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ADVANCED PLACEMENT COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT & POLITICS COURSE OUTLINE AND SYLLABUS, 2011-2012 “The study of politics is the study of influence and the influential. The influential are those who get the most of what there is to get.” Harold Lasswell “War is politics with bloodshed. Politics is war without bloodshed.” Mao COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is also designed to prepare students to take the Advanced Placement examination in Comparative Government & Politics. Students who enroll in this course are required to take the AP exam. The AP course in Comparative Government and Politics introduces students to fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and outcomes of politics in a variety of country settings. The course aims: to illustrate the rich diversity of political life, to show how different cultures and nations have developed different kinds of institutions that make decisions binding on the entire country, to explain how different nations and states develop policies and programs that attempt to meet the needs and desires of their citizens, and to study and discuss the importance of global political and economic changes. In addition to covering the major concepts that are used to organize and interpret what we know about how politics and government works, the course should cover specific countries and their governments. Six countries form the core of the AP Comparative Government and Politics course. China, Great Britain, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia are all regularly covered in college-level introductory comparative politics courses. The inclusion of Iran adds a political system from a very important region of the world and one that is subject to distinctive political and cultural dynamics. By using these six core countries, the course can move the discussion of concepts from abstract definition to concrete example, noting that not all concepts will be equally useful in all country settings. The following sections provide general descriptions of the major themes and concepts of the course. Students are expected to acquire or develop the following skills and abilities: know important facts pertaining to the governments and politics of China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia understand major comparative political concepts, themes, and generalizations understand typical patterns of political processes and behavior and their consequences be able to compare and contrast political institutions and processes across countries and to derive generalizations be able to analyze and interpret basic data relevant to comparative government and politics In order to develop the above skills and abilities, the course will include a great deal of reading and writing. In addition to assignments from the textbook there will be additional handouts. You will improve writing skills by responding to questions similar to those found in AP examinations. Finally, it will be important to pay attention to contemporary media. Reading a daily newspaper, including columns and editorials, and a weekly newsmagazine and watching the Sunday morning political discussion television programs is as important as any text or supplementary reading. TEXTBOOKS: Powell, Dalton, & Strom, et. al. Comparative Politics Today (10th ed. AP edition) (includes AP study guide) (Pearson Longman, 2012) Supplemental texts available to students & faculty: Charles Hauss, Comparative Politics Michael G. Roskin, Countries and Concepts Kesselman, et al, Introduction to Comparative Politics Ken Wedding, Advanced Placement Comparative Government and Politics (resource for in-class and homework assignments) Textbook Materials will be supplemented by outside reading and handouts from magazines & journals such as Current History and Foreign Affairs as well as newspapers (New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal). GRADES AND STUDENT ASSESSMENT: There will be a quiz associated with each reading assignment in the textbook. The quizzes will include both objective and free response questions. Each reading handout will be accompanied by an assignment. Assignments may include responding to specific questions about the content, responding to a particular scenario based on the reading, developing a position that will form a portion of a class debate, or some similar critical thinking activity. Homework will include not only the readings assigned but also activities from the supplement authored by Ken Wedding noted above in the section about supplemental texts. Each activity from this source includes critical reading and written responses from research and/or critical analysis of the content. There will be a major exam following each unit. Unit exams will mirror the AP exams as much as possible; that is, multiple choice questions that account for 50% of the grade and essay (“free response”) questions that count for the remaining 50% of the test grade. Each student must maintain a course notebook. Notebooks will be collected and graded each grading period. The notebook must include 1) All class notes; 2) All handouts (and there will be a lot of handouts); 3) Your course glossary. Each chapter in Powell ends with a list of the chapter’s “Key Terms.” Your regular assignment is to provide definitions, explanations and examples or illustrations for each of these terms after you finish reading the chapter. 4) Review questions. Each chapter in Powell ends with some “Review Questions.” Your answers to these review questions should also be included in your notebook. 