AP Comparative Government Spring Semester 2012

Instructor: Beth Boyd

Course Description and Goals

AP Comparative Government & Politics introduces fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and outcomes of politics in a variety of country settings. The course aims to illustrate the rich diversity of political life, to show available institutional alternatives, to explain differences in processes and policy outcomes, and to communicate the importance of global political and economic changes.

Course Themes

We will be examining five major themes of government

  1. Sovereignty, Authority and Power
  2. Political Institutions
  3. Citizens, Society and the State
  4. Political and Economic Change
  5. Public Policy

Textbooks and Supplementary Reading

Countries and Concepts, AP Edition- Michael G. Roskin

  • All students are expected to read & comprehend the assigned pages in the textbooks.

The Economist- Please sign up for free access on-line.

  • Current events will be assigned each week.

Essential Readings in Comparative Politics- Patrick O’Neill

  • Supplementary readings will also be assigned each unit.

Countries Covered in Course

Six countries form the core of the course: Great Britain, Russia, Mexico, Nigeria, China and Iran. These include “advanced democracies, communistand post communist countries, and newly industrialized and less developed nations (Ethel Wood). Using this diverse group, we will move beyond the abstract to concrete examples. The emphasis will be on broad trends that allow comparison, rather than on details that are unrelated to larger trends and concepts.

Course Differentiation

AP Comparative Government is a one-semester advanced academic course designed to meet the needs and challenges of gifted students and high achievers in Cobb County Schools. Students who qualify for gifted services are taught by a gifted-certified teacher during this course every day. Learning is differentiated through in-depth analysis of events, sources, and formal essay assignments. Furthermore, as an AP course, students may not “drop” this course without teacher recommendation.

AP Exam

As AP Comparative Government is the equivalent of a college course, all components of the course must be completed to receive credit for the course on your transcript. This means that all students must take the AP Comparative Government Exam at the end of the year otherwise they will receive credit for Honors Comparative Government on their official transcripts.

Attendance and Supplies

You are expected to attend class daily and participate in all classroom activities and discussions. Unexcused absences and tardies are discouraged. Students are expected to bring paper, pens, and pencils to class everyday. All students should purchase a binder for AP Comparative notes and handouts, and at least 8 dividers for their “Countries and Connections File”.

Course Structure

This course will primarily assume a lecture format with a modified Socratic Method seminar enhancement. You would most likely find this method in law school and some college classrooms. In Socratic teaching, the instructor focuses on giving students questions, not answers. The instructor models an inquiring mind by continually probing into the subject with questions.

This method assumes that YOU HAVE READ THE MATERIAL PRIOR TO CLASS! At anytime, I will pose a question related to the material of the day and randomly select a student to answer. This will prompt further questions and discussion. During this process, you must be courteous to one another and stay focused. You will have to state your opinions clearly and provide textual proof whenever possible. You will also need to keep an open mind and be willing to consider another person’s point of view. The goal is for you to beyond the immediately apparent issues in a given situation to consider its broader implications, so be prepared for class with the text(s) read.

Course Expectations

It must be understood at the outset, that there is extensive reading, and that it must be COMPLETED IN ADVANCE of the material being covered in class. Students are expected to have a comprehensive understanding of all topics treated in the text, reader, and the classroom.

There will be 6-7 unit exams and at least ten essays and in-class free-response questions (FRQ’s). The examinations and essays will test for understanding of the text and readings, as well as classroom discussion.

All homework and outside work should be typed and error-free. Please use spell-check and/or a proofreader. Students are expected to have an excellent grasp of the English language, and grammar and mechanics.

AP Comparative Government Goals

Students successfully completing the course will:

  • Know important facts pertaining to the governments and politics of China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia
  • Understand major comparative political concepts, themes, and generalizations
  • Understand typical patterns of political processes and behavior and their consequences
  • Be able to compare and contrast political institutions and processes across countries and to derive generalizations
  • Be able to analyze and interpret basic data relevant to comparative government and politics

Advanced Placement Comparative Government

Spring 2012 Schedule (Tentative)

