“Emerging or Submerging: The Politics of the Developing World”
PE 145C
(formerly 345C)
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11:00 - 12:15 in Room 311 of Elizabeth Hall (29 class days)
Dr. William R. Nylen
Associate Professor
Dept. of Political Science
Stetson University
Course Description:
Eighty percent of the world's population lives in the so-called ‘developing world’ (over
150 countries). Almost half of those live under conditions of "absolute poverty" as defined by
the United Nations. The 1980s were dubbed "the lost decade" for the developing world as
economic recession, declining savings and investment, increasing debt burdens and political
unrest combined to erase much of the development gains of the previous two decades. In the
1990s, economic globalization and neoliberal economic models have ‘solved’ these problems by
concentrating incomes, increasing dependency on volatile short-term foreign capital flows, and
relegating millions of impoverished human beings to the category of the "marginalized". In
1998, internal conflicts afflicted some 60 countries, most in the developing world, and about 35
million people were refugees or internally displaced. All of these problems continue in 2004
and are added to recent concerns about global terrorism linked to militant Islamist movements in
the Middle East and elsewhere.
This course explores how and why these countries got that way, about how the struggle
for "development" is as much about conflicting ends as it is about scarce means, and about how
both the problems and potential solutions are a lot closer to the United States doorstep than most
of us realize. The course allows us to understand the past and present of this large and important
part of the world, and to make reasonable assessments of its future. It allows us to go beyond
the usual simplistic and ethnocentric analyzes of the uninformed and misinformed.
We begin with debate between some of the competing explanations for poverty and
economic ‘underdevelopment’: the structure of international capitalism, geopolitical structure,
political culture, and the legacies of the past (including colonial rule and domestic institutions).
We will pay special attention to the interaction between economic ‘underdevelopment’ and
politics (e.g. the historical association between ‘underdevelopment’ and authoritarian politics,
and the challenges posed to contemporary processes of democratization). Students will be
exposed to case studies from Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
Due to its relatively large size, this course will be based primarily on a lecture format
with frequent breaks (the more frequent, the better) for discussion and answering questions. For
most of the semester, there will be a group of students who have written a short paper on each
day’s readings. They will be the experts on that day and may be called upon to present their
expert analysis of issues at hand and/or be questioned by other students for their expert opinions.
All students will be expected to have done all of the readings on all of the days, and to be
prepared to discuss the readings in an informed and engaged manner.
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BOOKS REQUIRED FOR PURCHASE (on sale in bookstore):
Roy R. Andersen, Robert F. Seibert & Jon G. Wagner. Politics and Change in the Middle East:
Sources of Conflict and Accomodation, 7th Edition (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice
Hall, 2004).
Maggie Black. The No-Nonsense Guide to International Development (London: Verso, 2002).
April A. Gordon & Donald L. Gordon [eds.]. Understanding Contemporary Africa, 3rd Edition
(Boulder: Lynne Riener, 2001).
Howard Handelman. The Challenge of Third World Development, 3rd Edition (Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002).
Thomas W. Walker & Ariel C. Armony [eds.]. Repression, Resistance, and Democratic
Transition in Central America (Wilmington, Deleware: Scholarly Resources, 2000).
RESERVE AND ON-LINE READING: Some readings in this course may be placed on 2-hour
reserve in the library. These readings are equally as important as those in the books required for
purchase.
INTERNET RESOURCES (only a small sampling):
www.africaonline.com
http://www.electionworld.org/
http://ladb.unm.edu/
http://www.mideastweb.org/history.htm
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
COURSE REQUIREMENTS -- Grades will be based on performance in the following:
-- Attendance and classroom participation (10%)
-- One in-class mid-term essay of essays and short answer/identifications (20%)
-- Four short (3-5 pages) reading-based ‘Executive Summaries’ [see Annex 1] (20%)
-- A final 10-page term paper [see Annex 2] (20%)
– A final exam of essays and short answer/identifications (30%)
– Dr. Nylen reserves the right to give "pop quizzes" at any moment he deems necessary or
appropriate (such quizzes will affect the final grade)
-- Dr. Nylen stands by Stetson's official statement on grades, which says:
Grades represent the instructor's final estimate of the student's performance in a
course. The grade of A (+ or -) may be interpreted to mean that the instructor
recognizes exceptional capacity and exceptional performance. The grade of B (+
or -) signifies that the student has gained a significantly more effective command
of material than is generally expected in the course. The grade or C or C+ is the
instructor's certification that the student has demonstrated the required mastery of
the material. A student is graded C- or D (+ or -) when his/her grasp of the
course essentials is minimal. [Stetson University Bulletin, 2003-4, P.31]
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS (continued):
-- Any form of cheating, including and especially plagiarism, will result in an automatic F grade
for the entire course. To plagiarize is ...
