Comparative Governments and Politics

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1 Associate Adjunct Professor: Elie Chalala Santa Monica College/Fall 2011 Political Science 2/ Section 2908 Place & Time: 9:30-10:50 PM TTh HSS 156 Office (HSS 379) Hours: 8: 15-9:15 AM TTh or by appointment Tel: (310) (voice mail) Website Comparative Governments and Politics Over the next sixteen weeks, we will emphasize two general areas of comparative government and politics. In the first part of the course, we will focus on several theories, concepts and variables used in analyzing different systems of government. In the second half, we will examine three political systems: Britain as a liberal democracy; Germany, moving from authoritarianism under the Kaiser into liberalism under the Weimar Republic, then returning to authoritarianism under the Third Reich, and finally returning to liberal democracy throughout the Cold War and Reunification after the collapse of the Berlin Wall; Russia, as previously absolutist and totalitarian while presently and painstakingly heading toward democracy. STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE: Each class meeting will be divided between lectures and discussions on contemporary issues in comparative politics. Lectures will be accompanied by PowerPoint presentations and general outlines of lecture themes to be distributed before each lecture. In-class discussions will be based on handouts of articles on world governments and politics from leading publications to be distributed in class or posted online. There will be three in-class examinations, including the final, and two take-home written assignments (three pages each). The first inclass exam is objective (multiple choice & true and false), worth 20 points; the second is objective and subjective (short essays and definitions), worth 30 points; the third, a final, is both objective and subjective, worth 40 points. The first take-home written assignment is a research essay worth 5 points; the second, part of the final, is an essay based on assigned readings worth 5 points. This brings your total up to 100 points. The grading system for this class is as follows: the grade of A begins at 88; B at 78; C at 68; and D at 58. The course also provides you with the opportunity to earn an additional 10 points over the 100. This opportunity is in the form of 5 unannounced quizzes (each is worth 2 points; they are multiple choice & true and false) which can be given at anytime during the class and will cover the materials discussed up to and including the day of the quiz. Since these quizzes are not part of the basic course assignments, there will be no makeup or substitute assignments if they are missed. (Attendance is a must in this class. Absences exceeding four meetings will result in dropping you from class). Inclass exams require a SCANTRON form #882 and a No. 2 pencil. DROPPING THE CLASS REMAINS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. The two take-home written assignments differ from each other. The first is in the form of a research essay. For the paper to be accepted and graded, a one-page statement about the topic, thesis, and sources to be used is required. Only when the statement is approved, you can start writing the three-page research essay. A guideline handout on how to write the assignments will be distributed in class. You can earn five points from this assignment. The second take-home assignment, which is due in the last week of classes, will be the take-home part of the final 1

2 examination, and will also enable you to earn five points. More about it will be discussed as we approach the last week of classes. Learning Objectives. In this course, students are expected to command different theories and concepts of comparative governments and politics. Students are also expected to employ these theories and concepts in their written assignments, with their research goals to explain why a certain country has the political system it has, democratic, authoritarian, totalitarian, socialist or capitalist. REQUIRED TEXTBOOK Michael J. Sodaro, Comparative Politics, A Global Introduction, 3 rd ed. (McGraw-Hill, 2008). FIRST WEEK General Introduction to Comparative Politics (Part I) What is Comparative Politics? Major Concepts and Terms in Comparative Politics Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 1 SECOND WEEK General Introduction to Comparative Politics (Part II) What is Comparative Politics? Major Concepts and Terms in Comparative Politics Readings: Sodaro, Chps. 2 & 3 THIRD WEEK Intellectual Contributions to the Study of Comparative Politics Nicolo Machiavelli Thomas Hobbes John Locke Karl Marx Max Weber FOURTH WEEK Power Who Has Power? And How Much? National Identity Power and Elites? Weber s Three Types of Legitimate Authority Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 4 The State and Its Institutions Defining the State Three Meanings of the Stste State Institutions How States are Organized 2

3 Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 5 FIFTH WEEK States and Nations Nationalism Nation Building When the Nation and State Don t Fit Together Supranationalism Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 6 First Examination Democracy: What Is It? The Temple of Democracy Techno-Democracy Dilemmas of Democracy Consociational Democracy Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 7 SIXTH WEEK Democracy: How Does it Work? State Institutions and Electoral Systems Presidential Systems Parliamentary Governments Presidential-Parliamentary Democracies Electoral System: Proportional Representation Electoral System: Plurality or winner-take-all Questions of turnout Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 8 Democracy: What Does it Take? Ten Conditions of Democracy Elites Committed to Democracy State Institutions National Unity National Wealth Private Enterprise A Middle Class Support of the Disadvantaged for Democracy 3

4 Citizen Participation, Civil Society Education and Freedom of Information A Favorable International Environment Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 9 SEVENTH WEEK Conditions for Democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 10 EIGHTH WEEK People and Politics: Participation in Democracies and Non-Democracies The Logic of Collective Action Forms of Participation Voting Political Parties Interest Groups Mass Movements Mass participation in Non-Democratic regimes Revolution Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 11 Political Culture Defining Political Culture Political Socialization and Psychology Studies of Political Culture Does Political Culture Matter? Conceptualizing Political Culture Do Political Cultures Change? Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 12 NINTH WEEK Ideology Liberalism Socialism Fascism Religion as a Political Ideology Islam The Left-Right Spectrum The End of Ideology? Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 13 Political Economy 4

5 Laissez-Faire Central Planning Mixed Economies Welfare States Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 14 TENTH WEEK The Politics of Development Newly-Industrializing Countries Underdeveloped Countries Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 15 SECOND EXAMINATION ELEVENTH WEEK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Part I) Why Study this Case? The Evolution of British Democracy British Politics Since WW II British Democracy Today Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 16 TWELFTH WEEK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Part II) Readings: Chp. 16 THIRTEENTH WEEK Germany (Part I) Germany s Difficult Path to Democracy Democracy and the Federal Republic of Germany Governments and Politics in the Federal republic Political Issues in Contemporary Germany Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 18 FOURTEENTH WEEK Germany (Part II) Antisemitism ANTISEMITISM: A professor explores roots of history's greatest enigma, by David 5

6 Strassler, Jerusalem Post. Sep 17, Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 18 FIFTEENTH WEEK Russia Russia s Historical Traditions: Why No Democracy? Tsarism Communism The Collapse of Soviet Communism Yeltsin s Russia Putin s Russia Readings: Sodaro, Chp. 18 SIXTEENTH WEEK FINAL EXAMINATION 6