Parliamentary Procedure

Here’s the summary notes for parliamentary procedure.

The materials cme from the following sources:

https://fyi.uwex.edu/adams4h/files/2013/05/Parliamentary-Procedure-Basics.pdf

https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/Education/activities/PDFs/SBSS_Lesson6_roberts_rules_of_order.pdf

They are pdf files. Some of you may want to read them in preparation for the activity.

I also include a link here to a decently made video if a parliamentary simulation.

Link

Scenario goals and guidelines for the simulation:

Body should elect it’s own officers.  Remember, officers are members of the bureaucracy, they will not participate in debates, and they will also have no voting rights.  They have their own official duties.

1 Chair

1 Secretary

2 Secretariat Members (1as sub secretary, 1 to design and create the official seal to be displayed above the seat of the Chair, and to be used along with letterhead on the official documents)

1 Sergeant-at-Arms 

Each student should’ve spoken at leadt 2x for the duration of the 2 sessions.  Once to speak for oragainst a motion.  Once to query a motion proponent or one of the speakers. (45 pts)

(15 pts)

There will be several sessions in 1 meeting.  Each begins w a call yo order and ends in adjournmeny.

1st session is election of officers and plotting if agendas for the next few sessions.

At least  3 motions discussed in the realm of local Philippine Politics.

Only 2 motions passed.

At least 2 Resolutions discussed in the realm of Philippine International Politics.

Only 1 resolution passed.

1 of the motions referred to a committee with instructions to report for the body to decide.

1 of the motions referred to a committee with powers to act.

1 of the motions should be unfinished business for the next session to finish.

1 of the motions should be log-rolled.

No motion should pass without being amended.

At least 1 amendment should be amended.

There should be at least 2 caucuses.

1 vote result should be recounted.

Rules should be suspended once for an important readon in the house.

Pol 3211: History of IR PPT and Sample Paper

All links accessible only by through official UST gmail accounts.

History of IR


Sample Paper 1


Sample Paper 2

3211 Comparative Politics: Discussion Area

Pls comment a query on the online lesson on the comment section.  Use your official UST google account.

Writing Chapter III

Chapter III is composed of 7 parts.

• Method
• Respondents or Participants/Selections
• Locale of the Study
• Research Instrument
• Data Gathering Method/Procedure
• Data Analysis
• Ethical Considerations

Many students and writers mistake that many parts of this chapter is a patch of paraphrases defining the parts.  Keep in mind that the thesis is YOURS.  Hence Chapter III is where you narrate and justify the procedure on how you intend to answer your problem, and to prove your thesis statement.

In method you will discuss 3 to 3.5 things.

• Method
• Approach
• Deisgn

There are two basic Methods:  Qualitative and Quantitative.

Advanced methods are Quanti-Quali and Quali-Quanti.

How does one determine or justify which one to use? 

Qualitative is used when there is not enough authorities or not enough data to conceptualize the thesis statement.  You will do qualitative in order to help gain insight into the essence of the phenomenon.  As extension.  Because of this, the writing of Chapyer IV should be more righ than rigorous.   It means, that there should be more high level of abstraction of concepts.  Deep explanations of ideas.

Quantitative if there’s an existing theory that rightly fits the phenomenon.  You will do quantitative in order to test the theory using statistical tools.  It will be more rigorous than rich.  It means that there will have to be more focus on the accuracy of the data in order to arrive at the conclusion.  It will be careful attention to details and ensuring that every detail match perfectly in order to avoid questions on accuracy.

There are three basic approaches:  Historical, Descriptive, and Experimental.

A qualitative historical research explains (studies) the past.

A qualitative descriptive or quantitative descriptive explains (studies) the present.

A quantitative experimental project or predicts (studies the possibilities of) the future.

Take note where the method and the approach matches.

A warning to keep in mind is that experimental approach may seem fancy as a word to use.  But again, make sure that you can justify.  It’s the most rigorous among the approaches.  And you will need cutting edge statistical designing for that.

For political science writers.  There is an additional approach.

You have to identify which approach in the study of politics does your research fall into:

• Institutionalism (old or new)
• Behavioralism
• Postbehavioralism / Normativism
• Postmodernism

Design varies depending on the goal of the research.

For qualitative:

There should be two basic designs.

Phenomenology – if the goal is to know based on the experiences of people.  If one’s purpose is to describe the phenomene based on the experience of the people involved.

Case study – is also experiential, but it’s purpose is to know what makes a particular situation unique.  Case studies are best used for model studies.  E.g.  You can’t propose solutions without models.  You can’t discuss problems also without any cases.  Case study fits best here.

To write: Identify and explain each. One to three paragraphs will do.

Respondents or Participants are terms used based whether you are using qualitative or quantitative methods.

The term, respondent, is best used in quantitative researches.  The people answer by responding to surveys.

Participant or Selection are used synonymously in a qualitative research.  The people participate in an interview, focus group discussion or any activity that can help in producing the needed data.

