GLS102:ComparativeGovernment&Politics

Dr.BonnieN.Field
GlobalStudiesDepartment,BentleyUniversity
Spring2014
Email:bfield@bentley.edu
Phone:x2865
Office:MOR178
OfficeHours:MondaysandWednesdays12:451:45andbyappointment.

CourseDescription
This course offers an introduction to comparative politics. It provides students with the basic
knowledgeandconceptualtoolsforanalyzingthevarietiesofnationalstates,regimes(democratic,
nondemocratic and hybrid), political institutions and processes. It is designed to help students
learn about the historical, economic and cultural contexts of political change (such as
democratization, revolution or reform), and understand how and why political systems function
differentlyandtheconsequencesofthedifferences.

To do so, we discuss various aspects of several countries: US, Britain, France, Russia, and Iran,
amongst others. We explore the following questions and more: How do institutions (e.g.
parliamentary vs. presidential systems) vary across countries? Does institutional design matter?
Or,ispoliticalculturemoreimportant?Whatexplainsasuccessfultransitionfromcommunismto
capitalism? What explains transitions to democracy (and nontransition) and the eventual
consolidationofademocraticregime?Recallthatthiscourseisanintroduction.Ihopethatyou
willpursuethequestions,countriesandregionsthatmostinterestyouinfuturecourses.

Learning
The course is designed to enhance students knowledge, skills and perspectives. With regard to
perspectives,studentswilllearntolookattheworldasapoliticalscientistwould,andparticularly
throughacomparativelens.Thiswillenhancestudentsglobalperspectivesaswell.Studentswill
gain knowledge of particular countries (US, UK, France, Russia, and Iran) and categories of
countries (advanced industrial democracies, communist and postcommunist countries, and
developingworldcountries).Theywillgainknowledgeinconceptualandthematicareas,suchas
the tasks and strength of states; nations and political identities; political attitudes, culture and
ideology; political economy; and regime types. Students will gain knowledge of theories and
explanations in comparative politics. Students will also enhance their skills in a variety of areas:
conceptual skills, research skills, creative and criticalthinking skills, writing, comparison, and
globalcompetence.

CourseMaterials
PatrickH.ONeil,EssentialsofComparativePolitics,FourthEdition(NewYork:Norton,2013).
http://books.wwnorton.com/books/Political_Science/Comparative_Politics/978-0-393-91278-4/
PatrickH.ONeil,KarlFields,DonShare,CasesinComparativePolitics,FourthEdition(New
York:Norton,2013).http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=4294969450

Ifyouprefer,youcanpurchaseebooksordownloadthebooksonline,whicharecheaper
thanbuyinganewhardcopybook.However,youcannotreturnthesebooksorresell
them.So,besuretomakeyourchoicecarefully.
**Becarefultocheckthetitles.Therearebookswithverysimilartitles.
Newspaperarticles:Iwilldistributearticlesrelatedtocurrentevents.Youareresponsiblefor
learningthecontentofthearticles.Istronglysuggestthatyouprintthearticlesimmediately
asthelinkswillexpireorstorethemasfiles.
SelectedWebsites/pagesandvideos(tobeannounced).
Modestadditionalreadingsmaybeassigned.

AdditionalRequirements
Blackboard:Checkthesitedaily(http://blackboard.bentley.edu).Youareresponsibleforallposted
materials(comments,newspaperarticles,websites,etc.).Youwillalsoneedtosubmityour
assignmentsonBlackBoard.
Email:CheckyourBentleyemailfrequently.Youareresponsibleforallmaterialsdistributedover
email.Attimes,Iwillsendoutinformationthatisnotrequiredforthecourse.Theseemailswillbe
clearlymarkedasnotrequired.

AssignmentsandGrading
Quiz(2/5):

10%

50points
PaperTopic(2/17)

Penalizationiflate
ExamI(inclass,3/5):

25%

125points
ResearchPaper(draft4/18;final4/28):

25%

125points
ExamII(Officiallyscheduledfinalblock):

30%

150points
Participation(includinghomework/presentations):
10%

50points

100%

500points

OfficeHours:Istronglyencourageyoutovisitmeinofficehoursortomakeanappointmentwith
me.Youdonotneedaspecificquestiontoseeme.IfyouhaveaquestionorIhavenot
explainedsomethingsufficiently,pleasebesuretoseeme.Also,youcanfeelfreetosimply
knockonmydoortoseeifIaminandfreetotalk.Attendanceatofficehourscanalsohelp
yourparticipationgrade.
Participation/Attendance:Theexpectationisthatyouwillattendclasses.Classdiscussionsare
basedonthereadingsforthatday.Therefore,eachstudentisexpectedtocometoclass
havingreadtheassignmentsandpreparedtocontributetothediscussionofeachdays
topic.Theparticipationgradeisbasedoninformedoralparticipationbasedondiscussion
questions,andcompletionofanyassignedhomeworkandpresentations.Theexpectation
isthateachstudentwillcontributeatleastonceduringeachclasssession.This
contributionisevaluatedonitsquality;itisnotbasedontalkinginclass.
ExtraCredit:Variousactivities/assignmentswillbeoffered.Youcanearnextracreditupto5%of
thegradetotal(25points).Eachactivityisworth5points.

