AP Comparative Government and Politics
Syllabus 2014-2015
Course Overview:
During this course, students will have the opportunity to examine and compare the cultures and
political behaviors of people in six different countries: Great Britain, Russia, China, Nigeria,
Mexico, and Iran. While they do so, they will participate in class discussions, debates, and role
playing simulations. They will compare political institutions and systems in regard to the ways
they provide for the welfare, needs, and desires of its constituents. In order to do so, students
will use analytical tools such as concepts and inquiry to conduct their comparisons. Often they
will be asked to work in cooperation with their classmates.
Student Expectations:
1. Be respectful of others.
2. Always be prepared for class.
3. Participate in all class activities.
Textbooks/Resources:
A. Primary Text:
Hauss, Charles. Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges. 7th ed.
Boston, MA. Wadsworth/Cengage, 2011.
B. Supplementary Readings:
Soe, Christian, ed. Annual Editions: Comparative Politics 09/10. Guilford, CT.
Dushkin/McGraw-Hill Publishing Group, 2009.
Articles/Information from Podcasts and video clips from the New York Times, the
Washington Post, the BBC, Time magazine, and CNN.
Requirements:
I.
Assignments and Attendance
1. It is the student’s responsibility to find out what was missed after an absence and to
get the assignment in within 3 days of your return.
2. UNEXCUSED absences will result in the loss of points for work missed. Since you
were expected to be here, you will not be able to make up work. This includes all
tests and quizzes.
3. Late assignments will not be accepted.
1
4. More than 10 days absent during the semester will require a conference with the
instructor and the counselor for continued participation in the class.
II.
Tests/Quizzes
1. These will be administered periodically during the course. Dates for these tests will
be announced well in advance. As with all other work, if you miss a test or quiz, you
have three days from the day you return to have it made up. If you have not made it
up within that time, the grade for that test or quiz will be a zero.
2. Tests and quizzes cover information from the readings, handouts, and lectures and are
always multiple choice and essay. When appropriate, previous free response
questions (FRQ’s) from AP Central will be used during the semester as test questions
and writing assignments.
III.
Grading
1. Grades are figured on a weighted cumulative point basis. Each test, quiz, homework
assignment is worth a given a certain number of points according to the quality and
level of completion of the work. At the end of the six weeks, a grade average is
determined by averaging the cumulative points in each category and then weighting
those points to determine a final grade. The categories and weights are as follows:




Tests/Quizzes 45%
Homework 20%
Website work and other assignments 25%
Participation 10%
2. The grade scale is as follows:
90-100
A
80-89
B
70-79
C
60-69
D
0-59
F
IV.
V.
Emergencies and Extended Absences
1. You must see me to set up a schedule to turn in missed work on your return.
2. You may reach me the following ways:
 School: 000-0000
 Email: 000000@0000.k12.00.us
 Moodle Page for this class
Keys to Success
1. Hand in all assigned homework on time.
2. Take good notes.
3. Attend class, even if you are not prepared.
4. Read the book. I do not assign pages or chapters from day to day.
5. Schedule your time.
2
VI.
Extra Credit
There will be potential extra credit throughout the semester. Students may be able to
choose certain novels off of a list and complete a 5 page book report on the chosen book.
The book report must contain examples of life in that country and how it relates to what
we are learning in class. Therefore, if you choose a novel about Iran, you will need to tie
the experiences in the book to how the government operates, how it relates to the culture
of the country, etc.
VII.
Honor Policy
1. Students may work together to discuss readings and prepare for exams. All work
performed for a grade should be a student’s own work.
2. If a student(s) is/are caught cheating (academic dishonesty), ALL parties involved
will receive a zero grade for that assignment.
3. The use of an electronic device to send/receive or look up answers to test questions or
to share test questions with others is considered cheating (academic dishonesty). This
will result in a grade of 0 (zero) for that work.
4. Not properly giving credit to other people’s material, while writing a paper is
considered plagiarism (academic dishonesty) and will result in a grade of a 0 (zero).
Teaching Strategies:
I combine text discussion with interactive activities such as Model UN simulations, debates, and
discussion of news articles pertinent to material being covered in class daily. Students will be
assigned to country specific groups, and each group will prepare a website about their country
for use by the rest of the class.
