POLI 130: Introduction to Comparative Politics Section 001 Fall 2010 Gardner 210, Tuesday and Thursday 3:30-4:45pm Instructor: Sandi Chapman Osterkatz Office Hours: 459 Hamilton, Thursday 2-3:30pm and Friday 10:00-11:30am Email: schapmn@email.unc.edu Course Description Comparative Politics is one of the major subfields of Political Science and is well described by its name. Political comparisons are generally between countries, groups of countries, or even between states and regions. The goal of this course is to provide you with an overview of the field and familiarize you with some of the most important theoretical and empirical work. We will not be taking an in-depth look at particular countries but will explore the broader themes of political institutions, political economy, globalization, and democracy using country examples from around the globe. We will also explore these dimensions by taking a comparative look at climate change and social policy. Principal Objectives This is an introductory course that requires no prior knowledge of comparative politics. We will meet each Tuesday and Thursday to use lecture, discussion, and student presentations to explore the core concepts and theories of comparative politics while engaging current events and contemporary world problems. The course will give you the opportunity to explore a diverse literature on democracy, globalization, political economy, parties and institutions, and the comparative method. A premium is placed on critical thought, participation in lively group discussion, and careful reading. Participation requires doing the reading, understanding it, coming to class, and taking part in our discussions through active engagement of the material. I want to stress the importance of communication about any problem, doubt, or question that you may have. Solutions can always be found to issues that arise over the course of the semester as long as they are addressed in a timely fashion. Do not hesitate to communicate with me about the requirements of the course, your participation and coursework, or the material, but do not wait until the last minute to do so. This is your education, so take ownership of it. Assignments are designed to help you think about the major problems and challenges facing our world through a comparative lens. Think about what you want to get out of this class and feel free to offer topics for discussion that you find particularly engaging and to ask questions at any time. 1
Grades and Assignments The emphasis on critical thought and engaged reading means that written assignments and participation will be more heavily weighted than exams. Research, writing, and careful reading require a different set of study skills than exam preparation. In this class you will need both to excel. There will be two papers of 1300-1500 words each (approximately 5 pages), one in-class presentation, one midterm, and one final exam. The midterm takes place during the normal time and in our regular classroom. The final is scheduled by the university and cannot be changed and will also be held in Gardner 210. Papers will only be accepted electronically, by email, written in Microsoft Word, and will be considered late if they are received after 3:30pm on the due date. There will be a penalty of 10% (one full letter grade) off the final paper grade for each full 24 hours of lateness, beginning at 3:30pm on the due date. October 12: Paper I due (15%) October 19: Midterm Exam (20%) November 23: Paper II due (20%) December 17, 4:00-7:00pm: Final Exam (20%) Attendance: 10% Participation: 10% Presentation: 5% Attendance and participation are required. After the first, each unexcused absence will result in the loss of 1% from your overall final grade, as will more than 2 excused absences (not counting university related absences). Participation and attendance each represent 10% of your final grade and the one in-class presentation is worth 5%. Adequate class participation includes pertinent and regular speaking in class, attentive listening to your classmates, and respectful and constructive interaction with the group. Sign up for the presentation assignment will take place on the first day of class. These are informal, with no powerpoint, handouts, or posters, and will be related to the topic in that day s lecture. A separate document on paper formatting and requirements will be posted on Blackboard and part of a class will be dedicated to discussing the papers in early September. The first paper carries less weight because it will be your first opportunity to receive feedback on your essay writing and research. These papers will receive a more detailed critique in order to give you resources for improvement in the second paper. I will not review drafts but will be happy to discuss your papers during office hours if you want to bring a one page outline in at least a week before the due date. I am happy to fix errors in grading and to discuss your grade with you in office hours if you have any concerns. 2
