POS 204 - Introduction to Comparative Politics [SUN# POS 2204]

1. Identify and describe key structural differences between presidential and parliamentary democracies.
2. Differentiate between different electoral systems.

1. Describe the basic methods associated with the study of comparative politics.
2. Explain the difference between states and nations.
3. Describe the process of development.
4. Differentiate between democratic and nondemocratic political systems.
5. Explain the difference between different types of democratic systems, such a presidential versus parliamentary and unitary versus federal.
6. Discuss the importance of constitutions, political culture, and ideologies.
7. Explain what different governmental institutions do.
8. Explain different interest group, party, and electoral systems.
9. Illustrate the above utilizing case studies from a variety of countries.

1. Methods of Comparative Political Analysis
   1. Positivist versus normative approaches
   2. The comparative method
   3. Theories, hypotheses, and evidence
2. States, Nations, Revolution, and Development
   1. States and failed states
   2. Nations, nation states, multinational states, and ethno-national conflict
   3. Revolutions and other forms of political violence
   4. Development: what is it, and how do we measure it?
3. Democratic and Nondemocratic Systems
   1. Direct and representative democracy
   2. Presidential versus parliamentary democracies
   3. Unitary, federal, and confederal systems
   4. Authoritarian political systems
   5. Totalitarian political systems
   6. Transition in regime type
4. Constitutions, Constitutionalism, Political Culture, and Ideologies
   1. What is a constitution, and how is it different from a law?
   2. Written and unwritten constitutions, and constitutionalism
   3. The importance of political cultures
   4. Ideologies in modern politics
5. Governmental Institutions
   1. Legislatures
   2. Executives
   3. Courts
   4. Bureaucracies
6. Interest Aggregation, Linkage Institutions, and Electoral Systems
   1. Interest groups
   2. Political parties and party systems
   3. Elections and electoral systems
7. Case studies of selected countries with various political systems from around the world