INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Drexel University
Winter 2013
Instructor: Professor Amelia Hoover Green
E-mail: ameliahoovergreen@drexel.edu
Class meetings: Tuesday and Thursday, 12:00 noon – 1:50 pm, Curtis Hall 453
Office hours: Friday 10:00 am – 12:00 noon. Reserve a time by signing up on my office door.
Office location: 3025 Macalister (the main History and Politics office)
REQUIRED TEXT
The text for this course is Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics (Todd Landman, 2008 3rd ed.). I will
refer to Issues and Methods as IM throughout this syllabus. It is available in hard copy in the bookstore, as an
e-book for about $30, and/or used for even less than that. Either the 2000 or the 2003 edition will also be
fine. All other readings will be posted or handed out at least one week prior to the class in which we’ll
discuss them.
COURSE OVERVIEW
This course introduces basic concepts, methods and questions in comparative politics, one of four traditional
sub-disciplines of political science. (The others are American politics, international relations, and political
theory.) Comparative politics looks for answers to questions like: What are the chances for lasting democracy
in the Arab Spring countries? Why does the US have a two-party system, while other countries have a wider
array of parties? What caused, and what are the prospects for resolving, conflicts in (for example) the
Democratic Republic of Congo or Afghanistan? Comparative politics covers a broad range of topics and
questions. What ties the sub-discipline together is commitment to comparison as a tool for answering those
questions. The main objective of this course is a clear, demonstrable understanding of key methods
and approaches in comparative politics, as applied to common substantive topics and questions.
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
•
•
•
•
•
Describe common questions in comparative politics research.
Compare and contrast differing methodological approaches to comparative politics.
In writing and conversation, identify key findings and debates in the following substantive areas of
comparative politics:
Regime types
Democratization and democratic institutions
Elections and electoral systems
Welfare state politics
Protection of human rights in war and peace
In writing and conversation, demonstrate knowledge of the political dynamics of a specific region of
the world.
In writing and conversation, apply comparative politics findings and debates to current issues and
events.
1
WHAT YOUR GRADE IS BASED ON
Your grade is based on the components outlined in the table below. For work due after week 2, I will hand
out directions and grading rubrics in class.
Component
Optional
Reading
Responses
Description
% of
final
grade
See description below. These are extra credit assignments, and can increase your final grade by
up to 10% (a full letter grade).
Class
Participation
See description below. Attendance is included in participation grades. Participation is
scored weekly; final participation score is average of eight highest weekly scores.
20%
Unscheduled
Quizzes
During 3 randomly selected class periods, I will give brief multiple-choice quizzes on
the assigned reading for that day. Each of these quizzes is worth 5% of your final grade.
15%
Assignment 1
Write down ten questions about readings from Week 1 (this syllabus, other syllabi, and
IM, chapter 1). Question topics might include unfamiliar vocabulary, concepts from the
readings, issues we’ll be discussing in class, class policies, etc.
5%
Assignment 2
How similar should the study of comparative politics be to the study of natural sciences
like physics, according to Almond and Genco? Does Landman agree? Do you? 500-700
words.
10%
Assignment 3
Evaluate the current electoral system in the country with which you’re most familiar. In
your opinion, what effects (if any) would a change in electoral systems have on that
country’s politics, and why? 500-700 words.
10%
Assignment 4
Based on evidence about a social movement you know of, or have experience with,
evaluate Olson’s argument, and Wood’s counterargument. 500–700 words.
10%
Assignment 5
Final paper topic, abstract, and proposed bibliography.
5%
Assignment 6
First draft of final paper. Must have completed at least 1500 words. This draft need not
include formal references or be fully complete, but it is in your best interests to complete
as much as possible so that I can give productive feedback.
10%
Final draft. 2500–3500 words, exclusive of references. References must be complete.
15%
Final Paper
All the components described above, with the exception of the reading responses clearly marked as optional,
are required to pass the course. You may not, for example, simply decide not to turn in the mid-term and
lose those points. My policy on late work is below. All due dates are listed in the course schedule starting on
page 5.
Participation (including attendance) accounts for 20% of your final grade. I assign participation grades
on a rough 1–5 scale for each class period. To receive full credit, you must (a) attend both class sessions, (b)
read all assigned materials, (c) actively listen to me and your classmates, and (d) offer questions, comments,
or responses during whole-class discussion, small-group discussion, or other forums at least a few times
during the week. Partially meeting these expectations will result in partial credit. Conversation-destroying
behaviors like ad hominem arguments or interruptions are among the few sins that can result in a zero
participation grade. At the end of the term, I will throw out your 4 worst weekly participation scores, and
average the remaining 16. More information about participation is below under “How I Run my Classroom.”
I do not grade on attendance, but your attendance can strongly affect your grade. Because absences
mean that you cannot participate, you will receive a zero participation grade for days on which you are
absent. More importantly, however, when you are absent you do not have the opportunity to learn materials
that are discussed in class rather than in the readings, which decreases your likelihood of earning full credit
on written assignments.
