POLI 150 - Comparative Politics

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

An examination of political systems across the world chosen to illustrate different types of political regimes, states, and societies. The political system is seen to include formal institutions of government, such as parliaments and bureaucracies; political parties and other forms of group life; those aspects of the history and social and economic structure of a society that are relevant to politics; and political beliefs, values, and ideologies. Special attention is given to the question of political change and development, whether through revolutionary or constitutional process.

Comparative Politics: Analyzing Politics in the World. This course introduces how comparativists analyze politics within states in the world. Topics include state formation, democracy and dictatorship, political economy, social movements, revolution, ethnicity, and political culture. The course draws from both theoretical work and country and regional case studies that may include the US, Chile, China, India, Cuba, Great Britain, Iran, the Middle East, South Africa and East Asia. The course uses cases to analyze and compare basic concepts and patterns of the political process. Students should come away from the course with both an understanding of the diversity of the world’s political systems, as well as an appreciation of the questions and concepts that inform the work of political scientists. George Ciccariello-Maher.

Comparative Politics: Analyzing Politics in the World. In this course, we will focus on crucial questions for comparativists, including: 1) What are the ways in which modern states (more commonly known as countries) emerged, and what are the implications, in terms of democracy, conflict, race, equality? 2) How do we explain divergent paths and patterns? 3) How do we understand the relationships among historical, political, social, and cultural forces and politics? 4) What has the globalization of production, trade and communication, including the movement across national borders, meant for the internal politics and societies of countries? We will examine concepts such as state formation, political economy, democracy, dictatorship, war, and empire. We will draw from both general theoretical work and studies of political, social, and economic processes in particular countries, primarily the United States, South Africa, and Brazil. The course will not provide a great deal of in-depth analysis of these countries. Rather, we will use the studies to flesh out and compare basic concepts and patterns of political process, particularly regarding racialization and racism. We will also examine key issues for comparativists regarding the rise of social movements. Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar. Katherine Hite.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS