POS102 01: Introduction to Comparative Politics1
Fall 2015
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11:00am – 12:15pm
Gage Building 302G
Professor: Philip Hultquist
Email: phultquist@roosevelt.edu
Office Hours: M/W: 10:30-noon
Office: AUD 845
Or by appointment
Phone: 312-341-2117
Course Description:
This course is designed to introduce students to the subfield of Comparative Politics—i.e. the study
of the domestic politics of countries throughout the world. In this course, we will learn the core
theoretical and methodological approaches to Comparative Politics and apply them to several
countries throughout the course of the class. The class begins with discussions of questions such as:
“Why are states the primary unit in comparative politics?” and “Where does the modern state
system come from?” We will spend considerable time on regime types and institutions to address
questions such as: “Why are some countries democracies while others are not?” “How do different
types of democracies represent voters’ preferences?” and “How do non-democracies maintain
political power?” We’ll also address questions of political economy, with a focus on the politics of
economic development and the welfare state—“Why are some states rich while others are poor?”
and “Why do some countries redistribute wealth more than others?” Last, we address how regimes
change through three mechanisms: military coups, revolutions, and transitions to democracy.
Student Learning Objectives: 2
Based on the revised Bloom’s taxonomy (see attached appendix).
Students will be able to demonstrate factual knowledge of several political systems around the
world, especially Germany, The UK, Japan, China, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, India, Nigeria, and Iran
through description and identification on quizzes, exams, and presentations.3
Students will be able to demonstrate conceptual knowledge through definition, description and
identification on quizzes, exams, and presentations.3
Students will be able to demonstrate conceptual understanding by applying concepts to familiar
and new cases on exams and through mini-presentations.4
Students will be able to demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to analyze by writing a paper
of their country’s major problem(s) and potential policy solutions.5
Students will be able to demonstrate oral communication skills by presenting their country
research to the class during a series of mini-presentations.6
1
The instructor reserves the right to revise/update the syllabus at his discretion. Students will always be notified of any
and all changes.
2
Based on Bloom’s taxonomy (revised). As an introductory course, this course concentrates its objectives in the middle
and bottom half of Bloom’s taxonomy.
3
“Remember” and “Understand” from the revised version of Bloom’s taxonomy.
4
“Apply” from the revised version of Bloom’s taxonomy.
5
“Analyze” from the revised version of Bloom’s taxonomy.
6
Based on university-wide learning objective.
1
Students will be able to demonstrate awareness of social justice and engagement in civil life
during in-class discussions and/or papers concerning questions of justice in comparative politics,
such as: the representativeness for various political institutions, poverty and development,
colonization, and democratization.6
Readings and Resources:
Required Text: Orvis, Stephen and Carol Ann Drogus. 2015. Introducing Comparative Politics:
Concepts and Cases in Context (3rd Edition). Canada: CQ Press.
(Noted as OD in the reading schedule below.)
Students may find the following website helpful in studying for the exams or to make sure you are
getting what you need to from each chapter. It includes chapter quizzes, flashcards, video, and audio
supplements. Keep in mind that the information from the Orvis and Drogus book is only a portion
of the material you will need to know for exams and assignments.
https://edge.sagepub.com/orvis3e/student-resources
The website for Blackboard is: http://roosevelt.blackboard.com/webapps/login/. If you need help
logging in, please see me ASAP.
Student Responsibilities and Basic Policies
Attendance and participation. Students are expected to attend and participate in all class sessions.
Your attendance is factored into your participation grade. Beyond the participation grade, if you
miss more than 14 class periods, you CANNOT pass the class.
Reading. Each student is expected to complete assigned readings BEFORE its corresponding
lecture.
Communication. According to university policy, students are responsible for communications to
their Roosevelt e-mail address.
Intellectual Honesty. Intellectual honesty is essential to our purpose. Plagiarism, in any form, is
grounds for automatic failure in the course and further disciplinary measures by the University. At
the very least, the student will not be allowed to withdraw from the course and I will submit a
formal notification of the incident to your major department chair, college dean, and the
University’s Assistant V. P. for Student Services. The instructor will discuss common issues with
plagiarism and how to avoid them before the first writing assignment. However, you are always
welcome to consult with the instructor if you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism.
