Advanced Placement Government and Politics
Yorktown High School
Mr. Palermo
2013-2014
Comparative Government and Politics
PROJECT
You have been assigned a major project in which you and a team of your
classmates will research a set of topics related to one of the six (6) core countries that
make up the AP Comparative Government and Politics curriculum. It is up to you to
determine how you will address these topics and structure your overall presentation,
although I expect it to be clear, cohesive, and highly informative. The project as a whole
must be well-organized and respond to the questions that you were assigned in an
intelligent and comprehensive way. The goal is to make your presentation as
informative and engaging as possible and your grade will be based primarily on how
effectively you address the topics that you were assigned.
You will be given two (2) class periods to deliver your presentation and we will
follow the class schedule outlined below. Please share your project with me beforehand
via Google Docs. On the first day of your presentation, your group must submit a
comprehensive bibliography in which you identify the sources that you consulted. You
are required to cite a minimum of ten (10) sources beyond the textbook, at least three
of these sources must be books, at least two of these sources must be primary
documents, and at least one of them must be a scholarly source (an example would be a
journal article or think tank publication). Your group must also cite an interview with
someone who has some expertise in the country that you are studying and the topic
that you were assigned. You may earn extra credit if you dress up on at least one of
your presentation days or if you bring food from the country that you researched.
Most of the work in preparation for your presentation will be conducted outside
of class. Please see me at any point if you have questions about the project, the content
that we are covering, or if you would like any help or support in the planning process.
Good luck!
Presentation Schedule [Tentative]
Great Britain – Wednesday, February 12th
Russia – Monday, February 24th
China – Thursday, March 6th
Mexico – Monday, March 17th
Iran – Thursday, March 27th
Nigeria – Monday, April 7th
Research Teams
3rd period
Great Britain
Nick
Hillary
John
Meghan
Will Horowitz
Russia
Noah
Gracie
Chance
Will Hardy
Matt
China
Rebecca
David
Charlie
Michael
Dalai
Mexico
Steven
Iain
Declan
Nathan
Iran
Nigeria
Nora
Grace
Liza
Ryan
Hannah
Cara
Aliceanna
Edgar
Rachel
Zack
5th period
Marie
Sharka
Jeremy
Amnar
Michael M.
Justin
Ida
Penny
Sam
Joe
Matt
Henry
Jason
Margaret
Christian
Ashley
Kate
Mary
Max
Darci
Will
Lily
Jose
Emma
James
Connor
Graham
Michael R.
6th period
Christina
Natalya
Alyson
Cailyn
Tatiana
Billy
Catherine
Emily
Zaya
Joseph
Zack
Nico
Genevieve
Evan
Jack
Bennett L.
Abby
Tristan
Reilly
Sarah
Stuart
Jane
Grace
Rachel C.
Bennett N.
Sophie
Toby
Rachel L.
7th period
Anna
Luke
Jennifer
Jeremy
Ochi
Stephen
Nathan
Joanna
Kai
Steven
Sinclair
Ander
Alec
Darion
Tyler
Abby
Alex
Emma
Molly
Annabel
Eric
Nick
Evan
Henry
Peter
Wesley
Amanda
Research Topics
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
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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.