the primary government buildings of China, Germany, South Africa, Iran, Russia, India, The US, and Brazil
the primary government
buildings of China, Germany, South Africa, Iran, Russia, India, The US,
and Brazil
instructor
info:
JOHN
MEHRTENS
322-A Harrison Hall,
529-2470
Spring '04 Hours:
Tues & Thurs, 10:30am - 11:30am & 2pm - 3pm, or by appointment
mehrtens@email.unc.edu
teaching
assistant info:
IRINA
AERVITZ
aerviti1@muohio.edu
course
overview:
This
is the department's introductory offering in the subfield of comparative
politics. Over the course of this semester, we will analyze the differences
in government structures among countries in an effort to determine how
and why these differences matter. Specifically, we will compare the
governments of advanced capitalist democracies in the first half of the
semester, a small group of countries which has achieved a level of prosperity
and stability which poorer countries struggle to emulate. Despite
many apparent similarities, however, these countries have significant differences
which have profound implications for the quality of life enjoyed by their
respective citizens. We will then turn our attention in the second
half of the course to developing countries, focusing primarily on efforts
to improve their political, economic, and social situations. I would
imagine that most, if not all, of you have a basic understanding of how
our American system works. I hope that by the end of the semester
you will have a better understanding of the way other countries do things,
and the challenges many of them face, so that you can make your own judgments,
based on your own values and beliefs, about what works and what doesn't,
as well as a better prespective on the strengths and weaknesses of our
American system.
required readings:
1) Jurg Steiner, European Democracies (4th edition), Longman Publishing, ISBN 0-8013-1769-X
2) Peter & Susan Calvert, Politics & Society in the 3rd World (2nd edition), Longman Publishing, ISBN 0-582-43724-5
3) supplemental readings may be placed on reserve or linked thru this site throughout the semester
grading:
1) Midterm.......................................35%...........for
answer key, click HERE
2) SHORT Paper............................15%...........due
Tuesday, April 6th............for more info, click HERE
3) Final Exam..................................35%
4) Participation & Attendance.......15%
tentative schedule:
WEEK 1 (Jan 13th & 15th): course intro
(Tues) & intro to government (Thurs)
readings:
none
WEEK 2 (Jan 20th & 22nd): nature
of comparative politics (Tues) & political parties (Thurs)
readings:
Steiner, Ch. 1
Economist: Greens
Grow Up (Aug 5th, 1999)
Toxic
but Containable (Apr 25th 2002)
A
Wind of Change in the Netherlands (May 16th 2002)
WEEK 3 (Jan 27th & 29th): election
systems (Tues), cabinet formation, & heads of state (Thurs)
readings:
Steiner, Chs. 2 & 3
Economist: A
Conundrum for Austria (Feb 3rd 2000)
On
Top, as Usual ( Sept 19th 2002)
WEEK 4 (Feb 3rd & 5th): courts
(Tues), federalism, referenda, the state, & interest groups (Thurs)
readings:
Steiner, Chs. 4-6
Economist:Untangling
the System (Nov 6th 2003)
The People's Voice (Aug 12th 1999)
Ex
Uno, Plures (Aug 19th 1999)
WEEK 5 (Feb 10th & 12th): varieties
of capitalism
Movie: "Roger & Me"
Supplemental Readings: Polanyi, The Great Transformation
Esping-Andersen, Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism
Goodin, Headey, Muffels, & Dirven, Real Worlds of Welfare Capitalism
WEEK 6 (Feb 17th & 19th): NO
CLASS TUESDAY, varieties of capitalism, cont (Thurs)
Supplemental Readings: Katzenstein, Small States in World Markets
Soskice, "Divergent Production Regimes"
WEEK 7 (Feb 24th & 26th): NO CLASS TUESDAY, Standards of Living, Public Opinion, & Class (Thurs)
WEEK 8 (Mar 2nd & 4th): international
system (Tues) & globalization (Thurs)
Supplemental Readings: Cox, Production, Power, & World Order
Greider, One World, Ready or Not
Teeple, Globalization and the Decline of Social Reform
Rodrik, Has Globalization Gone Too Far?
Kitschelt, Lange, Marks, & Stephens, "Convergence & Divergence
in ACDs"
WEEK 9 (Mar 9th & 11th): the
European Union (Tues - IRINA), movie: "Lumuba" (Thurs)
readings:
Steiner, Chs. 13 & 14
WEEK 10 (Mar 16th & 18th): SPRING BREAK (have fun, be safe)
WEEK 11 (Mar 23rd & 25th): wrap-up & review (Tues), midterm (Thurs)
WEEK 12 (Mar 30th & Apr 1st):
introduction to 3rd World politics
readings:
Calvert & Calvert, Chs. 1-3
WEEK 13 (Apr 6th & 8th): 3rd
World economics (modernization & dependency)
readings:
Calvert & Calvert, Ch. 4
WEEK 14 (Apr 13th & 15th): social
& cultural issues in the 3rd World
readings:
Calvert & Calvert, Chs. 5 & 6
WEEK 15 (Apr 20th & 22nd): state-building
& democratization
readings:
Calvert & Calvert, Chs. 7 & 8
WEEK 16 (Apr 27th & 29th): conclusion (Tues), wrap-up & review (Thurs)
FINAL EXAMS:
class on Tu & Th
at 12noon.............................Monday, May 3rd, 2:45pm
class on Tu & Th
at 3pm..................................Friday, May 7th, 7:30am (last day,
very early- ouch!)
lecture outlines:
course
policies:
1) I take roll.
