Political Science 151 R. Francisco
9:30 MWF 204 Blake
Fall, 2003 Section 231186
Introduction to Comparative Politics: Honors
This course examines 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 8 of the world’s governments to discover their effects on citizens. In addition, we study how to analyze politics. We will have some “Friday rigor” to learn how to investigate institutions and governments.
Office Hours:
I will meet students in my office from 8:30 until 9:20 and 2:30-3:20 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in 313 Blake Hall. You may e-mail me (ronfran@ku.edu), call me (864-9023), or just come to the office.
Texts:
We will read two books. Please purchase them.
Michael G. Roskin, Countries and Concepts: Politics, Geography, Culture. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2004.
Kenneth A. Shepsle and Mark S. Bonchek, Analyzing Politics: Rationality, Behavior, and Institutions. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997.
Expectations,
Examinations, and Grading:
Students should attend class and be prepared to discuss assigned readings. Class presentation and discussion will not reproduce text readings. There will be three examinations. The format of each is short answer questions and identification of key terms. Questions will be drawn equally from class 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. Each examination is valued at 25 percent of the final grade. The required analytic paper is valued at 25 percent as well. Note that our last examination is scheduled on 18 December.
Each student must write an analytic paper on one country’s politics, form of government, electoral system, institutions, and leadership. Early in the course I will distribute a description of how to analyze and write the paper; I will include several bibliographic sources and URLs. The paper is due Friday, 12 December at 4:00. Late papers lose 10 points per day.
Any student in this course who has a disability that may preclude demonstrating fully his or her abilities should contact me as soon as possible. We will discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and to facilitate education.
F 22 August: Organizational Meeting, Create a Government I
M 25: August: Who needs government? Why do anarchists form committees?
Roskin, Chapter 1.
W 27 August: British History and Political Development
Roskin, Chapter 2.
F 29 August: The Politics of Institutional Design
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 11
M 1 September: Labor Day: No class
W 3 September: British Institutions I
Roskin, Chapter 3
F 5 September: Analyzing Politics
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 1
M 8 September: British
Institutions II
Roskin, Chapter 5.
W 10 September: British
Politics and Social Classes
Roskin, Chapter 4.
F 12 September: Rationality and Expected Utility
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 2
M 15 September: Nationalism in British Politics
Roskin, Chapter 6.
W 17 September: First Examination
F 19 September: Group Choice Analysis
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 3.
M 22 September: French Political History
Roskin, Chapters 7 & 9.
W 24 September: French Institutions I
Roskin,
Chapter 8.
F 26 September: Group Choice and Majority Rule
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 4.
M 29 September: French Institutions II
Roskin, Chapters 10 & 11.
W 1 October: Presidential vs. Prime Ministerial Government
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 16.
F 3 October: Spatial Models of Majority Rule
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 5
M 6 October: German Political History
Roskin, Chapters 12 & 14.
W 8 October: German Institutions I
Roskin, Chapter 13.
F 10 October: Strategic Behavior
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 6
M 13 October: German Institutions II
Roskin, Chapters 15 & 16.
W 15 October: Electoral Systems
Shepsle & Boncheck, Chapter 7
F 17 October: Cooperation
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 8
M 20 October: Russian and USSR Political History
Roskin, Chapter 17.
W 22 October : Russia’s Changing Institutions
Roskin, Chapters 18 and 20.
F 24 October: Fall Break: no class
M 27 October: Collective Action
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 9
W 29 October: Russian Reforms
Roskin, Chapters 19 and 21.
F 31 October: Second Examination
M 3 November: Public Goods
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 10
W 5 November: Japanese
Political History
Roskin, Chapter 22.
F 7 November: Legislatures
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 12
M 10 Japanese Political Institutions
Roskin, Chapters 23 and 25.
W 12 November: Japanese Political Culture
Roskin, Chapters 24 and 26
F 15 November: Bureaucracy & Intergovernmental Relations
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 13
M 24 November: Communist
Politics in China
Roskin, Chapter 27.
W 26 November: Thanksgiving, No class
F 28 November: Thanksgiving, No class
M 1 December: Politics in Brazil
Roskin, Chapter 28.
W 3 December: Transition Politics in South Africa
Roskin, Chapter 29.
F 5 December: Leadership
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 14
M 8 December: Theocratic Politics in Iran
Roskin, Chapter 30.
W 10 December: Courts & Judges & Create a Government II
Shepsle & Bonchek, Chapter 15; Roskin, Chapter 31
F 12 December: Papers are due
R 18 December: Third Examination, 8:30