INTL 3300: Introduction to Comparative Politics Maymester 2013 Instructor: Megan Lounsbury Miller Learning Center: Room 245 Monday - Friday: 11:00 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Office Hours: Wednesdays, 1:45 2:45 p.m. (Jittery Joes in the MLC) or by appointment (Candler Hall, B02 or Jittery Joes) Email: mlouns@uga.edu The purpose of this course is to provide students with an introduction into the subfield of comparative politics, which is the study and practice of comparing different political units and systems, in whole or in part. To accomplish this, we will examine the qualities of various nations political systems and societies that make them similar or unique. In this course, we will cover some of the most important topics in comparative politics, such as the meaning of states, nations, societies, political culture, political economy, democracy, authoritarianism and totalitarianism, politics in both advanced and developing nations, and the rise and fall of communism. I. COURSE TEXTBOOK AND READINGS: Sodaro, Michael J. Comparative Politics: A Global Introduction, THIRD EDITION. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2008. Wiarda, Howard. Introduction to Comparative Politics: Concepts and Processes, Second Edition. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing, 2000. The Sodaro text is available for purchase at the UGA Bookstore. However, you will save a significant amount of money if you purchase the book online. I have found that the very best prices are from www.amazon.com, particularly the independent merchants that sell used copies. When purchased online, prices begin at about $20 (shipping included). The Wiarda text is available online. Prices for used books start at $4 (including shipping) on Amazon. A number of other readings for the course will be assigned, but these will be free of cost, gratis, tada, za darmo! These will be posted on the library reserves webpage where noted and can be accessed from: http://www.libs.uga.edu/access_services/reserves.html (password: comparativepols). Other articles and book chapters will be posted on our class elc page. Therefore, it is important to check our elc page regularly in order to keep yourself apprised of any and all additional readings that are assigned. IV. ASSESSMENT: Students will be graded on examinations, a research design (paper), in-class quizzes and class participation/attendance. Examinations will be essay, short answer, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions. The material on examinations will be taken from lecture notes, classroom discussions, textbook assignments and additional readings from the course outline. Regular class attendance is expected and failure to attend class will negatively affect the student s grade. Generally speaking, there should be no more than three absences within a term, and these ought to be due to plausible and verifiable causes. The student is responsible for all assignments, even though s/he may not be present in class when assignments are given. There will be a total of two examinations for the course. The midterm exam will consist of identification terms, true/false questions, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, and essay questions. It will cover the material from all preceding sections. The midterm exam is scheduled for May 23rd and will be held during our normal class meeting. 1
2 Our final exam is scheduled for June 5 th and will adhere to the same format as the midterm exam. The final examination will be cumulative, but the bulk of the material will be derived from the second half of the course. There will be one research paper due at the end of the Maymester. You will be allowed to select your own topic (related to comparative politics, of course), but you will need to format your paper as a research design (similar to what you see in journal articles). You will learn much more about how to do this on Day 2 (May 15 th ) during our discussion of the Methodologies of Comparative Politics. (Be sure not to miss class on this day!) We can also discuss your topics and hypotheses during other class times, as well as during individual student/instructor meetings, if you are interested. A number of in-class quizzes and assignments based upon the readings and lectures will be conducted throughout the semester. The dates and times of quizzes/assignments will be at the discretion of the instructor. I will drop your lowest quiz or assignment score, and the remaining quizzes/assignments will comprise 15% of your overall class grade. Finally, you will receive a grade for your attendance and participation in our class discussions. You will be graded on the quality (not quantity) of your contributions. Attendance and participation will comprise 10% of your overall class grade. Each individual assignment will be worth the following percentage of your grade: Midterm Exam: 25% Final Exam: 25% Research Design (Paper): 25% In-class Quizzes and Assignments: 15% Attendance/Participation: 10% Grading Scale: 93 to 100 = A 73 to 77 = C 90 to 93 = A- 70 to 73 = C- 87 to 90 = B+ 67 to 70 = D+ 83 to 87 = B 63 to 67 = D 80 to 83 = B- 60 to 63 = D- 77 to 80 = C+ Below 60 = F V. CLASS POLICIES: GENERAL CODE OF CONDUCT: Please make sure your cell phones are turned off before class. While class is in session, please be courteous to your fellow classmates and instructor. While I generally discourage the use of laptops in the classroom, if you feel you need a computer for the purpose of note taking, please use it for this purpose alone! You should not be surfing the internet, using Facebook, etc. If you are observed doing any of these things, it will greatly impact your course participation grade. Also, since this class revolves around the discussion of politics, culture, and current events, we will sometimes delve into controversial topics. Please remember to respect others opinions, even if you do not agree. Repeated offenses in this regard will result in a reduction of your participation grade. MAKE-UP EXAMINATIONS: Make-up examinations are only offered for university-excused absences. It will be your responsibility to contact me immediately if you have a conflict that will prevent you from taking the midterm or final exam on the scheduled dates. In addition, if you are ill on an exam day or on the date a major assignment is due, it is your responsibility to contact me within 24 hours (if reasonable) noting the absence and then show proper documentation (i.e. a note from a doctor or medical center) when you return to class.
