CPO 3010 Comparative Politics: Theory & Practice - Florida ...

CPO 3010 Comparative Politics: Theory & Practice
Spring 2012
Tue & Thu, 2-3.15pm PG5 Market Station 134
Instructor: Dr. Markus Thiel
Email: thielm@fiu.edu Tel: 305-348-2323
Office: SIPA 403 Office Hours: T R 12.45-1.45pm & by appt
Teaching Assistant: Ben Traves, btrav001@fiu.edu (office hrs by appt)
Course Description: Over the past few decades the forces of globalization have dramatically
influenced the domestic politics of states around the world. Politically, democratic regimes
have increased in number, yet many authoritarian states are stronger than ever.
Economically, the development of growth and equality has been transformed by the
deepening of world markets. Culturally, issues of multiculturalism, ethnic conflict, and
religious activism have taken on new importance in many countries. How have the theories
of comparative politics attempted to explain and predict these various global trends? How
can these theories help us understand the enormous amount of empirical information that we
now have access to from across the globe? How can our knowledge of both these facts and
theories help policy makers take sound decisions?
Course Learning Objectives: This course examines three major political issues in the
contemporary world within the context of growing globalization: the building and
maintenance of democracy, the development of economic growth and(in)equality, and the
difficulties of political inclusion and transformations. Drawing from country case studies
from around the world, students will learn both the empirical details and some of the major
theoretical approaches to discuss the tradeoffs inherent in these topics.
Global Learning Goals and Outcomes: Students will become aware of facts and concepts to
explain the processes of democratization, development, and inclusion with special attention
to different levels of analysis and then be able to discuss their interrelations in different
contexts. Students will be able to present different theoretical perspectives to explain these
three processes and be able to evaluate the utility of the theoretical perspectives in explaining
political behaviors and outcomes. Finally, students will be asked to use their knowledge and
skills to make arguments presenting and evaluating the policy implications and prescriptions
inherent in the various theoretical perspectives.
Required Text:
Drogus, Carol Ann & Orvis Stephen. Introducing Comparative Politics. Concepts &
Cases in Context, 2 nd edition, 2012. SAGE Publishers.
The New York Times, www.nytimes.com & The Economist, www.economist.com (either
print subscription or, quicker, full text online access)
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Make sure you can access Moodle, http://ecampus.fiu.edu (login w/ your FIU-mail logon
info). Not all of the addt’l readings will be on it, but if not they are available online.
Policies
Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and imparting
knowledge through excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful exchange of
ideas, and community service. All students should respect the right of others to have an
equitable opportunity to learn and honestly demonstrate the quality of their learning.
Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic conduct, which
demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the educational mission of the
University. All students are deemed by the University to understand that if they are found
responsible for academic misconduct, they will be subject to the Academic Misconduct
procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student Handbook.
All written work submitted for this course must be original – it is the student’s own writing
prepared only for this section of this course using the proper citation of sources. Specific
instructions for the essays will be distributed in class.
Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully
demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can
discuss appropriate accommodations necessary to ensure full participation.
Grading and Requirements:
In-class quiz 15 %/pts
Midterm exam 25 %/pts
Take home Essay 15%/pts; seniors: 10 for essay & 5 for presentation
Final exam 30 %
Class participation 15 % = 100 % / points
If you are a senior student, you need to present in 5 minutes your essay in class,
using powerpoint. They will be filmed & used for FIU’s student learning
assessments.
Grading/Evaluation System:
Students will be evaluated on the following grade scale:
A 93-100
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D+ 67-69
D 63-66
D- 60-62
F 0-59
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Readings and class topics (the first class of the week covers the book material, while the
second class focuses on addt’l readings and introduces a group-exercise from the book’s case
studies or from the Economist):
TUE, 1/10: Course overview
THU, 1/12: Introduction to Theory & Practice of Comparative Politics
TUE, 1/17: The Modern State
Reading: Ch. 2
Reading for today: Chapter 1
& Brown, Bernard. ‘Introduction’, Comp Pol: Notes & Readings,
2006.
THU, 1/19: The Modern State continued
Reading: Tilly, Charles, ‘War Making and State Making as Organized
Crime’ in Bringing the State Back In edited by Peter Evans et al.
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985).
TUE, 1/24: States & Citizens: Ideologies & Regimes
Reading: Ch.3
THU, 1/26: Cont’d + Case/Economist -Exercise
Reading: Philippe Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl, “What Democracy
Is… and Is Not,” Journal of Democracy, 2:3 (Summer 1991), 75-88
TUE, 1/31: States & Identity: Ethnicity, Race & Religion QUIZ?