Student Evaluation:
The most important part of the student’s grade is the tests and quizzes that will be administered
throughout the semester. Students will also receive unannounced free response questions to
answer once a week in order to work on their writing skills. This will also counts as a test/quiz
grade. Students also need to complete all homework and assigned projects and to make sure that
they are actively participating in class discussions.
Student Activities:
A. Current Events Journal:
Students are required to summarize one current event per week from the Economist, BBC
News, the Washington Post or the New York Times. This article must relate to one of the
themes of AP Comparative Politics or to one of the core countries.
B. Group Web Site
3
Students are assigned in groups to create websites on the core countries. Each group
presents its website and makes it accessible to the rest of the class. Each website is
presented to the class at a pre-assigned date during the semester.
For each of the core countries, you will research and write a brief paper, to be posted on
the web, about one important issue that the respective governments currently face. Each
web page should address these three aspects of the issue:
1. Explanation of why the situation may be defined as an “issue.” Include here what is
problematic and the different points-of-view.
2. Reactions that the government has had to the issue. This may be inaction or it may
include specific policy remedies.
3. Future prospects: What is the likelihood that the problem will be resolved? Explain
your answer.
You should include a bibliography of at least two references. One of these references
cannot be from the Internet. Be prepared to talk about your issue on the day that your
web pages are due.
Sample Topics (not all of these topics will work for each country):
 Political/Economic corruption
 Recent elections/prospects for future elections
 Political participation of women
 Current day reform movements
 The Nuclear issue
 Connections (or lack thereof) to international terrorism
 Relationship to supranational organizations (UN, World Bank, OPEC, WTO, etc.)
 Ethnic/religious conflicts
 National debt/economic instability
 Education issues
 Role of religion in the government
You may choose other issues, but if you choose something that is not on the list, make
sure to discuss with me your choice of topic before the paper is due.
4
Course Planner:
Weeks
Topics
Readings
Activities
Assessment
I. Introduction toA.
Comparative
B.
Politics
C.
(Weeks 1-2)
A. Reasons for Comparison
B. Methods of Comparison
1.) Normative/empirical,
direct/inverse relationships,
correlation/causation
2.) Issues to Compare
3.) Democracy/authoritarian,
unitary/federal,
presidential/parliamentary
4.) SMD/proportional,
pluralism/corporatism,
merit/patronage,
OECD/LDC,
modernization/globalization/
Fragmentation/judicial
autonomy
5.) Sources of Authority and
Power
Hauss: Chapter 1:
Seeking New Lands,
Seeing with New
Eyes
Hauss: Chapter 2:
Industrialized
Democracies
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answers,
interpretive
essays,
accurately
completed
charts, critical
thinking
activities
A. Great Britain
1. Historical Foundations:
Constitutionalism,
Legitimacy, Nation/State,
Liberal Democracy
2. British Citizens, Society,
and the State:
Demographics, Cleavages,
Civil Society
3. Political Institutions:
Political Parties/Elections,
Westminster Model
4. Role of EU: Sovereignty
5. Public Policy:
Thatcherism, N. Ireland,
Role of NHS, Immigration,
Terrorism
Hauss: Chapter 4:
Great Britain
1. Using CIA World
Factbook, Freedom
House website, the
Economist website,
construct a comparison
chart featuring
population, territory,
HDI, GDP, PPP,
Economic/Civil
Liberty/Freedom figures
that includes each core
country.
2. Using the textbook,
complete chart
comparing six core
countries to the US on
issues
3. Define key terms for
chapters 1 and 2
4. Answer critical
thinking activities in
complete sentences for
chapters 1 and 2.
1. Define key terms for
chapters 5
2. Answer critical
thinking activities in
complete sentences for
chapters 5.
B. The European Union
1. Historical Foundations,
Constitutionalism,
Sovereignty of member
states, Legitimacy
2. Political Culture and
Participation
3. Public Policy: member
countries v non-member
countries, Euro, Terrorism,
Hauss: Chapter 7:
The European Union
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
II. Industrialized
Democracies
(Weeks 3-4)
Schmitter, Phillippe
and Terry Lynn
Karl. What
Democracy is …and
Is Not. Journal of
Democracy.
