Intro to Comparative Politics
POLS 2301 - C1
Spring 2015
Tuesday and Thursday 2:00 – 3:15
Room 104
Instructor: Dr. Raluca Viman Miller
Office hours:Dahlonega Campus –DOB Room 117- MWF 1-2 PM and M 10-11 AM
Cumming Campus -Room 283 -Tuesday and Thursday 1-2 PM
Contact info:706-867-4525
If you do not receive a timely reply to your e-mail that means I did not receive your e-mail! You must e-mail me from your UNG student account to confirm that you are the one attempting to communicate. You must include your full name, class and section you are attending in the subject line (e.g. John Smith POLS 2301 C1). You must communicate with me using your UNG email address NOT the D2L account.
Course Description:
This is a survey course meant to introduce students to comparative political analysis and familiarize them with the basic research tools and knowledge about the organization of politics. This class is designed to provide an introduction to the topics, theories and methodological issues related to this major sub-field of political science. The main goal is to look at important themes and apply them geographically where they are relevant.
Introduction to Comparative Politics teaches you how governments, political systems and politics are different as well as similar across countries. One of the main goals of the course is to increase your basic understanding about the countries that we will be covering—as well as how they compare to the United States. Another goal is to familiarize you with how political scientists compare specific cases in order to answer more general questions.
Texts and Readings:
Carol Ann Drogus and Stephen Orvis, Introducing Comparative Politics: Concepts
and Cases in Context, 3rd ed. (Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2015). Referred here as ICP.
One of the main national news papers to be read daily. You can subscribe on-line free of charge. Our meetings will address issues found in the media regarding contemporary issues. Failure to comply with your daily readings from the news paper will result in a poor participation grade.
CNN:
MSNBC:
Fox News:
New York Times
Washington Post
BBC News
Newspapers Online:
Middle East Times:
Watching America:
Hand-outs are part of the reading assignments. Please compile these in a binder and make sure you consult them for examinations.
Additional material will be added during the semester.
Requirements: You are expected to actively participate in class discussions, have appropriate classroom conduct and respect the academic environment. As well, you are to show respect to your classmates by turning off your cell phones, pagers and any other communication devices you may have that could potentially disrupt the class. Do NOT consult your electronic devices during lectures. If you expect an important call or text please stand up and make use of your telephone in the hallway. I reserve the right to ask you to leave the classroom if I consider that your behavior is disruptive to the educational process. You must take notes. You are welcome to use a computer etc yet, if I observe that you make use of the computer to browse the internet or you use it in any other way that is not related to note taking you forfeit the right to use it in this class.
Class begins at precisely 2:00 pm and ends no later than 3:15 pm. Do not disturb the class and potentially miss assignments or quizzes by entering late or leaving early. Do not start packing to leave prior to 3:15 pm.
An attendance sheet will be circulated each day. Your presence in class will give you a great advantage during examinations due to the fact that certain material will only be available during class lectures. Also, questions from our free debates might be included in the examinations. Your attendance will be rewarded. If your grade is borderline between two grades, I will consider giving you the higher grade.
Most class sessions will combine some mix of lecture and discussion/debate. All students should come to class having read the assigned reading for the day, as lectures are designed to complement the readings, not summarize or substitute for them. Current events will be an integral part of the class sessions and may be included on the exams. Videos and guest speakers may also be used on occasion.
This syllabus is a proposed plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary; students will be notified in advance.
Additional mandatory material will be posted on line. You must pay attention to your D2L account. You are responsible for the communication and the material posted on line. It is part of the class requirements, no excuses will be accepted.
There is absolutely no tolerance for cheaters. Plagiarism means and F for the assignment and will result in failing the class indifferent of the rest of the grades. I will make sure that I clearly communicate with you what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it.No excuses are good enough, familiarize yourself with what plagiarism means, and if you are not sure ask me for more clarifications.
Students with disabilities must follow the university guidelines. Must present the disabilities paperwork in private and discuss in private all their needs prior to the beginning of the class. You must make sure that you understand all assignments and requirements for the class and if you have any need for additional adjustments you must make me aware ahead of time.
University policy and definition of disruptive behavior:
“Students who exhibit behaviors that are considered to obstruct or disrupt the class or its learning activities are subject to sanctions under the Board of Regents Policy on Disruptive Behavior. Behaviors which may be considered inappropriate in the classroom includes, but is not limited to, sleeping, coming in late, talking out of turn, inappropriate use of laptops or mobile devices, verbal behavior that is disrespectful of other students or the faculty member, or other behaviors that may be disruptive. Students who exhibit such behavior may be temporarily dismissed from the class by the instructor and will be subject to disciplinary procedures outlined in the Student Handbook.”
For additional information please consult:
We will go over the policies in detail during first class!
This syllabus is a proposed plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary; students will be notified in advance.
Grading system: The grades will be based on the following scale. You can achieve a total of 1000 points during this class this semester.
1. exam one200 points
2. exam two200 points
3. exam three200 points
4. 4 pop quizzes(unannounced)50 X 4 = 150 points because I drop the lowest
5. participation 100 points (50 points extra credit for exceptional participation)
6. written assignment150 points
1050-900points A
899-800pointsB
799-700pointsC
699-600pointsD
less than 600 pointsF
Exams: Each is worth 200 points out of your final grade. They are going to consist of a mix of multiple choice questions and short answers. NO make up exams available except agreed upon in advance and only under EXTRAORDINARY and DOCUMENTED circumstances.You must have your own scantrons and B2 pencils.
Quizzes: There are going to be fourunannounced readingquizzes during this course based on the assigned reading for the day. There isabsolutely NO possibility to make up pop quizzes so I will drop the lowest one. Have scantrons and pencils on you!!!