83 Days!!

AP Course Themes / % of
AP Exam / Units / Textbook
Chapters / Dates / Unit Test
Introduction to Comparative Government
  • State, nation, regime and government
  • Process and policy
/ 5% / Unit I / Chapter 1 / 9 Days
Jan.
10-24 / Jan.
10-24
Citizens, Society, State
  • Cleavages and politics
  • Civil society
  • Media roles
  • Political participation
  • Social movements
  • Citizenship and social representation
/ 15% / Unit II / Sections From:
Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 13, 14, 15 / 10 Days
Jan. 25-Feb. 7 / Feb. 7
Sovereignty, Authority, Power
  • Political culture, communication, and socialization
  • Nations and states
  • Supranational governance (EU…)
  • Constitutions (Forms, purposes, applications)
  • Regime types
  • Types of economic systems
  • State building, legitimacy, and stability
  • Belief systems
  • Governance and accountability
/ 20% / Unit III / Sections From:
Chapter 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 / 12 Days
Feb. 8-24 / Feb. 24
Political Institutions
  • Formal and informal structures of authority and policy making systems
  • Executive, legislative, judicial, and bureaucratic institutions
  • Electoral systems, political parties, interest groups, and the bureaucracy
/ 35% / Unit IV-
Part 1
AND
Part 2 / Sections From:
Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 / 20 Days
Feb. 27-
Mar. 23 / Part 1
Mar. 13
Part 2
Mar.
23
Political and Economic Change
  • Revolution, coups, and war
  • Trends and types of political change
  • Trends and types of economic change
  • Relationship between political and economic change
  • Globalization and fragmentation
/ 15% / Unit V / Sections From:
Chapter 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 / 10 Days
March 26-
April 13 / Apr. 13
Public Policy
  • Economic, social welfare and environmental public policy
  • Civil liberties, rights and freedoms
  • Population and migration
  • Data analysis and interpretation of current issues
  • Nationalization and privatization
  • The Green Revolution
/ 10% / Unit VI / Sections From:
Chapter 1, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12 13, 14, 15, 16 / 12 Days
April 16-
May 1 / May 1

AP Comparative Government Test- Tuesday May 15 @12:00noon

O’Neill Reader Student-Led Socratic Seminar

Facilitators : No more than 2 per group

Unit I

Comparative Government Made Simple
(in Unit I Syllabus) / Ms. Boyd 

Unit II

Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations?” (p. 105)
Sen, “Civilization Imprisonment” (p. 118)
Unit III
Philippe C. Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl, “What Democracy Is . . . and Is Not” p. 247
Stephen Fish, “Islam and Authoritarianism” p. 214
Unit IV
Lijphart, “Constitutional Choices for New Democracies (p. 257-265)
“Electoral Systems and Political Parties” by Bielasiak (found in Unit IV Syllabus)

Unit V

Robert Rotberg- “The New Nature of Nation-State Failure” p. 61
Jeffrey Herbst- “War and State in Africa”, p. 46
Lucien Pye “Traumatized Political Cultures: China/Russia p. 381
ThedaSkocpol “France, Russia, China: A Structural Analysis of Social Revolutions”, p. 509
Jack A. Goldstone “States, Terrorists, and the Clash of Civilization”, p. 552

The AP Comparative Government Exam

The AP Comparative Government & Politics Exam gives you the chance to demonstrate your knowledge of the following areas: comparative politics, the sources of public authority and political power, society and politics, citizen and state, political framework, and political change.

About the Exam

The two-hour and 25-minute test includes a 45-minute multiple-choice section and a 100-minute free-response section.

When studying for the exam, keep in mind that you'll be tested on the following skills, abilities, and knowledge:

  • Knowledge of facts, concepts, and generalizations pertaining to the governments and politics of China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia
  • Understanding of typical patterns of political processes and behavior and their consequences
  • Analysis and interpretation of basic data that are relevant to comparative government and politics
  • Written analysis and interpretation of subject matter
  • Ability to compare and contrast political institutions and processes across countries and to derive generalizations
Section I: Multiple-Choice

There are 55 questions in the multiple-choice section. You'll have to answer questions about each of the following countries: China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia.

Unlike other multiple-choice tests, random guessing can hurt your final score. While you don't lose anything for leaving a question blank, one quarter of a point is subtracted for each incorrect answer on the test. But if you have some knowledge of the question and can eliminate one or more answers, it's usually to your advantage to choose what you believe is the best answer from the remaining choices.

Random Guessing Is not AdvisableIt is not advisable to guess. For questions with five answer choices, one-fourth of a point is subtracted for each wrong answer. Therefore, if students know nothing that helps them eliminate even one of the multiple-choice options, they probably won't benefit by randomly choosing an answer. Educated guessing, however, can be beneficial. If students are fairly sure that even one of the options is wrong, it may be worthwhile to answer the question. Of course, if they can eliminate two or three options as probably incorrect, their chances of gaining credit become even greater.
Section II: Free-Response

You will have 100 minutes total to answer three types of free response questions (there are a total of eight questions). It is suggested that students allocate 30 minutes to the first 5 items, 30 minutes to the concept analysis question, and 20 minutes EACH to the last two questions.

Each of the types of questions is described below:

Type I: Short Answer (5 questions). These questions may be answered briefly and may ask students to define concepts from the AP Comparative Government & Politics outline and provide supporting information from the core countries listed on the Comparative Government & Politics outline.

Type II: Conceptual (1 question). This question will require analysis and will be about a major concept from the AP Comparative Government & Politics outline.

Type III: Country Specific (2 questions). These will require students to provide specific information and analysis of the core countries from the AP Comparative Government & Politics outline.

It is recommended that you spend 25 minutes total on the Type I (5 short answer) questions, 25 minutes total on the Type II (one conceptual) question, and 50 minutes total on the country specific questions (2 questions, 25 minutes each).

