COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST FOR POLI 352: ISSUES IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS , SECOND SEMESTER 2019/2020 ACADEMIC YEAR

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES

SECOND SEMESTER

2019/2020 ACADEMIC YEAR

COURSE SYLLABUS

POLI 352: Issues in Comparative Politics (3-CREDITS)

Instructors: Dr. Emmanuel Yeboah-Assiamah (will cover weeks 1 to 7)

Dr. Hassan Wahab (will cover weeks 8 to 13)

Course Venue:  Jones Quartey Building (JQB 19)

Time: Wed. 7:30-9:20AM

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 Hrs.: TBA or by appointment		Office Hours: Mon 12NOON-1:30PM
			And by appointment

Course Summary:

This is an advanced comparative political science course. The goal of the course is to discuss current and pertinent issues in the study of comparative politics such as Values, Participation and Voting, Democracy and Democratization, Electoral Systems, Regime Stability/Regime Change etc. How do citizenry participate in the political system in both liberal democracies and authoritarian regimes? How and why does political culture vary across political systems and even among demographics? How do occurrences in one jurisdiction affect others? Theories of citizen participation, political culture and policy diffusion shall be discussed in the course of the semester with special emphasis on how these elements play out across political systems and regimes.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, we expect students to be able to:

1.      understand the core concepts, theories and methodologies in comparative politics;

2.      make critical evaluations of differences between national political systems;

3.      understand and appreciate the tools for political participation

4.      appreciate the interconnectedness among countries and issue of context

5.      evaluate research material in a critical way and develop and present research projects within the discipline of comparative politics.

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 see us, and we can go over it together. You are encouraged 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 schedule of these exams will be announced in class in the course of the semester. Each IA will be worth 15% of the final grade. The IA exams 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 70% of the final grade, this exam will be based on the content of the readings, lectures, and discussions covered over the entire course. It may also include a research paper.

Grading Scale: Please refer to the Undergraduate Handbook

Tutorials: There will be tutorials for this class led by our teaching and graduate assistants.

Please take advantage of these tutorials.

Disclaimer: We reserve the right to change any readings, dates and requirements listed in this syllabus. If this occurs, every effort will be made to announce the changes well in advance.

Course Policies

Regular attendance is a key determinant of success in this course and is required. Students are required to do their readings before they come to class as the readings serve as a background for the lectures and class discussions. Not only do we expect students to attend classes but also expect them 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.

Disclaimer: In the course of the semester, some lecture schedules or topics may be reviewed when there are compelling reasons to do so and students shall be notified. Please keep in mind also that supplementary readings may be given in the course of the respective lecture weeks.

Text Books:

Caramani, Danielle (2014). Comparative politics (3^rd ed). Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK

Hague, Rod and Harrop Martin (2014). Comparative government and politics: An introduction. Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke, UK.

Supplementary readings may be given in the course of the semester

Course Reading and Class Schedule:

Week 1: Introduction to the Course

Readings:

No readings assigned.

Week 2: Political Culture

Readings:

Hague and Harrop, chapter 6 (p 93-107); Caramani chapter 17 (285-300)

Week 3: Political participation and social movements

Readings:

Hague and Harrop, chapter 8 (pp 130-143)   Caramani, chapter 18 (pp 302-316); Caramani, chapter 16 (pp 267-281)

Week 4: Political communication

 Readings: Caramani, Chapter 19 (pp 319-331); Hague and Harrop (pp. 111-126)

Week 5: Globalization and the nation-state

Readings: Caramani, chapter 24 (pp. 407-420)

Week 6: Democracy and state capacity

Bäck, H. and Hadenius. A. (2008). Democracy and State Capacity: Exploring a J-Shaped Relationship. Governance 21(1): 1–24.

Charron, N. and Lapuente, V. (2010). Does Democracy Produce Quality of Government? European Journal of Political Research 49(4): 443–470.

Chisadza, C., & Bittencourt, M. (2019). Economic development and democracy: The modernization hypothesis in sub-Saharan Africa. The Social Science Journal, 56(2), 243-247.

Narayan, P. K., Narayan, S., & Smyth, R. (2011). Does democracy facilitate economic growth or does economic growth facilitate democracy? An empirical study of Sub-Saharan Africa. Economic Modelling, 28(3), 900-910.

Piątek, D., Szarzec, K., & Pilc, M. (2013). Economic freedom, democracy and economic growth: a causal investigation in transition countries. Post-Communist Economies, 25(3), 267-288.

Week 7: Public policy, policy diffusion and policy mimesis Readings:

Hague and Harrop, Chapter 18 (pp.342-357)

Week 8: Regimes/ Regime stability

Readings

Week 9: Hybrid Regimes

Readings:

Week 10: Democratic Institutions

Readings:

Week 11: Electoral and Party Systems

Readings:

Week 12: Presidentialism vs. Parliamentarism Readings:

Week 13: State and Non-state Provision of Welfare Reform Readings:

Week 14:

REVISION

Weeks 15 & 16:

FINAL EXAMS