To take and pass off as one’s own (the ideas, writings, etc. of another). [Webster’s New
World Dictionary of the American Language (1962)]
-- Requests for make-up exams or late papers must be preceded by a really, really, really good
excuse, or by written medical evidence.
-- Significant improvement through the semester can result in an upgrade of half a letter grade
COURSE OUTLINE:
I. INTRODUCTION: Terms, Concepts and Conceptual Frameworks (Days 1-5: 1/13, 1/15,
1/20, 1/22, 1/27):
Readings:
1/15 & 1/20: Black. Entire book, including “Introduction”
1/22: Handelman. Chapter One (“Understanding Underdevelopment”)
1/27: Gordon & Gordon: “Introduction”
1/27: Andersen, Seibert & Wagner: “Introduction” & Chapter Seven (“Turning Points”)
II. DEVELOPING WORLD SOCIETIES IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE (Days 6-7:
1/29, 2/3)
Readings:
1/29: Africa: Thomas O’Toole, “The Historical Context” in Gordon & Gordon; and
Eugenia Shanklin, “Family and Kinship” in Gordon & Gordon.
2/3: Middle East: Andersen, Seibert & Wagner. Chapters One (“Traditional Cultures of
the Middle East: The Cradle of Civilization and Politics”), Four (“Western
Imperialism,1800-1914") & Five (“The Rise of the State System,1914-1950").
III. THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THIRD WORLD DEVELOPMENT (Days 8-9: 2/5,
2/10)
Readings & Mini-paper Assignments:
2/5: General: Handelman. Chapter Nine (“The Political Economy of Third World
Development”).
2/5a: Africa: Virginia DeLancey. “The Economies of Africa” in Gordon & Gordon; and
Donald L. Gordon. “African Politics” [partial] in Gordon & Gordon. (pages 77-94 only).
2/10b: Middle East: Andersen, Seibert & Wagner. Chapter Eleven (“The Economic
Setting”).
IV. THE GEOPOLITICS OF THIRD WORLD DEVELOPMENT (Days 10-11: 2/12, 2/17)
Readings & Mini-paper Assignments:
2/12c: Africa: Peter J. Schraeder. “African International Relations” in Gordon & Gordon.
2/17d: Middle East: Andersen, Seibert & Wagner. Chapters Twelve (“International
Relations in the Contemporary Middle East, 1945-1990"), Thirteen (“... The Regional
Actors”) and Fourteen (“The Middle East and the Changing International Order,
1991-2001").
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MIDTERM EXAM REVIEW (Day 12: 2/19)
MIDTERM EXAM (Day 13: 2/24)
V. RELIGION & POLITICS (Days 14-15: 2/29, 3/9)
Readings & Mini-paper Assignments:
2/29: General: Handelman. Chapter Two (“Religion and Politics”).
2/29a: Africa: Ambrose Moyo. “Religion in Africa” in Gordon & Gordon.
3/9b: Middle East: Andersen, Seibert & Wagner. Chapters Two (“The Foundations of
Islam”) & Three (“The Political Legacy of Islam, A.D. 632-1800").
VI. THE POLITICS OF CULTURAL PLURALISM & ETHNIC CONFLICT (Days 16-17:
3/11, 3/16)
Readings & Mini-paper Assignments:
3/11: General: Handelman. Chapter Three (“The Politics of Cultural Pluralism and Ethnic
Conflict”).
3/11c: Africa: Patrick J. Furlong. “South Africa” in Gordon & Gordon.
3/16d: Middle East: Andersen, Seibert & Wagner. Chapter Eight [partial] (“The Politics
of Religion, Culture, and Social Life”, Pp.126-46 & 151-2).
VII. WOMEN & DEVELOPMENT (Days 18-19: 3/18, 3/23)
Readings & Mini-paper Assignments:
3/18: General: Handelman. Chapter Four (“Women and Development”).
3/18a: Africa: April A. Gordon. “Women and Development” in Gordon & Gordon.
3/23b: Middle East: Andersen, Seibert & Wagner. Chapter Eight [partial] (“Sexual
Politics”, Pp.146-51).
