Comparative Politics and Government
Pols 150A/B
Professor Sunil K. Sahu
Spring 2004
Office: Asbury Hall
103
Hours: MWF
Goals and Objectives
This course is designed to introduce students to
the comparative study of politics and government. Rather than attempt broad
comparisons at a high level of abstraction, we shall study the political
systems of the
Our study of politics in three countries will focus
on a comparison of their institutions, political parties, the role of ideology
and leadership, varying developmental experience, and the performance of their
governments. We shall also examine the domestic responses to global challenges
in the post-Cold War era. Furthermore, the study of major approaches and
theories of comparative politics, as applicable to liberal democratic,
communist and post-communist, and developing
Teaching Method
I will follow the interactive method of teaching.
Students, not the instructor, will be at the center in this class. I intend to
encourage active learning. I assume that you have little familiarity with the
histories and cultures of the three political systems to be studied. Perhaps
most of you will be dealing with the political systems of non-Western societies
for the first time.
My expectations from each one of you are high! You are expected to come to class prepared every time, i.e. having done the assigned reading. A "free rider" tendency will be strictly discouraged. It will be a fair game for me to identify the students, in a random fashion, in each class meeting who will respond to my question(s). (Although from time to time you may not be prepared, come anyway and tell me before class. I will not call on you that day.) There will be opportunity for everyone to participate in the class discussions. I want my students to be active learners who will develop a sense of ownership over the course and the materials covered in this class.
Required Texts and Other
Three texts required for this course can be purchased at the DePauw Bookstore.
1. Howard Wiarda, Introduction to Comparative
Politics: Concepts and Processes, 2d edition,
2. Charles Hauss, Comparative Politics:
Domestic Responses to Global Challenge, 4th edition,
3. Christian Soe, Annual Edition: Comparative Politics, 02/03, 20th edition, Dushkin, 2002.
4. Other required readings--chapters from various books and articles published in scholarly journals--are available on E-Reserve.
5. You are expected to keep yourself informed
about developments in the three worlds. I am therefore requiring that each one
of you take a semester subscription to The New York Times. (If you want
to share the Times with someone in this class, please let me know
soon.) The student subscription through Bloomington News will cost you
$27.60 for the semester. You will also benefit from the TV network or CNN
Evening News programs and from National Public Radio's "Morning
Edition" and "All Things Considered" (Daily on 103.7 FM, at
Note: The Hauss text comes with an interactive CD-ROM which has online resources--MicroCase Exercises, Maps and Map Exercises, Info Track Exercises, Internet Exercises, and Constitutions from most countries in the world--that will help expand your understanding of comparative politics. The text is supported by a website at http://hauss.politics.wadsworth.com/
Course Requirements
1. Examinations (70%). There will be two
semester exams--on March 5 and April 12 and a final exam on May 15 at
2. Group Presentation (15%), Class Participation and Attendance (5%). You are expected to participate in assigned group activities such as PowerPoint presentation, discussion, debate, and fish bowl. These assignments will be due on short notice, usually in 2-3 days. Further details will be announced in class.
3. Quizzes (10%). Four pop quizzes will be given during the semester; no make-up quizzes will be allowed.
General Rule: Failure to appear for an exam or to turn in a paper on or before the due date will result in a zero for the assignment. The only exception to this rule will be documented legitimate excuses such as family, legal, and medical emergencies.
Grading Policy: Grades will be given solely on the basis of performance, not according to a "curve" or any predetermined distribution. In principle, all students can receive A's or any other grade. The grading scale is as follows:
|
PERCENTAGE |
LETTER GRADE |
EXPLANATION |
|
92-100 |
A |
Exceptional and outstanding work. |
|
90-91 |
A- |
Excellent work of an unusually strong quality. |
|
87-89 |
B+ |
Excellent performance. |
|
84-86 |
B |
Very good work |
|
80-83 |
B- |
Good work |
|
77-79 |
C+ |
Slightly better than average work. |
|
74-76 |
C |
Average work |
|
70-73 |
C- |
Worse than average |
|
67-69 |
D+ |
Poor work |
|
64-66 |
D |
Very poor work |
|
60-63 |
D- |
Very close to failing |
|
59 or below |
F |
Failing |
SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS
Part I: Concepts and Theories
Week of February 2
1. Comparative Politics--Why, What and How, History and
Methodology
*Howard Wiarda, Introduction to Comparative
Politics: Concepts and Processes, Chs. 1 and 2
*Sahu, "Political Science," Survey of Social Science: Government
and Politics Series, 1996
*Mattei Dogan and Dominique
Pelassy, How to Compare Nations: Strategies in
Comparative Politics, 2nd ed.,
Week of February 9
2. Key Concepts and Systems Theory
*
*David Easton, "Systems Analysis," in Approaches to the Study of
Politics.
Week of February 16
3. Political Culture and Modernization
and Development
*Wiarda, Chapters 4 and 3
*Hauss, pp. 47-48
*Arturo Valenzuela, "Modernization and Dependency," pp.
Week of February 23
4. Dependency Theory
*Wiarda, pp. 79-84
*Arturo Valenzuela, "Modernization and Dependency"
*Tony Smith, "The Dependency
Approach"
*Andre Gunder Frank, "The Development of
Under-development"
March 1 and 3
5. Democracy and Democratization
*
*Hauss, pp. 40-47.
*Sahu, "Democracy and Democratic
Governments"
*Philippe C. Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl,
"What Democracy Is...and Is Not," in Comparative
Politics, Art. 20.
