INTL 3300 Introduction to Comparative Politics
Spring 2015
The University of Georgia
Instructor: Melanie Kolbe
Section: 26250
E-mail: mkolbe@uga.edu
Class Time: T/TR, 3:30-4:45
Office: R. B02, Candler Hall (or Walker’s)
Location: MLC 207
Office hours: Tuesday 12:30-2:30 p.m. or by appointment
Course Description
Welcome to the exciting world of comparative politics! This course will serve you as an
introduction to the subfield of comparative politics - the systematic study and comparison of
the world’s political systems - encompassing a great variety of interesting phenomena. The
substance of this subfield includes, but is not limited to, political institutions, democratization,
political economy and political culture. The theoretical approaches to the subfield range from
macro- to micro-level perspectives that link social, economic and political comparisons across
countries and societies. Throughout this course we will apply our knowledge to new cases of
current importance and seek individually or collectively, practical applications of various
theories in order to provide you with a sound understanding of comparative politics.
Required Book
The following book is available for purchase at amazon.com:
Patrick H. O’Neil and Ronald Rogowski (eds.). 2013. Essential Readings in Comparative
Politics (fourth edition). New York/London.: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN: 978-0-39391280-7 (Referred to hereafter as OR).
All other articles and chapter readings are provided in electronic format on eLC (password:
weber).
Course Objectives
The primary goal of this course is to provide students with a conceptual background and a set
of analytical tools that they can use to understand and critically analyze important issues in
political science, but also evaluate what is written in the newspaper or said in the news. Upon
passing INTL 3300, you should be able to:
 Explain and evaluate what comparative politics, as a subfield, is about.
 Remember the main theories of comparative politics, their characteristics, and authors
representative of them.
 Identify which paradigm or approach any given author in future readings is using.
 Critique approaches and articles and identify weaknesses, using your own insights or
insights from other approaches to do so.
 Be able to apply what you have learned in class to new topics and news from outside
of class.
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In addition, upon passing this section INTL 3300 you should (ideally):
 Consider yourself to be an informed, critical consumer of political information.
 Connect approaches from comparative political science to real life events and try to
understand them using these approaches, realizing that there are some more or less
useful ways of when and how to employ these approaches.
 Be able to engage in critical debate with your peers on class topics.
 Value hearing the opinions of your peers.
 Develop further interest about some topic in or aspect of comparative politics.
How to Maximize Your Learning Experience
These are not surefire ways to earn an ‘A’, but they will definitely help you get the most out
of the class.
1. Be prepared to read, think and discuss… A LOT.
2. Know that I have very high expectations of your work, and that you should too.
3. See INTL 3300 not as a dry requirement, but as an introduction to a new way of
thinking.
4. Schedule appointments to meet with me to discuss your progress, writing, and
understanding of course material. I am always willing to help.
5. Plan to come to class every day, and remember, “To be ‘early’ is to be on time, to be
‘on time’ is to be late, and to be ‘late’ is unacceptable.”
6. Read the “Critical Reader” and “Team Working Skills” guides.
If this section of INTL 3300 doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, that’s okay! Just take the
steps to switch to a different section before the Drop/Add deadline of January 9.
Course Format
Interactive Lecture
A major feature of this class will be an emphasis on class participation in form of discussing
assigned articles, and critically reflect on theoretical approaches and actively engage with
your peers. Thus, it will be essential that you carefully read assigned readings prior to class.
Treat the assigned readings like homework assignments. Just as you would have to solve
math problems for your homework in your math class, you have to carefully read (not skim)
the assigned readings, highlighting passages and taking notes on them. I will lecture only to
convey general theoretical and topical overviews, as well as key terms and principles that are
encompassed in the readings. If there are questions on concepts or the reading material, they
can be posted on the discussion board of the eLC page for his class and will be addressed by
me in lecture. If no one posts on a reading, I will assume everyone understands the material
and is ready for assessment.
Participation
Participation is an essential and mandatory component of this course. You are expected to (1)
come to class having read the assigned material and contribute meaningfully to class
discussions, (2) follow news pertinent to our topics, and (3) attempt to critically reflect on
concepts and articles we encounter. Turning any class from a ‘dry’ lecture into an exciting,
but insightful seminar requires collective and interactive participation of each student. Thus,
the quality of your learning experience is determined by the lively and polite exchange of
thoughts and criticisms.
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The grade you earn will reflect the amount and quality of your participation as well as your
attendance. It should be common sense that you cannot earn a great participation grade if you
are not attending class. Below I define what reflects different qualities of comments, and
provide a table* of what kind of activity earns what grade.
Comment Quality:
 “High”: Comments show reflection about the reading or the discussion at hand,
contribution through strong points and/or adding value to the discussion by stating
their opinion based on factual knowledge.
 “Satisfying”: Comments show engagement in class discussion, willingness to “take a
guess”, and ability to link previous lecture material to discussions at hand as well as
expressing opinions.
 “Low”: Comments show engagement in class discussion, but student never
contributes to the added value or demonstrates knowledge from the readings – they are
just working for that tick mark.