VIII. THE POLITICS OF RURAL CHANGE AND URBANIZATION (Days 20-21: 3/25,
3/30)
Readings & Mini-paper Assignments:
3/25: General: Handelman. Chapters Five (“Agrarian Reform and the Politics of Rural
Change”) & Six (“Rapid Urbanization and the Politics of the Urban Poor”).
3/25c: Africa: April A. Gordon. “Population, Urbanization, and AIDS” in Gordon &
Gordon.
3/30d: Middle East: Andersen, Seibert & Wagner. Chapter Nine (“Political Elites”).
IX. THE VIOLENT POLITICS OF REVOLUTIONS & MILITARY
AUTHORITARIANISM (Days 22-23: 4/1, 4/6)
Readings & Mini-paper Assignments:
4/1: General: Handelman. Chapters Seven (“Revolutionary Change”) & Eight (“Soldiers
and Politics”)
4/1a: Africa: Donald L. Gordon. “African Politics” in Gordon & Gordon.
4/6b: Middle East: Andersen, Seibert & Wagner. Chapter Six (“The Drive for
Self-Determination, 1950-1990").
X. DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT (Days 24-25: 4/8, 4/13)
Readings & Mini-paper Assignments:
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4/8: General: Handelman. Chapter Ten (“Democratic Change and the Change to
Democracy”).
4/8c: Africa: Stephen N. Ndegwa. “A Decade of Democracy in Africa” [available on
Ebsco-Host full text]
4/13d: Middle East: Andersen, Seibert & Wagner. Chapter Ten (“Political Leadership in
the Contemporary Middle East”).
XI. COMPARISONS WITH CENTRAL AMERICA (Days 26-28: 4/15, 4/20, 4/22)
Readings (all in Walker & Armony):
4/15: Walker & Armony: “Introduction”; Susanne Jonas and Thomas Walker.
“Guatemala: Intervention, Repression, Revolt, and Negotiated Transition”; John Booth.
“Costa Rica: Buffeted Democracy”.
4/20: Richard Stahler-Sholk. “External Actors: Other States”; Jack Child. “External
Actors: The United Nations and the Organization of American States”; Edward L. Cleary.
“Religion in the Central American Embroglio”.
4/22: Calos M. Vilas. “Neoliberalism in Central America”; Patricia Bayer Richard &
John Booth. “Civil Society and Democratic Transition”; Ariel Armony. “Conclusion:
Conceptual Issues on Democratization in Central America”.
FINAL REVIEW & FINAL PAPER DUE (Day 29: 4/27)
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, May 4, 9-11 a.m.
“A comparative politics that aspires to be a science is concerned with understanding
people, not with judging them.” (Ruth Lane. The Art of Comparative Politics [Boston:
Allyn and Bacon, 1997], 4).
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ANNEX #1: Executive Summaries
Each day, this class has an assigned reading. All students are expected to do all of the readings
each and every day. However, from February 5th through April 13th, the class will be divided
into four groups – “a”, “b”, “c” & “d” – and each day, students in one of the four groups will
write a Executive Summary of the reading or set of readings on either Africa or the Middle East.
In doing so, assume that you are working for a President of the United States who is neither a
policy wonk nor an intellectual. She’s interested in the material, but doesn’t have a whole lot of
time to devote to it. Your job is to condense the main points as they relate both to the specific
theme (in Roman numerals in the syllabus and, usually, as outlined in the relevant chapter in
Handelman’s book) and the more general theme of “development” and “underdevelopment” into
a 3-5 page easy-to-read document that captures all the main points.
So ... every four class meetings between Thursday February 5th and Tuesday April 13th, each
student will have an “Executive Summary” to turn in at the end of class. There are four
assignment days for each student. Late assignments will be downgraded one grade for each day
of lateness.
ANNEX #2: Final Term Paper
On the last day of class (Tuesday, April 27), a 10-page term paper is due and is to be handed in at
the beginning of the class period.
The paper will consist of an analysis of the Costa Rican and/or Guatemalan experience of
“underdevelopment” and “development” in comparison with similar or comparable experiences
discussed in readings throughout the semester on Africa and the Middle East. Each student
must choose the specific dimension(s) of these terms he/she wishes to analyze (e.g. political
economy, geopolitics, religion, cultural pluralism and ethnic conflict, etc., etc.). If experiences
are different, describe and explain the differences. If similar, explain the similarities (you might
even wish to hazard a generalizable hypothesis applicable to other comparable cases).
Readings for the paper may consist primarily, even exclusively, of course readings (e.g. Walker
& Armony, Handelman, etc.). Additional outside readings can augment the course readings, but
cannot make up the majority of works read and cited. This is a term paper, not a research paper.
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