American University in Cairo Political Science Department
Introduction to Comparative Politics POLS- 3401-03 Fall 2017
Instructor: Amal Hamada
Time of Class: Mondays and Thursdays: 11:30-12:45 Room: HUSS C145
Office: HUSS, Political Science Department, 2001
Office hours: Monday and Thursdays 1:00-2:00 or by appointment Contact info: [email protected]
Course description:
This course is an introduction to the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of the study of politics within the state.
Conventionally, the state has been established as the main actor and element in political science analysis, thus becoming the departure point in the study of political science in its three main sub-fields; i.e. political theory, comparative politics and international relations.
In this course, we will mainly focus on the interaction between the state and society in an era of mega transitions. The course will start with a short introduction on comparison and how is important and relevant to understand comparative tools in studying politics. We will read an important novel “animal farm” By George Orwell as a challenging introduction to the study of comparative politics. Then we will pay more attention to the state in terms of types of political systems (presidential and parliamentary systems). We will conclude this section with a discussion on Democracy Vs. Authoritarianism and their impact on the performance of their respective governments with special reference to the question of development and poverty. The second unit will focus more on the society in its relationship to power distribution in general and the state in particular.
Therefore, we will focus on issues of social movements in their different shapes and forms around the globe. Our question in this unit is more about the impact of political\non political movement on our perception of the nation sate and its relationship to society. The last part of the second unit will be addressing the issue of violence and how societies react to it. We will pay special attention to a new topic in CP field; i.e. Truth commissions. Our aim in this part is to discuss different meanings, scope and experiences of Truth commissions and see their relationship to the state and society.
It is crucial to bear in mind that all materials discussed in class should be dealt with a critical perspective. Social sciences are about understanding human phenomena that are by definition unstable and changing. Therefore, theorizing about them should always be conducted with cautiousness. All ideas as well as materials are open for criticism, refuting, modifying and /or developing.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, students are expected to:
- Understand the basic tools of comparison.
- Command the similarities and differences between different types of government.
- Develop ideas on different forms of relationship between state and society - Develop academic writing skills.
- Develop skills of group work and other communication skills.
Attendance
University policy states that "A student who misses more than the equivalent of three weeks of class meetings during a semester for any reason may be assigned a reduced grade for the course — including the grade of “F” — solely on the basis of inadequate attendance, regardless of excuse... Students who miss fewer than three weeks of class sessions may not be penalized on the grounds of attendance alone... Students are personally responsible for making up any academic tasks and assignments missed due to their absence."
NEVERTHELESS, GRADING ATTENDENE IS RELATIVE TO YOUR PARTICIPATION IN CLASS. IN OTHER WORDS YOU HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN CLASS OR BE PREPARED TO DO EXTRAWORK IN ORDER TO MAKE UP FOR NOT PARTICIPATING, OTHERWISE YOU WILL NOT GET THE FULL GRADE FOR ATTENDENCE.
Course readings:
- Lary Diamond et al (ed) 2016, Authoritarianism Goes Global: the Challenge to Democracy, John Hopkins University press - Michael Thies 2011 (hereafter referred as Thies), Principles of Comparative Politics- UCLA custom Edition.
- Nicholas Smaligo 2014, The Occupy Movement Explained, Open Court,
- Onur Bakiner 2016, Truth commissions: Memory, Power and Legitimacy, University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Timothy C. Lim 2010 (hereafter referred as Lim), Doing Comparative Politics: an Introduction to Approaches and Issues, Lynne Rienner Pub.
- Different assigned readings will be uploaded to blackboard.
Course requirement:
- Attendance and participation in class work 15%
- Open mic or written assignment 5%.
- 2 Midterms 30% (15%each).
- 2 reflection papers 10% (5% each). In your course outline there are three assignments, I will count the best two.
- Group project 40% (10% presentation and 30% written document).
What is expected in class work:
Each student is expected to attend class regularly and to follow the university rules in this regard. Yet, physical attendance is not the key, rather, it is participation in class works and assignments. Most of the classes you will be asked to fulfill a task in class and all these tasks are graded. You will work in groups and individually and will be graded accordingly (15%).
What is expected in Open Mic:
This is your chance to be creative and secure 5% of the grade. Students are expected to make a short presentation (5 minutes max.) about ANY TOPIC and try to see the link to political science. We enjoyed in class discussions about football and how to relate it to politics. A student once gave a presentation about fashion industry and political correctness.. etc. In case you have a problem with oral presentation, you can do a written assignment (300-500 words) on ANY TOPIC and relate to political Science.
What is expected in your reflection papers:
Each reflection paper is 300-500 words. It stands for 5% each.
It should be critical review of the reading(s)\topics assigned Well documented and properly cited.
Late submission would cause losing grades.
What is expected in your group work for the final project:
This semester we will be working on the state. The class will be divided into 2-4 groups (each group 7 students) working to answer
“do we need the state in our lives?”
One group will answer the question positively and the other negatively. Six points have to be addressed while answering the question - Economic, political, social, security, cultural and foreign policy.
