COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Political Science 235C
Huskey
Spring 2004
10:00
E.
MWF
This course is an introduction to the study of comparative politics. Political institutions and
behavior in Britain, France, Russia, and Nigeria will be examined both in their cultural contexts
and in relation to the general theories of comparative politics. The course is designed to expose
the student to the tools of comparative political analysis as well as to the varied structures of
power, thought, and behavior in modern political systems.
The following texts are available in the bookstore:
Birch, The British System of Government
Remington, Politics in Russia
Safran, The French Polity
Other readings may be found on reserve in the library and, in some cases, online.
Progress in the course will be assessed on the basis of a midterm exam (25%), a final
exam (30%), a research and writing assignment (25%), and class attendance, participation,
and quizzes (20%). Faithful attendance is expected, and excessive absences will prompt inquiries
from me. I am available in my office in Elizabeth on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 to 12
and Tuesdays and on Thursdays from 11 to 12:15. Students are encouraged to make an
appointment if these times are inconvenient. You may also contact me by e-mail
(ehuskey@stetson.edu) or phone (x7576).
I. COMPARING POLITICAL SYSTEMS
A. The Study of Comparative Politics
Readings: None
B. In Search of a Grand Theory of Comparative Politics: The Early Debates
1. Systems Theory and Structural-Functionalism
2. Marxism and World Systems Theory
3. Developmental and Modernization Theories
Comparative Politics
Page 2
Readings:
D. Easton, "An Approach to the Analysis of Political Systems," World Politics, (1956-1957), pp.
383-400.
I. Wallerstein, The Capitalist World-Economy, pp. 152-164; 49-65.
S. Huntington, The Third Wave, chapter 1.
C. Actors in Comparative Political Analysis: The State, Groups, and the Individual
Readings:
Entries on “Pluralism,” “Interest Groups,” and “Parties” from the International Encyclopedia of
the
Social Sciences.
D. Competing Explanations of Political Behavior: The Current Debates
1. Institutional Design
2. Calculation and Rational Choice
3. Class, Culture, and Ethnicity
Readings:
European Political Systems, pp. 51-75
J. Linz and A. Valenzuela, The Failure of Presidential Democracy, preface and pp. 1-30.
Green and Shapiro, Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory, pp. 1-10.
S. Huntington, "The Clash of Civilizations," Foreign Affairs (Summer 1993), pp. 22-49.
II. BRITISH POLITICS
Social System and Political Traditions
Parliamentary, Cabinet, or Prime Ministerial Government?
New Labour and the Remaking of the British Constitution
Labour Vindicated? The Unbreakable Mold of the British Party System
Tony Blair and the Politics of the Iraq Crisis
Readings:
A. Birch (entirety)
P. Norris, “Anatomy of a Labour Landslide,” Parliamentary Affairs, no. 4 (1997), pp. 509-532.
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Comparative Politics
Page 3
III. FRENCH POLITICS
Social System and Political Traditions
The Emergence of Presidential Rule
Cohabitation: The Politics of Shared Power
Citizens, Parties, and Notables
French Secularism and the Limits of Religious Tolerance
Readings:
Safran (entirety)
J. Shields, “Europe’s Other Landslide: The French National Assembly Elections of May-June
1997,” Political Quarterly, no. 4 (1997), pp. 412-425 (available online through Ebsco Host
Academic).
IV. RUSSIAN POLITICS
Social System and Political Traditions
The Rise and Fall of Communist Politics
The Making of the Russian Presidency
Parliament and Party Politics
Center-Regional Relations
Vladimir Putin: Democrat or Authoritarian?
Readings:
Remington (entirety).
Huskey, “Overcoming the Yeltsin Legacy: Vladimir Putin and Russian Political Reform,”in A.
Brown (ed.), Contemporary Russian Politics: A Reader.
V. NIGERIAN POLITICS
Social System and Political Traditions
Ethnic, Religious, and Regional Divisions in Nigerian Politics
Elections and State Building
Corruption and the Politics of Economic Development
The Military in Politics
Comparative Politics
Page 4
Readings:
P. Eigen, “Combatting Corruption around the World,” Journal of Democracy, no. 1 (1996), pp.
158- 168.
J. Ihonvbere, “How to Make an Undemocratic Constitution: The Nigerian Example,” Third
World Quarterly, no. 2 (2000), pp. 343-366.
FINAL EXAMINATION
Monday, May 3, 4-6pm