This class will teach you about politics around the world, focusing on subjects like democracy, the political roots of economic development, and how America's political system compares to that of other countries. If you are interested in political science as a concentration, this class will prepare you for more advanced subjects. If you just want to understand what is going on in the world, this class will provide you with useful theoretical frameworks, as well as factual background on some of the most important countries in the world.
This class first offers some basic analytical frameworks -- culture, social structure, and institutions -- that you can use examine a wide range of political outcomes. We then use these frameworks to understand (1) the relationship between democracy and economic development and (2) the relative centralization of political authority across countries. We will use theoretical arguments and a wide range of case studies to address several questions: Why are some countries democratic and others not? How does democracy affect economic development and political conflict? Why do some countries centralize power while others threaten to fall apart through secession and civil war? We will use examples from a wide range of countries including Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. The lessons drawn from these countries will prepare you to analyze other countries of your own choosing in the paper assignments. At the end of the course, you should be able to analyze political events around the world, drawing on the theoretical explanations provided in the class.
Readings total approximately 85 pages per week and should take you about three hours, depending on how fast you read. The only book required for the class is Robert Putnam's Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy (Princeton University Press, 1993). All other readings can be found in your course reader. Both the reader and Putnam's book will be available on reserve in Dewey Library.
1. Class Participation
You are expected to participate actively and intelligently in class discussions. As a rule of thumb, you should plan to spend about an hour or two going over your notes from the readings and preparing for class each week after you have completed the readings. If you must miss a class, please notify the instructors in advance. More than two unexcused absences or unprepared sessions will jeopardize your class participation grade.
2. Final Exam
There will be an ex-camera final exam on some aspect of Iraq, which will draw on issues we have covered during the semester. For instance, you may be asked to assess the desirability of certain institutional arrangements in Iraq (e.g., federalism).
3. Assignments and Grading
|
|
|
|
Class participation (including debates) |
|
|
|
25% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Short paper (4 pages) |
|
|
|
10% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Longer research paper (12 pages) |
|
|
|
20% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Presentation of research paper |
|
|
|
10% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After revisions, a second draft of research paper |
|
|
|
10% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A written ex-camera final exam will be given during exam period |
|
|
|
25% |
|
|
|
|
|