POLITICAL
SCIENCE 260:01 INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS
SPRING
2007: MONDAY 6:30-9:10PM
Location: DU212
Office Hours:
Monday 4:30-6:30pm
Office: Zulauf 415
Phone: 942.3722
Email: goldberg@cod.edu
Course design
and objectives: This class provides an overview to the field of comparative politics,
a discussion of its major components and application of concepts to
Assigned
Roskin, Michael G. 2007. Countries
and Concepts: Politics, Geography and Culture.
Prentice Hall
Publishing. Ninth Edition.
Satrapi, Marjane. 2003.
_____. 2004. Perspolis 2: The
Story of a Return. Pantheon Publishing.
Each of the books is available in the bookstore. Students are expected
to complete the assigned readings in advance of class. In addition, students
are strongly encouraged to subscribe to a national daily newspaper with an
emphasis on coverage of international events. The New York Times and Christian
Science Monitor are at least partially available at no cost on the internet.
A. Exams: There are two exams in the class. Each
exam is worth 20% of the total grade. The first exam is tentatively scheduled
for March 5, and the final exam is May 9.
The exams consist of identification and essay questions.
B. Paper:
Students are expected to write a paper, no less than seven pages of written
text in length, on a subject of relevance to the themes of the class. Topics must receive prior approval. The
final paper is due in class on April 9 and accounts for 30% of the total grade.
Additional information on the paper will be distributed in class.
C. Participation/attendance: Arriving in class having already
completed the assigned materials is necessary to succeed.
Participation is
worth 10% of the total grade. The emphasis
should be on quality not quantity.
Attendance is
critical and if excessive absences present a problem I reserve the right to
fail any student. Students are given two excused absences. Please use them only
when necessary.
- Makeup exams
will be given only in the rarest of circumstances. Students must contact the
instructor in advance with an acceptable explanation. Please take this into
consideration. Extensions for written work will only be granted with the rarest
of circumstances.
D. Miscellaneous
- If you have a
disability and would like to speak with someone regarding
accommodations
please visit the Student Affairs. This should be done as early in the semester
as possible.
- Academic dishonesty will be treated with the
utmost seriousness (course failure at a minimum). Make certain that all work is
appropriately cited. See the student handbook and catalog for additional
information.
II. Tentative Course Outline
Week 1:
January 22 : Introduction and overview.
What is comparative politics?
Week 2:
January 29, Continue introduction. Roskin Chapter 1. Mexico historical
background, Roskin pp.483-92,
498-501
Week 3: February
5: Continue history. Mexican political institutions.
Roskin p.493-97. Abstract
due in class.
Week 4: February 12: Institutions continued. Economic development,
immigration
and illegal drugs Roskin pp.506-513.
Week 5:
February 19: Catch up, review for exam
Week 6: February 26: Begin French history Roskin pp,86-99
Week 7: March 5: First exam
scheduled
March 12 no class. Spring Break.
Week 8: March 19: French political institutions pp.100-115, 132-45
Week 9: March 26: French political culture pp.116-130, Disagreements in
French
society pp.146-59. Begin reading Persepolis, intro through p.86.
Week 10: April 2: Begin Iranian history, Roskin pp.542-48. Begin
discussing
Persepolis. Finish reading Persepolis.
Week 11: April 9:. Iranian political institutions, pp.549-553. Paper due in class
558-562. Begin reading Persepolis 2, intro
through p.91
Week 12: April 16: Roskin pp.553-558. Iranian political Culture.
Week 13: April 23: Iranian areas of disagreement, Roskin pp.563-570.
Recent events in
Iranian politics. Finish reading Persepolis 2.
Week 14: April 30: Catch up, review for exam. Finish discussing
Persepolis 2
Week 15: May 7: Final exam.
This is a tentative schedule, subject to change. It is the
responsibility of the student to keep up with any alterations.