Political Science 150                                                                                                           R.A. Francisco

10:00 MW, Spring 2008                                                                                                     1005 Haworth Hall

 

Introduction to Comparative Politics

 

This course introduces politics and government. We study why people create governments; how they decide what kind of government they want; and how they fight to get the kind of the government they want. We explore many of the world’s governments to discover their effects on citizens.

 

Office Hours:

 

I meet students in my office (313 Blake) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 until 9:50 and Wednesday from 1:00 to 1:55. You may e-mail me (ronfran@ku.edu), call me (864-9023), or just come to the office; I am there most afternoons before and after my 2:00 class. This syllabus is also available online at http://web.ku.edu/ronfran.

 

Kenneth Aikins, Adam Brown and Christian Cantir are our teaching assistants and discussion leaders.

 

Ken Aikins meets students in 7 (basement) Blake Monday and Wednesday from11:00 am to 1:00 pm; his e-mail address is: kenny@ku.edu. He uses Blackboard for his students.

 

Adam Brown meets students in 308 Blake on Monday & Wednesday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. His telephone number is 864-9056; his e-mail address is: brownad@ku.edu.

 

Christian Cantir meets students in Blake 308 on Wednesdays from 9:00 to 10:00 am and 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, and on Thursday from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm. His telephone number is 864-9056; you may reach him electronically at cccantir@gmail.com. His site for discussion material is http://people.ku.edu/~ccantir.

 

Texts:

 

We will read two books. Please purchase them.

 

Michael J. Sodaro, Comparative Politics: A Global Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.

 

Christian Søe, ed. Annual Editions: Comparative Politics. Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGraw Hill, 2007/2008.

 

Expectations, Examinations, and Grading:

 

You should attend class and discussion sections. Lectures will not reproduce the texts. Discussion sections will teach new concepts and account for 15 percent of the grade through quizzes and attendance. There will be three examinations. The format of each is multiple-choice questions. Questions will be drawn equally from lecture/discussion and reading assignments. The third examination will occur during the final examination period, but will be in the same format as the other exams. The highest grading scale will be 90 (A), 80 (B), 70 (C), and 60 (D). Grades will be allocated on the basis of 15 percent for discussion quizzes and attendance, 25 percent for the first examination, and 30 percent each for the second and third examinations. Please note that the third examination is scheduled for May 14. If your travel plans preclude taking the examination, please drop the class or find another section. There can be no third examination for a student before the regular examination is scheduled.

 

There will be one make-up examination for the first and second examination. The form will be different from our regular examinations and will be scheduled at 5:00 pm on a day following the regular examination. I will announce the date of the make-up exam on the day we meet after an examination.

 

Please note these important dates on the academic calendar: You may drop this course without penalty before February 7. You must drop by April 17 for a WP or WF grade.

 

The staff of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) 135 Strong, 785-864-2620 (v/tty), coordinates accommodations and services for KU courses. If you have a disability for which you may request accommodation in KU classes and have not contacted them, please do so as soon as possible. Please also see me privately with respect to this course.

 

W 23 January: Organizational Meeting

 

Discussion Sections: Orientation

 

M 28 January: What is Comparative Politics?

                Sodaro, Chapter 1

 

W 30 January: Major Topics of Comparative Politics

                Sodaro, Chapter 2

               

                Discussion Sections: Power: A difficult concept to measure

Søe, “Angela Merkl’s Not-So-Grand Coalition” (7)

 

M 4 February: Critical Thinking and Hypothesis Testing

Sodaro, Chapter 3.

 

W 6 February: Power & Politics

                Sodaro, Chapter 4.

 

Discussion Sections: The UK: Parliamentary Democracy without a Consitition

                Søe, “A Revised British Constitution: Tony Blair’s Lasting Legacy?” (2) & “Who Killed the British Prime Minister?” (3)

 

M 11 February: The United Kingdom: Monarch, PM & Cabinet

                Sodaro, Chapter 16, pp. 395-415.

 

W 13 February:  The State and its Institutional Design

                Sodaro, Chapters 5 and 8.