See also: The University’s plagiarism policy (http://www.roosevelt.edu/plagiarism) and
http://www.plagiarism.org for more information.
Make-up Policy. If a student has a University-approved excuse for missing an examination AND if
the instructor is notified PRIOR to the examination, arrangements for a make-up examination will
be made. This policy is for exams only.
Presentation Preparedness. Students who are absent or are unprepared for the presentation will be
docked 25% of that presentation grade and must be made up in the following class period. As you
will see, the presentations complement the conceptual work we will be doing.
Classroom Etiquette. Basic professional adult behavior norms apply. I expect students to be
respectful of the class by paying attention to their instructor and their classmates and by facilitating
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an open arena for debate about many topics. I also want to reinforce norms of professional behavior
that if conformed to will serve the students well beyond their academic career. To that end, students
will not use distracting electronic devices, such as cell phones or tablets. (Yes, I can tell when you
are texting.) If you are using an electronic version of the book, please let me know, so I know you
are using your laptop or tablet legitimately.
Disability: If you have a disability or other condition that requires special accommodation, you are
encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Services in the Academic Success Center at the start
of the term. Location: AUD 128, phone: 312-341-3810; web:
http://www.roosevelt.edu/dss/default.htm. Students who are requesting special accommodations
must contact the ASC within the first two weeks of the semester.
Withdrawals: Prior to and including the first week of the fall or spring semester sessions, students
may drop one or more courses with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks two
through ten of the fall or spring semester, students may complete a Change in Registration form in
person or by fax. The form is found on the web at http://www.roosevelt.edu/registrar/forms. Online
withdrawals after the semester has begun are not an option. The course will be recorded on the
transcript with the notation of "W" indicating that the student withdrew.
The deadline for withdrawing from this course is October 27th. This means all forms must be
submitted no later than this date. University policy has recently changed, whereby students will
only be able to request a withdrawal after the official withdrawal date if they have extenuating
circumstances that can be documented, e.g., personal illness, illness of close family member, etc.
Simply “missing” the withdrawal date is not an acceptable reason for the registrar to grant a late
withdrawal request. The reason should also be non-academic.
Withdrawing from courses may have serious consequences for academic progress towards the
degree, for financial aid eligibility, for repayment of refunds, visa requirements (for international
students), and eligibility for competition (for student athletes). Students should consult carefully
with their instructors and academic advisors and must meet with a financial aid advisor before
withdrawing from classes after the semester has begun. Tuition Refund Schedule and Withdrawal
deadlines are published for each semester and for summer session on the Important Dates page of
the website at http://www.roosevelt.edu/registrar/ImportantDates
Crisis Policy. If you are experiencing difficulties with your health, personal life or any other
crisis that is affecting your ability to come to class and complete the work, it is imperative
that you alert the instructor as soon as possible. The best path is to see someone at
Roosevelt’s counseling center, who (with your permission) can then alert all your professors
that you are having trouble.
University Policy on Absence to Observe Religious Holidays: Roosevelt University respects the
rights of students to observe major religious holidays and will make accommodations, upon request,
for such observances. Students who wish to observe religious holidays must inform their instructors
in writing within the first two weeks of the semester of their intent to observe the holiday so that
alternative arrangements convenient to both students and faculty can be made at the earliest
opportunity. See the student handbook for further details.
Completion. Grades of incomplete (I) will only be given in extraordinary circumstances.
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Course Work and Grading:
Students will be evaluated on their understanding of the class material using the following grading
system:
Participation/Etiquette
Quizzes (4)
Casework
Midterm exam
Final exam
15%
20
25 (15% short paper; 10% mini-presentation)
20
20
100%
Participation/Etiquette (15%): Students are expected to be present in all classes and participate in
class discussion with thoughtful comments and questions that are on topic. Students are also
expected to contribute to class discussions with relevant information about their countries. Good
classroom etiquette entails being respectful of your instructor, classmates, and whoever is paying
your tuition by showing up to class on time and prepared and participating in class as if you find the
subject matter interesting (note: pretending is okay). This means listening to the lecture, not looking
at your cellphone, contributing thoughtfully, and always being respectful of others’ opinions. To do
any of the above, you must be present in class consistently.