Summer 1991.
Carothers, Thomas.
Democracy’s
Sobering State.
Current History.
December 2004.
Studler, Donley T.
British
Constitutional
Change: From Blair
to Brown and
Beyond. 2007.
Bogdanor, Vernon.
The Historic Legacy
of Tony Blair.
Current History.
March 2007.
\
Perlez, Jane.
Muslims’ Veils Test
Limits of Britain’s
Tolerance. The New
York Times. June
22, 2007.
Sbragia, Alberta.
The EU and Its
“Constitution.”
Political Science and
Politics. April 2006.
5
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answer,
interpretive
essay, critical
thinking
activities,
definitions,
daily
assignments
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answer,
interpretive
essay, critical
thinking
activities,
definitions,
daily
III. The Crisis of
Communism
(Weeks 5-7)
Trade, Turkey
A. Russia
1. Historical Foundations:
Soviet Union/Russia,
glasnost, post-Cold War
2. Russian Citizens, Society,
and the State
3. Political Institutions:
President/Prime Minister,
Illiberal Democracy
4. Policy: G8, G20,
Chechnya, Georgia,
Vladimir Putin
Hauss: Chapter 8:
Current and Former
Communist Regimes
Hauss: Chapter 9:
Russia
Ottaway, Marina.
Facing the
Challenge of SemiAuthoritarian States.
Carnegie
Endowment for
International Peace.
2003.
1.) Complete
comparison chart of
institutions/policies
between USSR/Russia
2.) Class debate: Should
Russia be in the G8?
G20?
3. Evaluate economic
indicators.
4. Define key terms for
chapters 8 and 9
5. Answer critical
thinking activities in
complete sentences for
chapters 8 and 9.
assignments
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answer,
interpretive
essay, critical
thinking
activities,
definitions,
daily
assignments
Hassner, Pierre.
Russia’s Transition
to Autocracy.
Journal of
Democracy. April
2008.
The Making of a
New-KGB State.
The Economist.
August 25, 2007.
Skidlesky, Robert.
Putin’s Patrimony.
Prospect Magazine.
March 2007.
B. China
1. Historical foundations:
Revolution, Cultural
Revolution, Economic
Modernization
2. Chinese Society:
Rich/Poor, Cleavages
3. Political Institutions:
Guanxi Corruption, Mass
Line, Democratic Centralism
4. Policy: Privatization,
Google, Falun Gong,
Taiwan, Tibet
Hauss: Chapter 10:
China
Guthrie, Doug.
China: The Quiet
Revolution. Harvard
International
Review. Summer
2003.
Kahn, Joseph.
Beijing Censors
Taken to Task in
Party Circles. The
New York Times.
February 15, 2006.
Kahn, Joseph. In
China, Talk of
Democracy is Simply
That. The New York
Times. April 20,
2007.
Lee, Don. China to
Join Top 3
6
1. Watch documentary
about Tiananmen
Square.
2. Create a comparison
chart for Great Britain,
Russia, and China
3. Analyze and evaluate
economic indicator data
4. Define key terms for
chapter 10
5. Answer critical
thinking activities in
complete sentences for
chapter 10
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answer,
interpretive
essay, critical
thinking
activities,
definitions,
daily
assignments
Economies. The Los
Angeles Times. July
20, 2007.
IV. Emerging
Economies
(Weeks 8-11)
A. Mexico
1. Historical Foundations
2. Mexican Citizens,
Society, and the State
3. Political Institutions:
Camarilla, Corporatism,
Legitimate Elections
4. Public Policy: NAFTA,
Immigration, Drug Cartels,
Structural Adjustment
Hauss: Chapter 11:
The Less Developed
Countries
Chapter 16: Mexico
B. Iran
1. Historical Foundations:
Revolution (Political
Change)
2. Iranian Citizens, Society,
and the State
3. Globalization/
Fragmentation
4. Political Institutions:
Role of Islam, Theocracy
5. Public Policy:
Petropolitics, Nuclear
Weapons, Terrorism, Iraq,
Israel
Hauss: Chapter 13:
Iran
Lawson, Chappell.
