PS 140

Introduction to Comparative Politics

Winter 1998

Instructor: Judith Kullberg

5607 Haven Hall

647-7988

Office hours: Thursday, 3-5 

Course Description

How can the considerable variation in political institutions and patterns of political behavior across nations be explained? Why are some nations democratic, while in others the basic rights and freedoms of citizens are not recognized or protected? Are there preconditions for democratic development, and if so, what are they? What are the effects of a country's hisotry, culture, and economy on the evolution of its political order?

These are a few of the major questions long pursued by philosophers, historians, and political scientists. To a considerable extent, answers to these questions can only be arrived at comparatively, through careful examination and comparison of the historical paths and political patterns of many different nations. This course is an introduction to the central theories, concepts and methods of comparative politics. Utilizing these theories and concepts, we will examine the particular features of political life in many different nations, the general political patterns of major regions of the globe, and the trajectories of global political change. In the process, we will attempt to arrive at tentative answers to the questions posed above.