POLI 212—Introduction to Comparative Politics
Spring 2011
MWF 9:00 – 9:50am
117 Humanities
Section Meetings:
1.
Fridays 9:00 – 9:50am, Baker Hall 116
2.
Fridays 9:00 – 9:50am, Baker Hall 104
Instructor: Stephanie Burchard
E-mail: smburchard@gmail.com
Phone: 713-348-2106
Office: Baker Building 244C
Office Hours: Wednesdays 3pm – 5pm
TA: Jinhyeok Jang
E-mail: jinhyeok.jang@rice.edu
Phone: 713-518-2299
Office: Baker Building 229
Office Hours: Tuesdays 3pm – 5pm
OWL-Space: http://owlspace.rice.edu/
(NETID and password required)
Course Overview
The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a basic overview of the subfield of political science known as Comparative Politics. Comparativists are concerned with the similarities and differences between various political systems, processes, and outputs. This course will focus on broad issues taken up by comparativists (government institutions, political culture, democratization, etc.) as well as introduce students to the domestic politics of several countries outside of the United States including England, France, Japan, India, Mexico, Egypt, Russia,
China, and Nigeria.
OWL-Space
The course syllabus, reading materials, course announcements, and links to comparative politics resources will be available on OWL-Space.
Expectations and Grading Policy
No exceptions will be made for the deadlines below, except for documented cases of illness, family crisis, the observance of religious holidays, or other valid excuse.
Students seeking an exception must request it from me prior to the deadline in question. All students are expected to attend class regularly and to come to class having done the readings.

If you have a documented disability that will impact your work in this class, please contact me to discuss your needs. All such discussions will remain as confidential as possible. Students with disabilities will need to also contact Disability Support
Services in the Allen Center.
There will be two unit exams, a semester-long country project (see below), and a comprehensive final. The course will be graded as follows:
Discussion Sessions (10%)
Exam 1 (20%)
Exam 2 (20%)
Country Project (20%)
Final Exam (30%)
Discussion Sessions
During discussion sessions (exceptions noted on the detailed class schedule below) students will meet with their assigned section leader to discuss various topics drawn from the readings and lectures. Section leaders will take attendance and assign grades based on participation.
Exams 1 & 2
The two unit exams are meant to test your understanding of the major facts and concepts covered in the readings and lectures. I design these exams to be challenging. To prepare for them, you should never get behind in your readings, always attend lectures, ask questions when you do not fully understand the assigned materials, and make use of office hours throughout the semester.
Country Project
At the beginning of the semester, students will choose a country to report on throughout the semester. [Exceptions include England, France, Japan, India,
Mexico, Egypt, Russia, China, and Nigeria as these are covered in class.] There will be 6 assignments that will require the student to answer various questions regarding the politic of the country and comparing their country to countries covered in class on various dimensions. The purpose of this assignment is to allow the student to become an “expert” on a country not covered by the course. Students are encouraged to incorporate their countryspecific knowledge in the discussion sessions. In addition, this assignment will force student to actively engage in “comparative politics.” Assignments are due on Fridays to section leaders. See Class Schedule for due dates.
Final Exam
The final exam will be cumulative and will test the student’s understanding of the concepts covered throughout the semester. The Final Exam will be administered during Rice’s official Final Exam Period.

Textbook
Almond, Gabriel A., G. Bingham Powell, Jr., Kaare Strom, and Russell J. Dalton. 2010.
Comparative Politics Today: A World View. 9 th edition. New York: Longman. (APSD)
In addition to the above text, there will be articles and chapters assigned throughout the semester. These will be posted on OWL-Space at least one week prior to their assignment.
The Honor Code and Course Assignments
For each of the two unit exams and the final exam, you must write and sign the honor pledge on the exam. You may not consult any written materials nor may you discuss the exam with others during the examination period. In addition, you may not discuss the exams with others until they are graded and given back to you.
If you have any questions concerning the Honor Code policy for this course, it is your responsibility to ask me for clarification.
Class Schedule
Week of Topic Readings
Module 1: Overview of Comparative Politics
Assignment Notes
January 10 th Introducing
Comparative
Politics
January 17 th Political Culture and Political
Socialization
January 24 th Government
Institutions and
Policymaking
January 31 st Interest Groups and Political
Parties
APSD Chapters
1 & 2
APSD Chapter
3; Huntington
1993
APSD Chapters
6 & 7
APSD Chapters
4 & 5
Module 2: Democratization and Democracies
February 7 th Democracy and
Democratization
Readings on
OWL-SPACE
Country Project
Assignment 1
Due 1/28
First Exam 2/4
No Class
1/17 (MLK
Day), 1/21
February 14
February 21 th st
England
France
APSD Chapter
8
APSD Chapter
9
Country Project
Assignment 2
Due 2/11
Country Project
Assignment 3
Due 2/25

February 28
March 7 th th
Japan
SPRING BREAK
APSD Chapter
11
Country Project
Assignment 4
Due 3/11
March 14
April 4 th th India
Iran
(Film:
Persepolis)
Nigeria
APSD Chapter
17; Chhibber and Kollman
1998
Second Exam
3/18
Module 3: Transitional Democracies and Non-Democracies
March 21 st Mexico APSD Chapter
14
March 28 th APSD Chapter
16
April 11 th Russia
APSD Chapter
18
APSD Chapter
12
Country Project
Assignment 5
Due 4/1
April 18 th China APSD Chapter
13
Country Project
Assignment 6
Due 4/15
No Class
3/25
Disclaimer
I reserve the right to modify the syllabus throughout the course of the semester as I see fit.