5) “Current event” article for each grading period . Each grading period you are required to include a “news” article about one of the six countries that are studied in this course: Great Britain, Russia, China, Mexico, Iran and Nigeria. Your article can come from the internet or from more traditional print media (newspapers, news magazines, specialty journals). Make a copy of the article (no vandalism). For each article, you are to prepare a “response.” This response should be wordprocessed and should be about 3 paragraphs long. The first paragraph should include a summary of the article in your own words. The second paragraph should contain some background or context for the article; that is, is there some history that would help the reader better understand the article you have chosen, is there some additional information that you can find that helps the reader understand the issue or event that the article is about. The third paragraph should be a summary of what you learned about the country by reading the article and researching its context. Grade calculation: Unit and final exams = 40%; Quizzes = 20%; Homework/Class work = 20%; Course Notebook = 20% AP GRADE SCALE A = 100% - 90% B = 89% - 80% C = 79% - 70% D = 69% - 60% F = below 60% AP Test Prep Book: Be sure to use your test prep book as both an introductory overview and a review. That is, before you read a chapter, read the summary in the Test Prep book. After you finish the chapter and are preparing for a test, use the book as a study guide. Use the questions provided to test yourself. AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT & POLITICS - SYLLABUS Unit I – Introduction to Comparative Government & Politics A. Course introduction: Overview of Content 1. Introduction to the comparative method a. Class activity/homework: “Comparative Government Pretest/preliminary data collection on the case studies” - Review the handout and plan how you would find the information requested; Develop working definitions for the following terms: regime, head of state, head of government, bicameral, unicameral, federal, unitary, kingdom, republic, federation, constitution. (Wedding, Lesson 1) B. What in the world in going on in the world? - A big picture view of major forces at work in the 21st century. Read “The Clash of Civilizations?” by Samuel Huntington (Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993) and “The Politics of Rage: Why Do They Hate Us?” by Fareed Zakaria (Newsweek, 10/15/2001). (1) Prepare a brief summary or outline of each article to include in your notebook. (2) Discuss how Zakaria’s article supports or refutes Huntington’s thesis. Efforts toward Integration: A brief introduction to supranational organizations including the WTO, IMF, World Bank, UN, and EU. Homework: Wedding #18 (The European Union: Democratic or International or Both?) Read Chapter 1 (Hauss). Reading quiz in class. Prepare a written response to Critical Thinking Exercise #4 (pg 17). Fundamentals: Politics and Power (lecture) Concepts and terminology (in-class activity) (Wedding Lesson 4) Homework: Applying Comparative Concepts – definitions & examples Nations and States (Reading: “’Nations’ or ‘States”: An Attempt at Definition”; Peter Rasmussen, Global Policy Forum (on-line), 2001) Nationalism (Reading: “Us and Them – The Enduring Power of Ethnic Nationalism;” Jerry Muller, Foreign Affairs, March/April 2008) Classifying government & regimes (lecture) (What is a regime? Aristotle’s classification of political systems; An introduction to Varieties and characteristics of regime forms: Anarchy, Theocracy, Monarchy, Oligarchy, Authoritarian, Totalitarian, Military, Democracy; Modern typologies: A World of “worlds”; “Six Arenas” Using data to compare countries (Reading & understanding various forms of data representation (Almond preface – library reserve); Review “Pretest” data; In-class activity: Classifying Countries (Wedding Lesson 2); Homework project: Comparing states using performance indicators 1. You will be assigned a country and a partner. 2. Using the internet, locate the World Bank’s “Governance Indicators” and the Freedom House’s “ratings” for your assigned states. 3. Briefly explain the factors used by the World Bank and the Freedom House to rank and compare nations. 4. Give the rankings and/or ratings for your assigned state. 5. Use the internet to locate the “Economic Freedom Index” by the Fraser Institute of Canada and the “Index of Economic Freedom” by the Heritage Foundation. 6. Briefly explain the factors used by the Fraser Institute and the Heritage Foundation to rank and compare nations. 7. Describe the rankings and/or ratings for your assigned state. 8. Track down the “Human Development Index” by the United Nations. 9. Briefly explain the factors used by the United Nations to rank and compare the “Human Development” of states. 10. Describe the rankings and/or ratings for your assigned state. Globalization (Primary Reading: Handout – AP Briefing Paper: “Globalization”) Class discussion/explication; homework – memo to presidential candidate re: costs and benefits of globalization Democratization and democracy (Primary Reading – AP Briefing Paper: “Democratization”; Larry Diamond, “The Democratic Rollback: The Resurgence of the Predatory State” (Foreign Affairs, March/April 2008) Hauss Chapter 2 Class discussion/explication; homework – responses to content questions Definitions, Characteristics and Varieties of Democracy (lecture) Unit 1 Exam Unit 2 Political Science / Comparative Government Fundamentals: Brief introductions to concepts and terminology (Reading: Almond Chapters 1 – 7, Hauss Chapter 1) 1. Models of government and politics a. Systems analysis (in-class / homework – Wedding, Lesson 3) b. Functional-structural analysis c. Economic systems 2. Political socialization and political culture Legitimacy, sovereignty and authority a. Constitutions b. Other sources – ideologies, religion, tradition Consensual & conflictual cultures How political systems change: Agents of political change – domestic & international a. Varieties and effects of political violence – coups, revolts & revolutions Agents of political socialization Effects of modernization and globalization on political cultures 3. Interest articulation Patterns and varieties of citizen participation a. Voting and other means of participation b. Groups and Civil society c. Functions of interest groups d. Interest groups systems: pluralist & corporatist e. How interest groups attempt to influence policy 4. Interest aggregation Patron-client networks Functions of political parties