Introduction to Comparative Politics (250-0-20)
Instructors
Zekeria Ahmed Salem Denna
620 Library Place, Room 204
Meeting Info
Parkes Hall 214: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
This course introduces students to the sub-field of comparative politics. We explore political developments within a wide range of countries and survey the main theories comparativists construct to understand foreign political contexts. The goal of the course is to increase your substantive knowledge about politics in countries outside the United States. To this end, in this class, we compare specific cases in order to answer general questions such as: "How do states form?" "Why are some countries democratic and others authoritarian?" "Why does the state play a large role in some national economies and a smaller one role in others?" ; "Why some countries have advanced economies while others remain poor"? "Why are some states predatory while others focus on economic development?" "What Causes Political Corruption?" "How does political behavior or/and international intervention affect the development of political institutions in democracies?" "Where do new institutions come from when political order has broken down?"
Registration Requirements
Majors and Minors only
Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives: At the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. Identify the major questions, theories and methods in use in comparative politics. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the predominant approaches for explaining political systems and behavior abroad. 3. Demonstrate an understanding of how countries across the word differ in terms of political institutions (systems of government, electoral systems, party systems) and political regime (authoritarian versus democratic) and public policies in areas such as the economy, social welfare, religion, systems of government, electoral and party systems etc. 4. Develop students' critical thinking, refine their writing and improve their analytical skills. 5. Articulate a comparative empirical political theory and modify it considering empirical evidence. 6. Effectively communicate comparative political analysis in written and oral forms.
Teaching Method
lecture and discussions section
Evaluation Method
2 Short exercises ; participation ; in-class mid-term ; take home final paper
Class Attributes
Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area