Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The course provides invaluable skills and knowledge for anyone seeking to develop
familiarity with some of the major issues in comparative politics and the practical skills in
analysing countries around the globe. The module is taught through a combination of eight
weekly one-hour lectures and compulsory one-hour seminars plus one reading week.
The lectures are designed to outline the topic and to prepare the theoretical ground for
the seminar discussions. They provide condensed introductions to the theme, identify
key challenges and controversies in existing scholarly research, and are the basis for
the discussion of empirical case studies.
The seminars are the place to build on issues raised in lectures. They take up the
presented challenges and apply the theoretical questions to specific case studies.
Important: As lectures and seminar classes are tightly linked, students are strongly
encouraged to attend both. Also, since we will be using interactive elements and group
exercises during class time, it is difficult to "make up" for missed classes. Please make every
attempt to attend classes. If you have to miss a class, it is your responsibility to make prior
arrangements with one of your classmates to share notes. If you know you will be unable to
attend a session it is both courteous and helpful to the rest of the class to make all reasonable
efforts to notify the lecturer/seminar tutor in advance.
You are expected to engage in intensive independent study, employing the reading lists
provided to deepen their knowledge of the subject. In addition to attendance at seminars and
lectures, you should spend 8-10 hours per week on your own independent study for this
module.
READINGS
Essential readings: In line with the teaching format, the readings for the lectures provide an
overview of the current knowledge while those for the seminar present selected empirical
case studies. It is crucial for the successful completion of this module to read at least the
essential readings each week prior to the respective lecture. Please note that we will use the
Clark et al. book a lot, so it will be worth buying this book (2nd or 3rd year students might sell
used copies). The Caramani book is an excellent alternative, which includes comparative data
and world trends including country profiles (p. 485-547).These books alone, however, are not
enough. The other books may prove useful to students looking for additional coverage of
some of the course topics. There are copies of these books in the bookshop and the Library.
Seminar readings: The overall reading load might seem heavy at first sight. The secret to
cope with a bulk of reading is to skim strategically: Knowing how to skim readings is an
important professional skill for students (you cant realistically be expected to read ALL the
materials for each class you are taking, right?). That is, you should read purposefully, and
look out for the important stuff in a text:
The central question or puzzle the author seeks to answer or resolve;
The definition of the dependent variable, or what the author wants to explain;
The main independent variables the author(s) thinks are at work;
The theory, or the rationale, that links independent to dependent variables; why should
certain things be related?
The authors research design: the types of evidence used to test hypotheses, where the
evidence comes from, and if you are convinced by it all.
Additional readings: It is essential that you keep up to date with developments in
contemporary politics in specific countries (which are of your personal interest) as we will
discuss these in our seminars and they will provide useful evidence for your research
projects. Students are encouraged to read weekly one article in a journal of political science
and/or one article in a serious newspaper in addition to the seminar readings. As a matter of
routine you should consult the most recent issues of a number of journals as they come into
the library and establish for yourselves whether they contain pertinent articles. Examples of
useful journals that cover studies in comparative politics: American Political Science Review,
European Journal of Political Research, British Journal of Political Science, Comparative
Political Studies, Democratization, Journal of Politics, and World Politics.
You should also consult one or more serious newspapers such as the Financial Times,
Independent, or the Guardian on a regular basis. For more in-depth analysis consult The
Economist. You should read them and determine the weaknesses and strengths of the studies
described and think about a (more) appropriate research design.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 2: Introduction to the study of comparative politics
The first lecture gives an overview of the module and introduces the sub-discipline of
comparative politics. Questions that we address include: What is comparative politics? What
are the primary aims of comparative political analysis? The seminar then zooms into the
comparative method and its specificities. Why do we compare? What are the essential
elements and tasks in research projects?
Lecture (essential reading)
cultural determinants of regime-type change? The seminar pays particular attention to recent
developments in the Arab world and compares them to those in the post-communist region.
Lecture (essential reading)
Seminar