Introduction
to Comparative Politics
Professor
Meredith Weiss
December/January
2013/2014
This course
will introduce you to the concepts, methods, and a number of key theories and
frameworks in the study of Comparative Politics. We will focus not on specific
cases, but on ways of describing, comparing, and assessing a range of cases. By
the end of the course, student should be able to classify and evaluate a given
country in light of key taxonomies (classification schemes) and metrics in the
subfield, to sketch a plan for comparative, and to research, and to understand
and compare different regime types, modes of participation, and broad
development strategies.
The course
will be run largely as a seminar. While the professor will lecture for part of
each class, student participation is expected. Come to class prepared with
questions and comments: details you did not understand, angles you found
interesting, etc. frequent, short, in-class exercises, completed individually
or in teams, will have allow you to test, apply, and extend your knowledge – so
completing the assigned reading for each class, before that class session, is
essential. In addition, there will be an in-class midterm exam and a final team
project (details to come). Students are required to attend 2 tutorial sessions
for this class per week, in line with the overall program guidelines.
For the
final project, each team will pick a different country. As a team, sketch the
key attributes of that state, in terms of the parameters we are studying in
this course: its institutional framework, the depth and scope of civil society,
its economic model and status, etc. Each team member will then pick one angle
and think comparatively about how that state might reconfigure or improve that
dimension. For instance, if a team selects Thailand as its country, the team as
a whole will describe that status quo, then one member might discuss a plan for
more equitable economic development, in light of what other countries have
tried and Thailand’s specific character; one might suggest a way to reconfigure
the legislature for greater stability; one might focus on ways to foster a
stronger political party system; and one might consider ways to cultivate
sustainable, constructive popular engagement, beyond mass protests. Offer a
balanced argument: note likely obstacles and tradeoffs, as well as benefits.
Each segment
of the final project – the collaborative introduction plus each individual
paper – should be approximately 1000 words. Each team will present its findings
in the final class; presentations should be on more than 20 minutes total.
There
is one textbook for the course: Timothy Lim, Doing Comparative Politics: An
Introduction to Approaches and Issues, 2nd ed. Boulder, CO: Lynne
Rienner Publishers, 2010.
All supplemental readings will be provided.
Ø Introduction
Ø What
is comparative politics?
Ø Comparative
methods
Ø Theory
in comparative politics
Ø Democracy,
authoritarianism, and regime changes
Ø Institutional
options
Ø The
“menu of manipulation”: Fraud and other problems
Ø Explaining
underdevelopment
Ø Explaining
economic growth
Ø Explaining
collective mobilization
Ø Student
presentations on final projects
No comments:
Post a Comment