PLS 140Prof. Brian D. Silver

M-W 8:30-9:50337 South Kedzie

Fall Term 2004Phone: 355-2237

132 Hubbard HallOffice Hrs.: 10:30-12:00 M

or by appointment

E-mail:

Government and Politics of the World

Overview:This course is designed to introduce major concepts and issues in the comparative study of politics and government. Students should understand why comparing political behavior and institutions matters. They should also understand the logic of comparative political analysis – how political scientists create and test theories about political life. Students should also become familiar with the basic varieties of political institutions, processes, and political cultures in the world. And they should be able to address why some political systems are democratic and others are not.

Course Format:Lecture. The TA, Kris Grady, will also establish office hours and be available for

consultation on the web. One of his most important roles is to advise you on the

preparation of your written election report.

Required Text:Michael Sodaro, Comparative Politics: A Global Introduction, Second Edition.

New York: McGraw Hill, 2004.

Significant Dates:06 September (Monday), Labor Day Holiday (no class)

22 September (Wednesday), Exam #1 (in class)

03 November (Wednesday), Exam #2 (in class)

01 December (Wednesday), Election Report Due, 5 PM

08 December (Wednesday), last lecture

14 December (Tuesday), 7:45-9:45 AM Final Exam

Student Responsibilities:

Attendance: Regular attendance is strongly encouraged and is likely to be positively correlated with students’ grades. Exams will be based not only on the assigned readings but also on additional materials presented in lectures. As a matter of common courtesy, please turn off all cell phones and pagers, and refrain from reading newspapers or disruptive conversations in class.

Readings:Lectures will not be used simply to go over the assigned readings, but the readings will be a point of departure for the lectures. It’s important therefore that each student complete the assigned reading before a topic is taken up in class.

Exams:There will be three required in-class exams, including the final. Each exam will consist of a series of short-answer (essay) questions, but may also include longer essay questions and/or a set of multiple-choice questions. The format of each exam will be announced in class prior to the exam.

Exam #1:Wed., 22 Sept.

Exam #2:Monday (8 weeks)

Exam #3: Tuesday, December 14th, Final Exam, 7:45-9:45 AM in the regular classroom

Report:Each student must prepare a written report on a presidential or parliamentary election held in 2003 or 2004 in a country of interest. Any country except the U.S. can be chosen. The student will prepare an 8-page report (a) describing the contending parties and candidates and the main issues in the election; (b) either predicting (if in the future) or explaining the electoral outcomes and their consequence for the future development of the country and for key social and ethnic groups in that society. (Who are the likely “winners,” and who are the “losers” in the election?).

You are likely to be able to find significant background material for any country in the CIA World Factbook, available on-line at However, you will have to use other resources, including newspapers and magazines available in the library or on the web, to find significant information about a recent election. Don’t be afraid to just “Google” or “Yahoo” for information.

Some useful websites include: Electionworld.org ( Elections Around the World and Political Resources on the Net ( Some other general resources may be placed on the course webpage.

Report Due:December 1, 5 P.M. It should be submitted both as an electronic file

and in printed form. The electronic paper must be submitted either as

an MS Word (.doc) file or as a WordPerfect (.wpd) file.

It will be a good idea for you to choose your country/election of interest early in the

semester, and begin to identify sources and issues. The submitted electronic papers will

be scanned and compared to the turnitin.com database (a plagiarism detection tool)

to assure that the papers are yourown original work.

Grades:Grades will be calculated by weighing the three exams and the country report equally.

The grade on the report will be based both on substance and style. Any student found to

be cheating on an exam or plagiarizing their report will receive a grade of 0 in the course.

Schedule:The course schedule may be adjusted throughout the semester. Any updated syllabus or class schedules will be placed on the Course Webpage at:

Webpage:The course webpage will be updated periodically.

Additional materials (news, charts, bibliography) may be placed or linked there for your use during the semester.

Vers. 1-- 8/30/04

COURSE SCHEDULE / Sodaro
Week 1 / 30-Aug / Mon. / Introduction to Course / Chap. 1
1-Sep / Wed. / What Is Comparative Politics?
Week 2 / 6-Sep / Mon. / Labor Day Holiday
8-Sep / Wed. / What Is Comparative Politics? / Chap. 2
Week 3 / 13-Sep / Mon. / Methods of Political Analysis / Chap. 3
15-Sep / Wed. / Key Concepts -- Power, Authority, Legitimacy / Chap. 4
Week 4 / 20-Sep / Mon. / The Political System
22-Sep / Wed. / Exam #1 in Class -- Research Methods & Comparative Studies
Week 5 / 27-Sep / Mon. / States and Institutions / Chap. 5
29-Sep / Wed. / States and Nations -- Nationalism, Ethnicity / Ch. 6
Week 6 / 4-Oct / Mon. / Democracy -- What Is It? Where Is It? / Ch. 7
6-Oct / Wed. / Democracy -- Institutional Framework / Ch. 8
Week 7 / 11-Oct / Mon. / Institutional and Social Foundations / Ch. 9
13-Oct / Wed. / Electoral Systems / Ch. 8
Week 8 / 18-Oct / Mon. / Mass Participation / Ch. 10
20-Oct / Wed.
Week 9 / 25-Oct / Mon. / Political Culture / Ch. 11
27-Oct / Wed.
Week 10 / 1-Nov / Mon. / Ideology / Ch. 12
3-Nov / Wed. / Exam #2 in Class -- Institutions and Democracy
Week 11 / 8-Nov / Mon. / Political Economy / Ch. 13
10-Nov / Wed. / Political Development / Ch. 14
Week 12 / 15-Nov / Mon. / United Kingdom / Ch. 15
17-Nov / Wed.
Week 13 / 22-Nov / Mon. / France / Ch. 16
24-Nov / Wed. / Germany (possible home-study) / Ch. 17
Week 14 / 29-Nov / Mon. / Russia and Post-Communist States / Ch. 19
1-Dec / Wed. / China -- ALSO: ELECTION REPORT DUE / Ch. 20
Week 15 / 6-Dec / Mon. / Central and South America / Ch. 21
8-Dec / Wed. / LAST DAY OF CLASS -- REVIEW/DISCUSSION / Ch. 22
Finals / 14-Dec / Tuesday / FINAL EXAM (cumulative over semester) / All

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