Introduction to Government and Comparative Politics – Undergraduate Syllabus

The course examines core topics and research methods in Government and Comparative Politics. The topics include theories of democracy, development, historical evaluation of the state, nationality and ethnicity, the dynamics of regime change, study of institutions, bottom-up (civil society) versus top-down (elites) processes, and the challenges globalization imposes upon the nation-state. Examples brought from different regions of the world and different periods in history will give the students a basis for comparative analysis.