*Larry Diamond, "The Global State of
*Rotimi T. Suberu,
"Can
March 5: Semester Exam I
Part II: 2 and 4 Government and Politics In
Weeks of March 8 and 15
6. British Tradition and Political Culture
*
*Philip Norton, The British Polity, 3rd
ed., Longman, 1994,
7. Political Institutions and Constitutional Reforms
*Hauss, pp. 82-87
*"The Queen's Power: The Struggle to be Ancient and Modern," The
Economist,
*Donley T. Studlar, "A Constitutional Revolution
in
Week of March 23: Spring Recess
Week of March 29
8. Party Politics: Thatcherism and Blarism
*Hauss, pp. 73-80, 87-91
*”Political Parties: Empty Vessels?,” Art. 14 in Comparative
Politics
*"The Thatcher Legacy," Economist,
*"The Second Term: Tony's Big Ambitions," in Comparative Politics,
Art. 2.
*Warren Hoge, “Laborites Meet and Blair Takes a
Beating,” New York Times,
*Patrick Wintour, “Second Place Up For Grabs, Kennedy
Believes,” The Guardian,
*Steven Philip Kramer, “Blair’s Britain After Irag,” Foreign Affairs, July/August 2003.
Film: Will There Always Be An
Web sites:
http://www.britain-info.org/
This site of the British Information Service leads you to reams of material
on Tony Blair and the Labor Party, the European Union, relations with
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/maps/atlas/europe/unkingf.html
Flag of the
http://www.number10.gov.uk/
The official Web site of the British prime
minister. There is a wealth of information on this site
http://www.pm.gov.uk/
The UK Prime Minister's home page, providing information about the
activities of the Government.
http://www.royal.gov.uk/palaces/bp.htm
This Web site has a wealth of information about the British government.
http://www.labour.org.uk/
Official Web site of the Labor Party.
http://www.ge97.co.uk/
General election 1997 Web site. You will find party manifestos on this
site.
http://www.conservative-party.org.uk/
Official Web site of the Conservative Party
http://www.thatcherweb.com/home/
This unofficial Margaret Thatcher Site is the net's largest and most
extensive site dedicated to Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first woman
Prime Minister.At this site you would be able to find
out about the woman who came to power as Europe's first ever female Premier,
the woman who was the first Prime Minister in over one hundred years to win
three consecutive terms in Office, the woman who reversed the whole British
economy and drove Britain out of decline, the woman who won the Falklands War,
who defeated the power of the trade unions, and yet the woman who was forced
out of Office by her own party.
Discussion Question: Did Margaret Thatcher change everything in British politics? Was she successful in recasting British political culture in a strongly individualistic direction and in altering the balance of class forces and redrawing relationships between state and society?
Part III: Government and Politics in
Week of April 5
9. Historical and Cultural Setting, the
Chinese Communist Party
*
*"People's Republic of
*Maurice Meisner, "
Video Clip: The Two Coasts of
Video: Mao By Mao
April 12: Semester Exam II
April 14 and 16
10. The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, The
*Hauss, pp. 310-314
*"Intimations of Mortality," The Economist,
*Edwin Moise, "The Great Leap
and the Great Split," and "The Cultural Revolution," in Modern
*Mingzheng Shi, "Cultural Revolution,"
Video Clip
http://acad.depauw.edu/%7Esahus/150web/mao2_final.mov
Film: Leaders of the Revolution
Week of April 19
11. Economic
Reform and Democracy Movement
*Hauss, pp. 308-310, 324-321.
*John Pomfret, “Era of Deep Changes
for
*James Kynge, “Politics and Reforem:
The Middle Class Waits in the Wings,” in Comparative Politics, Art. 37
*Henry Chu, "In March Toward
Capitalism,
Film:China After Tiananmen
Web sites
http://www.sun.sino.uni-heidelberg.de/igcs/index.html
http://www.virtuallibrary.china
http://www.pnclassroom.com
Part of the European Internet Network, this site leads to information on
China,
including recent news, government, and related sites pertaining to China, Hong
Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.
http://www.cnd.org
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/leaders/jzm/jzmhome.htm
People's Daily Online site has lots of information about President Jiang Zemin--biographical
information, speeches, latest news, and photographs.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gate/index.html
www.cnt.org/china89
Part IV: Government and Politics in
Week of April 26
12. Historical and Cultural Setting, Religion and Politics
*
*Sunil K. Sahu, "Hinduism," and "Mohandas K.
Gandhi," in Asian American Encyclopedia, 1995.
*Sahu, "Religion and Politics in
*P.B. Mehta, "
*Ramesh Thakur, "Ayodhya and the Politics of
Film: Road to
Week of May 3
13. Political Institutions, Parties and Politics
*Hauss, 369-378
*Craig Baxter et. al., Government
and Politics in
Video: Life and Death of a Dynasty
http://www.indiana.edu/~isp/cd_rom/
http://www.bjp.org/
The official Web site of the Bharatiya
Janata Party which has been in power since March
1998.
http://www.pmindia.nic.in/home.htm/
Official Web site of the Indian Prime Minister
http://www.geocities.com/WallStreet/Market/7952/sonia1.html
Web site of Sonia Gandhi, the Opposition leader in Parliament
http://www.soniagandhionline.com
May 10 and 13
14. Democracy and Development in
*Hauss, pp. 384-386
*Susanne Rudolph and Lloyd Rudolph, “new Dimensions of Indian Democracy,” Journal
of Democracy, January 2002 in Comparative Politics, Art. 39
*Shalendra D. Sharma, "
*Stephen Cohen, "
*Prabhu Chawla, “Elections
2004,”
*Amy Waldman, “
May 13: Review for the Final Exam
Final Exam: May 15 at
May 18 at