COURSE DESCRIPTION

Comparative political themes in political science. The transition from feudalism to capitalism, state building, democracy, and interaction between political institutions and cultures in various politics. Examples will be drawn from developed, communist/post-communist and developing political systems.

PREREQUISITE: POLS 1101 or INTL 1100

1. RATIONALE

INTL 3300 is the University of Georgia’s introduction to comparative politics. The course will try to accomplish three things.

First, you will begin learning about other countries and their politics. We will divide them into three groups of countries:

• Developed countries: Sweden, other European countries and Japan;
• Former Communist countries (Russia) and still? Communist Countries (China); and
• Developing countries such as Chile and other Latin American countries.

Finally, you will also be clarifying your own values. Anytime you learn about other countries and their policies you all but inevitably call your own expectations and preferences into question. By continually using the U.S. as a frame of reference and dealing with controversial issues and ideas, we hope to spark lively and enjoyable arguments about the ideological questions that are at the heart of politics.

There is no orthodoxy to comparative politics. Often courses such as these lack a clear focus and merely describe the day-to-day workings of different governments, a kind of "nuts and bolts" approach. To avoid that problem, we will build this course around democracy – what it is, what it is not – and how our countries have taken very different approaches in trying to achieve it.

2. ORGANIZATION

The course has three parts. In the introduction, we will start with the most basic question – what is comparative politics? Particularly important is how the international political and economic systems increasingly impinge on the domestic politics of all countries, including our own. We will then examine different conceptions of democracy, and suggest that each of the three groups of countries we will examine later may define – and claim to practice – democracy in very different ways.

In the second part of the course, the bulk of the MayMester, we will examine closely each of the three groups of countries. Some countries will be addressed via the lectures and readings together, while other countries will only be addressed in the readings. In other words, your ability to draw themes and examples from your independent research will prove essential to do well in the course. In this middle section of the course, you will learn something of the "nuts and bolts" of the politics of each country, but you will do so in the context of the concept of democracy. To what extent have these countries practiced different forms of democracy, and how does an understanding of the principles of democracy help you to understand political change?

The third part will use the final days to pull the course together. This will not be a review in the conventional sense. Rather it will offer you an opportunity to re-examine your own conceptions of democracy in the context of the course material. Moreover, this approach will also attempt to help you to see the links between comparative politics, American politics, international relations and political theory. Too often in courses such as this, divisions among the other parts of the discipline of political science are accentuated. A major goal of the course will be to break down these sometimes too rigid barriers and show how comparative approaches help in understanding other portions of the discipline of political science.

This is not a course that requires you to supply the "correct" answers in your written assignments or in classroom discussions. Rather, a basic principle of the course is that learning must be a challenge and that you must pull material together on your own, and you must use your own values, imagination and other material you have learned to draw conclusions. In that sense, your writing must develop hypotheses, state clearly what you are trying to explain, develop a clear line of inquiry for your essays, and analyze as well as defend your argument.

We will meet for lectures for 150 minutes per day. At least every other day, we will have one of our Vox Populi sessions, a debate/discussion period in which class members will put forth a contentious position and attempt to defend it. In these discussions, a small group of students will be selected in advance to prepare their presentation; and then to lead the rest of the class in discussion. A significant portion of your class participation grade will depend on your performance in these sessions. Those students not leading the presentation are expected to participate in an open discussion of these selected themes.

On 3 occasions there will be films shown during class. These will be feature films or documentaries in which Americans often are seen engaging the politics of various countries or issues of comparative significance. All films highlight important aspects of the politics in each country. Vox Populi discussion sessions will follow each film.

Last but not least, the readings are designed to supplement and not repeat what is covered in lecture. Some of the readings appear more directly related to the lectures than are others, yet you will be responsible for all of them. Responsibility, however, does not mean memorization of facts. You will do much better if you can understand the broad themes and the spirit of the readings and then be able to use them in your discussions and papers. It should be obvious that your written work should draw on lectures, discussions, and the readings.

3. REQUIRED READINGS:

(Available in Bookstore and on Reserve)

Jonas Pontusson, "Sweden 1-5", in Kesselman, Krieger, et al. European Politics in Transition, 2nd Ed. (D.C. Heath: Lexington, MA, 1992). Exceptionally useful for the period before 1990.

Bo Rothstein. (2001). "Social Capital in the Social Democratic Welfare State." Politics and Society 29(2):207-241.

Arter, David. (2003). "Scandinavia: What's Left is the Social Democratic Welfare Consensus." Parliamentary Affairs 56(1):75-98.

Bergqvist, Christina. (2004). "Gender (In)equality, European Integration and the Transition of Swedish Corporatism." Economic and Industrial Democracy 25(1):125-146.