Class Norms Laptops tend to distract and remove us from group discussion in a seminar setting, so they may not be utilized in class. I will provide outlines of each class in advance to facilitate note-taking by hand. Protecting academic freedom of speech requires that we both tolerate differences and express our own views respectfully in order to ensure that we do not silence others. We should all do our best to ensure a safe and open environment for discussion. I am generally quick to respond to emails, but I should receive emails at least 24 hours before you must have a reply, especially when we get close to paper due dates and exams. If you are sick, I must receive an email before the beginning of class or you will need a doctor s note to get an excused absence. If you have a legitimate excuse for missing the midterm or final exam, you should present it at least 2 weeks in advance with all appropriate paperwork completed and expect to schedule the make-up before the scheduled exam. For exams, illness and family obligations that come up at the last minute require documentation in order to schedule make ups after the fact. The Honor Code is always in effect. Turning in exams or papers that intentionally contain work that is not yours and is not cited will result in a failing grade. Readings and Class Schedule Throughout the course I will update the Blackboard Course Documents section with readings from the syllabus. There is no text book for this course. Readings are listed under the day for which they should be completed. Although text books are necessarily more general and often less engaging than books and articles, they can be more efficient ways of conveying information. One of the things you will learn as a college student is the art of reading efficiently in order to maximize a scarce resource (your time). I will assist you by always going over the reading assignment for the next class at the end of the class before. I have tried to minimize reading assignments before papers are due and to balance out weeks with heavier reading assignments. 24 August: Intro to Comparative Politics Bring a copy of the syllabus with you to class 26 August: Comparative Method Shively, Phillip. 2005. The Craft of Political Research. pp 1-31. Mill, J.S. 1843. A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive. CH 8 pp 253-258. 3
31 August: A Sample of Theorizing From Sociology and Introduction to Comparative Democratization Weber, Max. 1904-1905. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Introduction and Chapter 5. Schmitter, Philippe C. and Terry L. Karl. 1991. What Democracy Is...and Is Not. Journal of Democracy 2(3): 75-88. 2 September: Theory on Origins of Democracy and Conceptualization Moore, Barrington. 1966. Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World. Chapter 7 (pp 413-432). Collier, David and Steven Levitsky. 1997. Democracy with Adjectives: Conceptual Innovation in Comparative Research. World Politics 49(3):430-451. 7 September: Reconciling Divergent Theories on the Relationship Between Democracy and Capitalism Rueschemeyer, Dietrich, Evelyne Huber Stephens, and John D. Stephens. 1992. Capitalist Development and Democracy. Introduction and Chapter 7. 9 September: Modernization Theory and Its Critics Przeworski, Adam and Fernando Limongi. 1997. Modernization: Theories and Facts. World Politics 49(2):155-183. Boix, Carles and Susan Stokes. 2003. Endogenous Democratization. World Politics 55(4):517-549. 14 September: Path Dependency and The Natural Resource Curse Pierson, Paul. 2000. Increasing Returns, Path Dependence, and the Study of Politics. The American Political Science Review 94(2):251-267. Karl, Terry Lynn. 1999. Perils of the Petro-State: Reflections on the Paradox of Plenty. Journal of International Affairs 53(1):31-48. 16 September: Comparative Democratization in Eastern Europe Vachudova, Milada. 2005. Europe Undivided. pp1-13, 19-25, 59-65, 81-103, 257-261. 21 September: Introduction to Political Institutions, Federalism and Unitary States Elazar, Daniel. 1997. Contrasting Unitary and Federal Systems. International Political Science Review 18(3):237-251. 4
