Political Science 260
Introduction to Comparative Politics
Summer 2011
William Crowther
236 Graham
Office hours: 9:00 -10:00 MWF or by arrangement
email: wecrowth@uncg.edu
Tel: 256-0519
Course Meeting Time: MTWR 10:10-12:10, Graham 209
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is intended to introduce the basic concepts and methods of comparative
political analysis. At the same time an effort will be made to familiarize students with the political institutions and
practices of a variety of developed and developing countries.
Course Requirements
This is a writing intensive course. You will be taking in class midterm and final essay exams which will be
graded both on the basis of substance and quality of writing. In addition to these essay exams, you will be
working on a semester long research project that will result in a 8-10 page term paper, written in multiple drafts.
The paper that you write will require you to research some aspect of comparative politics in two countries of your
choice. During the course of the semester there will be a series of short answer quizzes covering the assigned
reading materials. Your scores on these quizzes will count for 15% of your grade. Those who take the course will
be expected to keep up with the assigned readings and participate in class discussions. Extra credit of up to 5%
(1/2 grade) can be earned by doing additional readings.
Grading: Quizzes-15%, Midterm-25%, Final Exam-30%, Paper-30%. I use a standard ten-point grading system. For
example: 93-100 = A; 90-92 = A-; 87-89 = B+; 83-86 = B; 80-82 = B-;etc.
Required Texts
Kesselman, Mark, Joel Krieger, and Wiliam A. Joseph. Introduction to Comparative Politics: Political Challenges
and Changing Agendas, 5th ed. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2010).
ACADEMIC HONOR CODE: Each student is required to sign the honor statement on all major work submitted for this
course. Refer to the UNCG Undergraduate Bulletin.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes unless prior permission is obtained
in advance from the instructor. More than three un-excused absences may result in dismissal.
ELECTRONIC Devices: Turn off or turn to vibrate ALL cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices other than your
laptop computer. Concerning laptops: The only reason to bring a laptop to this class is to take notes. All students who use
laptops must sit at the front of the classroom, in one of the first four rows. There are no exceptions.
DROP POLICY: Refer to UNCG Undergraduate Bulletin
Course Outline
I.
Introduction to Comparative Analysis:
Introduction to Comparative Politics, Chapter 1, Introduction.
Wednesday May 25th Class Cancelled,
Thursday May 26 Class meeting in Citilab in Jackson Library
II.
Established Democratic Political Systems
A.
Great Britain
Introduction to Comparative Politics, Chapter 2.
B.
France
Introduction to Comparative Politics, Chapter 3.
C.
Germany
Introduction to Comparative Politics, Chapter 4.
Midterm Exam, approximately Thursday, June 9th.
III. The Transition from Communism
A.
Russia
Introduction to Comparative Politics, Chapter 11.
B.
The People’s Republic of China
Introduction to Comparative Politics, Chapter 13.
IV.
Less Developed Countries
A.
Introduction
B.
Nigeria
Introduction to Comparative Politics, Chapter 8.
C.
Mexico
Introduction to Comparative Politics, Chapter 10.
D.
India
Introduction to Comparative Politics, Chapter 6.
Final Exam Friday, June 24th.