Participation: Your class participation is very important. They will count for 10% of your grade but as you can see, you can obtain extra credit by being active in class. I expect active debates over the issues discussed in class – your physical presence alone does not count towards the full 100 points out of your final grade. I will communicate with you in mass via Desire2Learn. You must check D2L often in order to keep informed. I will post your grades on D2L. If you have any school related events that will prevent you from attending class, please provide a written excuse in advance. More than six absences during the entire semester will result in a failing grade (F). You must present valid and written excuses for missing class. A hand written note from a parent does not constitute an excuse. Doctor excuses will be verified. I will also not discuss your situation via e-mail with a parent or any other relative or friend except a legal document is provided. I will only communicate to YOU and via UNG.EDU e-mail accounts.
Written assignment: DUE APRIL 9th. You will receive separate and detailed information about the written assignment in class. You will use TURNITIN.COM. You will be provided with information about how to use that specific tool. This information (written assignment instructions, requirements, expectations, TURNITIN.COM log and password etc) will also be available to you on D2L. You must turn in your written assignment precisely on the day it is due. You must also provide a hard copy on the day requested in class. The two versions must be identical. Both, electronic (Turnitin) and hard copy must be turned in on time in order to receive credit for your written assignment. Each late day (including week ends and holidays) will cost you 10% of your grade.
You need to type all your assignments, except otherwise specified. I will no accept a hand written assignment. It needs to be double spaced with one inch margins and using a 12-point font Times New Roman. The papers will be evaluated based on the quality of the arguments and analysis, organization, clarity, grammar and style and adequacy and correctness of citation. Make sure you make a clear distinction between your ideas and the ones obtained from different sources. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and web sources are not excluded from this rule. Your bibliographical sources need to be consistent with one style, whichever you choose. Information on bibliographical styles:
January 6 TIntroduction
I. Understanding Comparative Politics
January 8 THand January 13 T
Read Ch 1 ICP
Introduction
The big issues
Comparative Politics: What is it? Why study it? How to study it?
The three key questions of comparative politics
January 15TH and January 20 T
Read Ch 2 ICP
The modern state
Characteristics
Historical origins
Types
January 22 TH and January 27T
Read Ch 3 ICP
States, Citizens and Regimes
Citizens and civil society
Regimes, ideologies and citizens
January 29TH andFebruary 3T
Read Ch 4 ICP
State and identity
Identity-based political mobilization and violence
Nations and nationalism
February 5TH and February 10 T
Read Ch 5 ICP
States and markets
Market, capitalism and the state
Key economic debates and Globalization
February 12TH –review and reserve
February 17 T Exam 1
II. Political Systems and How They Work
February 19TH and February 24T
Read Ch 6 ICP
Governing institutions in democracies
Executives, Legislatures, Judiciary, Bureaucracy
February 26TH and March 3T
Read Ch 7 ICP
Institutions of participation and representation in democracies
The electoral system
Political parties and party systems
Civil society
Patron-client relationships
February 27 last day to withdraw without academic penalty
March 5TH and March 10T
Read Ch 8 ICP
Authoritarian institutions
March 12 and March 24 TH
Read Ch 9 ICP
Regime change
The military in politics
Revolution
Democratization
March 16 – March 21 Spring Break
March 26 _review and reserve
March 31 T – Exam 2
III. Issues and Policies
April 2 TH and April 7T
Read Ch 10 ICP
Globalization, economic sovereignty and development
Wealthy countries
Development and globalization
Written assignment due APRIL 9th!!!
April 9TH and April 14T
Read Ch 11 ICP
Public policies when markets fail: welfare, health, and the environment
April 16TH and April 21T
Read Ch 12 ICP
Policies and politics of inclusion and clashing views
April 23TH – review and reserve
April 28 TUESDAY 3-5 Final Exam (3)
Additional Readings:
Logic and Methods of Comparison
Kohli, Atul. 1995. “The role of theory in comparative politics.” World Politics 48, 1-49
Lijphart, Arend. 1971. “Comparative politics and the comparative method.” American Political Science Review, 682-693
Sartori, Giovanni. 1970. “Concept misformation in comparative politics” American Political Science Review54, 1033-1053
State and Regime
J. P. Nettl. 1968. “The state as a conceptual variable,” World Politics 20, 559-592.
Krasner,Stephen.1984 “Approaches to the state: Alternative conceptions and historical dynamics.” Comparative Politics 16:2, 223-246
Mitchell, Timothy. 1991. “The limits of the state: Beyond statist approaches and their critics,” American Political Science Review, 85:1, 77-96
Building Democracy
Horowitz, Donald. 2003. “Electoral systems: A primer for decision makers.” Journal of Democracy.14:4, 115-127.
Norris, Pippa. 1997. “Choosing Electoral Systems: Proportional, Majoritarian and Mixed Systems.” International Political Science Review. 18:3, 297-312.
Government and Governance
Huber, D John and G. Bingham Powell, Jr. 1994. “Congruence between citizens and policymakers in two visions of liberal democracy.” World Politics 46, 291-326.
Diamond, Larry. 2002. “Thinking about hybrid regimes.” Journal of Democracy 13:2, 21-35.
Collier, david and steven levitski. 1997. “Democracy with adjectives: Conceptual innovations in comparative research.” World Politics 49, 430-451.
Comparative Public Policy and Political Economy
Lockhart, Charles. 1984. “Explaining social policy differences among advanced industrial democracies.” Comparative Politics 335-350.
Jones, Trevor and Tim Newburn. 2002. “Learning from uncle Sam? Exploring U.S. influences on British crime control policy.” Governance 15:1, 97-119
Alberto Alesina, Edward Glaeser and Bruce Sacerdote. 2001. “Why doesn’t the United States have a European-style welfare state?” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 2, 1-69.
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