GradingScale
4.0

475500

3.7

450474
3.3

B+

435449
3.0

415434
2.7

400414
2.3

C+

385399
2.0

365384
1.7

350364
1.3

D+

335349
1.0

315334
0.7

300314
0.0

299orbelow
P

365orabove

ClassBehaviorandPolicies
Undernocircumstanceshouldanypartofthisclassbeaudioorvideorecorded.
ArrivingLate/LeavingEarly/BreaksduringClass:Classwillbeginontime,andeveryoneisexpected
tobepresentandintheirseatsatthestartofclassuntiltheendofclass.Arrivinglateand
leavingearlyaredisruptivetothecourseandnegativelyimpacttheprofessorandstudents.
Takingbreaksduringclass,evenforashorttime,isalsodisruptive.Unlessthereisan
emergencyoryouhaveadocumentedmedicalissue,youshouldbeinclassfortheentire
period.Thesebehaviorswillseverelyharmyourparticipationgrade.If,intheprofessors
judgment,astudentsbehaviorregularlyandnegativelyaffectstheclass,thestudentwill
beaskednottoattendifs/hecannotbeinclassfortheentireperiod.Ifastudent,onan
exceptionaloccasion,arriveslate,itisher/hisresponsibilitytotalktotheprofessorafter
classunlessthestudentwillbeconsideredabsent.
AssignmentCompletion:Inordertopassthecourse,astudentmustcompleteallassignmentsand
takeallexams.Forexample,ifastudentdoesnotcompletethepaper,she/hecannotpass
theclass(evenifthepointtotalindicatesapassinggrade).
Computers:Computersarenotallowedinclassunlessexplicitlyauthorizedbytheprofessorfora
classexercise.
ElectronicDevices:Cellphones,tabletsandotherdevicesmustbeturnedoffinclass.
Makeups/Extensions:Theseareonlygranted,atthediscretionoftheprofessor,with
documentationofamedicalorfamilyemergency.Iwillnotchangeexamdatesfortravel
arrangementsorotherpersonalcommitmentsyoumayhave.Beforeyoudecidetotake
thecourse,besurethatyoucancompletetheassignmentsonthedatesindicated.While
otheraspectsofthesyllabusmaychange,undernormalcircumstances,Iwillnotchange
assignmentduedates.
EmailandEmailEtiquette:Iamhappytotrytoanswerquestionsoveremail,ifpossible.However,
attimesitisnotpossible,andIwillaskyoutocomeseemeinperson.Undernormal
circumstances,Iwillreplywithin24hours.Pleasefirstconsultyoursyllabus(orother
Bentleysources)foranswerstoquestionsaboutgrading,rules,dates,etc.Whensending
emails,pleasebesuretocomposeaprofessionalemail.Forexample:

Professional:Dearprofessor,inclassyesterdayIdidntexactlyunderstandtheconceptof
judicialreview,andafterreviewingitinthetextbook,itisstillunclear.Wouldyouplease
trytoexplainittomeagain?Thankyou.
3

Unprofessional:Hey,whatdoesjudicialreviewmean?

Disabilities
BentleyUniversityabidesbySection504oftheRehabilitationActof1973andtheAmericanswithDisabilitiesActof
1990whichstipulatenostudentshallbedeniedthebenefitsofaneducationsolelybyreasonofadisability.Ifyou
haveahiddenorvisibledisabilitywhichmayrequireclassroomaccommodations,pleasemakeanappointmentwith
theAssistantDirectorofDisabilityServices,StephanieS.Brodeur,withinthefirst4weeksofthesemester.TheOffice
ofDisabilityServicesislocatedintheOfficeofCounselingandStudentDevelopment(CSD),Callahan2ndFloor,
781.891.2274.TheAssistantDirectorofDisabilityServicesisresponsibleforcoordinatingaccommodationsand
servicesforstudentswithdisabilities.

