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WELCOME TO POLI 11:

Introduction to Comparative Politics

Welcome to POLI 11: Introduction to Comparative Politics

Course Description

Comparative Politics is a field of Political Science that includes the study of politics in other countries as well as cross-national comparisons of political institutions, policies, and behavior. This is an introductory Comparative Politics course and has no prerequisites. We will examine issues of democracy and political development globally by focusing on three distinctive and important countries: The United Kingdom (Great Britain), Russia, and Nigeria. The readings and lectures will in large part focus on these countries and examine their societies and political history, the behavior of citizens and groups, the impact of political institutions, and public policy challenges.

Course Format and Learning Objectives

The course has two major objectives: (1) to help you think about politics in systematic and comparative ways, and (2) to give you knowledge and understanding of contemporary politics in three particular countries. Thus, after completing this class, you should be able to discuss and explain the political challenges that face contemporary societies and the ways they organize politically in view of these challenges. Also, you should be able not only to understand what characterizes the three countries we will study in depth, but also the similarities and differences between them. The course will be offered remotely and synchronously. It will be supported by a Canvas electronic course account, where recorded Zoom classes, lecture files, and assignments will be uploaded. The syllabus includes a list of study questions for each of four class modules. These questions are designed to help guide your studies, and we will plan to discuss some of them in class, as time permits.

Each week, you will be expected to log into the Learning Management System (Canvas) and participate in the weekly assignments: read the required text, watch lecture videos to enhance your learning, and participate in discussions that probe your reaction to the topics considered. Your participation and engagement with the learning activities is crucial to succeeding in this course and will help prepare you for your final exam.

Step 1: Read the course syllabus and course schedule

The course syllabus will provide you with the course schedule, course objectives, explanations of assignments and assessments, grading policies, and instructor contact information. Please read it carefully. You should have a deep familiarity with the schedule and process of the course.

Step 2: Access your course materials

Textbooks:

- - Powell, G. Bingham Jr., Kaare W. Strøm, Melanie Manion, and Russell J. Dalton, eds., Comparative Politics Today: A World View. 12^th edition. New York: Pearson, 2018 (hereafter: Powell).
    
    Rosling, Hans, et al., Factfulness. New York: Flatiron Books, 2018 (hereafter: Rosling).
    
    Bootle, Roger. Making a Success of Brexit. London: Brealey, 2017.
    
    Ostrovsky, Arkady. The Invention of Russia. New York: Penguin, 2017.
    
    Cunliffe-Jones, Peter. My Nigeria: Five Decades of Independence. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.

Lecture Videos:

Each week, you will watch short lecture videos that align with your chapter readings. The videos are already linked within the weekly module in the order you should watch them. You can also access all course videos in the course's Media Gallery.

The recommended browser is Chrome; however, if you are using Safari, see the Technical Requirements page and follow the instructions to ensure access.

Zoom Video Conference:

We will be using ZOOM, a video conferencing tool to conduct office hours and virtual meetings.

OFFICE HOURS:

I will be holding regular office hours on Tuesdays 12-1pm and by appointment.

To Join an Office Hour at the scheduled time, click the Zoom LTI PRO link in the left-hand navigation menu.

Step 3: Read the Technical Requirements Page

The Navigating Canvas and Technical Requirements pages identify the browsers, operating systems, and plugins that work best with Canvas. If you are new to Canvas quickly review the Canvas Student Orientation materials.

Step 4: Read about academic integrity and guidelines for online interactions.

Online community and integrity are essential to a successful learning experience. Review the Community Guidelines & Academic Integrity page.

Step 5: Familiarize yourself with available academic support services

View the Student Support Section for more information on campus resources and community support.