I don't want to be your babysitter, but I don't feel like you can be actively
involved in the course of you aren't here. I don't have a set rule,
like so many absences translates into a fixed reduction in your grade,
but part of your grade will be based on particpiation & attendance
(see above), so it definitely does matter. It also helps me learn
your names, which is also important, given my emphasis on participation.
I know Miami has a pretty serious university-wide attendance policy, and
I hear that very few of the students at this school have a problem showing
up for class, so I don't think any of this will be a big shock for you.
2) Excessive
tardiness, talking with your friends, reading the school paper, ringing
cell phones, and generally disruptive behavior also will be factored into
the P&A portion of your grade.
3) Please take
test dates seriously. If you have a legitimate emergency, I will
certainly work with you, but you will need to provide documentation as
to why you couldn't take the test on the appointed date. If you know
you are going to have a scheduling conflict, it is much better if we address
it beforehand, rather than after the fact. What I'm not very tolerant
of, and what I'm trying to avoid, is people waking up the day of the test,
determining that they're not ready, and deciding for themselves that they'll
just take it later. It's not fair to everybody else who is ready
on time, and I reserve the right severely reduce your grade in such instances.
I'm really easy to work with in most situations, as long as I don't get
the impression that you're trying to get away with something (like being
lazy) at the expense of your classmates.
4) Try to at
least skim the textbook readings and read the Economist articles
before class. It will improve your participation and it will give
me a better idea of what I need to clarify when we talk about the material
in class.
5) It's OK to
have an opinion. Political issues have to do with the fundamental
way that people lead their lives- that's why they're so contentious.
For example, when we talk about immigration, some students will speak in
favor of letting newcomers into the country to fulfill an important role
in our workforce, or as a basic human rights issue. Other students
may see incoming workers as a threat to domestic workers or the "American
way of life" (whatever that might be). Each viewpoint is equally
valid. I have my opinions on the subject, and while I try to keep
them out of the classroom, they will show themselves from time to time.
I guess that's kind of the point- I have some difficulty with the notion
of viewing politics from some "neutral observer" viewpoint, because the
issues themselves do matter. If you don't care much about these issues
now, I hope you'll find some things that spark your interest during the
course of the semester. If you're already a bit more politically
engaged, that's even better. Either way, I want you to form and share
your own opinions on these issues- that's why participation is part of
your overall grade. One last thing- I don't care if our discussions
get a bit heated, but please always be respectful of your classmates.
Just because we may disagree doesn't mean civility should get thrown out
the window, and if you do throw it out the window, it will negatively affect
your P&A score.
6) Because of
the discussion-oriented nature of my classes, sometimes we get rambling
a bit and it may become difficult for you to tell how I've organized the
material I want you to know. I'm sure sometimes you'll end up after
class with a jumbled mass of notes which seem pretty random and you'll
feel like you have no way of connecting them. Two things will help.
First, at least skimming the readings before class will help you anticipate
what is coming and make sense of it afterwards. More importantly,
however, I'll write BRIEF outlines for each chapter we cover and link it
on this website (just above this section). I may or may not have
them up before we discuss a particular chapter, so they are in no way intended
as a substitute for coming to class and taking good notes. They are
meant simply to give some structure to our discussions, so you can see
what the important topics are, how topics are inter-related, etc.
7) My tests
are of the short answer variety, meaning answers will usually be about
a paragraph in length. As I see it, the purpose of testing is to
determine a) which students have been paying no attention whatsoever; b)
which understand course concepts in general terms; and c) which students
really understand the nuances of the material. I feel the short-answer
format provides the best opportunity for students to show how much they
really know. My tests are kind of long, but if you have been paying
attention throughout the semester, they shouldn't been difficult.
I've been told that my tests are "tough but fair", which is exactly what
I want them to be.
8) In keeping
with the "tough but fair" theme, that's also how I have been described
as an instructor, which, once again, is exactly how I want to be perceived.
I reserve an 'A' for exceptional work, and I don't throw them around charitably,
but I will give one to every student who earns one. And I mean that-
if all 130 of you do exceptional work, then I'll give an 'A' to all 130
of you, though past experience shows the chances of this happening are
rather low. I will also give a 'D' or an 'F' to every student who
earns one, though I have historically given very few and I hope I don't
have to give many this semester. I'll do every thing I can for you
to keep that from happening, but I can't take the tests for you- if you
choose not to do the work and therefore earn a 'D' or 'F', that's what
I'll be forced to give you, even though neither of us will be happy about
it.
9) Now that
we have all of the unpleasantness out of the way, let me also say that
I think the vast majority of my students both here and at Carolina would
tell you that they both learned alot and had a reasonably good time in
my classes. I can't say that it will be the most exciting part of
your day, or that there won't be times when you'll wish you were someplace
else, but I'll do everything I can to make the experience as pleasant as
possible. At the end of the semester, I hope you'll also be able
to look back and say that you both learned alot and had a reasonably good
time.
GOOD LUCK