Classes
missed
0-2
3
4
5
6
7
50
40
30
20
10
0
F-
60 70 80 90 100
50 60 70 80 90
40 50 60 70 80
30 40 50 60 70
20 30 40 50 60
10 20 30 40 50
D
C
B- B+ A
Participation / Etiquette
Participation rubric:
A: Student consistently contributes with thoughtful comments/questions that demonstrate he/she has
engaged the reading or other material (e.g., current events); consistently demonstrates appropriate
etiquette.
B+: Student occasionally contributes with thoughtful comments/questions that demonstrate he/she
has engaged the reading or other material (e.g., current events); consistently demonstrates
appropriate etiquette.
B-: Student occasionally contributes with comments/questions that demonstrate he/she has engaged
the reading or other material (e.g., current events); occasionally violates appropriate etiquette.
C: Student does not contribute or occasionally participates in distracting or counterproductive ways;
consistently demonstrates appropriate etiquette otherwise.
D: Student does not contribute or participates in distracting or counterproductive ways; frequent
violations of classroom etiquette.
F-: Student does not contribute or participates in distracting or counterproductive ways; continues
frequent violations of classroom etiquette after warnings.
Quizzes (20%): Students will take four online quizzes during the week listed in the syllabus. The
quizzes cover remembering and understanding factual and conceptual material from the book and
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the lecture. There will be a 2-3 day window, where students can take the quiz up to 2 times. I will
take your best of the 2 attempts. (Please note that BB will record your second attempt and the best
attempt may not be reflected in the grade center until I have time to correct it.) I will also drop your
lowest score.
Casework (25%): Students choose a case/country from the textbook for which they will be
responsible. There are only 9 countries (the US is excluded), so there will be some overlap. The
student will be responsible for keeping up with reading about their country and disseminating that
information to the class during class discussions. Additionally, students will be responsible for two
projects concerning a case/country. 10% for mini-presentations / 15% for country paper.
Mini-presentations. Each student is responsible for a mini-presentation about their country,
which complements and corresponds to a specific lecture (see lecture schedule). The main
purpose is to report how the class concepts apply to their country. The information about
your country comes straight from the textbook and no outside information is necessary.
(Although, it is okay to use outside sources if you find it helpful.) Each mini-presentation
should be limited to 5 minutes. Visual aids, like using Powerpoint or Prezi, are helpful but
not required. You must be prepared for these presentations or face an automatic penalty of
25% of the associated points.
Country Problem Analysis Paper: Students will write a short paper that describes the origins
of your country’s most pressing problem and how the student proposes the country should
go about solving that problem(s). Papers should be 5-7 pages (12 point, Times New Roman
font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins) and include an introduction—with a thesis
statement!—and a conclusion. Papers are due November 13th and, after grading, the student
will be given a chance to revise for an improved grade.
Exams (2 @ 20% each): The reading and lecture schedule lists the exam dates for the midterm and
final. Exams are comprised of short answer and short essay. They will require students to recall,
understand, and apply factual, theoretical, and conceptual material from the lecture and the book. It
will also cover basic factual information from the cases covered in student mini-presentations. The
final is not explicitly comprehensive, but the material from the second half builds on the first.
Extra Credit (5% optional): Individually, students can elect for a one-time presentation of another
case/country toward the end of the semester. The presentation will apply the course concepts to a
separate, but related country to the one from the student’s group. These countries will be selected
with the professor using the comparative method that we will discuss in first week of class.
Grading Scale.7 The following scale will determine final grades. Grades are calculated from the
raw scores (“points”) earned by the student. It rounds up only when the percentage ends in .9 or
higher. Please note: given the available extra credit option, I will not entertain requests for grade
changes or leniency. If you did the extra credit, you already got all the help you need. If you didn’t,
then you don’t have any right to complain.
93 – 100%: A
90 – 92.9%: A-
7
87 – 89.9%: B+
83 – 86.9%: B
80 – 82.9%: B-
77 – 79.9%: C+
73 – 76.9%: C
70 – 72.9%: C-
How these grades relate to your GPA are noted in the appendix.
5
67 – 69.9%: D+
60 – 66.9%: D
0 – 59.9%: F
All class announcements and changes to the reading schedule will be given during regularly
scheduled class time. Regular attendance will ensure you are up to date with the reading schedule
LECTURES, READINGS, and ACTIVITIES
Cases for MiniDate
presentations
Introduction, syllabus overview
T
8/25 Lecture: The World Today and Central Themes of
the Course
What is Comparative Politics?
