PS 212: Politics of the Third World, Spring 2011
Instructor: Jonathan M. Powell
Course Time: Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30-10:45
Location: Whitehall Classroom Building, Room 214
Course Website: http://www.jonathanmpowell.com/ps212.html
Office: 1618 Patterson Office Tower
Office Hours: Tuesday 11:00-12:00; Wednesday 10:00-11:00; by appointment
Email: jonathan.powell@uky.edu
Phone: 859-619-6632
Catalog Description
“This course analyzes the politics of selected states in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Various bases of political cleavage and cooperation will be examined: ethnicity, language,
social class and ideology. Cultural differences between Africa, Asia and Latin America will
be identified and their political implications explored, as well as differences within geocultural areas.” In addition to the above subjects, the class will focus mainly on political
transitions and the role of the U.S. in the Third World.
Readings
You will be required to be read two books for this class, though most readings will be
derived from academic journals. Articles are available on the course website.
Books
1. Kinzer, Stephen. Overthrow. Required for everyone.
2. Each student will be required to read one novel chosen from the following:
a. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. Set primarily in Afghanistan
b. Feast of the Goat, by Mario Vargas Llosa. Set in the Dominican Republic
c. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver. Set in the Congo/Zaire
Students are expected to read these novels on their own time outside of class. Students can
take the exam covering their reading at any point of their choosing, but they must notify the
instructor of their choice by March 1. Students who do not complete this exam before finals
week will be expected to complete it with their final.
Videos
The class will watch—and discuss—a number of movies and documentaries during the
semester. These include A Place Called Chiapas, Ghosts of Rwanda, and The Battle of
Algiers.
Grade
Students will earn grades based on 5 exams, each worth 20% of the final grade. This includes
3 exams during the semester, a comprehensive final, and a test over the novel they choose.
Students can arrange for the novel exam to be taken at any point during the semester but
must give the instructor 7 days notice, or you can take the exam with your final. Appropriate
documentation is required to make up missed exams. I will not have continent-based map
quizzes as is common in a class such as this, but students will be expected to know the
location of countries that are explicitly covered in class or in readings.
Classroom Expectations
Students need to have completing readings by the date they are listed on the syllabus. For
example, students should be prepared to discuss Geddes (1999) on Tuesday January 18 when
they show up to class. Students are also expected to arrive on time and be respectful to their
peers.
Cell Phones
The use of cell phones will be an important component to this class. Students will be able to
answer in-class surveys and discussion questions via text messages. Be aware of any costs
that your participation will incur based on your cell phone plan. Participation in these
surveys is optional and is anonymous. Phones should be out of sight and silent at all other
times in class.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Students are advised to retain all notes and drafts for all work until after they receive their
final grade. Students should also be aware that the instructor takes matters of plagiarism and
cheating very seriously and is prone to imposing the most severe penalty allowed by
university rules, which includes, but is not limited to, issuing an automatic grade of 0.0 for
the entire course. You may NOT have any form of electronic communication device on your
desk or within sight during exams.
Special Needs
If you have a documented disability that requires academic accommodations, please see me
as soon as possible during scheduled office hours. In order to receive accommodations in
this course, you must provide me with a letter of accommodation from the disability
Resource Center (Room 2, Alumni Gym, 257-2754, jkarnes@email.uky.edu) for
coordination of campus disability services available to students with disabilities.
Course Schedule – Subject to Change
Week 1 – Introduction
Jan 13: Syllabus
Week 2 - Democratization
Jan 18
Geddes. 1999. “What do we know about Democratization after 20 Years?” Annual Review of
Political Science.
Jan 20: Kinzer. Introduction and Chapter 1 (Hawaii)
Week 3: Latin America
Jan 25:
1. Muller & Seligson. 1987. “Inequality and Insurgency.” American Political Science
Review. Read pages 426-435 and 443-445 closely. Skim 435-443. I will discuss this
section at length in class.
2. Kinzer Chapter 6 (Guatemala)
Jan 27:
1. Brockett. 1992. “Measuring Political Violence and Land Inequality in Central
America.” American Political Science Review.
2. Kinzer Chapter 10 (Granada)
Week 4 – Latin America
Feb 1:
1. Brockett. 1992. “The Structure of Political Opportunities and Peasant Mobilization in
Central America.” Comparative Politics 23(3): 253-274.
2. Sambanis “It’s Official: There is now a Civil War in Iraq.” New York Times.
Feb 3:
1. Powell and Thyne. 2011. “Global Instances of Coups.” Journal of Peace Research.
2. Kinzer, Chapter 8 (Chile)
Week 5 – Latin America
Feb 8:
1. Boniface. 2002. “Is there a Democratic Norm in the Americas?” Global Governance.
2. Kinzer Chapter 11 (Panama)
Feb 10: EXAM 1
Week 6 – Africa
Feb 15: Regan and Norton. 2005. “Greed, Grievance, and Mobilization in Civil Wars.”
Journal of Conflict Resolution.
Feb 17: Humphreys and Weinstein. 2008. “Who Fights? The Determinants of Participation in
Civil War.” American Journal of Political Science.
Week 7 – Africa
Feb 22: Achvarina & Reich. 2006. “No Place to Hide.” International Security.
Feb 24: Howe. 1998. “Private Security Forces and African Stability.” Journal of Modern
African Studies.
Week 8 – Africa
March 1: Lindberg & Clark. 2008. “Does Democratization Reduce the Risk of Military
Interventions in Politics in Africa?” Democratization.
March 3: Posner. “The Political Salience of Cultural Difference.” American Political Science
Review.
Week 9 – Africa
March 8: EXAM 2
March 10: No Class
Week 10 – Spring Break
Week 11 – Middle East
March 22: Huntington. “The Clash of Civilizations.” World Politics.
March 24: Norris and Inglehart. “Islamic Culture and Democracy: Testing the Clash of
Civilizations Thesis.”
Week 12 – Middle East
March 29:
1. Stepan and Robertson. 2003. “An Arab more than Muslim Electoral Gap.” Journal of
Democracy.
2. Ghalioun. 2004. “Persistence of Arab Authoritarianism.” Journal of Democracy.
3. Lakoff. 2004. “Realities of Muslim Exceptionalism.” Journal of Democracy.
March 31:
1. Stepan and Robertson. 2004. “Arab, not Muslim, Exceptionalism.” Journal of
Democracy.
2. Kinzer Chapter 5 (Iran)
Week 13 – Middle East
April 5: Quinlivan. 1999. “Coup-Proofing: Its Practice and Consequences in the Middle
East.” International Security.
April 7: Kinzer Chapters 12 & 13 (Afghanistan and Iraq)
Week 14 - Asia
April 12: Richards & Gelleny. 2007. “Women’s Status and Economic Globalization.”
International Studies Quarterly.
April 14: Kinzer Chapters 2 & 7 (Philippines and South Vietnam)
Week 16 - Asia
April 19: Cline. 2006. “The Insurgency Environment in Northeast India.” Small Wars and
Insurgencies.
April 21: EXAM 3
Week 17 - TBA
FINAL EXAM