Varieties of Political party systems: one party, two party, multi-party Electoral systems and political party systems a. Varieties and functions of elections b. First-past-the-post (plurality) & Proportional systems 5. Structures and Institutions of Government The executive branch – presidents and prime ministers a. Heads of State and Heads of Government The legislative branch – parliaments and legislatures Geographical Distribution of power a. Federal & unitary systems b. Devolution Limits on Government Power a. Constitutions and Bills of Rights b. The Judiciary & judicial review c. Holding governments accountable Bureaucracies 6. Public Policies Types of public policies - Extraction, distribution, regulation, symbolic Domestic and international influences on policymaking Unit 2 Exam Unit 3 Industrialized Democracies Case Studies: United States and Great Britain Reading: Hauss Chapters 2, 3 & 4, Almond Chapter 8, 13 United States: Sovereignty, Authority and Power in U.S. American Political Institutions Elections and Political Parties in America Political culture, socialization and participation Interest articulation and role of the media Political and economic change: Trends and Influences Public policy issues and Influences U.S. Homework: Wedding #11 (Limits on Government) Great Britain: Sovereignty, Authority and Power in United Kingdom Political History of Great Britain British Political Institutions Elections and Political Parties in Great Britain Political culture, socialization and participation Interest articulation and role of the media Political and economic change: Trends and Influences Public policy issues and Influences Great Britain and the European Union Great Britain Homework: Wedding #14 (Comparing Party and Legislative Models); #16 (British Political Parties and Their Policy Positions); #18 (The European Union: Democratic or International or Both) Great Britain Additional Reading: Vernon Bogdanor, The Historic Legacy of Tony Blair, Current History, March 2007 Unit 3 Exam Unit 4 – Current and Former Communist Regimes Case Studies: Russia and China Reading: Hauss Chapters 8, 9 & 10; Almond Chapter 9 & 12 From socialism to Marx and Lenin and beyond – an overview of the history of communism Russia: Sovereignty, Authority and Power in Russia Political History of Russia Russian Political Institutions Elections and Political Parties in Russia Political culture, socialization and participation Interest articulation and role of the media Political and economic change: Trends and Influences Public policy issues and influences Russia as a Model of “Illiberal Democracy”? Russia Homework: Wedding #21 (Russian Political Culture); #22 Russian Political Leadership); #23 (Russian Political Elites); #24 (Recent Revolutions in Russia) Russia additional reading: Henry Hale, Russia’s Elections and “Managed Democracy”, College Board AP Central; Dmitri Trenin, The Legacy of Vladimir Putin, Current History, October 2007; Neil J. Mitchell, Illiberal Democracy and Vladimir Putin’s Russia, College Board AP Central China: Sovereignty, Authority and Power in China Political History of China Chinese Political Institutions Interest Aggregation in China – a one-party state Political culture, socialization and participation Interest articulation and role of the media Political and economic change: Trends and Influences Public policy issues and influences Is the Chinese model (one-party state with economic liberalization) sustainable? China Homework: Wedding #25 (Vocabulary of Chinese Politics); #27 (Mass Line and Ideology); #28 (Democratic Centralism) China additional reading: Bruce Dickson, et. al, The Future of China’s Party-State, Current History, September 2007 Unit 4 exam Unit 5 –The Less Developed Countries Case Studies: Iran, Nigeria & Mexico Reading: Hauss Chapters 11 (LDCs), 13 (Iran), 15 (Nigeria) & 16 (Mexico); Almond Chapters 10, 11, 14 Iran: Sovereignty, Authority and Power in Iran Theocratic politics Political History of Iran Iranian Political Institutions Interest Aggregation in Iran Political culture, socialization and participation Interest articulation and role of the media Political and economic change: Trends and Influences Public policy issues and influences Iran Homework: Wedding #33 (Lessons from the Iranisn Experience); #38 (Competing Political Legacies in Iran); #39 (Policy Making in the Islamic Republic of Iran) Iran additional reading: AP Comparative Government and Politics Briefing Paper: Iran; Mahmood Sariolghalam, Iran in Search of Itself, Current History, December 2008 Nigeria: Sovereignty, Authority and Power in Nigeria Political History of Nigeria Effects of Imperialism and Colonialism Effects of Military control Nigerian Political Institutions Interest Aggregation in Nigeria Political culture, socialization and participation Interest articulation and role of the media Political and economic change: Trends and Influences Public policy issues and influences Nigeria Homework: Wedding #32 (Political Cleavages in Nigeria); #36 (Identity Politics in Nigeria); #37 (Nigeria’s Political Party System) Nigeria additional reading: AP Comparative Government and Politics Briefing Paper: Nigeria; Richard Joseph and Darren Kew, Nigeria Confronts Obasanjo’s Legacy, Current History, April 2008 Mexico: Sovereignty, Authority and Power in Mexico Political History of Mexico Mexican Political Institutions Interest Aggregation in Mexico From a one-party state to a competitive multi-party state Political culture, socialization and participation Interest articulation and role of the media Political and economic change: Trends and Influences Public policy issues and influences Mexico Homework: Wedding #29 (Lessons of the Mexican Colonial Experience); #30 (Party Politics in Mexico); #34 (Revolutionary Ideas); #35 (Transparency, Corruption, and Politics) Mexico additional reading: AP Comparative Government and Politics Briefing Paper: Mexico; Luis Rubio and Jeffrey Davidow, Mexico’s Disputed Election, Foreign Affairs, September/October 2006; George W. Grayson, Mexico, the PRI, and Lopez Obrador: The Legacy of Corporatism, Orbis, Spring 2007 Unit 5 Exam