COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST- POLI 214: INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS

University of Ghana Department of Political Science Introduction to Comparative Politics (POLI 214) Semester 2: 2016/2017 Academic Year
Instructor: Dr. Hassan Wahab                       Course Times:                                                                           Main Campus: (Group A): Thur. 9:30-11:20AM                                                                                                      (Group B): Wed. 7:30-9:20AM                                                                           City Campus: Tues: 10AM-Noon Office: Pol. Sci. Dept. Room #13                                        Office Hours: Tues. 10:00AM-Noon Email: hwahab@access.ug.edu.gh                                            or by appointment
Course Title Introduction to Comparative Politics (POLI 214) Purpose and Objectives of Course This course offers an introduction to comparative politics. Politics is the authoritative allocation of resources. Comparative politics compares the pursuit of power across states. The goal of comparative politics is to understand the political diversity that exists in the world, and the ways that politics and policy shape people’s opportunities to lead fulfilling lives. Over the course of the semester, we will study political institutions, processes, and outcomes both across and within developed and developing states.  We will also learn about democratic and non-democratic regimes. When possible, we will invite guest speakers—academics from different institutions around the world, political practitioners and policy makers—to make presentations to the class.  Upon completion of this course, you will learn and be able to:  1.                  Identify, describe and/or analyze the various elements of comparative political analysis, including the need for why questions, operational definitions, common concepts in comparative politics, etc.; 2.                  Identify, describe, and/or analyze the manifestations and features of key institutions in comparative politics, particularly constitutions and the branches of government: the legislative, executive, and judiciary; 3.                  Familiarize yourself with four country profiles and cases—United Kingdom, United States  of America, Russia, and Nigeria. Note: it is presumed that all students in this course know the country profile of Ghana, and  4.                  Share your knowledge with friends, family and peers. Textbooks •                     O’Neal, Patrick H., Karl Fields and Don Share (OFS). Cases in Comparative Politics, 5th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Ltd, 2015.  •                     Caramani, Daniele, ed. Comparative Politics, 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. Evaluation Grades for the course will be calculated as follows:
Class Participation (5%): Regular attendance is a key determinant of success in this course. The readings serve as a background, not as a substitute, for the lectures and class discussions. Absences will result in a deduction in your class participation grade and will affect your ability to answer the exam questions. In addition to simply attending class, you are expected to participate actively in all class discussions.     Image of the Day (10%): You are expected to keep up with current events in world politics by reading the news each day. Once during the semester, you will be required to present the World Politics Image of the Day. You will identify an important news story and find an image related to this event. You will submit the image to me in class, along with a summary of the story. You should also explain how the image relates to the content of the course. The date for submitting your Image of the Day will be communicated to you during a class session. When searching for news items, I recommend beginning with such outlets as ghanaweb.com, the Daily Graphic, The Ghanaian Times, news.google.com, the New York Times, BBC News, and the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage blog.   There will be two exams in this course: (1) Interim Assessment, and (2) the Final Exams. The format for the exams will be one or a combination of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, short essay, and long essay questions. Interim Assessment (IA): this will be an in-class exam on the fourth or fifth week of the semester. The exam, worth 30% of the final grade, will be based on the content of the readings, lectures, discussion sections, and news items covered at that stage of the course.     Final Exam: Worth 55% of the final grade, this exam will be based on the content of the readings, lectures, discussion sections, and news items covered over the entire course.  Course Policies Regular attendance is a key determinant of success in this course and is required. The readings serve as a background, not as a substitute, for the lectures and class discussions. Absences will result in a deduction in your class participation grade and will affect your ability to answer the exam questions. Before class begins, please turn off your cell phones, MP3 players, etc. You may use laptops and tablets to take notes during class. If you choose to do so, however, you must sit in the first row of seats.      Additionally, please refrain from: frequently arriving late for class; talking, sleeping, texting, or studying other materials in class; and leaving class early. In general, please be polite and respectful to everyone in this class. I reserve the right to apply appropriate sanctions for consistently discourteous classroom behavior, in accordance with UofG policies. As a UofG student, you are expected to abide by the University’s principles of academic honesty. These include, but are not limited to: respecting the intellectual property of others, submitting only individual work unless otherwise allowed by the instructor, and protecting your own academic work from misuse by others as well as avoiding using others work as your own (or plagiarism). All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles.  Check the University Handbook for rules regarding academic misconduct.
Any violation may result in serious academic penalty, ranging from receiving a warning, to failing the assignment, to failing the course, to expulsion from the University. During both the IA and final examinations, please note that once you have received your exam you may not leave the testing room until it has been submitted.
Week	Topic	Venue	Readings
1 & 2 Jan 30–Feb 9	Introduction to Comparative Politics	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	OFS, Chapter 1
3 Feb13–Feb 17	Democracies	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	Caramani, Chapter 5
4 Feb 20–Feb 24	Authoritarian Regimes	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	Caramani, Chapter 6
5 Feb 27-Mar 3	Legislatures	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	Caramani, Chapter 7
6 Mar 6-Mar 10	Governments and Bureaucracies	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	Caramani, Chapter 8
7 Mar 13-Mar 17	Constitutions and Judicial Power	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	Caramani, Chapter 9
8 Mar 20-Mar 24	Federal and Local Government Institutions	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	Caramani, Chapter 11
9 Mar 27-Mar 31	Political Parties	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	Caramani, Chapter 12
10 Apr 3-Apr 7	United Kingdom	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	OFS, Chapter 2
11 Apr 10-Apr 14	United States	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	OFS, Chapter 3
12 Apr 17-Apr 21	Russia	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	OFS, Chapter 7
13 Apr 24-Apr 28	Nigeria	JQB 14/NLC 3rd Floor, left Wing	OFS, Chapter 14
14 May 1-May 5	Revision		All materials and discussions
15 May 6-May 21	Final Exams	TBD