Nef, Jorge, (2003) "The Chilean Model: Fact and Fiction." Latin American Perspectives 30(5):16-40

Joel Krieger, ed., The Oxford Companion to Politics of the World 2nd. Ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001).

Biddle and Holland, Writers’ Guide: Political Science.

Cochrane, James. Between You and I: A Little Book of Bad English (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004)

COPIES OF ALL REQUIRED READINGS ARE ALSO ON RESERVE IN THE LIBRARY

5. SUGGESTED READINGS

(These are works that you might find helpful in preparing your written assignments. Pick and choose among those that you think might be most helpful.)

There are powerful and fast-moving changes underway in all countries. The European Union’s expansion has had a powerful impact on sovereign European nation states. Changes in Russia have occurred at a dizzying pace. And the massive political changes in Latin American countries such as Chile, Venezuela and Mexico have been profound. Consequently, relying on just the texts will not be sufficient. You are also required to keep up with contemporary political developments in the three groups of countries.

Perhaps the most important single periodical source is the New York Times. Anything relevant to the course that shows up in the Times, will be fair game. You may get a daily (weekday) subscription for a very reasonable fee for the entire semester. I have a subscription form for those who want to subscribe to a hardcopy. For those who don't, your best bet will be to check the paper’s website daily.

Among the additional periodicals that can help you follow contemporary developments are: The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, Business Week, The Economist, In These Times, The Nation, The American Prospect, and The New Republic.

Please consult the course web pages listed above – particularly the WWW Research Links section for links to the websites of periodicals, research institutions and other useful resources. New links are added frequently.

7. COURSE MECHANICS

Each student will complete the following assignments:

8. GROUND RULES

• This is a course will be more time-consuming than most ones that you will take. To do well, students must put in a great deal of effort. Please be certain that you are prepared to work hard! If not, another course might be more appropriate for you.
• Late papers are not acceptable. They are a burden for me and are unfair to your colleagues who do their work on time. Therefore, I will deduct a FULL letter grade for each day a paper is late. Extensions may be given but only if they are requested well in advance of the deadline, and if there is a compelling reason.
• It is not my practice to give incompletes. If work is not handed in on time, the student will lose credit for each day it is late. However, if there is suitable reason – subject to my approval and supported with appropriate written documentation – an exception to the "no incompletes" rule may be possible. With respect to these first three ground rules, if you have problems in completing assigned work, please let me know about it.
• Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any student turning in a written assignment that is not your own work will receive a failing grade for the course. All academic work must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty." Students are responsible for informing themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. For more information, see: http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm
• Except on the first paper, the use of sources is essential. On the midterm paper and on the final paper, you must make reference to the sources from which you drew your information. The accepted format is: (Constable and Valenzuela, p. 35), (Soe, Chap. 4); or (Class Notes, May 20).
• Participation is 20% of your grade. Therefore you must be actually be in class – and verbally participate – in order to be eligible to receive full credit for this portion of the course’s requirement. Participation also includes contributing to the discussion forum on the course WebCT Bulletin Board.
• I do not expect that the views and perceptions of comparative politics by me or by all of you to be identical, either now or at the completion of the course. Our introduction to comparative politics course is a place for the free and perhaps even heated exchange of ideas. Thus I expect you to challenge viewpoints that differ from your own, but I also expect you to substantiate your arguments from the readings, lectures and discussions. In other words, you will be penalized if you simply agree with my lectures or the readings for no apparent reason other than the fact that I am your professor.
• Please turn off all cell phones, pagers or other electronic devices that will disturb either your classmates – or your professor – during class. We are only in class for 3 hours a day, so being off the "infogrid" for that short amount of time won’t really be a problem, will it? Notebook computers and PDAs – for taking notes – are quite acceptable however.
• If you need to use outside reference works, please consult Joel Krieger, et. al., Oxford Companion to Politics of the World, Oxford University Press, 2001 as a place to start for political terms or concepts. For outside research sources, please use Galileo. Please do NOT use the notoriously unreliable Wikipedia until or unless this source emphasizes accuracy as much as it does volume and speed. Basically, citing this source on your papers is the equivalent of admitting intellectual defeat.
• The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the professor may be necessary.

Section I

2. FORMER COMMUNIST COUNTRIES: RUSSIA & CHINA

How can these systems even be thought of as democratic? What are the main institutions and why do they have (or not have) power? How do Russian (and former Soviet) institutions and practices reflect Russian history? What does democracy in China mean?

REQUIRED READING: May 24-28

        Soe, Unit 3. Europe—West, Center, and East: Part B "Russia"; Unit 4 Political Diversity in the Developing World: Part C: China

        DeBardeleben, "Russia," in Kesselman and Krieger, Joseph, et. al.

        Joseph, "China" in Kesselman, Krieger, Joseph, et al.
 

3. DEVELOPING COUNTRIES