POLS 260: FOREIGN AND COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Northern
Illinois University
Department
of Political Science
Spring
2010, Dusable 461
Section
2: M, W & F, 11—11:50
Course
Instructor:
Professor Kheang Un, Ph.D.
Office: Zulauf 411
Tel: (815) 753-1022
Office Hours:
9:00-11:00 Monday and Wednesday, and by appointment
E-mail: kun1@niu.edu
This course is NIU’s introduction
to the study of political systems outside the United States. As such, it has two main 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 analytical
approaches 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
understanding from this class should enhance your role as citizens in a
democracy, i.e., enable you to make more informed judgments on the policies
that our leaders propose to follow in dealing with foreign countries.
To achieve its comparative goal,
this course will examine the political systems of Great Britain, Japan, China,
Russia, and Iran.
Course
Policies and Requirements
1. The Learning Environment. Your instructor
is committed to the principle of active learning. This principle requires students’ active
involvement in, commitment to, and responsibility for their own education. Hence, it is important that students conduct
themselves in ways that indicate respect for the learning community and the
learning process. Respect for the
learning community should preclude such behavior as persistent tardiness,
leaving the room during class time (unless prior advice was given to the
instructor or in case of emergency), falling asleep, reading the newspaper,
studying for another class, and chatting with others.
2.
Readings and Lecture.
Please purchase a copy of textbook for this course: Michael G. Roskin, Countries and Concepts: Politics, Geography, Culture 10th
edition at the Student Center or at the Village Common Bookstore. Assigned readings outside the textbook are
available on course blackboard. Some
short readings may also be distributed in class.
Lectures will parallel and
compliments the readings. As such, students
cannot just rely solely on lectures or readings.
3.
Class attendance and Participation.
Attendance at all class sessions is expected, and the instructor will
check the attendance regularly. Students
are allowed to miss the class a total five times during the semester. An additional absence will result in lowering
the final grade by one letter.
Informed participation in class discussion will significantly help
students in borderline grade situations.
4.
Exams, Quizzes, and Written Assignments.
This course will have two exams taken in class. The first exam (which is worth 30 percent of
the total grade), will be on February 26. The final exam, worth 40 percent of the total
grade, will be taken during the regular final exam day, Wed. May 5, 10-11:50
a.m.. The format of each exam will be a
combination of essay, short answer, and multiple-choice. No make up exam will be offered, except in
cases of emergency, as defined by the instructor, and with advance notification. Group written assignments will be worth 20
percent. The class will be divided into
five groups and each group will engage in periodical discussion on current
issues (quarrels) in each of five countries covered in this class. Students are required to do extra research
for group written reports (a minimum of five up-to-date sources are required). There will also be some pop quizzes given
without prior notice. The total points
from all quizzes will be worth 10 percent of the total course grade.
5.
Course Grade. Course Grades will be distributed as follows:
Final
Average Final
Grade
90-100
% A
80-89
% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
Below
60% F
6.
Academic Integrity. Students are expected to know and comply with
NIU polices on academic integrity (see p. 47 of 2001 Undergraduate
Catalog). Any student found guilty of
cheating or plagiarizing will receive an “F” for the examination and the
course. He or she may also be subject to
additional sanctions imposed by the university.
11/01
Introduction to the course
13/01
Key Concepts
Reading: Roskin,
pp.1-15.
15/01
Key Concepts
continued
Reading:Roskin,
pp. 1-15.
Philippe
Schmitter and Terry Karl, “What Democracy Is … and Is Not?” Journal of Democracy, vol. 2, no 3
(Summer 1991): 75-88. [Available on Course Blackboard’s Course Documents].
18/01
Key
Concepts (continued)
20/01
Great Britain:
Impact of the Past
Reading: Roskin,
pp.19-31.
22/01
Impact of the
Past continued
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 19-31.
25/01
Great Britain:
Political Culture
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 48-59.
27/01
Great Britain: Elections
and Parties
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 44-47; 61-71.
29/01
Great
Britain: Elections and Parties continued
Studlar, Donley,
“A Revised British Constitution: Tony Blair’s Lasting Legacy?” in Christiane
Soe ed., Annual Edition/Comparative
Politics 07/07 (Dubuque: McGraw Hill/Contemporary Learning Series, 2008),
pp. 26-32. [Available on Electronic Reserve].
1/02
Great Britain:
Key Institutions
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 33-44.
Video: “Order!
Order!” VIDEO:
JN508 .O6331994
3/02
Group Discussion:
Quarrels in Great Britain
Reading: Roskin, pp.73-85.
5/02
Japan
Impact of the Past
Movie:
“Meiji: Asia’s Response to the West.” DS882 .M4451992
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 259-267.
8/02
Japan Impact of
the Past
Reading:
The Economist,
“Japanese Spirit, Western Things,” in Christiane Soe ed., Annual
Edition/Comparative Politics 07/07 (Dubuque: McGraw Hill/Contemporary
Learning Series, 2008), pp. 59-61. [Aavailable on Electronic Reserve].
