and sovereignty.
– Discussed the importance of understanding these concepts for upcoming complex topics.
2. **Homework Review**
– Addressed the challenge of incomplete homework submissions.
– Reinforced the importance of homework for academic success.
– Engaged students in reflecting on their comprehension of homework questions.
3. **Defining Power in Political Contexts**
– Reviewed vocab words from previous lessons: power, legitimacy, authority.
– Facilitated student-led definitions: ability to achieve desired outcomes, legitimate power, authority as legitimate holders of power.
4. **Personal Reflection Exercise**
– Activity: Reflect on personal experiences of exercising power.
– Presented examples: leadership in student councils, family dynamics, organizing events.
– Explored different sources and expressions of power through personal anecdotes.
5. **Complexity of Power Structures**
– Introduced the idea of hierarchies and power spectrums.
– Discussed overt and subtle forms of power.
– Explored how power is demonstrated, where it originates, and its societal impact.
6. **Research in Political Science**
– Engaged in a group activity examining historical events:
– Brexit Referendum
– Cuban Missile Crisis
– U.S.-China Trade War
– Identified actors and their power dynamics in each event.
7. **Research Questions and Hypotheses in Political Science**
– Introduced the significance of crafting robust research questions and hypotheses.
– Highlighted the importance of moving beyond binary questions to understand complex issues.
**Actionable Items:**
– **Homework Submission:**
– Students should ensure homework is completed before class. Reach out if challenges arise.
– **Reading Assignments:**
– Complete the assigned chapter on political ideologies (approx. 20 pages) before the next class.
– **Future Class Preparations:**
– Prepare to discuss ideologies such as liberalism, conservatism, fascism, and communism next week.
– Reflect on the personal expressions of power to integrate into future discussions.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK. The transcript indicates that there was no new homework assignment given during this lesson, as the professor only mentioned a reading for next week (“We’re only going to have one chapter for reading over the weekend”) but did not provide a detailed task or set of instructions for a specific assignment during the class.