2
Of course, I understand that emergencies happen. If you believe you will miss class due to legitimate,
verifiable illness, disability, or emergency, please contact me directly and we will consider how to proceed.
For other policy information that might affect grading, including issues of late work, disability
accommodations, academic integrity, and so on, see “Other Policy Issues.”
Late Work: I accept late work for partial credit, no questions asked. I deduct one letter grade (10%) from
work handed in up to one week late, meaning that the maximum grade is an A-. Work handed in after one
week has passed receives a deduction of four letter grades (40%), meaning that the maximum grade is a D-.
However, under certain circumstances, I will accept late work with no penalty. If you need an extension due
to legitimate, documented illness or emergency, please speak with me before the scheduled due date if at all
possible. We will create a plan specifying a new due date.
You have four opportunities to earn extra credit. During weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8, when no other assignments
are due, you may turn in reading responses of 500 to 1000 words about that week’s reading. In order to gain
full credit, these responses should do more than summarize the reading; they should respond critically, take a
position on a controversy, connect the reading to events in the world, or synthesize the readings. Full credit
on one reading response increases your final grade by 2.5%. Full credit on all three can raise your final grade
by 10%, or a full letter grade. Extra credit assignments are NOT accepted late.
The grading scale:
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
97-100%
93-96%
90-92%
87-89%
83-86%
80-82%
77-79%
73-76%
70-72%
67-69%
63-66%
60-62%
59% and below
HOW I RUN MY CLASSROOM
My goal as a teacher is to help everyone participate in a way that creates feelings of competence and
productivity. (You can read more about my approach to teaching, and the Inclusive Teaching model more
generally, on my website: http://ameliahoovergreen.com/?teaching.) Because I view learning as a
cooperative project, I insist on a few basic rules.
You must come to class, and you must come on time. This is not a gigantic lecture—your classmates and I
will notice your absence. My attendance policy is spelled out in the previous section. Promptness is part of
your participation grade.
You must treat me, and your classmates, with respect. Treating others with respect is part of your
participation grade, not to mention a basic requirement in life. In my class, respect means, among other
things, no phones, no side conversations (seriously, this is college—don’t be a fourth-grader), and warm,
non-judgmental attention to whomever is speaking. “Warm, non-judgmental attention” means that you are
actively listening, that you demonstrate your engagement with eye contact and body language, and that your
engagement is kind and enthusiastic. If you’re bored/scornful/etc., I expect you to pretend otherwise. This is
an important life skill; if you don’t have it already, now is a good time to learn. You may bring your
computer, but you may only use it for notes.
3
You must participate in class. Participation is part of your grade in this course. My rubric for grading
participation is described above, but here are a few more notes about productive participation:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
You can improve your participation by reading the news and commenting on political happenings
that are relevant to our readings.
Ideally, “participation” means contributing verbally to discussions in class, whether these are fullclass or small-group discussions.
I also reward active listening: eye contact, signaling your agreement by nodding, and so on.
If you have trouble participating in class, come see me in office hours and we’ll strategize.
If you are someone who likes to speak a lot in class discussions, that’s awesome. However, please try
to leave some space for people who don’t jump in immediately.
Don’t interrupt.
If you have a criticism to share, try framing your comment as a suggestion for improvement: “This
chapter/book/paper might have been stronger if...”
If you disagree, try jumping off from a point of agreement: “I agree with Classmate X about Thing Z,
but we disagree about the definition of Y...”
Finally, don’t make assumptions about what is “basic” knowledge. We all come from different
backgrounds. If someone is surprised that the sky is blue and/or that water is wet, don’t be judgy.
Judgment makes learning harder for both the judger and the judge-ee.
Last but not least, if you find some aspect of the class distressing, confusing, or offensive, or if you’re having
difficulties with the material for any reason, let me know. I can’t fix a problem I don’t know about.
OTHER POLICIES
How to Turn in Your Work: All assignments except the final paper draft (Assignment 6) and the final paper
should be e-mailed to me. The subject line should be, e.g., “Hoover Green Assignment 3,” and you should
attach your work as an .rtf, .pdf or Apple Pages file. Please do NOT put your work in the body of the e-mail.
I do NOT accept Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx) by e-mail; however, Word will save your work
as .rtf or .pdf. For the final draft and the final, you must turn in a hard copy.
Changes to the Syllabus: I reserve the right to change this syllabus at any time, though I will try not to.
Enrolling in the course signifies that you accept this policy. If changes occur, I will e-mail new syllabi to the
class as soon as I have determined that a change is necessary.
Disabilities: I aim to make this an inclusive classroom. If you are disabled, think you might be disabled, or
become disabled, please let me know so that we can work out an accommodation. There is no need to have a
specific accommodation figured out in advance; we can talk about it. If you need an accommodation that will
be difficult to implement in our class, you should first get an accommodation verification letter, as described
in Drexel’s official policy: [T]he University is committed to the non-discrimination of students with
disabilities. Students with disabilities requesting accommodations and services at Drexel need to present a
current accommodation verification letter (AVL) before accommodation can be made. AVL’s are issued by the
Office of Disability Services. (The Office of Disability Services is located at 3201 Arch St. in Suite 210, and
can also be reached at disability@drexel.edu.)