TheWritingCenter
TheWritingCenteroffersoneononetutoringtostudentsofallyearsandskilllevels.Locatedinthelowerlevelofthe
Bentleylibrary(room023),theWritingCenterprovidesawelcomingandsupportiveenvironmentinwhichstudents
canworkonwritingfromanyclassordiscipline.Writersareencouragedtovisitatallstagesofthewritingprocess;
theycancomewithadraft,anoutline,orjustsomeinitialthoughtsandquestions.Staffedbyhighlyskilledstudent
tutors,theWritingCenterisopensixdaysaweek.Dropinsarewelcome,butappointmentsareencouragedandcan
bemadeonlineatbapps.bentley.eduorbyphoneat781.891.3173.Forhoursandadditionalinformation,visitour
websiteatbentley.edu/writingcenter.

ESOLCenter
TheESOLCenterhasfacultywhospecializeinteachingEnglishtospeakersofotherlanguages(ESOL)andcanprovide
supportforhelpingstudentsachievesuccessintheircoursesacrossthecurriculum.Studentscanmakeappointments
online(http://academics.bentley.edu/departments/english/englishspeakersotherlanguages),callx2021foran
appointment,orjustdropinthecentertoseeifafacultytutorisavailable.TheESOLCenterislocatedintheBentley
LibraryandhashoursavailableMondaythroughFriday.

AcademicHonesty
StudentsandfacultyofBentleyUniversityarecommittedtotheHONORCODE,whichtheyjointlydeveloped.Ihaveno
toleranceforacademicdishonesty.AcademicdishonestyisdealtwithaccordingtoUniversitypolicy.Underno
conditionisplagiarismexcusable.Anyideaorlanguagethatdidnotoriginatewithyoumustincludeacitation.More
informationaboutplagiarismcanbefoundatwww.turnitin.comandwww.plagiarism.org.Inclassandtakehome
examsandquizzesmustbecompletedindividuallywithoutthehelpofprohibitedmaterials.Specificguidelinesabout
academichonestywillbediscussedpriortoeachassignment.

AcademicIntegrity:Learningisaprivilegethatdemandsresponsibility.AtBentley,studentsandfacultyaremembers
ofanacademiccommunitythatsupportintegritybothinsideandoutsidetheclassroom.TheexpectationatBentleyis
thatstudentswilltakeadvantageoftheopportunityforintellectualdevelopmentand,indoingso,willconduct
themselvesinamannerconsistentwiththestandardsofacademicintegrity.Whenthesestandardsareviolatedor
compromised,individualsandtheentireBentleycommunitysuffer.Studentswhoengageinactsofacademic
dishonestynotonlyfaceuniversitycensurebutalsomayharmtheirfutureeducationalandemployment
opportunities.

TheBentleyHonorCode:ThestudentsofBentley,inaspiritofmutualtrustandfellowship,awareofthevaluesofa
trueeducationandthechallengesposedbytheworld,doherebypledgetoaccepttheresponsibilityforhonorable
conductinallacademicactivities,toassistoneanotherinmaintainingandpromotingpersonalintegrity,toabideby
theprinciplessetforthintheHonorCode,andtofollowtheproceduresandobservethepoliciessetforthinthe
AcademicIntegritySystem.AcademicIntegrityCoordinator:EllenSnedeker,JD7818912110.
http://www.bentley.edu/shandbook/integrity/index.cfm

TopicalOutline(approximate)
Readings
Day
Date
Class# Subject
IntroductiontoConcepts,DebatesandThemesinComparativePolitics

Wednesday 22Jan Class1

Saturday

Monday

25Jan Class2

27Jan Class3

Wednesday 29Jan Class4

Monday

3Feb

Class5

Assignments/LearningGoals

Toattainabasicunderstandingofthesubfieldof
comparativepoliticswithinpoliticalscience;the
Cases ,Chapter1:
typesofquestionscomparativistsseektoanswer;
ComparativePoliticsand Introduction;Essentials, andhowcomparativistsstudythesequestions
ComparativeMethods
Chapter1:Introduction (comparativemethodology).
Tounderstandwhatastateis;howastatediffers
fromaregime;howstatesdifferfromoneanother;
andthefundamentalimportanceofthestate.
Tounderstandpoliticallysignificantsocietal
characteristics,suchasethnicity,nationalism,
citizenship,politicalattitudes,politicalideologiesand
politicalcultures,andhowthesecharacteristicscan
helpexplainpoliticaldistinctionswithinandacross
countries.
Tounderstandthebasiccomponentsofpolitical
economy(suchasmarketsandpublicgoods);the
typesofpoliticaleconomicsystems;thepoliciesthat
correspondwiththedifferentpoliticaleconomic
systems;andhowtomeasuretheoutputofthese
systems.