23 September: Federalism Continued Stepan, Alfred. 1999. Federalism and Democracy: Beyond the US Model. Journal of Democracy 10(4):19-33. Hertzberg, Hendrik. July 29, 2002. Framed Up: What the Constitution Gets Wrong. The New Yorker. 28 September: Presidential and Parliamentary Systems Linz, Juan. 1990. The Perils of Presidentialism. Journal of Democracy 1(1):51-69. Mainwaring, Scott and Matthew S Shugart. 1997. Juan Linz, Presidentialism, and Democracy: A Critical Appraisal. Comparative Politics 29(4):449-471. 30 September: Proportional Representation v. Majoritarian Electoral Systems and Informal Institutions Norris, Pippa. 1997. Choosing Electoral Systems: Proportional, Majoritarian and Mixed Systems. International Political Science Review 18(3):297-312. Helmke, Gretchen and Steven Levitsky. 2006. Informal Institutions and Democracy: Lessons from Latin America. pp 1-25, 274-281, and 285-289. Torcal, Mariano and Scott Mainwaring. 2001. The Political Recrafting of Social Bases of Party Competition: Chile, 1973-1995. British Journal of Political Science 33(1):55-84. 7 October: NO CLASS I will be at the Latin American Studies Association Conference in Toronto 12 October: FIRST PAPER DUE ELECTRONICALLY BY 3:30 PM. Political Parties Continued Mainwaring, Scott and Timothy Scully. 1995. Building Democratic Institutions: Party Systems in Latin America. Introduction. 14 October: Midterm Review and Institutions Continued Lipset, Seymour Martin and Gary Marks. 2000. It Didn t Happen Here: Why Socialism Failed in the United States. Chapter 8. Hooge, Liesbet, Gary Marks, and Carole Wilson. 2002. Does Left/Right Structure Party Positions on European Integration? Comparative Political Studies 35(8):965-989. 19 October: MIDTERM EXAM Bring loose leaf paper and pen 21 October: FALL BREAK No class 5
26 October: The European Union The European Union: A Guide for Americans. 2007. pp2-25. 28 October: The EU Continued Hooghe, Liesbet and Gary Marks. 2001. Multilevel Governance and European Integration. Chapters 8. Hooghe, Liesbet and Gary Marks. 2008. Postscript to The Making of a Polity. pp1-5. 2 November: Globalization Sen, Amartya. Winter 2002. How to Judge Globalism. The American Prospect: Globalism and Poverty. pp1-5. Oxfam. 2002. Rigged Rules and Double Standards: Trade, Globalisation, and The Fight Against Poverty. pp5-18. Cardoso, Fernando Henrique. 2001. Globalization and Politics. pp1-4. 4 November: Globalization of Trade and Finance Helleiner, Eric. 1994. States and the Reemergence of Global Finance: From Bretton Woods to the 1990s. Introduction pp1-25. Cardoso, Fernando Henrique and Enzo Faletto. 1979. Dependency and Development in Latin America. Preface. 9 November: Trade and Finance Continued Mosley, Layna. 2005. Global Capital and National Governments. p1-49. 11 November: Globalization and the Case of Climate Change Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change. 2006. Executive Summary pp1-27. Soroos, Martin S in Kegley, Charles W., Jr. and Eugene R. Wittkopf, eds. 1995. The Global Agenda: Issues and Perspectives. pp422-435. Harvey, Fiona. 2008. Upside of a Downturn. Financial Times. pp1-3. 16 November: Introduction to Comparative Political Economy Hall, Peter and David Soskice, eds. 2001. Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage. Introduction. 18 November: Comparative Welfare States Huber, Evelyne and John D. Stephens. 2001. Development and Crisis of the Welfare 6
State. pp1-32 and 337-345. 23 November: SECOND PAPER DUE ELECTRONICALLY BY 3:30 PM Comparative Health Systems PBS Documentary Sick Around the World IN CLASS. 25 November: THANKSGIVING No class 30 November: Comparative Health Systems Continued Immergut, Ellen. 1990. Institutions, Veto Points, and Policy Results: A Comparative Analysis of Health Care. Journal of Public Policy 10(4):391-416. 2 December: New Social Risks Esping-Andersen, Gosta, ed. 2002. Why We Need a New Welfare State. Forward and Chapter 1. Gornick, Janet C. and Marcia K. Meyers. 2003. Families That Work: Policies for Reconciling Parenthood and Employment. Chapter 3. 7 December: REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM Last day of class 17 December 4pm: FINAL EXAM bring loose leaf paper and pens 7