(Guest lecture: Spanish Labor Unions @ 11am)
Reading: Ch. 4
THU, 2/2: Cont’d + Case/Economist -Exercise
Reading: Samuel Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations?” Foreign
Affairs 72:3 (Summer 1993), 22-49.
TUE, 2/7: States and Market: Capitalism, Neoliberalism, Globalization
Reading: Ch. 5
THU, 2/9: Cont’d + Case/Economist -Exercise
Reading: Coates, David, “Social Justice in a Shrinking World; Beyond
Protectionism and Neo-Liberalism,” in Patrick Diamond & Olaf Cramme (eds),
Social Justice in a Global Age: Cambridge, Polity Press, 2009 (Moodle).
TUE, 2/14: No class
THU, 2/16: Governing Institutions in Democracies (1) - taught by Ben Traves
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Reading: ch. 6
TUE, 2/21: Cont’d + Case/Economist -Exercise
Reading: Elgie, Robert, ‘From Linz to Tsebelis:3 waves of
Parlia/Presidential Studies?’, http://doras.dcu.ie/2125/1/2004-6.pdf
THU, 2/23: Parties, Elections & Civil Society
Reading: Ch. 7
TUE, 2/28: Cont’d + Case/Economist -Exercise (& Review)
Reading: Gunther, Richard & Diamond, Larry, ‘Species of Pol
Parties’, Party Politics, 2003: 17-193 (Moodle).
THU, 3/1: Midterm Examination
TUE, 3/6: Authoritarian Institutions
Reading: Ch. 8
THU, 3/8: Authoritarianism + EUCE conf on ‘Nationalism’
Reading:
Andrew Nathan, “Authoritarian Resilience,” Journal of Democracy
14:1 (January 2003), 6-17.
SPRING BREAK
TUE, 3/20: Regime Change
Reading: Ch.9
THU, 3/22: Take-home essay given + Con’t & Case/Economist -Exercise
Reading:
Thomas Carothers, The End of the Transition Paradigm,” Journal of
Democracy 19:1 (January 2002), 5-21.
TUE, 3/27: Essay Due on Moodle + Globalization & Development
Reading: Ch. 10
THU, 3/29: Case/Economist -Exercise (supervised by Ben Traves)
Reading: Fukayama, Francis, ‘The Future of History: Can Democracy
survive the decline of the Middle Class?’, Foreign Affairs, Jan 2012
TUE, 4/3: Senior-student presentations
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THU, 4/5: Public Policies: Welfare, Health & Environment
Reading: Ch. 11
TUE, 4/10: Con’t & Case/Economist -Exercise
Reading:
Alberto Alesina, et al, “Why Doesn’t the United States Have a
European-Style Welfare State,” in Essential Readings in Comparative
Politics, 2nd Edition, Patrick O’Neil and Ronald Rogowski eds., (New
York: WW Norton & Company, 2006).
THU, 4/12: Inclusion, (Im)migration & Clashing Values
Reading: Ch. 12
TUE, 4/17: Con’t & Case/Economist -Exercise
Reading: Coate, Roger & Thiel, Markus ‘Identity politics and political
identities – local expressions in a globalizing world’, Identity Politics in the Age
of Globalization, Lynne Rienner/First Forum Press, 2010 (Moodle).
THU, 4/19: Last Class – Review & Conclusions
April 23-28: Final Exam Week, exact date TBD
Course Policies:
Readings and Class Participation:
You are expected to come to class with the readings completed. You should be prepared to
participate in class discussions about the topics covered. Also, you are expected to read the
New York Times or consult other quality news outlets to be up-to-date on current political
issues.
Attendance:
Students are strongly encouraged to attend class regularly and class participation is an
important component of this course. If you cannot attend class because of emergencies or
special circumstances, let the instructor know about it in advance. You are expected to come
to class and actively participate in the discussions.
Exams & Grading:
The quizzes will consist mainly of multiple-choice questions (the first will have a map
portion, see:
http://www.addictinggames.com/globegame.html) and the examinations
have added essay questions to be answered. The midterm and the final exam need to be
taken on the scheduled days. A makeup exam will only be scheduled if the student provides
documentation of an official scheduling conflict, serious illness or family emergency.
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Take-home essay
It will cover material from the 2 nd half of the course. Students are expected to give
answers in an argumentative essay form to specific questions that will draw upon the
readings, the Economist, lectures, and class discussions (1,500-1,750 words). Essays will
be submitted through Moodle. Detailed instructions will be given at the beginning of
class.
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