Pla Docent
Curs 2015-2016
Advanced Comparative Politics 21711
Titulación/estudio: Grau en Ciències Polítiques i de l'Administració
Curso: 3º/4º
Trimestre: 2º
Número de créditos ECTS: 4
Horas de dedicación del estudiante: 100
Lengua o lenguas de la docencia: English
Profesorado: Visnja Vukov
1. Presentation of the Course
The course "Comparative Politics: Advanced" is an optional course in the profile of the formation of students of Political Science. It is meant to contribute to their specialization in political science in general and in the area of comparative politics in particular. The course will focus on new development in comparative political science across areas, issues, and methodological trends. The content of the course is divided into three main parts: the theory of comparative political research; the methodology of comparative analysis; and new trends in comparative political studies. To follow better the course, it is highly recommended to have taken course in comparative political and social science. While these factors are not a prerequisit, the previous basic knowledge of comparative analysis, methods, and comparative politics area an advantage. The course is meant to (a) to introduce students to the main questions and issues in comparative politics; (b) to make them familiar with the best answers to these question available in the most recent publications on the topic; and (c) to provide them with the tools to think critically about the answers. The specific objectives of this course include the following: (a) to be acquainted with new issues in contemporary political science; (b) to be acquainted with new methodological trends in political science; (c) to be able to analyze and to explain from comparative perspective the dynamics of contemporary political development. The benefit of this course is to increase ability to learn about and to respond to the changes in the field of comparative politics and the most recent literature in the field. The course also introduces students to the variety of methods that have been central to the study of comparative politics.
General Requirements and Prerequisites
- A student can not miss more than 2 classes to be accredited for the course.
- Foreign Students: The exception to the above-stated rule can be made only for foreign students who arrived late to the UPF due to administrative issues related to students' exchange. In this case, a new foreign student is encouraged to contact the professor before joining the class and to get additional feedback.
- Strong command of English is required
- Previous background in comparative politics or similar courses is required
2. Learning Objectives
In more general terms, the course pursues the following general objectives: to increase the capacity of students to think critically and systematically about comparative issue of political science; to apply general analytical knowledge gained in this course to conduct an actual analysis within the comparative framework; to learn to apply comparative methods to explain differences and similarities across different issues and subjects of analysis.
This course is part of the optional courses itinerary "democracy in diverse societies" that together, develops the following competencies/skills:
BASIC SKILLS:
CB2. That students can apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and have competences typically demonstrated through devising and sustaining arguments and solving problems within their field of study.
CB3. That students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their field of study) to inform judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical.
CB4. That students can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
CB5. That students have developed those skills needed to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.
GENERAL SKILLS:
CG1. Capacity for analysis and synthesis.
CG3. Knowledge of a second language.
CG6. Interpersonal skills.
CG8. Appreciation of diversity and multiculturalism.
CG15. Project design and management.
TRANSVERSAL SKILLS:
CT1. Identify and analyze critically gender inequality and its intersection with other axes of inequality.
SPECIFIC SKILLS:
EC1. Identify the main theories and approaches of Political Science and Administration.
CE2. Analyze the structure and functioning of political systems.
EC4. Examine the fundamentals of comparative politics.
CE6. Identify citizen behavior and democratic values.
CE8. Interpret contemporary political theories and arguments.
CE9. Interpret the historical dimension of political and social processes.
CE17. Apply the methods and techniques of political and social research.
CE19. Examine the techniques of political communication.
3. Content of the Course
The content of the course is divided into two main parts: methodological issues of comparative political science and application of comparative analysis to the analysis of specific topics. The content is based on the presentation of basic and new concepts for conducting a comparative analysis used in problem/puzzle-solving in comparative politics. The course also examines different forms of conducting comparative political research and new emerging models in the area of comparative politics. Given that previous courses dealt with the key fundamental concepts in comparative politics (democracy, electoral systems, institutions and actors in comparative politics), the second part of this course, in contrast, focuses on the application of comparative politics analysis on selected topics which bring comparative politics in dialogue with other approaches and disciplines, such as political economy, sociology and international relations. The topics include comparative approaches to contemporary capitalism(s) and welfare states, globalization and the nation-state, or democratic and economic transition in Eastern Europe. Moreover, the course also demonstrates the use of comparative analysis beyond the nation-state level, to the sub-national institutions as well as the supra-national regional institutions - the emerging field in which comparative politics increasingly interacts with international relations.
4. The Program of Class Activities
The program of class activities is organized according to the main two objectives of the course and of the content: the objective to increase methodological knowledge and skills of comparative politics and the objective to be able to apply this knowledge to current political processes and to understand them in all their complexity. Thus, the program of class activities is divided into two main parts: methodological issues of comparative political science and application of comparative analysis to the analysis of specific issues. Each session comprises an interactive lecture and seminar. The lectures introduce complex issues and place them in the context of comparative political science. The seminar is dedicated to the discussion of the issues raised during the lecture. The seminar takes form of group discussions, groups´ exercises, and individual presentations, followed by all-class discussion, and sometimes written assignments.
Part I: Methodology of Comparative Political Science
Session 1: Introduction to the Course and Approaches and Methodologies in Comparative Political Science; elaboration of the focus of the course; lead-in in advanced comparative politics issues: the evolution of comparative politics; approaches in comparative politics. Seminar 1: Groups´ exercises and Group discussions.