Academic Integrity: ALL YOUR WORK MUST BE YOUR OWN. I cannot emphasize this enough. If
you feel that you’re in over your head, or you don’t know whether what you’re doing constitutes plagiarism
or another academic integrity violation, PLEASE talk to me. Making the wrong decision could get you
expelled from Drexel. I take academic integrity very seriously (academic research is, after all, my job) and
will pursue disciplinary action to the fullest extent for any dishonesty, cheating, plagiarism or other academic
integrity violation. The full text of the Code of Conduct can be found at the following link, with the
Academic Integrity policy and the possible penalties for violations spelled out very clearly. http://
www.drexel.edu/studentlife/community_standards/studentHandbook/general_information/code_of_conduct/.
If you haven’t read Code of Conduct before, please do so now.
4
DETAILED COURSE SCHEDULE
The schedule below gives a fairly complete overview of each week’s readings and any assignments due. As I
noted above, the syllabus is subject to changes over the course of the semester, but in general we will follow
this outline. Each assignment is summarized above in the section on grading. Also, we will discuss the details
of each assignment in class, and I will provide detailed grading rubrics for major assignments. Please note
the TIME as well as the day that assignments are due; it is important that you return your assignments to me
by this time, so that I can grade and return them in time for class discussions. Another note: “TBA” means
“to be announced,” i.e., I haven’t decided yet what we’ll read.
Week
Read by Thursday
Due this week
Topic
Read by Tuesday
1
(7-11
Jan)
What is
comparative
politics? What
am I doing in
this class?
In-class reading: comparative
politics syllabi from around
the country
• This syllabus
• IM, chapter 1
Thursday, 9:00
am: Assignment 1
2 (14-18
Jan)
Approaches to
comparative
politics
• IM, chapter 2
• Almond and Genco,
“Clouds, Clocks, and the
Study of Politics.”
• IM, chapters 3-5 (excerpts
TBA).
Wednesday, 5:00
pm: OPTIONAL
reading response
3
(21-25
Jan)
What is
democracy?
What are the
alternatives?
• Coppedge and Gerring,
“Conceptualizing and
Measuring Democracy.”
• Explore Freedom House,
Polity or International
IDEA measures (links to be
provided).
• Snyder, “Beyond Electoral
Authoritarianism” OR
Diamond, “Thinking About
Hybrid Regimes.”
Wednesday, 5:00
pm: Assignment 2
4
(28 Jan 1 Feb)
How, when
and why do
countries
become
democracies?
• Lipset, “Political Man.”
• Przeworski, Alvarez,
Cheibub and Limongi,
“Economic Development
and Political Regimes.”
• IM, chapters 6 and 9 (excerpts
announced in class).
Wednesday, 5:00
pm: OPTIONAL
reading response
5
(4-8
Feb)
Parties,
electoral
systems,
systems of
governance
• International IDEA
Electoral System Design
Handbook: read pp. 5–14,
skim pp. 27-118, read pp.
121–128. Focus on case
studies.
• Horowitz, “Comparing
Democratic Systems.”
• Matland and Taylor, “Electoral
System Effects on Women’s
Representation” OR Cohen,
“Proportional versus
Majoritarian Ethnic Conflict
Management in Democracies.”
Wednesday, 5:00
pm: Assignment 3
6
(11-15
Feb)
Welfare state
politics
• Healey, Goodin, and
Muffels, “Welfare Over
Time.”
• Rudra, “Globalization and
the Decline of the Welfare
State in Less-Developed
Countries.”
• Pierson, “The New Politics of
the Welfare State.”
Wednesday, 5:00
pm: OPTIONAL
reading response
5
Week
Read by Thursday
Due this week
Topic
Read by Tuesday
7
(18-22
Feb)
Political
mobilization
and collective
action
• Olson, “The Logic of
Collective Action.”
• Wood, Insurgent Collective
Action and Civil War in El
Salvador, chapter 1
• IM, chapter 8
Wednesday, 5:00
pm: Assignment 4
8
(28 Feb1 Mar)
State respect
for human
rights
• Universal Declaration of
Human Rights
• Roth, “Defending
Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights.”
• Hafner-Burton, “Sticks and
Stones: Naming and Shaming
the Human Rights Enforcement
Problem.”
• Davenport, “State Repression
and Political Order.”
Wednesday, 5:00
pm: OPTIONAL
reading response
9
(4-8
Mar)
Civil war and
human rights
in wartime
• Sambanis, “What Is Civil
War?”
• Kalyvas, The Logic of Violence
in Civil War, introduction
• Weinstein, Inside Rebellion,
introduction
Wednesday, 5:00
pm: Assignment 5
10
(11-15
Mar)
To be chosen
by the class
during week 5
TBA
TBA
Thursday, 5:00
pm: Assignment 6
Exam
Week
Complete your final papers. Meetings to discuss papers available Monday and
Tuesday, March 18 and 19. Sign up on my office door.
6
Thursday 3/21,
5pm: FINAL
PAPER