Great Britain
Describe the functions exercised by the House of Commons. Identify the electoral system in Great Britain and
explain its effects on party representation in the House of Commons. How effective is the House of Commons in
limiting the power of the executive in Great Britain?
Analyze the reasons for and the impact of devolution in the United Kingdom over the past fifteen years, including
the institutions created by devolution throughout the United Kingdom.
Describe the various arguments for and against Great Britain joining the European Union (EU) single currency.
Describe the current British government’s response to the issue of the EU single currency.
Describe examples of social welfare policies important to Great Britain’s welfare state and evaluate their
effectiveness.
Describe the functions of the Supreme Court in the United Kingdom. Explain the reasons for the establishment of
the Supreme Court in the United Kingdom. Explain how membership in the European Union affects the judicial
system in Great Britain.
Describe the circumstances surrounding the 2010 parliamentary elections in Great Britain. Identify the two parties
that formed the coalition government in Great Britain following those elections and explain the reasons why they
formed a coalition. Describe some of the issues that have threatened the coalition.
Describe the level and nature of conventional and unconventional political participation (including violent political
activity) in Great Britain in the last twenty years. Evaluate the effectiveness of these various forms of political
participation.
Russia
Describe the economic and political liberalization policies pursued in Russia since 1991. Analyze the consequences
of economic liberalization on social class in Russia.
How have political rights and civil liberties declined in Russia over the past fifteen years? Explain the various
changes made during Vladimir Putin’s presidency that are evidence that the Russian political system has become
more authoritarian.
Describe the features of the Russian political system that make it a mixed presidential/parliamentary system of
government. How does the system impact governance in Russia?
Describe the functions exercised by the Duma. Describe Russia’s electoral system before the 2007 Duma elections.
Explain how the electoral system shaped the pre-2007 Russian party system. Describe the changes to the Russian
electoral system that were designed for the 2007 Duma elections and explain their impact on party competition.
Include in your analysis the most recent Duma elections. How effective is the Duma in limiting the power of the
executive in Russia?
How do Russian authorities attempt to influence the political socialization of their citizens?
Describe the following elements of Russia’s political system; electoral competition, civil society, and media. Explain
what makes Russia what some political scientists would characterize as a hybrid regime.
China
Describe the status of private property in China under Mao. Identify and explain policies undertaken by the Chinese
government within the past thirty years that contradict that policy. Describe the various arguments for and against
the privatization of industry in China. Describe the Chinese government’s response to global pressures to privative
industry.
Describe the following elements of China’s political system; electoral competition, civil society, and media. What
makes China an authoritarian regime? Explain how the Chinese government has limited transparency over the past
twenty years.
Describe the major social cleavages in China. Discuss policies the Chinese state has adopted since 1990 in response
to those cleavages.
Explain how China’s environmental problems have resulted from its economic liberalization. Describe policies the
Chinese government has developed in response to these environmental problems.
Describe the general pattern of internal migration in China. Describe economic policies that prompted the
migration. Describe political consequences of the migration. How has China responded to these pressures?
Explain the policies China has used to address population growth issues. Explain why China has pursued population
growth policies. What effect have these policies had on the population growth rate for China? Describe any social
or economic consequences of manipulating population growth rates in China.
Describe various reforms to the legal system in China in the past twenty-five years. Explain the reasons why
reforms to the legal system have occurred. How have various economic changes affected the legal system in
China? Describe the important features of the Chinese legal system that have not changed in the past twenty-five
years.
Mexico
Describe the economic and political liberalization policies pursued in Mexico since 1985. How have political rights
and civil liberties increased in Mexico over the past thirty years? Analyze the consequences of economic
liberalization on social class in Mexico.
Describe Mexico’s current electoral system. Explain the function of Mexico’s Institute of Federal Elections (IFE) in
the electoral process. Describe the electoral reforms made in Mexico since 1990 and explain how those reforms
affected Mexico’s party system. Evaluate the level of political competition and transparency in the context of
politics in Mexico.
Describe the various policy responses of the Mexican government to economic globalization. Describe the various
organized responses of Mexican citizens to economic globalization.
Describe the relationship between interest groups and the state in Mexico’s corporatist system. How has that
changed now that Mexico is pluralist?
Identify the major political parties that participated in the 2012 presidential elections in Mexico and describe the
central elements of their political ideologies.
Describe the general pattern of internal migration in Mexico. Describe economic policies that prompted the
migration. Describe political consequences of the migration. How has Mexico responded to these migration
pressures?
Describe the significant ethnic divisions in Mexico. Identify any ethnic movements in Mexico after 1990 and explain
the reasons why these movements arose. How significant a role does ethnicity play in Mexican politics?
Iran
Describe the structure of the government for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Identify the sources of political legitimacy
established by its constitution. Discuss examples of how these sources of political legitimacy have led to tensions in
Iran in the last thirty years.
Describe the national-level institutions in Iran’s theocracy for which members are directly elected by citizens.
Explain the function of Iran’s Guardian Council in the electoral process. How does this influence electoral
competition?
Describe various measures taken by Iranian political leaders to democratize Iran’s political process. Describe the
ways in which Iranian leaders have resisted democratization. Evaluate the level of political competition and
transparency in the context of politics in Iran.
Describe the procedure for selecting the President in Iran and the circumstances surrounding the two most recent
presidential elections. Describe the various powers held by the Iranian President and its sources of legitimacy.
Analyze the goals and impact of the political revolution in Iran as well as the cultural revolution that followed.
Explain the policies Iran has used to address population growth issues. Explain why Iran has pursued population
growth policies. What effect have these policies had on the population growth rate for Iran? Describe any social or
economic consequences of manipulating population growth rates in Iran.
Nigeria
Describe examples of how colonialism has shaped contemporary politics in Nigeria.
Describe the significant ethnic and religious divisions in Nigeria. Identify the ethnic and religious movements in
Nigeria since 1990 and explain the reasons why these movements arose. How significant a role does ethnicity and
religion play in Nigerian politics?
Explain how Nigeria’s federal structure and electoral system accommodate different ethnic and religious groups.
Why has this been ineffective in resolving tensions in Nigeria and in the Niger River delta in particular?
Describe various measures taken by Nigerian political leaders to democratize Nigeria’s political process. Describe
the ways in which Nigerian leaders have resisted democratization.
Describe the procedure for selecting the President in Nigeria and the various powers held by the Nigerian President.
Discuss these topics within the context of Nigeria’s most recent presidential election and its current President
Goodluck Jonathan.
Describe the level and nature of conventional and unconventional political participation (including violent political
activity) in Nigeria in the last twenty years. Evaluate the effectiveness of these various forms of political
participation.