Explanations, Theory, and Evidence
Example Mini-presentation:
TH 8/27
State Formation in India
OD: Chapter 1
States:
What is the state? Where did it come from?
T
9/1
OD: pp. 36-47
TH
9/3
States:
Exporting the state via colonization; Comparing
state strength
OD: pp. 47-58; 93-94
Germany: _______________
UK: _______________
Japan: _______________
Mexico: _______________
Nigeria: _______________
China: _______________
Nations:
Nations, nationalism, and ethnicity
T
9/8
Everyone read: Nigeria
OD: 144-173; 189-191
Regimes:
Citizens, ideology, and regime types
TH
9/10
OD: 98-123
UK: _______________
Russia: _______________
Regimes:
Regime types, cont’d
T
TH
T
9/15
9/17
9/22
Brazil: _______________
Mexico: _______________
Iran: _______________
OD: 123-141
QUIZ #1: See prompt under “Quizzes” folder on
the course Blackboard page.
The State and Markets:
The Market, capitalism, and the state
OD 196-205; 512-521
The State and Markets:
Welfare state in crisis
Germany: _______________
Everyone read: The United
States
OD: 570-592
6
The State and Markets:
Health Care and Health Policy
TH
UK: _______________
See also: US (p. 609-613)
9/24
OD: 595-613
T
9/29
The State and Markets:
Global development activity
Development debate and globalization
OD: 208-225; 253-255
The State and Markets:
Development debate and globalization
TH
10/1
Japan: _______________
OD: 208-225; 253-255
The State and Markets:
Development, globalization, and regimes
T
10/6
OD: 532-550
QUIZ #2: See prompt under “Quizzes” folder on
the course Blackboard page.
TH
10/8
The State and Markets:
Resource politics
India: _______________
Brazil (p. 555-559):
_______________
Iran: _______________
Midterm review
T
10/13
TH
10/15
MIDTERM EXAM
Governing Institutions in Democracies:
Executives and legislatures
OD: 258-289
Governing Institutions in Democracies:
Bureaucracy and federalism
T
10/20
OD: 296-318
Formal Institutions of Participation and
Representation:
Electoral systems
TH
10/22
OD: 324-337
NOTE: The last day to withdraw for a W grade is
tomorrow, October 27th.
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India: _______________
Russia: _______________
Formal Institutions of Participation and
Representation:
Political parties and party systems
T
10/27
UK: _______________
Germany: _______________
Japan: _______________
OD: 337-351
QUIZ #3: See prompt under “Quizzes” folder on
the course Blackboard page.
TH
10/29
Informal Institutions of Participation and
Representation:
Civil society, social movements, and patron-client
relationships
India: _______________
Brazil: _______________
OD: 351-361; 391-392
Authoritarian Institutions:
Communist/one-party state
T
11/3
OD: 398-418
China: _______________
Papers Due Friday (11/13): Upload to TurnItIn
Feature on Blackboard
TH
11/5
Authoritarian Institutions:
Semi-theocracy; Weak institutions and military
rule
Nigeria: _______________
OD: 419-429
Authoritarian Institutions:
Elections and participation in autocracies
T
11/10
OD: 429-451
China: _______________
Iran: _______________
Regime change:
Coups
TH
11/12
Nigeria: _______________
OD: 454-466
QUIZ #4: See prompt under “Quizzes” folder
Regime change:
Democratization
T
11/17
OD: 477-488; 505-507
TH
11/19
Regime change:
Democratization, continued
8
Mexico: _______________
Russia: _______________
T
11/24
Thanksgiving Break: Please don’t show up
TH
11/26
Thanksgiving Break: Please don’t show up
Regime change:
Revolution
T
China: _______________
Iran: _______________
12/1
OD: 466-477
In-class video: The Iranian Revolution
TH
12/3
T
12/8
Final Exam Review
FINAL EXAM: Same Room
11:00AM –1:30PM
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Appendix.
II. Quality Point Values Assigned to Grades
Grade
Quality Points
A
4.00
A3.67
B+
3.33
B
3.00
B2.67
C+
2.33
C
2.00
C1.67
D+
1.33
D
1.00
D0.67
F
0
I
0
IP
0
AU
0
W
0
10