How Did We Get
Here? Political
Science and Politics.
January 2007.
Baktiari, Bahman.
Iran’s Conservative
Revival. Current
History. January
2007.
Iran’s Tool Fights
America’s Stooge.
The Economist.
May 15, 2008.
Eickelman, Dale.
Bin Lade, the Arab
“Street”, and the
Middle East’s
Democracy Deficit.
Current History.
January 2002.
C. Nigeria
1. Historical Foundations:
Colonialism, Military
Coups, Authority
2. Nigerian Citizens,
Society, and the State
3. Political Institutions
4. Public Policy:
Corruption, Terrorism,
Poverty, Oil
Hauss: Chapter 15:
Nigeria
Childress, Sarah.
People Power. The
Wall Street Journal.
June 18, 2008.
Will Africa Ever Get
It Right? The
Economist. April
26, 2007.
Polgreen, Lydia.
Africa’s Crisis of
Democracy. The
New York Times.
7
1. Create comparison
chart for Mexico, China,
Russia, Great Britain
2. Evaluate economic
indicator data
3. Analyze recent
political data for trends
4. Define key terms for
chapters 11 and 16
5. Answer critical
thinking activities in
complete sentences for
chapters 11 and 16.
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answer,
interpretive
essay, critical
thinking
activities,
definitions,
daily
assignments
1. Watch documentary
on Iranian Revolution
2. Create comparison
chart for Iran, Russia,
Mexico, China, Great
Britain
3. Class Debate: Should
Iran develop nuclear
weapons?
4. Analyze recent
elections returns for
trends
5. Evaluate economic
indicators.
6. Define key terms for
chapter 13
7. Answer critical
thinking activities in
complete sentences for
chapter 13.
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answer,
interpretive
essay, critical
thinking
activities,
definitions,
daily
assignments
1. Create comparison
chart with Mexico,
China, Russia, Iran,
Great Britain
2. Class Debate: Future
of Nigeria.
3. Analyze recent
political election data.
4. Evaluate economic
indicator trends.
5. Define key terms for
chapter 15
6. Answer critical
thinking activities in
complete sentences for
chapter 15.
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answer,
interpretive
essay, critical
thinking
activities,
definitions,
daily
assignments
April 23, 2007.
Barber, Benjamin.
Jihad vs McWorld.
The Atlantic
Monthly. March
1992.
V. Global
Challenges and
Domestic
Responses
(Week 12)
A. Dangers:
Terrorism, War,
Environmental Abuse,
Human Rights Abuses,
Extreme Poverty
B. Economy:
Globalization/Isolationism,
WTO
C. International
Organizations: UN, WTO,
World Bank
Hauss: Chapter 17:
Global Challenges
and Domestic
Responses
Katzenstein, Peter
and Robert O.
Keohane. AntiAmericanisms. AntiAmericanism in
World Politics.
2007.
1. Define key terms for
chapters 17
2. Answer critical
thinking activities in
complete sentences for
chapters 17.
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answer,
interpretive
essay, critical
thinking
activities,
definitions,
daily
assignments
1. Country Group
presentations/discussions
2. Complete Comparison
Charts
Assessment of
presentations
and
information
AP Exam
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answer,
interpretive
essay, critical
thinking
activities,
definitions,
daily
assignments
Inglehart, Ronald
and Pippa Norris.
The True Clash of
Civilizations.
Foreign Policy.
March/April 2003.
VI. Final
Comparisons
(Week 13)
A. Compare six comparative
government countries and
United States to review for
the AP Exam
VII. Other
Countries of
Interest
(Weeks 14-16)
A. Iraq
1. Historical Foundations:
Revolution (Political
Change)
2. Iraqi Citizens, Society,
and the State
3. Globalization/
Fragmentation
4. Political Institutions:
Role of Islam, Theocracy
5. Public Policy:
Petropolitics, Nuclear
Weapons, Terrorism, Iraq,
Israel
Hauss: Chapter 14:
Iraq
B. France
1. Historical Foundations:
Constitutionalism,
Legitimacy, Nation/State,
Liberal Democracy
2. French Citizens, Society,
and the State:
Demographics, Cleavages,
Civil Society
3. Political Institutions:
Political Parties/Elections
4. Role of EU: Sovereignty
5. Public Policy: Nicolas
Hauss: Chapter 5:
France
Cultural
Explanations.