The number of respondents are determined based on sample size formula.  An important factor in this is the consideration of representation.  Is the population devided into different groups?  E.g. year levels of students? Programs?  Age groups?  Gender?  Do these need equal representation in the population?  Descriptive research may not require equali representation.  But experimental will have to considere having equal representation.

Selections are synonymous to participants because of the choosing.  They are not determined by statistical formula, but by arbitrary determination of best possible number.  You “select” participants because they will be your information base.  And the number ranges from 1 to 20.  This will depend on the design used.  For example.  A case study of a person who behaves politically based on TV exposure will be made to write in a Journal.  That one person can be the participant.  But more is better. 

The principle used in adding to the number is to gain saturation - in interviews, saturation happens when as you visit different people, there seems to manifest a particular pattern of answers.  You add because saturation is not yet evident.

This is different in an FGD.  You limit it to 7.  More will open the possibility of free riders, and one or a few will dominate the focus group.

To write: Identify and explain each. One to two paragraphs will do.

Locale of the Study is basic.  Simply justify why you chose the location.  The justification should be objective, not personal.

Research Instrument

The tool to gather the primary data.  For qualitative, the common instrument used is the Questionnaire Protocol.  For quantitative the common one is the Survey Questionnaire.

There are instruments that already exist, tried and tested. This is the best path for researchers.  But if it happens that you can’t find a suitable instrument.  You construct your own.

Constructing the instrument is based on the conceptual framework.  The questions to be rated or answered will be guided by the elements found there.  For qualitative, you are looking for indicators.  So you ask questions that can bring forth the indicators if such exist.  For quantitative, you quantify the parameters.  Such as rating performance, rating cleanliness.

Once composed.  The instrument must be pre-tested.  For qualitative, have 1 or 2 people who fit the same category as your selections (but not your actual selections) participate in a test interview.  For quantitative, have around 10 to 20 surveys accomplished by people who also fit the qualifications of your respondents (again, not your actual respondents) answer the survey.

Take note of how the test interview or the pretest survey happens.  The people will ract, not react, not understand your questions.  After that, note, does the answers satisfy the Problem?  Are they complete or incomplete?  Edit the instrument as necessary.

Data Gathering Method

This is where you narrate the actual process of how you will collect the data.  Will you do a survey?  An FGD?  An interview?  Is the interview structured or semi-structured?  Will you be using printed primary sources?  Will you interview people who experienced the phenomenon?  Or will you interview experts on the phenomenon?

Will the procedure be done in several steps?  Will it be in stages? Or Will it be in levels.

Identify each, then narrate and explain why you plan to do so.

Data Analysis Method

Reading the interview transcriptions is not analysis.  There are tools for analyzing the data.  And you choose the tools based on the approach and design that you use.  A correlational experiment will require T-Test or Perason’s R analysis.  Acase study or phenomenology will required data thematization, tabulation, and classification.  There are technologies that use these tools, such as MS Excel and SPSS for statistics.  And MaxQDA and AtlasTi for analyzing transriptions. 

Discuss in proper sequence and in detail, with appropriate justification why you plan to use which particular tool.

Ethical Considerations

This is where you narrate how you plan to protect the research subjects.  You declare a particular reference for research ethics.  And provide a summary of how you plan to comply. Do you brief your respondents and participants?  Do you ask for consent to answer questions?  Do you have plans and procedures to conceal their identities?  Enumerate and narrate.  Cite as needed.

Writing Chapter II: Review of Related Literature and Studies (RRLS)

This chapter informs the reader of the progress or development of knowledge, from its creation until the present.  Many disciplines require an age limit to sources of no older than x years from present.  This is to ensure that the topic of the researcher is 1) timely, and 2) not tired jaded.  There are few exemptions to the age limit rule. Samples of exemptions are classical sources or the classic material of a particular topic.  For example,  you can’t discuss cultural conflict between nations without mentioning Huntington.  Nor you can’t have a discussion of Realism without Morgenthau.

The Review of Related Literature and Studies surveys what has already been written about your topic.  It creates a map and shows a missing gap where your thesis can fit in.

A good example is going to the library and looking at the shelf.  Have you noticed that all compa books are lumped together in one shelf (sometimes if there's a lot they extend to the next).  The same with the Pol Thought books, and the Pub Ad books.  If you look at the library number, those numbers are assigned based on what they are about.  Sample Political Science is "J" under that Political Theory is "JC"  the books with JC will be JC+ number.  Hence, Aristotle, Augustine, Machiavelli will be in "JC."  Where should Hobbes be?  Somewhere before Machiavelli?  And any shelf will have such a sequence.  But have you ever noticed if "Elazar" is in the sequence?  If you haven't then that means that there's a GAP.  That's what's not yet been added.  Going back to your thesis, what's already been written on the topic?  Has someone already done what you propose now?  If yes then better drop that proposal.  How about, is there a difference between your proposal and all that's been written before?  If yes, then that's the GAP which you are accomplishing.

