AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT & POLITICS Summer Assignment

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1 AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT & POLITICS Summer Assignment Comparative government and politics provides an introduction to the consequences of an increasingly interdependent world. Although this curriculum focuses on specific countries, it also emphasizes an understanding of conceptual tools and methods that form a framework for comparing almost any governments that exist today. The 21 st century has taught us that we cannot ignore the world around us. Happenings around the globe now directly impact our lives and therefore, it is necessary to think and learn globally. This is a one year course designed to give students an analytical perspective on global politics. Students will focus on the governments of the United States as well as the diverse political structures of the United Kingdom, Mexico, Iran, Nigeria, China and Russia. Additionally, students will learn about the economic and political framework of the European Union. Comparisons will be made in terms of power structures, political institutions, citizen participation, political and economic change and public policy. Students will be exposed to different theoretical and practical frameworks that are the foundations for a variety of political systems. Summer Assignment: Part 1 Assemble a small (1 ) 3 Ring Binder with 8 clearly marked sections (use dividers): U.S., Britain (U.K.), Russia, China, Mexico, Nigeria, Iran & European Union (E.U.). During the course of the summer, collect two news articles per country and the EU (16 total articles). Articles must be legitimate (not short little paragraphs hi lighting issues) & published in the last five years ( ). (FYI: The European Union is an economic & political partnership between 28 European countries, in which a single currency is used among most members, trade is free, and political policies are often common.) The articles should provide you with information about the political, economic or foreign policy issues that confront each nation and the E.U. Consider reading about Brexit, the recent Iranian presidential elections, the upcoming VA gubernatorial elections, the recent anti corruption protests in Russia, etc. IMPORTANT: You will most likely have a hard time understanding the topics of articles and you WILL have to conduct some research to make sense of background information, reference, and acronyms that articles discuss. If you want reliable background information, check out the College Board briefing papers on Mexico, Iran & Nigeria: Possible article sources include, but are not limited to: o New York Times o CNN World News o BBC o Time Magazine o The Moscow Times o The Journal of Comparative Politics o CIA world factbook/ o The Economist o Al Jazeera o Russia Pravda English o The Punch (Nigeria) o Washington Post o Global Media Monitor o U.S. News &World Report o The Guardian o Washington Times

2 Part 2 Everyone should subscribe to the Teaching Comparative notification of the day! Yes, even though you are not a teacher, provide your e mail address and receive articles every single day that address ONLY the topics on the AP Comparative Government & Politics exam. You can use these articles for the summer assignment, but you can also use these articles throughout the year for the Article of Week assignment. The site is maintained by Ken Wedding, a professor and College Board consultant (so he knows the test). There is also a great review book that you can purchase at the site as well, but remember, many of you have purchased the Ethel Wood book already, so this would be supplementary spending & information: o Write an analysis of each article (typed, double spaced, 12 point font approximately one page). The analysis must include: #1 A summary that outlines the topic and provides specific information to prove an understanding of the issue(s) involved. #2 A personal opinion or response as to how and why this topic is important, who is most influenced by the situation, or your own idea(s) about the topic in general. I want to know your opinion & understand how you think! Part 3 Complete the attached charts Vocabulary and Development Terms (Political & Economic Measures). If you would like to complete these in a different format, feel free to do so. The charts are on my web site also, if you prefer to use the computer. It is imperative that you try to define the terms in your own words and/or provide an example so that you begin making connections about the content. Part 4 Design & complete a chart for each country (including the U.S., but not the E.U.) with the following information: o Leader o Type of government o Capital city o Geographic border (nations, bodies of water, region) o Population o Population density (population v. physical size of country) o Population growth rate o Infant mortality rate o Life expectancy o HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate o Primary ethnic and racial groups (don t go crazy on this!) o Population below poverty line o Unemployment rate o Military expenditures o Major industries o Major natural resources o GDP & GNP per capita o Inflation rate o Education expenditure o Major problems facing nation Check out CIA World Factbook for this information. It is concise and fairly updated world factbook/

3 Part 5 Write a two page paper analyzing what you have learned about any or all of the countries in regards to these statistics and facts. You may write an analytical comparison between two or more countries or an analytical case study focusing on only one of the countries. Express your opinion, in some way, about what you have learned! I want to know what you think and how you think and how you process this information! You may consider focusing on the following, but these are suggestions ONLY: What do these figures tell us about a country? Were there certain statistics that surprised or concerned you? Explain. When writing your analysis, you may use specifics to help illustrate your arguments. Connect a minimum of THREE terms you analyzed on one of the two charts. (e.g. China is an authoritarian nation. This is obvious by the fact that they do not allow free speech or a free press. I read an article about the Great Firewall of China which outlined the technological strategies the government uses to keep people from accessing information about any topic the government does not agree with.) Read, think, & analyze! For example, why is the HIV/AIDS rate so important? What does it tell us about a country (medical services, health & human welfare, behaviors of government officials and/or citizens, education, economic status of citizens, etc)? How does one country s statistic compare to another s? Is one country s statistic interesting and if so, why? DUE: 1 st day of class If you ordered an Ethel Wood study guide, I will have them for you on the 1 st day of class, but if you want it earlier, e mail me and you can meet me at school one day in July to pick it up it will be helpful.

4 VOCABULARY Define the following terms in your own words, give examples or draw pictures. Coalition Government (no longer relevant in U.K., but it was) Industrialized Democracy Globalization Political Culture Newly Industrialized Country Democratization Bureaucracy Imperialism Interest Group Legitimacy Sovereignty Less Developed Nation Totalitarianism Authoritarianism Federal state / country Unitary state / country Theocracy Political Party System (two party system; one party system; mulit party system) Political Cleavage(s) Public Policy Free market economy Private Enterprise v. State Owned Enterprise Command System / Communism Mixed economy

5 DEVELOPMENT KEY TERMS POLITICAL & SOCIOECONOMIC MEASURES - write a simple explanation in your own words and if you do not know why this information is important, explain what this information says about a country. Political development Social development Economic development Developing country Third World country Income distribution Democratization Newly Industrialized Country (NIC) Import substitution Neoliberalism Industrialization Structural Adjustment (economic) GDP GNP Gini Index / Coefficient Life expectancy Death rate Literacy rate (male/female) Education levels (male/female) Civil liberties & civil rights Infant mortality rate Rights of Women Population distribution (urban/rural) UN Human Development Index (HDI) UN Gender Inequality Index (GII) Transparency International data on corruption World Values Survey (WVS) Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

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