Session 2: Comparative Politics: Debates on Methodology. Seminar 2: Groups´ exercises and Group discussions.
Session 3: Comparative Methodology: Challenges, Mix-Methods, and Innovations. Seminar 3: Individual Presentations and In-class discussions.
Session 4: Research design and concepts in Comparative Politics. Seminar 4: Individual Presentations and In-class discussions.
Session 5: Case-Studies in Comparative Analysis and Beyond. Seminar 5: Individual Presentations and In-class discussions.
Part II: Selected topics in comparative politics
Session 6: Comparative politics and political economy: welfare states and varieties of capitalism. Seminar 6: Individual Presentations and In-class discussions.
Session 7: Regime transitions in Eastern Europe. Seminar 7: Individual Presentations and In-class discussions.
Session 8: Globalization and the nation-state. Seminar 8: Individual Presentations and In-class discussions.
Session 9: Comparative regionalism: supra-national politics. Seminar 9: Individual Presentations and In-class discussions.
Session 10: Comparative approaches to sub-national politics. Seminar 10: Individual Presentations and In-class discussions. Conclusion of the Course and guidelines for the final exam.
5. Assessment of the Students
The assessment of the students incorporates two mechanisms: continuous evaluation and final evaluation. The combination of both makes a final grade. The continuous evaluation includes:
- Regular participation in the seminars
- Presentation (15 minutes)
- Short in-class written assignments
These aspects all together account for 60 % of the final grade. The final evaluation is based on the final exam that covers all material learned during the course (including lectures, seminars, and presentations) and constitutes another 40% of the final grade.
According to the UPF evaluation system, there is a possibility of recuperation for students that did not pass the course. Students that failed the course will have to meet two conditions: 1) they should have fulfilled 50% of the continuous evaluation and 2) they should have been presented at the final exam. The recuperation will consist of one exam subdivided into two parts: one part of the exam will test the knowledge of theory (lectures) of this course and second part will relate to the components of the continuous evaluation. The students with right for recuperation will examined accordingly to the parts they previously failed.
Main Bibliography
Daniele Caramani (2008) Comparative Politics New York: Oxford University Press
Clark, W., Matt Golder, Sona N. Golder (2009) Principles of Comparative Politics Washington: CQ Press
Carles Boix and Susan Stokes (2007) The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics Oxford University Press
Donatella Della Porta and Michael Keating (2008; 2010) Approaches and Methodologies in the Social Science: A Pluralist Perspective Cambridge University Press
Recommended Bibliography:
Newton, Kenneth (2010) Foundation of Comparative Politics: Democracies of Modern World. Cambridge, New York; Cambridge University Press
The Sage Handbook of Comparative Politics (2009) London: Sage
Clark, W. (2009) Principles of Comparative Politics Washington: CQ Press
Comparative Politics (2008) New York: Oxford University Press
Landman, Todd (2008) Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics: an introduction
Mahler, G. (2008) Comparative Politics: An institutional and cross-national approach Pearson: Prentice Hall
The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics (2007) Oxford University Press
Newton, K. (2005) Foundations of Comparative Politics: democracies of the modern world. Cambridge University Press
Boulder, W. (2002) New Directions in Comparative Politics, Westview, 3rd edition
Theen, Rolf H. W. (2001) Comparative Politics: An Introduction to seven countries. Prentice Hall
Comparative Politics: the problem of equivalence (1998) London: Routledge
Peters, B. Guy (1998) Comparative Politics: theory and methods. Macmillan Press
Comparative Politics: rationality, culture, and structure (1997) Cambridge University Press
Wilson, Frank L. (1996) Concepts and Issues in Comparative Politics: an introduction to comparative analysis. Prentice Hall
Mayer, Lawrence (1996) Comparative Politics: Nations and Theories in a Changing World. Prentice Hall
Lane, Ruth (1997) The Art of Comparative Politics. Prentice Hall. Boston: Allyn and Bacon
Kamrava, Mehran (1996) Understanding Comparative Politics: A Framework for Analysis. Routledge
Lane, Jan-Erik (1994) Comparative Politics: an introduction and new approach. Cambridge: Polity Press
Journals:
Comparative Political Studies
Comparative Politics
World Politics
American Journal of Political Science
American Political Science Review
Journal of Democracy
Politics and Society
Comparative European Politics
West European Politics
European Journal of Political Science
European Journal of Political Review
6. Methodology
The methodology is based on a combination of lectures and seminars. Each week is dedicated to the analysis of specific issue and a number of related questions should be answered in the framework of seminars. Lectures are meant to provide analytical understanding and critical re-thinking of readings within the context of broader literature on the topic. Students are encouraged to raise questions to clarify concepts and theoretical premises. Seminars are meant to provide students with the opportunity to discuss in-depth assigned topics, to raise disputable issues, to learn to defend their point of view within the framework of academic discourse. Seminars are also meant to provide the chance to present their own work and to discuss with the rest of the class issues raised in the presentation. Students are expected to make 15-minute presentation on one of the readings of the syllabus. Presentation should be followed in-class discussion.