- For example students might work on the importance of the state in controlling monetary policies and its relationship to combatting terrorism. On the other side, students might work on the new developments in monetary policies and industries (Bitcoin for example) and its prospects.
Each student is assigned to deal with one point of the abovementioned and write 1500-2000 words (cited and documented). The group leader is responsible for coordinating the work of the group, leading the presentation and giving a closing statement on the group’s answer to the question. The group presentation stands for 10% of the grade and 30% for the written document.
In your presentations try to be creative as much as possible, use whatever tools to do this; documentaries, short videos, role playing, handouts..etc.
Grading scale
A 96-100 A- 91-95
B+ 86-90 B 81-85 B- 76-80
C+ 72-75 C 69-71 C- 66-70
D+ 56-65 D 50-55
Academic Integrity Policy: The Political Science Department has a policy of zero-tolerance for plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Read the University Code of Ethics and check the webpage on academic integrity at http://www.aucegypt.edu/resources/acadintegrity/. Trip Gabriel, in an article entitled “Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age” for The New York Times August 1, 2010 wrote that these days “many students simply do not grasp that using words they did not write is a serious misdeed.” He saw a disconnect “growing in the Internet age as concepts of intellectual property, copyright and originality are under assault.” Not only does digital technology make it easy to copy and paste, he argued, but the internet “may also be redefining how students — who came of age with music file-sharing, Wikipedia and Web-linking — understand the concept of authorship and the singularity of any text or image.“ Yet students and professionals need to respect authorship and the importance of citing sources. As Patrick Pexton wrote in the Washington Post on January 18, 2013 about a case of (perhaps inadvertent) plagiarism by a reporter for his newspaper, even though it sometimes seems that “technology made us all plagiarists,” it is a firm principle of research, writing, and fact checking that “we give credit where credit is due. Every day, every time.” We will attend to these issues not only to avoid accusations of cheating but also in order to appreciate and implement the high standards of documentation in academic and professional writing. Sources of information and methodologies for gathering and analyzing information matter a great deal.
In other words, full correct citations are required on all work submitted and the paper you submit must be in your own words except as credited to other authors.
Course weeks and readings
Week Topic Readings Remarks
Week one 7 September
Introduction to the course Expectations
Code of work
Readings and discussing the syllabus
No readings for first class
Week two
11,14 Animal farm Available on blackboard
Week three 18,21
No class on 21
Thinking theoretically in comparative politics
No class on 21st
Lim, chapter 3, pp 67-96 First assignment on Animal Farm
Explaining the group project
Week four
25,28 The global crisis of nation state
How does the government work:
presidential and parliamentary systems.
Avil Roshwald 2015, “The global crisis of nation- state”, in Current History, January 2015.
Thies, chapter 3
Work in groups to find main characteristics and features of each system.
Group formation and discussion of the assignment Week five
2,5 October Presidential and parliamentary (cntd)
How can we define democracy? How can we understand democracy through the three schools in
Week six 9,12
Selectorate theory Authoritarianism
Thies, chapter 9
Lary Diamond et al (ed) 2016, Authoritarianism Goes Global: the Challenge to Democracy, John Hopkins University press. Chapter 7
How do rulers keep their offices?
Authoritarianism is overtaking the world?
Week seven 16,19
Authoritarianism 2
Democracy Vs. Authoritarianism
Mid-term
Diamond, Chapter 14
Midterm on the 19th (in class)
Discussion of the progress in the group project First mid term on the 19th Week eight
23,26 The development questions Why are poor countries poor?
Why is East Asia rich?
Lim, chapter 4 Lim, Chapter 5 Week nine
30 October, 2 November
Social movement
Occupy movement Lim, Chapter 8
Nicholas Smaligo 2014, The Occupy Movement Explained, Open Court, Chapter 1
Second assignment
Week ten 6,9
Life- style movement
Cyber activism
Ross Haenfler and others 2012, Lifestyle Movements: exploring the intersection of life Style and Social movement”, in Social movement studies, Vol.11, No.1
Nofia Fitri 2011, Democracy Discourse through the internet Communication: Understanding the Hacktivism for the Global Change.”, in Online Journal of communication
and Media Technologies, Vol.1, Issue 2
Week eleven 13,16
How can we understand and analyze violence?
Transitional societies Burdened societies
Lim, Chapter 7
Lisa L. Fuller 2012, Burdened Societies and Transitional Justice” in Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Vol. 15, No3.
Second midterm on the 13th take home
Week twelve
20,23 The role of civil society in transitional societies
No class on 23rd
Paul Gready and Simon Robins 2017,
“Rethinking civil society and transitional justice: lessons from Social Movement and “New” civil society”, in the international Journal of Human Rights, Vol. 21, No. 7
No class on 23rd, thanksgiving
Week thirteen 27,30
No class on 30th
Truth finding commissions
No class on 30th
Onur Bakiner 2016, Truth
commissions: Memory, Power and Legitimacy, University of
Pennsylvania Press. Chapter 1
Third assignment
Watch a movie and work in groups to discover main characteristics of these commissions
Week fourteen 4,7 December
The politics of truth commissions
Bakiner, Chapter 2