Sample Comparative Gov FRQ’s

Type 1 Definition and Description (25% of FRQ Grade)

  1. How are legislative seats distributed in a proportional representation system?
  2. Define and contrast the concepts of “state” and “nation”.
  3. Define “political legitimacy” and identify one source of political legitimacy in Iran.
  4. Define “political cleavage’ and identify the difference between crosscutting and coinciding (cumulative) cleavages.
  5. Define the concept of “corporatism”.

Type 2 Question: Conceptual Analysis (25% of FRQ Grade)

1. Define “revolution”. Explain how revolutions are distinct from other forms of political change. Describe one political institution and one public policy, and explain how each would help reduce the chance of revolution.

Type 3 Question: (Country Context) (50% of FRQ Grade)

  1. Define the concept of economic globalization and explain two ways it has affected policy in China or Mexico or Nigeria over the past 10 years.
  2. Both Great Britain and Russia have Prime Ministers. While the British Prime Minister is well known, the Russian Prime Minister is not. Explain how two factors account for the differences in the two Prime Ministers’ powers.

So…How do I Write These?

Students should answer the question. That means DO what they are asked to do and stay on topic. Sometimes that means writing a description; sometimes it means explaining the reason for a political strategy, a legal decision, or a bureaucratic action. These descriptions and explanations need not be literary.

You need to DO what's being asked by writing ABOUT the topic of the question. Sometimes the task can be completed by making a list - sometimes by writing a single sentence - sometimes by writing a paragraph or two.

FRQ Tips: Focus on Writing a Clear, Concise, and Well-Supported Response
Students should marshal evidence to document and support their statements and make use of concrete examples to demonstrate the main points of their arguments. They should explicitly define important terms and use the clearest, most direct terms possible. A direct, clear answer is likely to earn more points than a vague, rambling, ambiguous response

Read the Questions Carefully
Understanding what is being asked and responding with specific evidence is a very useful skill. Long, involved descriptions full of random facts about a specific concept or political phenomenon are neither encouraged nor rewarded in the grading process; students must be taught to "read for the guidelines" in order to make sure both their information and presentation clearly and completely answer the actual question that is being asked.
Understand the Instructions and Action Verbs
Students may be asked to list, discuss, describe, explain, analyze, etc.; these are not all identical tasks. Also, the question may call for more than one task, such as both to identify and explain. Students should understand that some tasks are more complex than others. For example, composing a list may not even require a complete sentence, but students may need to write several paragraphs for a satisfactory discussion, including well-developed examples as support, in order to adequately explain some phenomenon. Here are some of the most common action words used in past free-response questions:

  • List/Identify: Listing or identifying is a task that requires no more than a simple enumeration of some factors or characteristics. A list does not require any causal explanations. For example, a student might be asked to list or identify three factors that increase political legitimacy. Such a list could be bulleted or numbered, and might include such factors as a written constitution, competitive elections, and transparent institutions.
  • Define: A definition requires a student to provide a meaning for a word or concept. Examples may help to demonstrate understanding of the definition. Students may be instructed to note the term's significance as part of the definition.
  • Describe: A description involves providing a depiction or portrayal of a phenomenon or its most significant characteristics. Descriptions most often address "what" questions. For example, if students are asked to describe a political cleavage in Mexico, they must demonstrate knowledge that the cleavage has at least two sides by describing what the two sides are.
  • Discuss: Discussions generally require that students explore relationships between different concepts or phenomena. Identifying, describing, and explaining could be required tasks involved in writing a satisfactory discussion.
  • Explain: An explanation involves the exploration of possible causal relationships. When providing explanations, students should identify and discuss logical connections or causal patterns that exist between or among various political phenomena.
  • Compare/Contrast: This task requires students to make specific links between two or more concepts, occurrences, or countries. Thus, students cannot simply have a one-paragraph description of how women participate in Iranian politics and a one-paragraph description of how they participate in Nigeria with no connections between the two paragraphs. To correctly compare participation of women in Nigeria and Iran there must be cross paragraph references and development of a comparative structure. The students must provide the connective tissue. They should understand that it is important to note similarities AND differences.
  • Evaluate/Assess: An evaluation or assessment involves considering how well something meets a certain standard, and as such generally requires a thesis. It is important to identify the criteria used in the evaluation. If no criteria are explicitly given in the question, students should take care to clearly identify the ones that they choose to employ. Specific examples may be applied to the criteria to support the student's thesis. Evaluation or assessment requires explicit connections between the thesis or argument and the supporting evidence.
  • Analyze: This task usually requires separating a phenomenon into its component parts or characteristics as a way of understanding the whole. An analysis should yield explicit conclusions that are explained or supported by specific evidence and/or well-reasoned arguments.

AP Comparative Government

Countries and Connections File

Using and applying current data is crucial to understanding how politics works in our six countries. We will be compiling statistical and demographic information from each of the six core countries. The statistical data for each country will come from the country profiles listed on the CIA Factbook, The Economist Country Profiles, and other sources.

Section 1-6 Country Profiles

Create a section in your Country and Connections Binder for notes, charts, and maps that compiles introductory information about the case study countries. This data will be useful when you are asked to make comparisons, connections, and generalizations between the countries.