DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES
SECOND SEMESTER
2019/2020 ACADEMIC YEAR
SECOND SEMESTER
2019/2020 ACADEMIC YEAR
COURSE SYLLABUS
POLI 214: Introduction to Comparative
Politics (THREE CREDITS)
Instructors: Dr Emmanuel
Yeboah-Assiamah (will cover weeks 1 to 7)
Dr
Hassan Wahab (will cover weeks 8 to 13)
Note: Readings from weeks 8 to 13 will
be provided in due course.
Office:
Dr. H. Wahab Dr.
E. Yeboah-Assiamah Pol. Sci. Dept. Room #13 Pol
Sci. Dept. Room #: K. Folson Block, 1st Fl.
Email: hwahab@ug.edu.gh Email: eyeboah-assiamah@ug.edu.gh
Office Hours:
TBA or by appointment Mon. 14:00-15:30 or by appointment
Venue & Time:
Main Campus:
JQB22 (Group A): Mon. 13:30-15:20PM
JQB22 (Group B): Thur. 9:30-11:20AM
City Campus:
NLC Left Wing 3rd Floor: Tues. 10:00AM-12:00PM
Course Summary and Objectives:
Politics
involves the quest for power, exercise of power, and consequences of power at
multiple levels of society. Comparative politics attempts to understand the
similarities and differences among political systems at varying levels through
systematic approaches. This course introduces students to comparative politics,
the comparative method and toolkit for comparing relevant phenomena across
political systems. The course further examines the historical context of the
nation-state and different political regimes together with structures and
institutions across different systems.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course, it is expected that students are able
to:
1.
identify, describe
and/or analyze various elements of comparative politics, including the need for
‘why’ questions
2.
apply the comparative method to the study of
political systems and cases
3.
appreciate how past events in state’s developmental path lead to
differences in long-term outcomes
4.
familiarize
themselves 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, if not, please do so)
Academic Honesty:
All University policies regarding academic honesty will be
strictly enforced. Plagiarism, cheating or academic misconduct in any manner
will not be tolerated. If you are not sure about anything, please do not
hesitate to contact us, and we can go over it together. We encourage you to
familiarize yourselves with the University’s policy regarding academic
misconduct. This policy is available at http://www.ug.edu.gh/aqau/policies-guidelines.
Students with Special Needs:
Students with special needs should register with the Office of Students with Special Needs, located in the University of Ghana
Computing Services (UGCS) building, next to the Student Financial Aid Office;
Tel: +233-24-457-5177; E-mail: ossnug@gmail.com.
Please contact us as soon as possible so that appropriate accommodation
can be arranged.
Assessment:
TWO assessment mechanisms will be used in this course: (1)
Interim Assessment exams, and (2) Final Exams. The format for these exams will
be one or a combination of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, short essay,
and long essay questions.
Interim Assessment (IA): This assessment component will comprise two in-class IA exams.
The dates and times will be announced in class. Each IA will be worth 15%. The
IA exams will be based on the content of the readings, lectures, discussion
sections, and news items covered at the relevant stage of the course.
Final Exam: Worth 70% of the
final grade, this exam will be based on the content of the readings, lectures,
and discussions covered over the entire course.
Grading Scale: Please refer to the Undergraduate
Handbook
Course Policies
Regular attendance is a key determinant of success in this course
and is required. Students are expected to do their readings before they come to
class, the readings serve as a background, not as a substitute, for the
lectures and class discussions. Not only do we expect students to attend classes,
but also expect students to ask questions and participate in class discussions.
Please turn off your cell phones or put on silence mode
before class begins. The use of cell phones in class is PROHIBITED. In general,
please be polite and respectful to everyone in this class. Students are
encouraged to attend to all tutorial sessions
Text Books:
Caramani, Daniele (ed). Comparative
Politics, 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
O’Neal, Patrick H., Karl Fields and Don Share. Cases in Comparative Politics, 5th ed.
New York: W. W. Norton & Company Ltd, 2015.
Please keep in mind that in the course
of the semester, relevant supplementary readings or materials may be added
where applicable
Week 1 (Feb 3 –7):
Introduction to the Course
Week 2 (Feb 10 – 14): Comparative
Politics
Readings: Caramani, Introduction (pp 1-16); Chapter 2 (pp
34-45); O’Neal et al, (pp 1-28)
Week 3 (Feb 17–Feb 21): The nation-state
Readings: Caramani, Chapter 4 (pp 63-77)
Week 4 (Feb 24–Mar 28): Democracies
Readings: Caramani, Chapter 5 (pp 79-94)
Week 5 (Mar 2–Mar 6): Authoritarian
regimes
Readings: Caramani, Chapter 6 (pp. 96-108)
Week 6 (Mar 9-Mar 13): Governments and
Bureaucracies
Readings: Caramani, Chapter
8 ( pp 131-148)
Week 7 (Mar 16-Mar 20): Elections and Electoral
Systems
Readings:
Caramani, Chapter 10 (pp.
166-178)
Week 8 (Mar 23-Mar 27): Federal and
Local Government Institutions
Readings:
Week 9 (Mar 30-Apr 3): Political
Parties
Readings:
Week 10 (Apr 6-Apr 10): United Kingdom
Week 11 (Apr 13-Apr
17): United States
Readings:
Week 12 (Apr 20-Apr 24): Russia
Readings:
Week 13 (Apr 27-May 1): Nigeria
Readings:
Week 14 (May 4-May 8):
REVISION
Week 15 (May 11-May 15):
FINAL EXAMS
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