Dr. Shelley Rigger Fall Semester 1996

Chambers 324 Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:30-11:20

ext. 2280 (e-mail: SHRIGGER)

Office hours: Mon. 8:30-10:00; Tues. 11:30-12:30; Fri. 2:00-5:00

home phone: 896-0569

About Comparative Politics:

This is an introductory course for students considering a political science major and for students in other departments who would like to know more about politics around the world. During the semester we will concentrate on two goals.

First, we will learn to use the tools of comparative political analysis, including concepts (e.g., participation, political culture, recruitment) and theories. We will explore the usefulness of the comparative method for understanding politics in other countries, mindful of the limitations of comparison and the constraints imposed by our own values, assumptions and experiences.

Second, we will use these tools to analyze and compare politics and government in six countries, including a western democracy (Great Britain), a non-western democracy (Japan), two emerging democracies (Mexico and Nigeria) and a non-democratic state (the People's Republic of China). It is important to recognize that we cannot hope to develop a thorough understanding of all these countries in only one semester. Our goal is to build a foundation so that you can investigate them in more detail on your own. Ideally, you will be inspired or provoked enough to take specialized courses on countries that interest you.

Occasionally, we will read scholarly studies that use the comparative method, including a book-length comparative study, The Third Wave. In The Third Wave, Samuel Huntington puts the comparative method to work on one of the most interesting political questions of our time: why did so many authoritarian countries become democratic between 1975 and 1990?

Readings:

The texts for the first twelve weeks are Comparative Politics in Transition by John McCormick and Comparative Politics 96/97, an anthology. In addition to the texts, I occasionally will distribute supplementary readings in class. The supplementary readings and selections from Comparative Politics 96/97 will bring our study up to date and provide extra detail on topics of particular interest. As important events occur in the countries we will study, I may assign additional readings. In order to remain up-to-date and relevant, the reading assignments for this course must expand and change as we go along. Please take this into consideration as you plan your work for the semester.

During Part 2 of the course we will read Samuel Huntington's book on democratization, The Third Wave. This is an excellent example of the comparative method at work, written by one of the top scholars in the field. Huntington brings together a vast amount of material from many countries, producing a theoretical framework for understanding democratization in the 1970s and '80s as well as practical suggestions for promoting democratic politics.

Finally, you are required to keep up with the international political situation by reading the Washington Post Weekly Edition. I will distribute subscription cards in class. In the tradition of the political science department, you can expect quizzes (a.k.a. Issue Bombs) on the contents of the WPWE.

Requirements:

1. Complete all the reading assignments thoroughly and on time. We have a great deal of material to cover, and if you don't keep up with the reading, you won't keep up with the class. This includes the newspaper requirement.

2. Participate. The course will combine lectures with discussion. My philosophy on class participation is that quality is more important than quantity, so if you're a woman or man of few words, that's okay. But in order to participate, you must be in class. I will keep an attendance record. If you must be absent for a good reason please let me know.

3. There will be one review during the semester and a final exam.

4. There will be two short (3-5 page) writing assignments. The short writing assignments are important. If you receive a C+ or lower on one of the short papers you MUST come see me before handing in the next one. If you receive a C+ or lower on the third short paper, you should see me before handing in the critique. The penalty for ignoring this requirement will be 1/3 of a letter grade off your next paper. That does not mean that students who receive a grade above a C+ should not feel free to come in to discuss other work. Everyone is welcome!

5. Near the end of the semester you will hand in a critique of a comparative study based on the concepts and techniques we have studied in the course. This will be a longer essay (6-10 pages) evaluating a book or article of your own choosing (I will provide a list of possibilities, although you are welcome to select something else, as long as you discuss it with me first).

As you can see, you will be doing lots of writing for this course. I want to make sure everyone is keeping up and learning the material. I also want you to have plenty of opportunities to show what you can do and to learn from past mistakes. Some students write very good essays, but find exams more challenging. Other students prefer tests. In this course, both kinds of students will have an equal chance of success: 50% of your final grade will be based on your essays, and 45% will be based on exams (the remaining 5% is class participation).

Please note: Whenever you hand in written work, please use a cover sheet with your name, the name of the course, the title of the paper or assignment and your telephone number. Staple the title page to the rest of the essay or exam. Please do not put your name on the other pages. If you use a blue book for your exams, write your name ONLY on the cover(s) of any blue books you use. If you write your exams on loose leaf paper, please make a cover sheet, and write your name on it only.

Grading:

participation: 5%

short essays: 30%

review: 20%

critique: 20%

final exam: 25%

Anything you hand in is pledged work. But as a reminder of the honor code's importance, I would like you to write out the honor code in full on the cover sheet of any work you hand in and sign it. If for some reason you do not write the honor code on a paper or exam, that does not exempt the work from the honor code. Please make sure you understand the honor code, especially the definition of plagiarism. If you have any questions, doubts or concerns about any aspect of the honor code, please come and talk to me. If you are unsure of how you should cite material used in an essay, please feel free to discuss it with me.