Difference between Literature and Study:

The best way to distinguish is to begin with Studies.  A requirement of being a study is that it is a scientific, methodical research on the topic.  Most journals and monographs are studies.  Though there are studies that are published in book form.  The basic way to identify is, check out if the material is a journal.  If it is then it is a study.  Anything else is Literature. 

And literature can vary in many ways.  Primarily, they are books.  But they can also be multimedia sources, and internet webpages.

In any research, the headings are basically based on topics.  But for some disciplines, it is required to identify which sources are foreign and which are local.

The identifying mark is the place of publication.  Whether it is a book, journal, webpage, news, media, or a pamphlet.  The place where the material originated is what makes it Foreign or Local.

How does one proceed with writing?

Use topic headings as guided by your variables.  These headings should be in the form of phrases not one or two word terms, not sentence, e.g. Federalism and environmental protection, Gender and voting behavior.  There should be topics talking about your independent variable and your dependent variable.  Again the point of doing this is that you are pointing out what people have already written in the past.  Hence you identify what have they contributed to political science?  To the specific topic you are working on?  These include, where they conducted the study, what they studied, what method they used, and what findings they provided.  Since this is a review or related ness.  You should discuss these in relation to other writers.  E.g.  "Castillo (2005) and Aricheta (2004) conducted studies on gender in Japan.  Castillo provided the following findings .... while Aricheta....  somewhat similar but different because..."   

Aside from the Theoretical Framework, this part is mistaken as another patchwork of paraphrases from various sources.

Again the thesis is yours.  You cite to support yourself.

In the case of the RRLS you are writing about what you know on the development of the ideas or topics.  And you mention each Literature or Study as your identification of the parts of that development.  Since each of these literatures and studies contribute to this progress.

Each topic should begin with an introductory paragraph for that topic.  The same paragraph will enumerate the prominent writers or wittings on that topic. 

e.g.  Human rights is a much discussed topic nowadays.  Among the present literature include….

Or Writters such as xyz (2015), abc (2015), and efg (2016)  each proposed their ideas on TOKHANG phenomenon…

Looking at preceding sample.  Take into mind that the literatures and studies should be enumerated and discussed ad majoritas (from oldest to youngest) to show the chronological development.

After the introductory paragraph.  Give each of the mentioned sources their own discussion.  Again, YOU discuss.  Paraphrase to support what you say about the article.  Again, add paragraphs if there are subsequent ideas in that article that needs discussion (e.g. you are reviewing Almond and Verba who said that that there are three political cultures.  Then based on your discussion, you might have at least two paragraphs for that.  And of course, don’t forget to cite.

Provide a closing paragraph after each topic. 

Definition of Terms

There are teomain parts with format subheadings.

• Operational Terms
• Conceptual Terms

Operational definitions are defined by the writer, fitting the terms to the research.  Because not all existing definitions will be exact for your thesis. 

Conceptual definitions are sourced from disciplinary authorities.  Never use the discionary or encyclopedia please.

A very important note.  Before proceeding to define every term you might think of.  The first things to define are the components of the Thesis Statement.  

Scope and Limitations

Should have two parts.  Both have format subheadings as follows:

• Scope
• Limitations

Each should have approximately 1 paragraph each.

Scope should identify specifically:

What?

Who?

Where?

When

Why?

How?

Of your thesis.

The same holds true with the Limitations, you have to specifically identify what won’t be the topic.  Where the scope defines what IS the topic.

Along with the limitations include another paragraph, which may be needed to be written.  These include what you cannot do.  E.g.  Language barrier, the researchers cannot speak Korean, and therefore will need the services of a translator.  The researchers cannot physically go to Vietnam, hence the interviews will be conducted via Sype.

Conceptual Framework

This part of the thesis is where the writer digests for the reader.  Divides the variables into their components elements.  These elements are what make up each idea.  For example:  Federalism, what are its components?  According to Elazar it’s shared-rule, and self-rule.  Sometimes, the theory provided in the Theoretical Framework can already deliver these.  Sometimes, you’ll need more authors.  At least one for each of the two variables.

The elements identified should be discussed in detail.  And applied on how the thesis statement is working.  And since this part is an exercise of explaining ideas.  It is accompanied by a diagram called paradigm.  It is the Thesis Statement in diagram form.  A way to imagine the idea.

In making the paradigm, make sure that the following are identifiable:

• The two variables.
• The elements that compos each variable.
• The relationship of the two variables.
• The relationships of the elements.

These elements help in formulating the Statement of the Problem sub-questions.  In fact, the sub-questions and the Conceptual Framework should echo each other.

These same elements eventually become the parameters and/or indicators for the study.

Parameters provide a way of measuring.  For example, if one is talking about economic growth.  Then corollary to it is the question of what are the things that we need to measure that can mean that there is growth?  GDP?  Income?  Savings?

Indicators, are more qualitative.  They are another way of saying symptoms.  An example is social decay.  What are the things that should be noted to mean that there is social decay?  Presence of apathy?  Presence of vote abstention?

These elements should help as guides when formulating the research instrument which will be used in the methodology.