POLS 260: Foreign and Comparative Politics

Fall 2003, MW, DuSable 252

Section 2: 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Instructor: Tony E. Wohlers

Office: DuSable 461

Phone: 753-1818

Office Hours: W: 2:00-3:30

& by appointment

E-mail: wohlpicard@aol.com

Course Overview

Wilkommen and Welcome to the world of comparative politics. This course is designed to introduce and focus on the political systems outside the United States. We live in remarkable times! Communism in Eastern Europe collapsed and Apartheid in South Africa soon followed. Western European democracies have taken new steps toward political and economic integration. Governments around the world are facing old and new challenges – refugees, economic fragility, ethnic unrest, environmental decay and terrorism. Instead of studying all 170+ nation-states in the world, we will focus on several countries that will serve as examples of different types of polities. Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Russia, China and Thailand are selected to illustrate their historical development, key institutions and political culture. By focusing on these countries, this course has the following goals. First, it will give you a chance to study the politics of particular countries you probably know little about. Second, it seeks to convey an analytical approach to the study of politics and to provide you with an opportunity to reflect on some of the essential questions, old and new, with which students of politics have to grapple. Your new understandings should enhance your role as citizen in a democracy, i.e., enable you to make more informed judgments on the policies that our leaders propose to follow in dealing with these nations.

Readings and Lectures

· Readings: Please purchase a copy of the textbook for this course: Michael G. Roskin. Countries and Concepts. 8^th edition (Prentice Hall, 2004) at the NIU Bookstore or the Village Commons Bookstore. The Roskin volume contains the vast majority of the required readings for this course. Some additional short readings on political concepts and current events are available on reserve at Founders Memorial Library’s “Reserve” desk (Main Library).

· Lectures: Lectures will parallel and complement not merely repeating the material in the textbook. You are responsible for the material covered in the readings as well as in the lectures.

Course Requirements and Grading

· Exams: There are three exams. Two of these will be exams written in class on September 22 and October 20. The first exam will count for 20% of your course grade and the second exam will count for 25% of your grade. The final exam is comprehensive, but approximately more than half of the questions will be on material covered after the second exam. It will also count for 30% of your course grade and take place during the regularly scheduled final exam period (December 8: 4-5:50 p.m.). The format of each exam will be a combination of essay, short answer, and multiple-choice. NO MAKE-UP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN, except at the discretion of the instructor in the case of emergencies. If there are any problems or conflicts, contact the professor well in advance of the exam.

· Journals: Every second week of the semester, each student is required to turn in a 2 page (double spaced/font 12) essay on 1 current event outside the United States. The event should deal with a political issue in one of the foreign countries covered in this class. For the event, use the following structure. The first paragraph should describe the event, while the following paragraphs should analyze the selected political event in relation to the class readings/lectures and your personal opinion. The journals count for 15% of your course grade. Some excellent sources of international news include the hard copy and online versions of the New York Times, The Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor and the BBC World News.

· Participation: The participation portion of your final grade is designed to reward those students who come to class prepared. Satisfactory class participation requires that students are present and attentive as well as contributing to class discussion in a manner that reflects they have read the required materials.

· Grading: Exam I à 20%

Exam II à 25%

Exam III à 30%

Journals à 15%

Participation à 10%

Topics and Activities

Day	Topic	Activity
August 27	Nation and State	Read: Roskin, ch. 1, pp. 1-19
September 1	Labor Day	Enjoy the holiday
September 3	Polities of the World	Read: Schmitter, What Democracy is…and Not ®
September 8	Great Britain:	Read: Roskin, chs. 2 & 3, pp. 20-52 Studlar, A Constitutional Revolution ®
September 10	Great Britain	Read: Roskin, ch. 5, pp. 66-78 Due: First Journal
September 15	Great Britain	Read: Roskin, ch. 4, pp. 53-65
September 17	Great Britain	Read: Roskin, ch. 6, pp. 79-93
September 22	Exam I	Write: Exam in Class
September 24	Germany	Read: Roskin, chs. 12 & 13, pp. 176-214
September 29	Germany	Read: Roskin, ch. 15, pp. 230-244 Economist, Germany’s General Election ® Due: Second Journal
October 1	Germany	Read: Roskin, ch. 14, pp. 215-229
October 6	Germany	Read: Roskin, ch. 16, pp. 245-259
October 8	Japan	Read: Roskin, chs. 22 & 23, pp. 340-366
October 13	Japan	Read: Roskin, ch. 25, pp. 382-395 Due: Third Journal
October 15	Japan	Read: Roskin, ch. 24, pp. 367-381
October 20	Japan	Read: Roskin, ch. 26, pp. 396-411 Ibison, Radical Reverts to the Old Pattern ® French, Setting Sun? ®
October 22	Exam II	Write: Exam in Class

	October 27			Russia			Read: Roskin, chs. 17 & 18, pp. 262-294
		October 29			Russia			Read: Roskin, ch. 20, pp. 310-323 Due: Fourth Journal
		November 3			Russia			Read: Roskin, ch. 19, pp. 295-309
November 5			Russia			Read: Roskin, ch. 21, pp. 324-337 Economist, Yeltsin’s Legacy ® Allison, Deepening Russian Democracy ®
November 10			China			Read: Roskin, ch. 27, pp. 416-429
November 12			China			Read: Roskin, ch. 27, pp. 436-440 Due: Fifth Journal
November 17			China			Read: Roskin, ch. 27, pp. 430-447 Pomfret, Era of Deep Changes for China ®
November 19			Thailand			Read: Wilson, Historical Background
November 24			Thailand			Read: Neher, Political Succession in Thailand ® Due: Sixth Journal
November 26-30			Thanksgiving break			Enjoy the break
December 1			Thailand			Read: Uwanno, Thai Constitution of 1997 ®
December 3			Review			Q&A: Come to class with specific questions
December 8 4-5:50 p.m.			Exam III			Write: Exam in Class

Note: ® = On Reserve in the Main Library

Course Policies

· Incompletes: NO INCOMPLETES will be given for reasons other than a medical or personal emergency and then only after presentation of verifiable documentation. Academic hardship does not qualify as an acceptable excuse.

· Academic Integrity: Students are expected to know and comply with NIU policies on academic integrity. Any student found guilty of cheating will receive an “F” for the course. He or she may also be subjected to additional sanctions imposed by the University.

· Statement Concerning Students with Disabilities: Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, NIU is committed to making reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Those students with disabilities that may have some impact on their coursework and for which they may require accommodations should notify the Center for Access Ability Resources (CAAR) on the fourth floor of the Health Services Building. CAAR will assist students in making appropriate accommodations with course instructors. It is important that CAAR and instructors be informed of any disability related needs during the first two weeks of the semester.

Awards and Resources

· Undergraduate Writing Awards: Papers written courses in the Department of Political Science are eligible for the Department’s undergraduate writing award. Your hard work could earn you $50, a certificate, and a nice line on your resume. Papers written in Fall 2003 are due on February 28, 2004. See the Department website for more details below.

· Resources: The Department of Political Science Web Site is an up-to-date, central source of information. It will assist students in contacting faculty and staff, reviewing course requirements and syllabi, exploring graduate study, researching career options, tracking department events, and accessing important details related to undergraduate programs and activities. To reach the site, go to http://polisci.niu.edu