I will use the following system for translating number grades to letters:

93-100 = A

90-92 = A-

87-89 = B+

83-86 = B

80-82 = B-

etc.

Lateness policy: Work that is handed in after class on the day an assignment is due will be penalized 1/3 of a grade for each day it is late. That means that if you hand in an A+ paper at noon on the day the paper is due, you will receive an A. But no matter how late a paper is, it is always to your advantage to hand it in.

Please be advised that computer failure is not an acceptable excuse for lateness. Back up your work. If you are having printer trouble, and your work is in an IBM format, you may bring me your disk and I will read your paper on screen. Also, leaving a voice mail message will not get you off the hook. Do not assume you have secured my permission for something unless you have spoken to me in person or received an e-mail or voice mail message from me.

Part 1: Established Democracies

Week 1

8/26: Introduction

8/28: Comparison in Political Science

Comparative Politics in Transition (CPT) pp. 2-17

8/30: The Liberal Democracies

CPT pp. 20-29

Comparative Politics 96/97 (96/97) pp. 6-9

Week 2

9/2: Great Britain: Political Culture

CPT pp. 32-43

96/97 article #16

9/4: Great Britain: Power and Accountability

CPT pp. 44-53

96/97 article #4

9/6: Great Britain: Representation and Participation

CPT pp. 54-63

96/97 article #1, #2, #3

Week 3

9/9: Great Britain: Public Policy

CPT pp. 64-74

9/11: Political Parties

96/97 pp. 74-77, article #9, #23, #24, #25

9/13: Japan: "Looking at the Sun"

CPT pp. 76-87

96/97 article #22

Week 4

9/16: Japan: Political Culture

96/97 article #20, #55, #60

9/18: Japan: Institutions

CPT pp. 88-96

9/20: Japan: Elections and Parties

CPT pp. 97-106

96/97 article #21

Week 5

9/23: Introduction to Research Methods

first short assignment due

9/25: Problems of Liberal Democracies: Defining citizenship

96/97 article #26, #27, #28, #29, #42

supplementary reading

9/27: Problems of Liberal Democracies: The role of the state

CPT pp. 107-118

96/97 article #39, #40, #41, #59, #63, #64, #65

Week 6

9/30: Problems of Liberal Democracies: Designing a fair system

96/97 article #33, #34

supplementary reading

Part 2: Emerging Democracies

10/2: "Third World" or "Two-thirds World"?

CPT pp. 226-234

96/97 pp. 170-173, article #50, #51

10/4: Mexico: Historical Roots

CPT pp. 236-248

96/97 article #52

Week 7

10/7: Mexico: Political Insitutions

CPT pp. 249-258

10/9: Mexico: Representation and Participation

CPT pp. 259-269

96/97 article #53

10/11: Mexico: Public Policy and Corporatism

CPT pp. 270-281

supplementary reading

Week 8:

10/14: NO CLASS: Fall Break

10/16: Presidentialism and Parliamentarism

96/97 article #32, #35

10/20: REVIEW

Week 9

10/21: Does Democracy Matter?

supplementary reading: Michael Coppedge, "Parties and Society in Mexico and Venezuela," Comparative Politics, 23:2 (April 1993)

10/23: Nigeria: History and Culture

CPT pp. 344-356

10/25: Nigeria: Political Institutions

CPT pp. 357-377

Week 10

10/28: Nigeria: Public Policy

CPT pp. 378-388

96/97 article #54

Part 3: A Non-Democratic Alternative

10/30: China: Ideology and Nationalism

CPT pp. 179-193

supplementary reading

11/1: China: Institutions

CPT 194-213

second short assignment due (option 1)

Week 11

11/4: China: Economic Reform

CPT pp. 214-224

96/97 article #57

11/6: China: The Crisis of 1989

"The Gate of Heavenly Peace" (film)

time and place to be announced

11/8: No Class

Week 12

11/11: China and its Neighbors

supplementary reading

second short assignment due (option 2)

Part 4: Democratization

11/13: Defining Democracy

The Third Wave (TTW) pp. 3-30

96/97 article #31

11/15: NO CLASS

Week 13

11/18: Explaining Democratization

TTW pp. 31-72

11/20: Explaining Democratization

TTW pp. 72-108

11/22: Processes of Democratization

TTW pp. 109-163

Week 14

11/25: Consolidating Democracy

TTW pp. 208-231, 270-279

11/27: NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)

Week 15

12/2: "Dangers and Dilemmas of Democratization"

TTW pp. 253-270

12/4: Is democratization the wave of the future?

96/97 article #68, #69

12/6: Political Comparison: Science or Art?

critique due

Week 16

12/9 and 12/11 are optional class days. I will let you know by Thanksgiving whether or not class will meet on those days.

Final Exams begin on 12/13.