POLSC1301 - 01 - Introduction to Comparative Government And Politics

(SS) Social Science (SA) Social Analysis

This course is designed to be a broad introduction to the field of comparative politics, to pose these questions of contrast and comparison and to begin to give you, the student citizen, the tools to understand politics in the world around you. It will be divided into two main sections: 1) System, Process and Policies and 2) Country Studies. The first half of the course will define the main units of study (states, political systems, governments, regime types, electoral systems, political culture, interest aggregation, political parties, social movements, public policy and democratic development) and the second half of the course will be devoted to country studies based on regime type (Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Brazil, Russian Federation, South Africa, China, Iran), using the framework developed earlier.