10/02
Japan: Political
Culture
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 274 (political culture)-280.
12/02
Japan: Elections
and Parties
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 270 (The Parties)-272; pp. 283 (corruption scandal)-284; Box 285
(Who Bribes Whom?); Box p. 286 (Can Japanese Politics Alternative?)
15/02
Japan: Elections
and Parties
Reading:
The Economist, "The Vote that
Changed Japan," September 5, 2009, p. 13. [Available on Electronic
Reserve]
The
Economist, "Lost in Transition," September 5, 2009, pp. 29-31.
[Available on Electronic Reserve]
17/02
Government
Institutions
Movie: “Inside
Japan, Inc.” DS 849.U1574 1992
19/02
Government
Institutions
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 267-270; 270-274; pp. 281-287.
22/02
Group
Discussion: Quarrels in Japan
Reading:
Minier, Jean-Francois, “Japan’s Big Bang: Too Little, Too Late?” Far Eastern Economic
Review (December 2006), pp. 17-21. [Available
on Electronic Reserve].
Roskin,
pp. 287-293.
24/02
Catch-Up and
Review
26/02
Exam
I
1/03
Russia: Impact
of the Past
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 295-309.
3/03
Russia: Impact
of the Past (continued)
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 295-309.
5/03
Russia:
Political Culture
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 327-339.
8/03
No Class Spring
Break
10/03
No Class Spring
Break
12/03
No Class Spring
Break
15/03
Russia: Political
Culture
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 327-339.
17/03
Russia:
Government Institutions
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 311-322; pp. 350-351 (The Army).
19/03
Russia:
Government Institutions (continued)
Lavelle,
Peter, “What Does Putin Want?” in Christiane Soe ed., Annual Edition/Comparative Politics 07/07 (Dubuque: McGraw
Hill/Contemporary Learning Series, 2008), pp. 149-152. [Available on course
blackboard].
Marshal,
Goldman, “Putin and the Oligarchs,” Foreign Affairs Vol. 83, no 6 (2004), pp.
33-44. [Available on Electronic Reserve].
Roskin,
p. 345 (Taming the Oligarchs)
22/03
Russia: Parties
and Elections
Reading:
Roskin, Box page 322 (Democracy); Box page 323 (Democracy); p. 324 (A Party
under Construction)
24/03
Russia: Parties
and Elections (continued)
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 341-352.
26/03
No class,
Professor attends Association of Asian Studies Annual Meeting
29/03
Group Discussion:
Quarrels in Russia
Reading:
Roskin, pp.355-367.
31/03
China: Impact of
the Past
Video: “Two
Coasts of China.” DS706 .T8631992
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 371-385.
2/04
Impact of the
Past (continued)
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 371-385.
5/04
China: Political
Culture
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 400-413; Box page 374; Box page 380; Box page 381; Box page 416
(the Great Leap Forward); box on page 417 (The Great Proletariat ...).
7/04
China: Political
Culture (continued)
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 400-413; box page 374; Box page 380; box page 381; box page 416
(the Great Leap Forward); box on page 417 (The Great Proletariat ...); box page
419 (Anti-Western Campaigns).
9/04
China: Government
Institutions
Reading: Roskin,
pp. 387-399; pp. 415-427.
Guthrie,
Dough, “China: The quiet Revolution” Harvard
International Review, Summer 2003, pp.48-53. [Available on course
blackboard].
12/04
Group Discussion:
Quarrels in China
Readings:
Minxin Pei, “The Dark Side of China’s Rise,” Foreign Policy, March/April
2006, pp. 32-40 [to be handed out].
Roskin,
box page 397 (Geography); box page 410 (Geography); pp. 429-443.
14/04
Iran: Impact of
the Past
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 541-547.
Video:
“Which Way Next for Iran?” DS 318.825.W45 2000
16/04
Impact
of the Past (continued)
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 541-547.
19/04
Iran: Political Culture
Reading:
Roskin, pp. 551-553; box page 554 (Is Islam Anti-Modern); box 555 (Are Iranians
Religious Fanatics); box 557 (Does Islam Discriminate against Women?)
21/04
Iran: Political
Institutions, Elections, Parties and Democracy
Reading:
Roskin, pp.548-551; 554-562.
23/04
Iran: Political
Institutions, Elections and Parties (continued)
Christopher Dickey, "The Supreme Leader," Newsweek, June 29, 2009, pp. 40-45.
[Available on Electronic Reserve]
26/04
Group Discussion:
Quarrels in Iran
Afshin Molavi,
“Buying Time in Tehran: Iran the China Model,” Foreign Affairs,
83, 2004, pp.
9-16. [to be handed out];
Roskin, pp.
563-570.
Fareed Zakaria, "Theocracy and
Its Discontents," Newsweek, June
29, 2009, pp.30-38.
[Available on
Electronic Reserve]
28/04
Review
and Class Evaluation
5/05
Final Exam 10-11:50 a.m. (in the same classroom)