 

Discussion Sections: Why democracy is (a) impossible or (b) difficult

Søe, “The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Index of Democracy” (1)

 

M 18 February: The United Kingdom: Parliamentary Legislature

                Sodaro, Chapter 16, pp. 415-440.

 

W 20 February: States and Nationalism

                Sodaro, Chapter 6.

 

Discussion Sections: Review

 

M 25 February: Democracy: What is it?

                Sodaro, Chapter 7.

                Søe, “What Democracy Is . . . and Is Not” (17)

 

W 27 February: France—semi-presidential government

                Sodaro, Chapter 17, pp. 444-473.

                Søe, “France’s Murky Mix of School and Scandal” (6)

 

Discussion Sections: The Consequences of Electoral Systems

                Søe, “Electoral Politics in the United Kingdom” (4)

 

M 3 March: First Examination

 

W 5 March: Electoral Systems and Forms of Government

                Sodaro, Chapter 8.

 

                Discussion Sections: What is Political Culture?

                Søe, “The Man in the Baghdad Cafe” (39)

 

M 10 March: France: The Impotent Legislature

                Sodaro, Chapter 17, pp. 473-493.

                Søe, “Women in National Parliaments” (14)

 

W 12 March: Political Culture

                Sodaro, Chapter 12.

 

Discussion Sections: The Vanquished States of Germany and Japan: How Democratic?

Søe, “Departing Japanese Leader Shook Up Politics as Usual” (10)

 

M 17 March: Spring break

 

W 19 March: Spring break

 

M 24 March:  Germany

                Sodaro, Chapter 18.

                Søe, “Gerhard Schröder Clings On” (7)

 

W 26 March: Requirements for Democracy: Do They Exist?

                Sodaro, Chapter 9.

 

Discussion Sections: The Democratic Deficit

                Søe, “Public Opinion: Is There a Crisis?” (11)

 

M 31 March: Japan: A Vanquished Enemy Democratizes on its own Terms

                Sodaro, Chapter 19.

 

W 2 April: Collective Action, Voting Behavior and Lobbying

                Sodaro, Chapters 11.

                Søe, “Interest Groups: Ex Uno, Plures” (13)

 

Discussion Sections: How Do We Solve the Collective Action Problem? Why does it Matter?

 

W 2 April: Political Economy

                Sodaro, Chapter 14.

                Søe, “Capitalism and Democracy” (38)

 

M 7 April: Russia

                Sodaro, Chapter 20.

                Søe, “Russia’s Ersatz Democracy” (27)

 

                Discussion Sections: Review

 

W 9 April: Ideology

                Sodaro, Chapter 13.

 

M 14 April: Second Examination

 

                Discussion Sections: Pathways to Development

Søe, “Democracy’s Sobering States” (37) & “Globalization is About Blending, Not Homogenizing” (40)

 

W 16 April: China

                Sodaro, Chapter 21.

                Søe, “China: The Quiet Revolution” (33)

 

M 21 April: The Politics of Development

                Sodaro, Chapter 15.

 

                Discussion Sections: Challenges to Development I

                Søe, “Shadows at Europe’s Heart” (26) “Nigeria: Chronicle of a Dying State” (32)

 

W 23 April: Mexico and Brazil

                Sodaro, Chapter 22.

                Søe,  Mexico’s Disputed Election” (30)

 

                Discussion Sections: Challenges to Development II

                Søe, “An Explosive Combination” (41“Jihad vs. McWorld” (42)

 

M 28 April: Nigeria and South Africa

                Sodaro, Chapter 23.

 

W 30 April: Iran and the Politics of Theocracy

                Sodaro, Chapter 10, pp. 251-268.

                Discussion Sections: Review

 

M 5 May: Conditions for Democracy in war-torn Afghanistan

                Sodaro, Chapter 10, pp. 242-251.

 

W 7 May: Review and Course Evaluations

                Sodaro, Chapter 29.

 

W 14 May: Third Examination, 8:30 am