(National)States

Essentials ,Chapter2:
States

NationsandSociety

Essentials ,Chapter3:
NationsandSociety

PoliticalEconomy

Essentials ,Chapter4:
PoliticalEconomy

DemocraticRegimes

Essentials ,Chapter5:
DemocraticRegimes,pp.
12629and13659ONLY Tounderstandthevarietiesofdemocraticregimes.

AdvancedIndustrialDemocracies
Wednesday 5Feb

Class6

AdvancedDemocracies

Essentials ,Chapter8:
AdvancedDemocracies

Quiztodayatbeginningofclass.Coversall
materialsthroughClass5.

Day

Date

Class#

Subject

10Feb Class7

TheUnitedKingdom

Wednesday 12Feb Class8

TheUnitedKingdom

Monday

TheUnitedStates

Monday

17Feb Class9

Wednesday 19Feb Class10 TheUnitedStates

24Feb Class11 France

LibraryInstructional
Wednesday 26Feb Class12 Session

Monday

Monday
3Mar Class13 France
Wednesday 5Mar Class14 InClassExam
SpringBreak:March816

Readings

Cases ,Chapter2:The
UnitedKingdom,pp.38
64
Cases ,Chapter2:The
UnitedKingdom,pp.64
93

Assignments/LearningGoals
Toapplytheconceptswehavediscussedoverthe
pastweekstotheUKcase,andtounderstandthe
basicsofUKpoliticalinstitutions,politicalcultureand
politicaleconomyinordertobeabletousefully
comparetootheradvanceddemocracies.

DistributePaperTopicOptions
Papertopicsduetodaybyclasstime. Toapplysome
oftheconceptswehavediscussedoverthepast
weekstotheU.S.case,andtounderstandthebasics
ofU.S.politicalinstitutions,politicalcultureand
politicaleconomyinordertobeabletousefully
Cases ,Chapter3:United comparetothecountrycaseswewilldiscussinthe
States,pp.94117.
remainderofthecourse.
Cases ,Chapter3:United
States,pp.117147.
PaperAssignmentDistributed

Toapplytheconceptswehavediscussedoverthe
pastweekstotheFrenchcase,andtounderstand
thebasicsofFrenchpoliticalinstitutions,political
Cases ,Chapter4:France, cultureandpoliticaleconomyinordertobeableto
pp.148172.
usefullycomparetootheradvanceddemocracies.
*Location:LibraryResearchInstructionCenter(RIC)
Cases ,Chapter4:France,
pp.172199.
ExamI

Readings
Day
Date
Class# Subject
NondemocraticRegimesandExplanationsofRegimeType
Essentials ,Chapter6:
NondemocraticRegimes,
pp.16267and174187
Monday
17Mar Class15 NondemocraticRegimes Only
Essentials, Chapter5,pp.
129136ONLY;Chapter6,
ExplainingRegimeType pp.168174and187191
Only
Wednesday 19Mar Class16 andDemocratization
CommunismandPostcommunism

Monday

Communismand
24Mar Class17 Postcommunism

Wednesday 26Mar Class18 Russia

Monday

31Mar Class19 Russia

Essentials ,Chapter9:
Communismand
Postcommunism
Cases ,Chapter7:Russia,
pp.314338.
Cases ,Chapter7:Russia,
pp.338363;Freedom
HousereportonRussia
(seeBB)

LessDevelopedCountries(LDCs)andNewlyIndustrializingCountries(NICs)
Essentials ,Chapter10:
LessDevelopedand
LessDevelopedand
NewlyIndustrializing
NewlyIndustrializing
Countries.
Wednesday 2Apr Class20 Countries
Cases ,Chapter10:Iran,
pp.472498.
Monday
7Apr Class21 Iran

Assignments/LearningGoals

Day

Date

Class#

Subject

Wednesday 9Apr Class22 Iran

Monday
14Apr Class23 Iran
Wednesday 16Apr Class24 PaperPreparationTask
Monday
21Apr Holiday

Wednesday 23Apr Class25 Globalization

Monday

Readings
Assignments/LearningGoals
Cases ,Chapter10:Iran,
pp.498521:Freedom
HousereportonIran(see
BB)
DocumentaryonIran
DraftPaper&TaskDue
by4/18
Essentials, Chapter11:
Globalizationandthe
FutureofComparative
Politics

ComparativeDiscussion;
PaperDue
28Apr Class26 Coursewrapup

ExamIIduringofficiallyscheduledexamblock.