Grade
A
A-
B+
B
BC+
C
C-
Earned if …
Student participates consistently, their comments show that they have read the
material beforehand and/or their comment quality is very high, and they have not
missed class more than twice unexcused.
Student participates every other day, their comments show that they have read the
material beforehand and/or their comment quality is very high, and they have not
missed class more than twice unexcused.
Student participates consistently, but shows low comment quality (just talks for
participation points) and/or has missed class more than twice unexcused.
OR:
Student participates every other day, their comment quality is satisfying, and they
have not missed class more than twice unexcused.
Student participates, but not regularly. However, they are clearly following the
conversation and being thoughtful about it, and they have not missed class more
than twice unexcused.
Student participates but not regularly, seems distracted most of the time, and/or
has missed class more than twice unexcused.
Student has never participated, but they have not missed class more than twice
unexcused.
Student has never participated and missed more than twice unexcused.
I truly hope no one does worse than C.
*Please remember that these are only guidelines for grading, not every student case neatly fits
into any one category. I will always honor students’ effort to participate.
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I know that there are some students who are not yet ready to speak up a lot. To still show me
that you have done the readings and can reflect on them on a university-appropriate level, I
will offer every student the option to replace participation with eLC journal entries on the
assigned readings. However, the same grading rules apply. Further information follows in
class.
Assessments
a. Group Presentations: To apply theories and topics and bring class debate to current
politics, student teams will hold presentations and moderate the following discussion.
Teams will present on either of two formats of presentations available: theory
application or comparative studies. Both types are flexible in terms of topic and scope,
but will have to follow special content requirements to structure the presentations.
These requirements will be made available on eLC and elaborated in class more
closely. An initial one to two page proposal is required before presenting. In addition,
every team will also peer evaluate another team’s performance which will
significantly contribute to the final grade. More about this follows in class.
b. Readiness Assessment Measures (RAMs): To show me that you are ready to
contribute to the day’s and/or week’s lecture and discussion, I will randomly
administer 5-question RAMs on the assigned article(s) or textbook chapters for that
day. Students who arrive on time will have 5 minutes to complete the RAM. Written
paper notes on the readings can be used to answer the RAM. The lowest grades will be
dropped. Students who miss more than one RAM and have proper documentation will
take an alternative form of assessment. Without proper documentation, students will
earn no credit and no alternative make-up. No exceptions.
c. Midterm Exam: The midterm exam will test your recall of important concepts and
class-discussions, but also aim at testing mastery of the class material. It will cover the
material from all sections leading up to the midterm. It will consist of 50 multiplechoice questions on the theories discussed in class. If you have a scheduling conflict
with another exam or face more than three examinations (not tests or quizzes) on a
day, you are entitled to have your exam rescheduled. However, it requires your action
to contact me two weeks prior to the date to accommodate you appropriately.
Students who arrive late for the assessment must turn in their exam with the last
student who arrived on time.
d. Final Exam: The final exam will test your recall of important concepts and classdiscussions, but also aim at testing mastery of the class material. It will follow the
same format and requirements as the midterm exam, but only cover the comparative
field topics discussed during the second half of the class.
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The breakdown of your grade will be as follows:
15% = general participation
05% = RAMs
20% = presentation + peer evaluation
30% = midterm exam
30% = final exam
Grade scale:
A
AB+
100-93
92-90
89-87
B
BC+
86-83
82-80
79-77
C
CD
F
76-73
72-70
69-60
Below 60
**If you have a disability and require reasonable classroom accommodations,
I am happy to oblige. Please see me after class or make an appointment.**
Classroom Policies
Use of Laptops & Other Electronic Devices
I will make my lecture material available on eLC after every week of class. Hence, taking
additional notes does not require the use of laptops during class, unless they are required for
legitimate medical reasons (e.g., vision, motor coordination). Having bad handwriting is not
an acceptable reason! In addition, smart/cell phones should be set to silent, not vibrate.
Attendance and Absences
You are allowed two absences during the semester for any reason. After these you must
provide proper documentation addressing the absence. If you plan to/ know you will miss
class and have a valid official excuse (e.g., sports for UGA, medical, academic) or case of
hardship (e.g., eviction from your place of residence or attendance at a funeral), please contact
me ahead of time and provide me with proper documentation in each and every case.
Undocumented absences as well as repeated tardiness (i.e., more than 10 minutes late) may
result in a lowered overall grade in the course. If you chose to take you ‘free’ absence, please
keep in mind that you are responsible for all lecture material, handouts, announcements,
explanations of assignments, and other relevant details that you missed. Missed RAMs,
assignments and/or presentations cannot be made up in this case. Furthermore, if you come
more than 20 minutes late to class, I will ask you to leave the room and you will be counted as
absent.
Grade Appeal
If you feel that an RAM, assessment or exam was graded incorrectly, make a written appeal to
me within two days after that RAM, assessment or exam was returned. Students should keep
copies of the assignments they turn in and retain graded RAMs until they receive their final
course grade.