Orlando Sentinel.
September 21, 2003.
The Gaullist
Revolutionary. The
Economist. May 12,
2007.
Roy, Olivier.
Liberté, Egalité,
Laïcité. The
American Interest.
January/February
8
1. Define key terms for
chapter 14
2. Answer critical
thinking activities in
complete sentences for
chapter 14.
1. Define key terms for
chapter 5
2. Answer critical
thinking activities in
complete sentences for
chapter 5.
Test: multiple
choice
questions,
short answer,
interpretive
essay, critical
thinking
activities,
definitions,
daily
assignments
Sarkozy, Growing Islamic
population, Immigration,
Terrorism
2007.
Useful Websites:
Over the course of the semester, you will need to find a variety of information about a wide
range of topics for specific countries as well as general information. Here is a starter list of
useful websites that you can use as references.
General Websites:
Agency
CIA World Factbook
CIRI Human Rights Data
Council on Foreign Affairs
Election World
Freedom House
Nationmaster
The Political Compass
Transparency International
US Department of State Background
Notes
US Department of State Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices
The World Bank
The United Nations
World Trade Organization
Website
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook
www.humanrightsdata.org
www.cfr.org
www.electionworld.org
www.freedomhouse.org
www.nationmaster.com
www.politicalcompass.org
www.transparency.org
www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/
www.state.gov/g/drl/cr/c1470.htm
www.worldbank.org
www.un.org
www.wto.org
Country Specific Websites
Country
Great Britain
China
European Union
Mexico
Nigeria
Nigeria
Mexico
Russia
Iran
Agency
BBC
Chinese Propaganda Posters
European Union
MEXOnline
Nigerian National Data Bank
Nigeria Site
Political Database of the Americas
Russia Votes
Statistical Centre of Iran
Website
http://news.bbc.co.uk
www.iisg.nl/~landsberger
www.europa.eu.int
www.mexonline.com/mexagncy.htm
www.nigeriadatabank.org
www.nigeriasite.com/newslinks.html
www.georgetown.edu/pdba
www.russiavotes.org
www.sci.org.ir
Periodicals
Periodical Name
China Daily
Christian Science Monitor
Current History
Economist
Foreign Affairs
Iran Daily
Moscow News
Moscow Times
New York Times
Nigeria World
Washington Post
Periodical Website
www.chinadaily.com.cn
www.csmonitor.com
www.currenthistory.com
www.economist.com
www.foreignaffairs.org
www.iran-daily.com
www.mn.ru/english
www.themoscowtimes.com
www.nytimes.com
www.nigeriaworld.com
www.washingtonpost.com
9
Optional Novels for Extra Credit (no more than one per six weeks):
Students have the option of completing one book report each six weeks for extra credit. Students
will be required to read the book and write a five page book report that compares the author’s
experiences to the information located in the textbook, supplementary readings, etc. Students
must explain in their report if there are differences between classroom discussion and the
author’s experiences, why those differences exist. They must also place the author’s experiences
within the context of comparative politics. How does this author’s experience compare to the
potential experiences in at least one other country?
The following is a list of potential novels that students may choose to read. The student must
discuss with me if they are planning to do this project, which book they are choosing, and a due
date for the project. If a student does not fulfill these requirements, no extra credit will be
awarded for work completed.
The total amount of extra credit given for this project will depend on the quality of a student’s
work. A student can earn up to 20 points that will be added to a test at the end of the six weeks.
Possible novels:
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart (1994, Anchor Books)
Achebe, Chinua. A Man of the People (1989, Random House)
Akpan, Uwem. Say You’re One of Them. (2008, Back Bay Books)
Chang, Jung. Wild Swans (2003, Touchstone)
Jin, Ha. The Bridegroom (2001, Vintage Books)
Gorokhova, Elena. A Mountain of Crumbs: A Memoir (2010, Simon and Schuster)
Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran (2003, Random House)
Regan, Margaret. The Death of Josseline: Immigration stories from the Arizona-Mexico
Borderlands. (2010, Beacon Press)
10