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Regular version of the site
Bachelor 2019/2020

Comparative Politics

Type: Compulsory course (Political Science)
Area of studies: Political Science
When: 2 year, 2, 3 module
Mode of studies: offline
Language: English
ECTS credits: 5
Contact hours: 62

Course Syllabus

Abstract

Comparative politics is the study of comparing different countries and units in a systematic manner. It encompasses broad and diverse issues such as political regimes, institutions, degrees of democracy and democratization, political economy, social movements, and political violence. Besides providing useful comparisons across seemingly different political units, this sub-field can also inform debates about designing new political orders. As such, it is a rich and varied field that cannot be accurately characterized on the basis of just one dimension or topic. That is why this course should be seen as a sampling of the field rather than an exhaustive review.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • To introduce students to the basic concepts, ideas, and issues in modern comparative politics.
  • To give students the training to read academic texts critically and understand the basic arguments.
  • To provide students with the broadest possible coverage of both classical and contemporary research in the sub-field.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • Students are expected to be able to critically assess readings.
  • Students are expected to be able to evaluate ideas and their contribution to the field.
  • Students are expected to be able to construct their own comparative research design.
  • Students are expected to be able to differentiate between different schools of thought and methodological approaches inside the political science domain.
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • THEME 1. Foundations and methods of comparative politics
  • THEME 2. Parliamentary democracies
  • THEME 8. Selectorate theory, resource curse
  • THEME 3. Presidential and semi-presidential systems
  • THEME 4. Institutional veto players
  • THEME 5. Elections, electoral systems; social cleavages and party systems
  • THEME 6. Consequences of institutional design in democracies
  • THEME 7. Problems of authoritarian rule: Power-sharing and control
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Written assignment
    Written assignment must include the following components: 1. Statement of the research problem in terms of the suggested factor and its importance 2. Presentation of the relevance of the factor in the case of the country 3. A brief analysis of the existing literature on the problem 4. Analysis of the transformation of political regime in the country under the factor’s influence (using the Freedom House index, Polity IV and Bertelsmann Transformation Index) and Comparative analysis of political institutions that make up the type of political regime at present.
  • non-blocking Mini-tests
    There are 5 tests aimed to examine the degree of understanding and ability to use the content from lectures and seminar
  • non-blocking Class attendance and participation
    Students’ participation in class discussions is assessed according to the “intensity” of their participation, ability to understand and analyze basic concepts and show relevance of their ideas in presentations.
  • non-blocking Class debates
    Students’ presentations that are to be performed for debates. Every presentation is prepared by two students and represents one of the approaches to the problem of the seminar; students are to not only comment the presentation but also to give arguments for the certain point of view.
  • non-blocking Final exam
    The examination is carried out in writing through the corporate mail of teachers, as well as group and personal / corporate mail of students. By the beginning of the exam (9:00), students will be sent a group assignment to the group mail, which will take 3 hours to complete (until 12:00). By 12:00, all students participating in the exam must send the completed task to the teachers' mails. After 12:00 the work is not accepted and the student goes for a retake. The student's computer must meet the requirements: Internet access. To participate in the exam, the student must: in case of technical problems or not receiving a letter, the student must notify the teachers of any problems no later than 15 minutes from the start of the exam. Otherwise, the student is counted as a failure to appear for the exam. During the exam, students are prohibited from: using resources without links. During the exam, students are allowed to: use the materials of lectures, seminars, abstracts, other open sources, but with the obligatory registration of links (links can be in any generally accepted form, but uniform throughout the text). There will be an anti-plagiarism check. The retake is similar to the exam.
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • Interim assessment (3 module)
    0.15 * Class attendance and participation + 0.15 * Class debates + 0.35 * Final exam + 0.15 * Mini-tests + 0.2 * Written assignment
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics. Edited by Carles Boix and Susan C. Stokes. Oxford University Press, 2009.
  • The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions. Edited by R. A. W. Rhodes, Sarah A. Binder and Bert A. Rockman. Oxford University Press, 2008.
  • Политология : учебник для вузов, Хейвуд, Э., 2005

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Engeli, I., & Allison, C. R. (2014). Comparative Policy Studies : Conceptual and Methodological Challenges. [Basingstoke]: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=997751
  • Weingast, B. R., & Wittman, D. (2008). The Oxford Handbook of Political Economy. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.b.oxp.obooks.9780199548477