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eLearning Commons Use
Assignments, articles, announcements, and grades can be reached at eLearning Commons
(http://elc.uga.edu/). Please check the eLC at least once a day for updates of any kind.
Academic Honesty
As a University of Georgia student, you have agreed to abide by the University’s academic
honesty policy, “A Culture of Honesty,” and the Student Honor Code. All academic work
must meet the standards described in “A Culture of Honesty” found at: www.uga.edu/honesty.
Lack of knowledge of the academic honesty policy is not a reasonable explanation for a
violation. Please contact me any time you have questions related to course assignments and
the academic honesty policy.
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Tentative Course Outline
Course Topic
Reading (before class)
Note
Week January
1
6
8
Introduction
Methodology
Lecture video (under “Week 1” on eLC)
OR (3-7): Research Traditions and Theory In
Comparative Politics: An Introduction (provided on eLC)
Drop/Add period over
2
13
Methodology
15
Basics: State,
Sovereignty and
Nation
Basics: State,
Sovereignty and
Nation
OR (7-12): The Science in Social Science (provided on
eLC)
OR (26-39): The Necessity of Politics
OR (68-74): Sovereignty
3
4
5
20
22
Structuralism
27
29
Structuralism
Structuralism
February
2
5
Structuralism
Culturalism
Anderson, Benedict. 1983. Imagined Communities: 48-59 AWAY
OR (114-133): Economic Versus Cultural Differences:
Forms of Ethnic Diversity and Public Goods Provision
Online discussion (under “Week 3” on eLC)
Bring your notes and
readings from last
week!
OR (469-481): Manifesto of the Communist Party
Turner, Frederick Jackson. 1893. The Frontier In
American History. Chapter 9 Available at:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/TURNER/
Movie: Guns, Germs and Steel
Weber, Max. 1905/1904. Chapter one, two, and five (last
ten paragraphs only) in idem. The Protestant Ethic and
the Spirit of Capitalism. Available at:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/WEBER/toc.html
7
6
7
8
10
Culturalism
12
Rational Choice
17
Rational Choice
19
24
Rational Choice
Rational Choice
Kahn, Herman. 1979. The Confucian Ethic and Economic
Growth: 219-222
Almond, Gabriel A. and Sidney Verba. 1963. “An
Approach to Political Culture” in: The Civic Culture –
Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations: 1-19.
Downs, Anthony. 195. An Economic Theory of Political
Action in a Democracy. Chapter 2 and 7.
Green, Donald P. and Ian Shapiro. 1994.
“Methodological Pathologies.” in: Pathologies of
Rational Choice Theory. YUP: New Haven, Conn.),
chapter 3, pp. 33-46.
Tsebelis, George. 1990. “In Defense of the Rational
Choice Approach.” in: Nested Games: Rational Choice in
Comparative Politics. UCP: Berkeley, chapter 2, 18-47.
TBA
Monroe, Kristen, Michael C. Barton, and Ute Submit presentation
Klingemann. 1990. Altruism and the Theory of Rational proposal
Action: An Analysis of Rescuers of Jews in Nazi-Europe.
Ethics 101(1): 103-122.
Miller, Dale T. 1999. The Norm of Self-Interest.
American Psychologist 54(12): 1053-1060
9
10
11
26
March
3
5
10
12
17
Midterm Exam
Presentations
No Class
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
Presentations
Midterm
AWAY
No class
No class
8
19
12
24
26
13
31
Democracy and
Democratization
Democracy and
Democratization
/Nondemocratic
Regimes
Nondemocratic
Regimes
Political Economy
OR (203-213): What Democracy Is …. and Is Not.
Withdrawal Deadline
Zakaria, Fareed. 1997. The Rise of Illiberal Democracy.
Foreign Affairs (Nov/Dec): 22-43.
OR (267-279): Modern Nondemocratic Regimes
Fall Break
OR (303-313): The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism
Rostow, W. W. 1971. The Five Stages of Growth.
Chapter 2: 4-16.
Olson, Mancur. 1963. “Rapid Growth as a Destabilizing
Force.” Journal of Economic History 3(4): 529-552.
April
14
2
Political
Economy/Political
Parties
7
Political Parties
9
15
17
Social Capital and
Civil Society
The Welfare State
16
19
21
Presentation
OR (155-160): Root Causes: A Historical Approach to
Assessing the Role of the Institutions in Economic
Development
OR (436-440): The Number of Parties
Lipset, Seymour Martin, and Gary Marks. 2001. It Didn’t
Happen Here – Why Socialism Failed in the United
States: Chapter 1
OR (222-249): Tuning In, Tuning Out: The Strange
Disappearance of Social Capital in America
Sachs, Jeffrey. 2006. The Social Welfare State, Beyond Submit presentation
Ideology. Scientific American.
proposal
No class
AWAY AT MPSA
9
17
23
28
May
5
Presentation
Reading Day
No class
Final Exam
3:30 - 6:30 pm
Peer reviews due
**The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced by the instructor may be necessary.**
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