GRADE APPEALS: if you feel that an exam or paper was graded incorrectly or unfairly, you are welcome to submit a written appeal to me within one week of the receipt of your grade. You should make sure to retain copies of all graded work until after your final course grade is received. DISABILITY ARRANGEMENTS: It is a University policy that students with documented disabilities received reasonable accommodations through access to classroom information. If you require special accommodations because of a university-documented condition, please contact me immediately. WITHDRAWAL POLICY: The WP and WF policy is as follows: if, prior to the withdrawal deadline of the mid-point of the semester, a student withdraws from the class and the students performance at that point is of a failing grade (59 or lower) the student will receive a WF ; however, if at that point, the students performance is of a passing grade (60 or higher) the student will receive a WP. Any withdrawals past the semester mid-point will result in an automatic WF. COURSE MODIFICATIONS: This syllabus should be viewed as a general plan for the semester, but deviations in the schedule and/or assigned readings may be necessary. Should deviations become necessary, I will communicate through announcements on the course website, through class announcements, or through email. VI. COURSE OUTLINE: This is a tentative course lesson plan, which is subject to change. The following readings should be completed before the first day of class on the week for which they are assigned. Day 1: May 14 th First day of class Introduction to the course and outline of course materials Introduction to Comparative Politics Sodaro, Chapter 1. Comparative Politics: What Is It? Why Study It? Wiarda, Chapter 1: What is Comparative Politics? (elc) Day 2: May 15 th Methodologies of Comparative Politics Sodaro, Chapter 3. Critical Thinking About Politics. Day 3: May 16 th Political Conflict Sodaro, Chapter 2. Major Topics of Comparative Politics. Additional Reading to be posted on elc. Day 4: May 17 th The State 3
Sodaro, Chapter 5. The State and its Institutions. (pp. 124 142 ONLY). Moe, Terry and Michael Caldwell. (1994). The Institutional Foundations of Democratic Government: A Comparison of Presidential and Parliamentary Systems. Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics 150(1). pp. 171-195. (elc) Day 5: May 20 th Feb. 6, 8, 11: The Nation Sodaro, Chapter 6. States and Nations. Additional Reading to be posted on elc. Day 6: May 21 st Democracy Sodaro, Chapter 7. Democracy: What Is It? (pp. 171 188 ONLY). O neil, Patrick. (2004). Essentials of Comparative Politics. Chapter 7. Advanced Democracies. (elc). Day 7: May 22 nd Democratization Sodaro, Chapter 9. Democracy: What does it take? Ten Conditions. Sodaro, Chapter 10. Conditions for Democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq. (pp. 251 268 ONLY). Zakaria, Fareed. (1997). The Rise of Illiberal Democracy. Foreign Affairs (Nov/Dec): 22-43. (elc) In-class Midterm Exam Review Day 8: May 23 rd Midterm Exam ***Please note that May 23 rd is the deadline to withdraw from the class and receive a WP. Day 9: May 24 th Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism O neil, Chapter 5. Authoritarianism. (elc) Additional readings to be postd on elc. Day 10: May 28 th Communism and Post-Communism O neil, Chapter 8. Communism and Post-Communism. (elc) Day 11: May 29 th Development Theories and the t Developing World 4
Sodaro, Chapter 15. The Politics of Development. Wiarda, Chapter 3. Political Development. Day 12: May 30 th Political Culture Sodaro, Chapter 12. Political Culture. Wiarda, Chapter 4. Political Culture and Comparative Politics. Day 13 : May 31 st Alternative Approaches in Comparative Politics. Wiarda, Chapter 4. Challenges and Alternatives to Development. Day 14: June 3 rd Globalization O neil, Chapter 10. Globalization. (elc) Additional readings to be posted on elc. Day 15: June 4 th Future Directions in Comparative Politics Wiarda, Chapter 10. Frontiers of Research in Comparative Politics Course Catch-up, Wrap-up, and Final Exam Review Day 16: June 5 th : Final Exam! Additional topics will be discussed as issues are raised in the news media. All students are encouraged to listen to the nightly news, read weekly news magazine and newspapers. Some suggested news sources have been posted on the elc webpage. 5